A 35-year old Afghan man, who was suffering from severe fistula, underwent a successful surgery at a hospital here.
Ahmed developed small swellings around his anus four years ago. On ignoring the matter, the swelling started discharging some fluid. The situation deteriorated, and even after taking antibiotics, the swellings converted into a fistula.
The patient needed urgent surgical intervention in the form of pus drainage.
He stayed in a hospital for a week, but daily dressing and medicines could not help him. The pus discharge continued and the fistula started emitting foul smell.
Later, Ahmed underwent two surgeries in hospitals in Afghanistan but to no result.
He was persuaded to travel to Pakistan to undergo another surgery. However, the third surgery also failed.
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Though Ahmed went to hospital every day to have his wound cleaned and dressed, each time, the pimple-like swelling, as hard as an apple, would resurface.
Later, one of his friends, who had undergone a successful complex surgery at Delhi-based Apollo hospital, advised him to visit India and undergo colostomy, a process where doctors make a route for passing stool through the abdomen.
Though Ahmed was initially unwilling, he consulted Asish Bhanot, a surgeon at Apollo, and underwent the procedure. The surgery was performed Nov 30.
Bhanot said it was one of the most challenging cases, as Ahmed had already been under the knife a couple of times, and had curved fistula tracts that were extending more than 15 cm deep and reaching up to the root of the penis and pelvic bones.
A week after surgery with regular dressing and personal hygiene, there were visible signs of recovery and he was cured completely within six weeks.
"I am thankful to Asish Bhanot as my problem has been cured," Ahmed said after his recovery.
"It was so unbearable that sometimes I could not sleep properly. I used to wake up because of pain. I was not able to sit while travelling and working," he said.