Fistula-in-ano; 10 important things you must know!

Fistula-in-ano is a disease in which there develops a track between perianal skin and/or rectum or anal canal. The main symptom that appears is mucopurulent discharge through the external opening present anywhere in the perianal area. This sometimes leads to itching and or burning sensation.

I am going to give 10 valuable tips for the patients of Fistula-in-ano which being an ano-rectal specialist doctor, I feel are necessary to be communicated to them.

1. Many patients wander here and there in search of any doctor or medicines to cure Fistula and often waste their time, money and energy by getting trapped in the misleading advertisements, quacks etc. without any result. Remember, Fistula-in-ano is a 100% surgically curable disease. Sometimes, if fistula is due to tuberculosis then Anti-tubercular therapy can work to heal it otherwise surgical intervention is necessary in it.

2. Beware of quacks and false claims’ advertisements like those of injection treatment, herbal treatment etc. seen commonly in media. Bengali, Chandsi, Madrasi are also not genuine and legal treatments. They can harm your health and can lead to complications like anal incontinence.

3. Antibiotics can only temporarily reduce the symptoms like pus discharge but will not help in long term use.

4. Conventional surgical operations for Fistula-in-ano have high recurrence rates, especially in high anal types. Fortunately, there have been excellent results obtained by Ayurveda Kshar Sutra therapy, which can be used extremely effectively to cure Fistulae of almost all the types completely, without any complication or recurrence. It has been well established and proven scientifically by various research centres in India like AIIMS, BHU, ICMR, PGI etc.

5. One should not wait in seeking an expert physician’s/surgeon’s consultation due to shyness or hesitation. As soon as symptoms like persistent or intermittent discharge of pus, soiling of clothes, feeling of some abscess, pain in perianal region etc. appear, expert’s consultation must not be delayed.

6. Since Ayurveda Kshar-sutra therapy is extremely effective in curing fistula-in-ano, one should prefer a qualified and experienced Ayurveda Kshar-sutra specialist doctor over other therapies physicians.

7. Fistula patients feel pain when there is collection of pus inside the track or inside the abscess cavity. So, there must be measures to drain out the collected pus. Though kshar-sutra does the drainage by itself, patient can increase the drainage effectively by keeping themselves ambulatory. So, regular walks will help in healing of your fistula even if you are continuing the Kshar-sutra therapy.

8. Have complete faith in your doctor. Afterall he has seen and helped many patients like you. Don’t be panic as kshar-sutra therapy sometimes takes longer times (3 months or more) to heal the fistula completely depending on the track length, type of fistula and many more factors.

9. During the kshar-sutra therapy sometimes patient feels pain, burning sensation etc. during and/or after the weekly changing of thread. Have patience. Remember it is only temporary and ultimately you are going to get rid from this disease completely. Follow the instructions of your physician strictly.

10. Sitz bath is a wonderful remedy in relieving the pain. It not only gives a soothing sensation and provides relief from pain but it also helps in keeping the perianal region clean. So, it should be employed correctly as per your doctor’s instructions.

Thanks for patiently reading this article. I hope Fistula patients will be benefitted by these tips. If however, you still have any query/doubt regarding your disease, you can e-mail me at consult@ayurvedapilescure.com

Author: Dr. Naveen Chauhan

Consultant Ayurveda Physician and Kshar sutra specialist

SHRI DHANWANTARI CLINIC, GHAZIABAD