Please Help - Fistula - Gluten Sensitivity

[SMS123]

Hi,

I have a rare condition I guess (as I do not know what is going on) and need your help. Please read my post.

6 months back I got abscess on lower back\upper buttocks. There was hard swelling around abscess area. It popped on multiple places on the swelling and started discharging blood and pus.

After 5 months on antibiotics, my doctor said it was fistula and did a fistula surgery. He scraped all the hard tissue, closed fistula tracks and placed a seton.

3 weeks after surgery, swelling came back. It popped on multiple places and started discharging. This time only blood.

I was getting buring sensation in anus after BM ( before and after surgery). After surgery, I went gluten free and the burning sensation stopped. I was surprisesed!

I am thinking that my strange swelling on buttocks is also some kind of food related allergy.

Please advise.

Thanks!

[cyclinglady]

Welcome! Sorry that I do not have any answers for you. The best thing would be to research celiac disease to determine if any of your symptoms apply. Here is a link to the University of Chicago's celiac center:

Open Original Shared Link

This is the actual list of tests:

-tTG IgA and tTG IgG

-DGP IgA and DGP IgG

-EMA IgA

-total serum IgA and IgG (control test)

-AGA IGA and AGA IgG - older and less reliable tests largely replace by the DGP tests

-endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

I wish you well.

[kareng]

I think you should be hounding your doctor about this! From what i have heard, fistulas can be hard to heal. Unfortunately, 1 surgery and some antibiotics may not do it. Have you been evaluated for Chron's? I think fistulas are associated with it?

[GFinDC]

Hi,

 

Fistulas can happen sometimes in Crohns patients.  The fact that you had symptom reduction on a gluten-free diet is good to know.  Some people with Crohns go gluten-free and have improvements.  It is possible to have both celiac disease and Crohns at the same time.

 

There are some tests for food intolerances, but not many.  Sometimes the best test is what your body tells you by it's reactions.  A food elimination diet can help pinpoint foods that cause reactions.