Last week I was at St Marks hospital in London having VAAFT surgery and this is how it went. ( video assisted anal fistula treatment, although I don’t have an anus it works in a similar way for my particular anatomy and infection.)
Click on the word VAAFT in paragraph above for a detailed description of the procedure.
We were hoping and praying they didn’t cancel at the last moment because we had to go down the evening before and stay in a hotel ( I had to be there at 7am.) It would have been a nightmare and costly. I was a bit nervous about this surgery as it was a new hospital for me and the procedures they had were a bit different to my local one, and I always felt confident and comfortable there where I knew.
It is very modern at St Marks, when you go in there are some leather sofas in a large clean white waiting area, we booked in and were asked to sit there with, I would think, another ten to fifteen people. My husband wasn’t allowed to go further than this which made me anxious. When the man said to follow him, we said our goodbyes and ring you laters and off we all went. This was the weird bit, as we went en mass and followed him along corridors and up some stairs, and along more corridors until we eventually arrived on a ward where my name was taken and a bay allocated. In Nottingham we would go straight to the ward on our own and book in there.
I had to put on my gown straight away, with a lovely hair net thing, and those funny shoe covers. A nurse arrived to do my observations and go through some questions, a quick hello from a member of my surgeons team and a brief chat about the procedure before the anaesthetist arrived.
Because we would be travelling straight home that day, I was very lucky to be first down to theatre, and another unusual thing that was different for me was the fact that I was taken straight into the theatre room and not a side room to be put to sleep, so although I have had a fair few surgeries, I haven’t actually seen the inside of the theatre. It spooked me a little seeing the large room with all the equipment and lighting but realised they were doing the same kind of things just in the theatre instead. The anaesthetist had a little joke with me about my veins and needing to smack my hand and eventually that was it until I woke up back on the ward. As soon as I opened me eyes it seemed, they asked if I would like a cuppa and sandwich, which I said yes to. I kind of wished I hadn’t as I got heartburn and pain which I think was to do with the tube having been near there.
I had a large pad in my pants ( not fixed to anything though so kept moving about ) as I was bleeding and leaking from the surgical site ( where my bum hole used to be) but it was numb which was good for travelling back. They told me that I would need a flap surgery again to close the hole in my vagina, something that we were hoping to avoid, but I would still have another VAAFT procedure in a further 6 weeks.
Everyone was nice and I was treated well so next time I won’t be as nervous.
Recovery wasn’t bad. Some discomfort but no pain for me, but blood and fluid leakage from the site was a fair amount. I was tired and had a sore throat which is common after a general anaesthetic, but had time to relax at home and recover. After a week I was more of less back to being me apart from the leaking and soreness, but was told that it was normal to leak for a few weeks and I assume they cleansed the pelvic area by flushing it out so it would be that and blood that would come out.
I will see how it goes but it seems okay for now, and if it works by reducing my symptoms to a more manageable amount I will be happier. The flap surgery is another matter and I will cross that bridge when I get to it, for now I will stay strong and get through these procedures ( and continue tucking the swabs between my cheeks )
A few weeks after, I was wiping the wound and a stitch appeared which surprised me, wasn’t told much afterward the procedure so just hoped it was normal. I am also still leaking, and it’s more than before I had surgery.
