Ok, so this is more of an update and a moan.
I have had this stupid perineal sinus tract for two years now, after the proctectomy I have had two further surgeries to try and sort it out. Now I don’t blame anyone for the complication, but I do think I should have more wound care because of living with such an awful wound for this length of time. No one seems in a hurry to help me, and no one seems in a hurry to sort me out.
Just before I went home I still had blood on the sheets and the ST ( yes, a sanitary towel was stuck to my buttocks as a dressing) felt wet and uncomfortable. I asked a nurse if she would help me tidy and clean myself up, which she did as best she could, even she didn’t really know what to do with the wound. So again, I had a sanitary towel stuck to my cheeks, this time I said look, can we just stick it to the pants? it’s doing the same thing but not causing me a rash by sticking to my skin. I definitely believe that had I not asked to change the ” dressing” , it wouldn’t have been done before I went home. and I was never given any information about the care of the wound for any of the operations.
That was fine up to a point, but what to do when the operation failed an the sinus returned a few weeks later ? No one really helps with that except my stoma nurse really. I role a swab up and place that over the wound ( right between the cheeks ) but I still need to wear a thin pad as it can leak through. The discomfort is sometimes awful too, any wound hurts and this is no exception. It feels bruised and sore, so sitting for any length of time ends up being painful. Also being up and down, standing and sitting causes the leaks to be worse, so what do you do?
I suppose what I am trying to say is, there is nothing dressing- wise, that I have been given that is specifically helpful for a butt wound. You get sore ( like nappy rash) constantly changing the swab, and you are constantly aware that you might leak through. This has been me for two long years, so you would think that because of the long waits for surgery, someone would have come up with something better than this. The only time anyone checks it out is when I go to my practice nurse one in a while, this waiting cannot be doing me much good. I am now awaiting another MRI to see why it is back with a vengeance, so will have to wait for that result before I get put on any list, and they have to coordinate the plastic surgeon again so that could take a while.
So I need the powers that be to come up with better care for the perineal / perianal wounds. Most people have to wait a long time with no real support before they get surgery. I never imagined straight after my original surgery that my stoma would be less of a bother than my bottom.
I also didn’t think the timeline for sorting me out would be horrendous.
