Hi, I am Alamisi Kilembe. I am 42 years old. I live in Tanzania and I am a lawyer by profession. Apart from working as a lawyer I am a blogger too and post many articles on internet on various laws, discuss on the law of other countries, rights of people, humanitarian rights. I am unmarried and I live alone in Tanzania. I am also animal lover and work with an organization back in Tanzania that works toward saving animals that are on the verge of extinction and against animal cruelty. About 3 months ago I had been to India for my Anal fistula surgery. Back in Tanzania the doctors diagnosed me as having “piles problems” but later got my Anal fistula surgery from India with the help of HealthYatra.com a medical consultancy firm in India. Also had a great week in Goa after my surgery that was not only refreshing but helped me mentally and physical for my quick recovery from the surgery.
Approximately 3 months ago I started having stinging pains when I took a shit.
Being the kind of self conscious person – who doesn’t go to doctors – that I am, I figured the advice I would find on google was as good as anything a doctor could give me. I had diagnosed myself as having a fissure – a small tear in the lining of the anus. And I have to give myself a little credit here, because as it turns out, I was probably right.
According to what I had read on Google, the standard treatment for a fissure would be a little bit of cream to encourage healing and what not. I’m a man, I figured if I could just deal with the pain while it healed it would be fine. So deal with it I did.
Time passed. The problem persisted. More time passed. The problem got worse.
Now not only was it stinging while I took a shit, now my anus would severely swell up afterwards. The swelling would last 12 hours and more, and the whole time there would be some kind of strange discharge coming from my anus, like pus mixed with faeces. Oh yeah, I would also bleed from my anus… bright red blood all over the toilet paper when I wiped. Sometimes the water would turn pink from the blood. In retrospect, the swelling was probably worse than the stinging. Much worse.
By now I was already strategically planning my bowel movements. If I was going to be at work, I’d make sure to have the bowel movement the night before, because generally the swelling would reduce over night to a point where I could do my job relatively pain free. Reduce – not clear… No.. clearing would take 24 hours +. I had found regular pain killers (i.e. stuff you take for headaches) would help with the pain, so I would take a couple neurofin before a bowel movement in a sad attempt to counteract the pain I was expecting to come. Sure, it may have helped a little, but I was still in agony.
When I wasn’t in pain, I was happy. When I was in pain, I was in pain. I didn’t tell anyone of embarrassment. People must have noticed me switch from happy to borderline suicidal. People must have wondered why all of a sudden I would be biting their head off, getting aggressive over the most minor offenses. I had trouble sleeping because of the pain. I missed appointments. I wouldn’t show up for work. I turned down opportunities to go out to dinner with visiting relatives (who had to take a plane trip to come see us). All I could tell people was that I didn’t feel like it… and I felt really sorry for myself when people got angry at me. But I couldn’t tell anyone, I was so embarrassed.
Did I mention how much it hurt to fart after taking one of these painful shits? Oh god….
By this stage, the swelling was even more severe. I had 2-3 permanent giant lumps between my testicles and my anus… After taking a shit, these lumps would go rock fucking hard. Dear lord it hurt. Sitting down in this state was impossible. The swelling would still go down after 12 hours or so, but the lumps didn’t disappear. Feeling increasingly depressed, I told the only person I felt comfortable telling. I told my dad on telephone about my issue. He told me I should definitely go and see a doctor. I still naively refused to see a doctor. The problem kept getting worse.
A week or two had passed, and I told another friend. He pressured me to go and see a doctor, and insisted that whatever it was, a doctor would be able to have me healed up in a couple weeks with some antibiotics and whatever other magic potions he had. I couldn’t go to the doctor. It was too embarrassing. But then I came to conclusion that waiting would do no help to me. So I manned up and went to the doctor. I told him I thought I had haemorrhoids (hemorrhoids?) or a fissure. He asked me lots of questions about it and stuff which could be related (ie.. diet) and I told him all about how horrible it all was. He eventually examined me, and the only thing that was really uncomfortable about it was the awkward position I had to lay in on the little bed in the corner. It wasn’t painful, and it wasn’t particularly shameful. He diagnosed the problem as “piles” and gave me some cream and some suppositories. He told me the problem should be significantly better in a week, and almost cured in two.
When applying the cream, I had now noticed that when pressure was applied to the lumps, air and liquid would actually come out of the dump. After a very uncomfortable self examination done in front of a mirror with a directional lamp, I had determined that there was a small hole just inside the exit of my anus, and applying pressure made blood and pus come out. I did exactly as I was told for two weeks with literally no improvement.
I did some more googling and rediagnosed myself as having an anal abscess – an infected pocket inside my ass. And again, I have to give myself a little credit, because I was right again. I read that abscesses are usually treated by making an incision, under local anaesthetic, in the external swelling, allowing it to drain out so that it can heal. I also read that if left untreated the abscess will turn into a fistula, which is when the pressure builds inside the abscess and it bursts on the surface, leaving a permanent tunnel connecting the inside of your anus to the outside. I also read that by making an incision and draining an abscess, it can turn into a fistula anyway.
While gaining more information on anal abscess and anal fistula, I came across the website of HealthYatra.com, an Indian based Medical Tourism company. On visiting their site I came to know so much about Anal fistula. I was doing so wrong of waiting the thing to get cured itself. Anal fistula won’t heal by itself needs to be cut open to heal, split lengthwise like opening a vein. After finding so much more information I thought why not contact the HealthYatra Medical Service Provider because I had lost all the faith on doctors back in Tanzania who ignored it by saying that it’s just a piles problem. So I emailed them stating all my problems and symptoms. I also mentioned in that I am diagnosed with piles problem but about going though the information on your website, I came to conclusion that I might be suffering from Anal abscess or Anal fistula.
The HealthYatra.com executive then called me saying that the problems and symptoms were discussed with their physician and the physician came to a conclusion that it seems to be Anal fistula but without any reports he cannot come into final conclusion. So the executive asked me to send in the diagnosis reports but then I thought that by just hearing about my symptoms the doctors could diagnose that it might be Anal fistula and the doctors out here after having a look could not diagnose it properly made me take the decision of going to India for Anal Fistula surgery. I confirmed to HealthYatra.com about my journey to India for my Anal fistula Treatment.
I was taken to the specialist the next day I reached India. He asked me a bunch of questions. I told him how awful it was. He then examined me. He was certain that I had a fistula. He believed that I had originally had a fissure, which left untreated, turned into a chronic fissure which then got infected and turned into anal fistula. He booked me in for surgery in 3 days and prescribed me with two antibiotics, stool softener and some painkillers for the mean time. The surgery I was to have was called a Fistulectomy. Day before the surgery – I had the MRI. The MRI itself was fine, not scary or anything. Hard to keep my legs completely still, but since they are only scanning my anal area, that’s not such a big deal. I talked to the specialist later in the day and he tells me there is definitely a fistula which may have one or two tracts.
A fistulectomy involves surgically removing the complete fistula tract and then leaving it to heal by itself from the inside out, without stitches. This requires daily packing to soak up all the bad stuff and keep the wound open so that it will heal from the inside out, thus avoiding another abscess. Day of the surgery – HealthYatra.com executive came in personally to pick me up from my hotel room for the hospital.I went to the hospital and a nurse gives me this weird little enema thing which I administer myself. It was this tiny little tube with a long nozzle and it makes you want to completely empty out your bowels – which I did… and it wasn’t particularly pleasant, but the antibiotics and painkillers were helping.
When I arrive into the operation theater, I was greeted by the anaesthetist who asks me a bunch of questions. By the way did I mention, all of these people are very nice and did their best to make me feel comfortable. I was then moved on to the operating table and the anaesthetist gears me up. Then 10 seconds after he starts pumping the anaesthetic into my IV were pure bliss. I don’t remember going out, I just remember the sensation of my whole body buzzing.
I woke up, greeted by an elderly nurse who was extremely friendly… I was then eventually wheeled back to a private room and left to rest. Doctor came in and told me that the Anal fistula surgery was a success and that the fistula was mostly superficial so there will be very little chance of incontinence… this is a relief. He says the fistula was unique because there were two tracts instead of just one. Next day I was discharged and was taken to a comfortable guest house for recovery.
Not much else to say about my recovery. I was scared to take a shit, but as it turns out, it wasn’t really painful at all. The pain from the fistula was 100000 times worse than the mild discomfort I was having now. I take a bath mixed with table salt after every bowel movement as advised by the specialist, and when I get out of the bath I’m in no pain at all.
I was taking mild painkillers, but I’m not actually sure that I needed them. I was never in any significant pain. Seeing the wound in a mirror (A handheld mirror) was quite shocking for the first time… I mean it’s a really big wound….Every day for the next two weeks a nurse would come to my guest house room and pack the wound. The packing was a little painful sometimes, but for the most part, completely pain free.
Two weeks after the surgery, I got my bags packed and left for Goa. HealthYatra.com made all the flight and hotel arrangements for me. After so many months of pain, restlessness and staying to myself Goa was a great break for me. The beaches, the water was so relaxing and so refreshing. After a week stay in Goa, I left for Tanzania taking all the good memories back with me.
If you came to this blog because you’re suffering from Anal fistula like I used to then please do not wait because waiting will only increase the pain and nothing else. Go to HealthYatra Medical Service Provider they are really good and truly professional. I can guarantee you that you will be free of the pain. I know it’s embarrassing but leaving it would make the situation worse and lead to worse situation like cancer formation. I Thank God for my Surgeon back in India who did my anal fistula surgery. Anyway after 3 months its great no more pus in my body, no feeling crappy anymore, regaining my strength. The most amazing part of my entire trip for my anal fistula surgery was the total cost of the package. Very packet friendly, very affordable and had amazing one week in Goa. Thank you again HealthYatra.com. You People rock.
That’s my story. Alamisi Kilembe,
Tanzania
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