What is it?

You have an abscess which has formed in the lower part of your abdomen. This is something brought on by infection after, for example, appendicitis, a burst ulcer, or an operation.

You will have a general anaesthetic, and will be asleep for the whole operation. A cut about 3 inches long (8 cm) is made in the skin of the tummy as near as possible to the abscess. The cut is deepened until the surgeon reaches the abscess. The pus then drains out to the skin. The surgeon will also wash out the area of the abscess with a lot of fluid. This fluid sometimes contains medicines, such as antiobiotics, to prevent infection. A rubber drainage tube is put down into the abscess space to drain out any further pus. This tube stays in place until it is clear from X-ray tests that the abscess space is getting smaller. The tube can then be shortened, bit by bit. Finally the wound dries up and heals over.

Any Alternatives

If you leave things as they are, the abscess may drain out through your skin after many days. You may become very ill and weakened during this waiting time. Sometimes the abscess drains into another organ such as your bowel or spreads around inside your tummy. These can be very serious for you. Antibiotics have not done the trick in your case. . Draining the abscess is all that should be done at this stage. If there is an underlying disease, that needs to be left for later. In some cases the drainage tube can be placed in the abscess without the need for an operation. A small area of the skin on top of the abscess is numbed with an injection of local anaesthetic (like when you go to the dentist). A very small (1/2 inch/ 1.3 cm) cut is made in this area and with the help of special X-rays, the drainage tube is directed into the abscess to allow it to drain through the skin. Although this procedure is obviously simpler than an operation, it is not always successful and it doesn't work in situations like yours when the liquid pus in the abscess is very thick and therefore doesn't drain freely through the drainage tube.

Before the operation

You may well be in hospital already, so some of the notes below are only for new comers. Stop smoking and get your weight down if you are overweight. If you know that you have problems with your blood pressure, your heart, or your lungs, ask your family doctor to check that these are under control. Check the hospital's advice about taking the Pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Check you have a relative or friend who can come with you to hospital, take you home, and look after you for the first week after the operation. Sort out any tablets, medicines, inhalers that you are using. Keep them in their original boxes and packets. Bring them to hospital with you.

On the ward, you may be checked for past illnesses and may have special tests, to prepare you and make sure you can have the operation safely. Please tell the doctors and nurses of any allergies to tablets, medicines or dressings. You will have the operation explained to you and will be asked to fill in an operation consent form. Many hospitals now run special pre-admission clinics, where you visit for an hour or two, a week or so before the operation for these checks.

After - In Hospital

You will have a drip tube in an arm vein connected to a plastic bag on a stand, containing a salt solution or blood. You may have a fine plastic tube coming out of your nose and connected to another plastic bag to drain your stomach. Swallowing may be a little uncomfortable. You will have a rubber drainage tube coming out of your wound. The tube is connected to a plastic bag. There is a dressing on the wound. You may be given oxygen from a face mask for a few hours if you have had any chest problems in the past. The wound is a little painful. You will be given tablets or injections to control this. Sometimes, the drainage tube tugs painfully on the skin after three or four days. Ask for more painkillers as needed. A general anaesthetic will make you slow, clumsy and forgetful for about 24 hours. Do not make important decisions during that time. The nurses will help you until you are able to do things for yourself.

You will be able to get out of bed the day after the operation despite some discomfort. You will not do the wound any harm, and the exercise is very helpful for you. You should be able to walk (with the tube and bags) about 25 yards further each day than the day before. Because of the drainage tube (catheter) in the bladder, passing urine is not a problem. Sometimes there is a feeling that there is a leakage all the time, but this is just an irritation by the tubing and it passes off. Once you can walk about in reasonable comfort, the catheter is taken out. If you cannot pass urine after this catheter is taken out let the nurses know. A little dark red blood, changing to a yellow liquid after a day or two, may ooze around the drain tube. Once the X-ray tests on the drain tube are all right, the tube is taken out inch by inch over several days. This does not hurt. The wound then heals up in five or six days. If there is more discharge for a time, a collecting bag can be stuck onto the skin over the wound.

Sometimes the tube needs to stay in place for a week or two, while the abscess space inside your body closes down. You can wash but try to keep the tube and the area of the skin around it dry. Once the tube is out you can wash or bathe normally. Ordinary soap and water are all you need. Salt water is not needed. You will be given an appointment to visit the Out Patient Department for a check up about one month after you leave the hospital. Some hospitals leave check-ups to the General Practitioner. The nurses will advise about sick notes, certificates etc.

After - At Home

You are likely to feel very tired and need rest for a month or more. It may be one to two months before you are back to your normal strength. You can build up your walking by an extra 50 yards each day. At first discomfort in the wound will prevent you from harming yourself by too heavy lifting. After two months, you can lift as you usually do. There is no value in trying to speed the recovery of the wound by special exercises before the months are out. You can drive as soon as you can make an emergency stop without discomfort in the wound, i.e. about three weeks. You can restart sexual relations after three weeks when the wound is comfortable enough. You should be able to go back to a light job after about one month. A heavy job may take two months or more.

Possible Complications

Complications can happen because of the original infection. Other abscesses can come to light. The surgeon will talk to you about them. Sometimes the wound drainage goes on and on. Although in most cases the drainage stops and the abscess heals up in the end there is a very small chance that you might need another operation to drain what is left of the abscess. Aches and twinges may be felt in the wound for up to six months.