Hello,
Sorry I haven’t replied sooner, in all honestly I’ve been trying to avoid the situation as much as possible as I find it difficult to face the realities of it. I tend to bury my head in the sand when I am struggling to cope.
By way of an update, I have had two filac laser procedures done to try and close the fistula. One in September and one on Monday just gone. Neither have been successful and both have left me with a lot of pain for some time afterwards (doses up on codeine now!).
My surgeon has said that the only thing to try is to redo my pouch completely and have a temporary Ileostomy again...problem with this is that because my fistula is so low (it’s essentially where the pouch joins) that my surgeon would need to try and avoid my sphincter muscles and that’s not guaranteed. If that is unsuccessful, I may end up with a permanent Ileostomy.
I really don’t know what to do. I’ve been unable to have intercourse for over a year now because of this and where it located so I can’t live like this forever. I can’t believe my boyfriend is still with me to be honest...he doesn’t know anything about the potential Ileostomy, I really feel that I can’t talk to him about it. Not because he won’t understand and I’m scared that he will break up with me but because I can’t fave the conversation as it makes it seem like a reality.
My pouch is totally fine otherwise and I can eat pretty much anything. I really don’t want to lose it but I can’t live with this fistula. It’s so unfair. I don’t know what to do.
Any further suggestions would be gratefully received!