Journey to Bangalore for Kshar Sutra treatment

I had a week off and spent Christmas with beautiful relatives in Dubai – a luxury not available to me when in Australia! Can’t just pop over to another country for a few days hey… While it was great to have a break from potentially painful appointments, I was admittedly disheartened by how limited I felt physically. I was super cautious not to overdo it as I didn’t want to cause irritation or lose the thread, but also I felt the true depth of how unfit and sore I am because of this fistula. I realised how much I’ve adapted my way of walking to compensate for the pain of this thing. As a result it’s caused pains in other body parts and although I was aware of this, I really noticed it more than ever. Before coming to Bangalore, I would suffer from days of pain and infection (abscesses galore) if I walked properly (ie took normal sized steps!) or walked for extended periods. One time I walked for 30 minutes and had days of agony!! 30 minutes! Now I’m mid-way through treatment and while...

I had my 5th thread change three days ago and the 6th thread change today. Both were easy peasy enough! Minimal pain. Doc is having a week off and I too will be going on a mini break so I asked doc to be super gentle and he kindly obliged...good man. I had a lie down after it as it was a bit sore but that didn't last too long. Not sure if I've mentioned it, but there are multiple places to lie down in the clinic should a patient need it (pics below). I've spent so much time there that it has become very familiar and comfortable. I've come to know the staff and have a lot of laughs with them (they will always remember me as the girl who ends every appointment by saying 'my poor ass'). I've become familiar with the streets on the drive to and from the clinic, familiar with the surrounding streets from my meanderings, have befriended people in the hood...the gorgeous little 3 year old and her family who sell fabrics nearby, the smiley guy at the supermarket who...

Well that thread change was wayyyy easier than the last one! Minimal pain during and no pain for the rest of the day...amazing! I took the advice from someone on the support group and put music on to sing along to and it helped distract.  Was a day full of all the feels. I witnessed the joyous face of yet another friend being declared fistula free (I believe that's the 4th person I've seen walk out of doc's office with that expression that says so much), witnessed another friend in lots of pain after a particularly painful thread change, me on a high from a pain free day...laughing, crying, swearing...it really is a wild ride!  Never a dull moment on the roads...he looks pretty chill up there An adorable little girl near the clinic who befriends everyone. I love her! 

My third thread change (2 days ago) was pretty painful! So glad it only takes a minute to do! As I've mentioned before, doc does his best to distract especially when he knows it'll hurt...so he asks me random questions about my accommodation as he's changing the thread. As I'm wincing in pain, hanging on for dear life and laughing all at the same time, he's asking me questions to distract me, and repeating them until I answer. He's giving me something to focus on throughout the process. At the end he even said he would have been surprised if I'd answered all his questions (he knew it was a sore one!). The intensity of the pain did not last, I was just sore for the rest of the day, and the next day I woke with the least amount of pain I've had in a year! It gave me a taste of what's to come when I'm finished with the treatment - and it was exhilarating! The pain comes and goes but yeah, that pain free period was an amazing feeling as it's been...

I had my second thread change on 30 th November which was a wee bit more painful than the first time…the pain was definitely manageable, but also did stick around for 3 days. Everyone has different experiences of course, but I am comforted in the knowledge that it’s not always the same pain strength or duration. And anyway I welcome the pain as it’s part of the healing process! Now when I am pained I laugh through it instead of cry like I used to – because there is an end in sight! Woop! Sure that’s not always the case, there are definitely harder and more exhausting days, but I pick myself up and just keep swimming Dory styles (that’s my mantra). I went in for what was meant to be a 3 rd thread change 5 days later but that didn’t happen. Doc did a clean of the internal wound which hurt like a mofo, and I am now going in for daily wound clean/dressing until he’s ready to change the thread again. This is a perfect example of how you just never know what will happen here and it’s i...