I feel your pain. I was recently diagnosed with multiple internal abscesses around my pouch. I also had an abscess near labia shortly after takedown that had to be cut & drained. Then I had some type of thing done to keep the incision open, so it would continuously drain (not a seton though). I did the sitz bath thing for a long time. I think it took about 6-7 months before it stopped draining.

I'm now only taking Cipro for the new found abscesses and being closely watched. The doctors can't find why they are forming, and I don't want to have another surgery just to find out. My pouch isn't working as great as yours, but I don't want to do anything to mess with it.

I agree, Karbear--no exploratory surgery.

I just want these abscesses to go away. I stopped caring long ago about scars or whatnot (it's my butt, who cares), but this open wound is a monster. I tried calling in a Cipro refill to CVS today that needed authorization and my doctor's office never responded to their message.

Perhaps it's a sign I can ride this out and beat it myself, hopefully...

Knxvil,
I had a couple of years of inguinal abscesses that kept developing and getting bigger and bigger at an alarming rate, never popping and always needing to be drained and long, interminable runs on antibiotics...one rather wise old family doctor finally looked at me when I walked into his office announcing that I had more abscesses and said...they will keep comimg back until we find out what is causing them...abscesses are a symptom and not a disease.
So we cranked up the investigations, did more cultures, kept excising them and finally found (in my case at least) that I had gone necrotic on one side of my pouch and that was sending toxins out into my body.
We cleaned off the necrosys and the abscesses stopped.
Ask them to start investigating the cause and stop just looking at the symptoms.
by the way, when mine were opened up surgically and drained they just kept packing them and washing them out with betadine and saline...for the scars to not end up ugly things I used Steri Strips to bring th edges closer together as healing progress and ended up with not so ugly scars.
Sharon

quote:

...abscesses are a symptom and not a disease

quote:

ask them to start investigating the cause and stop just looking at the symptoms

Are abscesses a symptom or not? This is really confusing!

skn69, my pouch checks out according to all the tests they did on me when I first got an abscess; the doctor called the first abscess a "communication" between my pouch and the rest of the soft tissue. I think what I really have are multiple fistulas, some of which are ok and draining on their own, but there are two big ones that are the angriest, both on the right side, and they caused the open wound. They've drained without setons, it seems, but they hurt like hell.

I haven't packed the wound, I just take as many hot sitz baths as I can, especially after BMs, and try to keep it clean, dry, and covered. I made another call to my doctor about taking Flagyl along with Cipro and am waiting to hear back. I had some luck with that combo before but each time I've gotten antibiotics since I've been given only the Cipro.