Hello!
I have been reading many posts on this site recently and finally was drawn today to register and write a post to ask if anyone has any experience or knows of any treatments for anal fistulas. I have been suffering with one for over 3.5 years and until now not chosen to have surgery after hearing of many resulting problems from it (including reoccurrence, incontinence etc etc). My fistula developed from an anal abscess resulting from a heavy fall to the ground landing on my coccyx. I was treated with antibiotics but the abscess came back and on the third occurrence it became a fistula. I have been trying homeopathy since then, consulting a fair few homeopaths, classically trained and also medical homeopaths, and even online forums. I have also tried ayurveda (but not the ksutra method), medical herbalism, reiki, theta healing, psychic healing, etc etc etc. I am a psychologist myself so have analysed it to death (!) and done various therapies to help (e.g. EFT, CBT, positive imagery, meditation etc etc) but as yet it is still persisting.
I have just contacted the consultant's secretary at the local hospital I have been seeing and asked for an operation as I have lost much weight and my digestive system is struggling and I am exhausted from the constant infection. It seems that they will do an examination under anaesthetic and if it is a fistula then put in a seton (string/thread) which is not a permanent solution. I am also going to try homeopathy whilst waiting - joepathy (arnica/silica etc)- a method that I have tried 3 times before but has helped several people apparently.
Anyway,.....today, for some reason, I thought I would write and ask on this forum.
Also I am currently taking triphala to help my bowels as they have become almost static over the past few months (despite probiotici kefir daily, fibre, loads of liquids etc etc etc) but I am really bloated with it (taking 1.5 tsp at night)..
Any thoughts, ideas etc really gratefully received.
Many many thanks and blessings!
Sapphy
I have just written a whole long answer and when I submitted it my HP connection had dropped out - for the third time today - so this is a shortened copy.
Hi Sapphy, welcome to HP :wave:
So sorry to hear you are having such an awful problem and it's not been sorted for so long.
It sounds like you are very run-down and you also say that you have lost weight, added to which you have probably had several courses of antibiotics which will upset the balance of your gut flora. I would seriously suggest you see a [url]registered Nutritional Therapist [/url]who will look at you holistically - all your symptoms, your lifestyle, diet, and both you and your family's medical history - all of which can have a bearing on your situation.
The therapist will probably recommend how to improve immune function, foods that are anti-inflammatory, to balance your nutrient intake, improve your digestion and support your gut bacteria, and probably aslo do tests for food intolerances which may well be present in these circumstances. I would also hazard a guess that if you follow the NT's advice you will be feeling considerably better in as little as three months.
I realise you have tried all sorts of therapies but I continue to be amazed at how much difference the right food can make to a person's health. This is not just general guidance but finding what is suitable for you as an individual. Hope it helps to sort you out.
Wishing you all the best.
Thank you!
Hi Caroline,
Thank you for the lovely welcome and taking so much time to write the reply again after losing it the first time!
I have indeed recently seen a naturopath/nutritionalist who recommended castor oil packs and linseed tea. Unfortunately the linseed tea made the bowels much worse as mucilage and bulk is not the problem it seems. My diet was okay according the the therapist - I have some nutritional training myself.
I will keep open though to everything though and I'll also have a look through the other forums for ideas. I feel once my digestive system gets back on track,and the bowels back to normal, then things will be much better, as you say. I read one of the other threads on chronic constipation from July and will have a look more into magnesium, checking out what Ava says ( I think it was you who recommended that to Keanu). I have taken courses of oxy-powder before which really shifted things initially after 3 months of chronic constipation when I first got the fistula - which is magnesium based but now it causes much spasming and bloating and aggravates the fistula. I am taking triphala at present but that too is causing major bloating so I cannot eat much. Maybed there is an art to taking magnesium and some forms better than others. (I have recently taken mag citrate but that too really aggravated the fistula).
But once I crack this I will be such an expert (smile!) that I can then help everyone else!
Many thanks again!
Sapphy
Hi Caroline,
Thank you for the lovely welcome and taking so much time to write the reply again after losing it the first time!
I have indeed recently seen a naturopath/nutritionalist who recommended castor oil packs and linseed tea. Unfortunately the linseed tea made the bowels much worse as mucilage and bulk is not the problem it seems. My diet was okay according the the therapist - I have some nutritional training myself.
That is a different take from the Nutritional Therapy I was taught, based on Functional Medicine and is certainly not what I'd choose to offer first off. Basic nutrition is very different from the biochemical understanding of cell physiology which is part of current nutritional therapy teaching - as I discovered, biochemistry has come an awful long way in the last 50 years, and particularly the last 20). It is qute possible to manipulate dietary intake and add supplements in order to help the body heal many different situations. I therefore look at things from a different perspective from most of what was taught in the past (I trained as a SRN), and certainly from the current medical perspective. New research, particularly from USA ([url]Jeff Bland[/url] - I am attending his seminar this weekend - [url]Michael Murray[/url], and [url]Elizabeth Lipski [/url]for starters) is developing at speed and what is being uncovered now is little short of astonishing. Digestive wellness is absolutely vital to good health.
I will keep open though to everything though and I'll also have a look through the other forums for ideas. I feel once my digestive system gets back on track,and the bowels back to normal, then things will be much better, as you say. I read one of the other threads on chronic constipation from July and will have a look more into magnesium, checking out what Ava says ( I think it was you who recommended that to Keanu). I have taken courses of oxy-powder before which really shifted things initially after 3 months of chronic constipation when I first got the fistula - which is magnesium based but now it causes much spasming and bloating and aggravates the fistula. I am taking triphala at present but that too is causing major bloating so I cannot eat much. Maybed there is an art to taking magnesium and some forms better than others. (I have recently taken mag citrate but that too really aggravated the fistula).
But once I crack this I will be such an expert (smile!) that I can then help everyone else!
😀
Magnesium could be a key but I wouldn't hazard to suggest it without having done a full consultation. One needs to see what else is going on and the context. As you have had this problem for some time it won't be a quck fix but I'm sure with the right advice you can get well - without drugs.
Do try and find a [url]Nutritional Therapist[/url] who can help you, and I would suggest you get someone trained at a degree level course (I would, wouldn't I!).
Thank you!
Thank you so much Caroline for the reply and further info. I have seen 4 nutritional therapists/naturpaths since developing this problem. One was ION trained, and the most recent was trained through the Nutri-Centre. I have changed my diet accordingly each time and also had food intolerance blood test and kinesiology and also supplment testing, and changed my diet as a result. I have read lots on the ION approach and incorporated it into my nutrition. I shall look at the others that you suggested also though as it all helps and see how things go. I am not working at present so minimal resources but I will check out other nutritional therapists as you suggest.
Thank you again. I really appreciate it!
Kate
Sapphy,
It's been quite some time since you posted here and I'm not sure you'll ever see this but I'm curious how it went?!
I have been diagnosed with rectal abscess and they want to do a rectal exam under anesthesia with possible fistulotomy, possible seton placement.
I am currently scrambling looking for any and all other options that may exist before taking this step and I'm curious how your situation played out. I hope well.