Difficult situation-overwhelmed on what to do.....

I've lived here all my life, and my previous surgeon moved away, and unfortunately I am currently in need of one to address a situation that cannot wait. My pelvic cavity from when my jpouch was removed 2 years ago has never healed, and in recent months, has gotten so much worse, and needs to be addressed. It is a long, complicated, and pretty big surgery from what I hear (He recommended flap reconstruction-gracilis), and me not having my surgeon of over 20 yrs. anymore who knows my whole history, I feel so lost and its overwhelming just doing google searches and reading reviews of patients online of Atlanta colo-rectal surgeons and such different pros and cons in order to find a colo-rectal surgeon AND a plastic surgeon (potentially- if I go through with this option- which scares me to death researching it!)
Cleveland clinic was my first thought in my mission a month ago, but when I contacted my previous colo-rectal surgeon a month ago and we talked on the phone, (the one who moved away, and informed me of the flap reconstruction), he said I would need to find one here for the follow-up care-which makes sense-I can't be driving up to Cleveland every 2-3 weeks for check-up-doesn't sound practical. So how does practically everyone else as you mentioned manage that unless they all live in Cleveland??
May sound like a naive question, as I know Cleveland Clinic is the best of the best in colo-rectal care, but how does one manage all the follow-up care?

Anyhow, still not sure what to do, and need help fast.
I spent the day searching and searching throughout the different forums/posts that yielded info from others on perianal wounds that have not healed from jpouch removal/ flap reconstruction procedure (which is what my color-rectal recommended), and I went online to make an appt. with Dr. Remzi. But just concerned on how long that will take- I am in a lot of pain everyday, and have to hide it at work, and trying to push through my day teaching at school- 3 weeks of school left. My anus is sewn up, so it makes the pain worse, when you have pools of fluid infection inside (had to go to ER 2 weeks ago and they saw that in CT scan) that causes pain and such pressure and can't get out, except to leak through vaginally- its awful.

Anyhoo, I digress, but its difficult to take all the time/steps needed to make such a big decision and gather all the info/options and resolving the acquired inquiries that develop with the more knowledge gained, in order to make the best decision- when you just want it out and the pain to be relieved by any means asap.
But knowing you won't feel good about going forward with any procedure unless you feel good about your chosen colo-rectal- and the one I went to here last week in same practice was ok, but don't feel great about him.