Anorectal abscess surgery drains a pocket of pus that has built up in the anal or rectal area. The doctor will make a cut to open the abscess. The cut is called an incision. Then the doctor will clean out the abscess. The doctor may leave a piece of gauze packing in the incision to help it heal. Or the doctor may put a plastic tube in the abscess to help it drain.
Most people go home on the same day as the surgery. The pain that was caused by the abscess often gets better right after surgery. You may have some mild pain from the incision for several days. You will probably be able to go back to work and your normal activities within several days after your surgery. It may take about 3 to 8 weeks for the abscess to heal completely.
Surgery can be stressful. This information will help you understand what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for surgery.
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You had anorectal abscess surgery. This surgery drains a pocket of pus that has built up in the anal or rectal area.
Most of the pain that was caused by your abscess will probably go away right after surgery. But you may have some mild pain in your anal area from the incision for several days after the surgery. Most people can go back to work or their normal routine 1 or 2 days after surgery. It will probably take about 3 to 8 weeks for the abscess to completely heal.
Most people get better without any problems. But sometimes a tunnel can form between the old abscess and the outside of the body. This is called a fistula. Your doctor will check for this about 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. If you develop a fistula, the doctor will do surgery to repair the fistula.
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