It’s almost three months since surgery and it’s time for a second follow up appointment. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this appointment due to the Ken Butt taking so long to heal. Whilst the nurses I see on a daily basis are doing a fantastic job, a specialist really needed to see them to check everything was ok.
Meeting the Surgeon
On my first follow up appointment with the surgical team I was disappointed not to see my surgeon but rather a registrar. This time I was fortunate to see him. It’s more reassuring as even though he sees so many patients, there’s a better chance that he’s going to remember your history and possibly the procedure. He did remember that I was up for doing crazy runs. I probably jogged his memory by running to the appointment and seeing him in my running gear!
I hope you haven’t started doing crazy runs again!
My Surgeon
The main reason for seeing him today was to examine the old bum and to see if the wounds are healing correctly. When I had the procedure, a wound was created to allow an infection to drain. Everyday since then I’ve had to had the dressing changed on an (almost) daily basis. At the top end of the Ken Butt is another wound that wasn’t created in the hospital but has been dressed on a daily basis and isn’t healing any time soon. It’s also been infected twice!
The nurses in the GP surgery suggested contacting my specialist to take a look. Being all too familiar with my many ailments over the years I had a suspicion that it was a pilonidal sinus which had been there for a couple of decades. Turns out that it is was just that and they’re not the easiest to treat so will probably just have to put up with it. It does mean that I’m going to have to continue having it dressed for the foreseeable future.
Time for a Shave
To help with the healing of both wounds he suggested giving me a shave so out came a scalpel! Probably not what he had planned for a Wednesday afternoon.
Meeting the Stoma Nurse
The great thing about seeing the specialist during his clinic is that the stoma team are on hand to assist with any queries and mine was whether it’s still normal to have blood around the edges of the stoma. Only in the last couple of days I had noticed some blood appearing around the perimeter of the stoma although it has since stopped. Even though it’s 11 weeks since surgery it can still occur to appear so nothing to worry about.
My Bloody Stoma
Just to make sure a stoma nurse took a look at the stoma and in her words, “it looks bloody lovely!’ and was the best one that she’d seen all week.
That stoma looks bloody lovely!
Stoma Nurse
She also made a comment about he remarkably well I’m doing considering it’s less than 3 weeks since surgery. I do believe that having a positive attitude towards recovery has helped as well as the support and encouragement from friends, family and complete strangers!
Thank you for sharing your story. I know how unpleasant dressings can be, and how exhausting on the mind it is to have it done everyday. Glad you are doing well.
I’ve been doing it for so long I’m so used to it. I’ve been there so long I’ve had to keep buying them chocolates to reward them for looking at my bum for so long! 🙂