Omg. I had experience with peri-anal abscesses/fistulas. They made my life hell but I believe I always had some rectal issues going on since day number one with my J pouch. I hope it is something else because your body doesn’t recognize fistula tracts as foreign so they don’t heal per se. This makes them hard to get rid of. Or maybe yours is superficial so it won’t lead to horrible problems. My tracts kept abscessing which led to both painful abscesses and painful procedures to cut the abscesses open. Setons were put in to keep the fistula tracts (I had two) open. I despised the setons but I know some people live with them for years with no problem. I will keep my fingers crossed that this is just a bump in the road (or butt) for you!! If you are really curious, you can google the different ways they try to tackle fistulas. It might be better to just wait and see what your diagnosis is before you cause yourself unneeded stress. The abscesses from my fistulas were super painful/unlivable so I hope something else is going on. I remember bringing a beach lounge chair into work b/c I couldn’t sit in a regular chair until I got the abscess drained. Luckily I work night shift. Crazy times!!