Large painful lump next to anus

[Riddlediddle]

Sorry if this is TMI but I've been on a diet recently and the last week or so it's been more of a struggle to pass a bowel movement which has meant I've had to sit on the toilet for much longer than I normally would and strain more. Yesterday I had horrendous pain constantly in my anus which I just assumed was from the recent issues but it's got even worse today so I've done some prodding and I have a huge hard bulge on the left side of my anus moving up towards my vagina but it's all underneath the skin so I can't see anything other than swelling. It's painful constantly whether I'm standing,sitting or laying down. Will this be from the straining? I've done some Googling and can't work out whether it's Rectocele Expanded? Also how the hell do I treat this? Heat packs or ice packs? Any help is appreciated as I genuinely am in so so much pain.
Thanks!

To help you poop, wrap ur hand in a bit of tissue and press above ur anus (sort of in ur crack under your tailbone)
When you push to poop and press there it somehow helps the poop to come out a bit more comfortably.

I put on disposable gloves, made a pad out of toilet tissue and then pressed gently covering the wound as I did a poo. When I was done, used moist wipes and disposed of the gloves and wipes in a nappy sack for the bin.
I had to go for wound packing to the local walk in centre most days. The nurses were great and took really good care of me,

Yes daily packing for me. I've woken up this morning and the bandage is absolutely soaked with blood and has come off anyway. Appointment for packing isn't until this afternoon but I'm.going to ring through first thing when they open to see if they can get me in earlier. Still not managed a poo I think the fear is too much!

For the first few days, I'd advise taking a couple of paracetamol 30 minutes before your appointment. It takes the edge off!

Also, ask for some spare dressings to keep at home because you'll probably find that you'll soon be able to change the external dressing yourself quite soon if one falls off (not the internal dressing though...that's really fiddly!).

My first colorectal surgeon advised eating a couple of eggs a day to boost cell growth (something about the high protein content!).

Hope you manage to get seen earlier!

If they can't see you, my local minor injuries unit do dressing changes so they might see you?

Glad you had surgery. The aftercare bit is not fun but a means to an end.

I'm saying this not to worry you but please keep an eye on how your abscess heals. A fistula can form where the abscess has been and will prevent fully healing. No one told me this. If the wound is still discharging after a couple of weeks you must go back to a colorectal surgeon and get them to check it.

I made the mistake of looking at my bum the day after my surgery with a hand mirror. Bloody hell,I nearly passed out! Half my bum was missing. That was a particularly nasty one and I had been in hospital 2 weeks while they tried to figure out what to do with me and how to get to the abscess.

Good luck with the recovery. Shower after pooing is a good idea and then to the nurse for new dressing.

How did your visit to the nurse go @RiddleDiddle?

Painful! She was lovely though and very caring towards me. She said the wound itself doesn't look particularly deep but it very wide - she said more like a crater than a tunnel. I'm just hoping and praying it heals well. Did anyone you take anything natural to help the healing process? Supplements or anything? I'm back on my multivitamin, am taking my daily activia's, eating lots of fruit, having 2 eggs a day for protein and drinking loads of water. Any other healing tips would be greatly appreciated please!!!

That all sounds good op. Sending you good wishes. You have been through it !

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Just make sure you rest up and let your body heal.

A nurse recommended freshly squeezed orange juice to my gran when she had a wound. The vitamin C.

Lots of protein-eggs,peanuts or peanut butter,lean fish or chicken. Beets,dark leafy greens

Well done @Riddlediddle - hope you heal quickly!

How are you doing @RiddleDiddle?

Not going to lie im struggling. Had to have the nurse out Thurs and Friday because the bandage all came away and gauze all fell out

Goodness OP you poor thing. I dont have any experience or advice but thinking of you x

OP same with my DH, you have my utmost sympathy. However when his came out the nurse did say that as it heals it will push the dressing out, so it should be a positive sign, as painful as it is! Xx

Sorry to hear that RiddleDiddle - these things can be so frustrating!

Are they using ribbons to pack it - aquacel or keracel?

If it's falling out so quickly, it could be that it's not too deep and won't take too long to heal? Hopefully!

There's still liquid coming out of it which is wetting the bandage which in turn falls off and then the gauze falls out because the bandage is holding it in place. Everyone who looks says it isn't infected though so no idea what the liquid is?

Penguins they are using aquacel x

Hope you’re better soon

The fluid is just part of the healing process - nothing to worry about. Soon you'll have less fluid and then you might be able to go for packing every other day.

Aquacel is usually really good. It could be that they might need to use a different dressing on top?

I've been using biatain silicone dressing and they stick fast. If your nurses are using something more fabric based, maybe ask if you could try these?

They are using biatain but the problem is that's there's literally 1mm between the wound edge and the edge of my anus therefore no dressing will keep it in place. They've tried all sorts of dressings but because of the position it's just impossible. Every nurse I've seen has said that they be never seen one in such an awkward position before

That does sound really tricky!

I really hope the nurses come up with a work around soon!

Hopefully you'll be able to have a film type dressing soon. They seem pretty efficient at staying stuck! Still, every day is one step closer to being better.

Hi, try not to worry too much. They pack the wound to stop it healing too fast on the outside as it needs to heal from the inside out. If your wound is not deep but wide this should be less of a problem.

You can't have it repacked every 5 mins when the aqua cell keeps falling out so I'd just focus on trying to keep it as clean as possible. Having showers after you use the toilet where poss. As it heals it will all become less sensitive etc.

Sounds like you are doing well if nurse says it's not infected and if the discharge changes (in a bad way) make sure they see it ASAP and get onto the antibiotics (eat yogurt and take probiotics to avoid thrush).

I've been there (twice) so you have my very deepest sympathy but hopefully things will start improving for you quickly.