FISTULA

HAS ANYBODY HAD A FISTULA . ARE POOR PJ IN OHIO/KENTUCKY IS HAVING A MAJOR PROBMLEM WITH THIS. SHE'S IN A REHABILTATION CENTER IN KENTUCKY. AND WILL BE THERE A MONTH. SHE IS HAVING A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH STARVATION. SHE IS NOT ABLE TO HAVE ANYTHING BY MOUTH

Hi Jimmie, I had a fistula and was unable to eat for three weeks. I had total parentural nutrition through a vein in my arm. What type of fistula does s/he have? Mine was actually created by the doctors on purpose when they repaired an anastomatic leak. It had a drain placed in it and this allowed any infection to leave my body. When the infection cleared up, they removed the drain and the fistula had to heal from the inside out. Is your friend being fed through a TPN line? If not why not? Deborah

Hello, Let me try to get this streight for myself and you. But...by the time you get this things will probably be better anyway for your friend. I had the open Oct 8th. Two days later I was back into "Emergency Exploratory Surgery" to find the big ol leak they found. Then, I had four days of on and mostly off awakeness. I had had a drug interaction problem and I was way out of it, until a Thursday. I just vairly remember them telling me they had to go back (that second time) and find the leak. They were practically working with the sewing of paper, as that was the consistancy of my tissues there. So I was on "nothing by mouth" for several days, they hung the IV for nurishment, also hung up antibotics along with. Then one day about a week later I could start on clear liquids. Two days good. Then one day with pureed. About this time they pulled my drainage tubes (from the abduom (sp). Apparently THAT is when the new FISTULA was given birth. It is like a crevis, when they pull the tubes, they like leave behind a kind of tunnel. Or if you can imagine a crevis. Mine had to heal from the outside to the inside. BECAUSE....the minute I started having a " juice" it came right streight through my Fistula and I was switched off all of everything. I had and still do have my "feeding tube". I am able to get my nurishment through it. So......it got clogged (don't put meds in it!!) and we went 20 hours without nurishment or anthing but antibotics. My doctor probably felt forced to let me try just clear liquids until I could get to his office.So One heavenly day I had water and popcycles. Went to town 150 miles to my doctor and got it unclogged. I am embarrassed that my own town's hospital did not have the tools to unclogg. (A wire from Emergency) Now it's rough again not having anything to drink once again. The fistula is healing, but when they went to give me a CT scan they found little bubbles in/near my new little pouch. Dammn! That ment I was having to continue on "Nothing my mouth" for two weeks he (DOC) says. I am at home, hanging antibotics and trying to remember the "probable" side effects (infection into my ab) if I don't remember the word "NO". So my fistula is healing, but we want the whole little tummy to heal WITHOUT ANOTHER SURGERY. So, once the Fistula heals your friend will probably ok with fluids if her doc says so. At lease she is getting nurishment if she IS getting your "bag hung" Good luck