After 8 months my issues with the Ken Butt have continued and it doesn’t look like they will be resolving themselves without intervention.
The Background
It’s been well documented on My New Bum about the ongoing issues I’ve been having with the Ken Butt. It’s been 8 months since the surgery and both the perineal and sinus wounds that have been present since day one are still causing issues. Both are requiring dressing 7 days a week and there have been numerous infections, including one that was picked up late last week.
An MRI scan was performed at the beginning of September and whilst waiting for the results I contacted my stoma team to update them on the wounds and my mental wellbeing. My specialist agreed to bring forward my appointment by 2 weeks with a view to trying to address the issues.
Specialist Appointment
When you are given an appointment with a specialist you aren’t always guaranteed to see them and you may well see someone less senior. Whilst they’re still well-qualified, when you are experiencing complex issues you want to see the chief. They know your history and they are in a position to make on-the-spot decision including deciding to perform surgery at short notice as I’ve experienced in the past. Thankfully I overheard whilst waiting that he specifically wanted to see me.
The purpose of the MRI scan was to see what was going on inside the ol’ butt and whether the perineal wound was joined to the pilonidal sinus. Luckily the MRI had been reviewed by a radiographer in time for the specialist appointment. It transpired that the two wounds weren’t joined but it did reveal a 7cm pocket of fluid in the sacrum area of the pelvis (I learn new terms and parts of the body with each visit!). Apparently the fluid looks like a dinosaur!
Discovering the fluid means that something needs to be done sooner rather than later which means more surgery and soon. The surgery would involve opening up the wound again and draining the fluid inside and leaving it open to heal from the inside – and hopefully heal correctly again. To assist with the healing they may decide to use negative -pressure wound therapy, aka a VAC dressing.
The surgery is this Friday! I did feel a bit guilty when they said that they would have to cancel someone’s operation so that I could have my procedure completed.
What’s Next
Once the surgery has been completed it looks like there will be a period of healing again which could either be lengthy or if they decided to use a VAC dressing it could heal quicker. I’m preparing myself for another lengthy healing process but at least it’s being addressed rather than hoping that it heals itself.
Once that has been addressed and hopefully it has been healed it does appear as though the specialist is willing to address the parastomal hernia. Despite not causing any issues it’s affecting my quality of life and that is something that is a factor when considering whether to perform surgery.
You have my sympathies, mine also took a long time to heal. Sounds like a positive step.
Cheers, it’s certainly gone on a lot longer than I’d hoped for but I’m hoping that this intervention will help 🙂 How long did yours take to heal?
I hope this operation helps to get it sorted for you. I think you deserve some good luck now!
Very best wishes for a good result and speedy recovery. X