You too lindsey, nice to talk and good luck to you x

Your doctor should always follow your directives. It's your body. I'm sorry that happened to you. Thank you for sharing and I hope you get the relief you obviously need and deserve very soon!

Hi Lindsey thank you for your reply. This is exactly how the packing process was explained to me too. At this point in my early years I was diagnosed with hs, just not stage 3 yet (I didn't even realize there were stages at that point). Then when I visited a specialist he suggested in his belief it was the packing of wounds that causes the infections to tunnel and create fistulas connecting to a second infection. I've never had a successful surgery they have always returned. A couple of years after my early ops I was diagnosed with stage 3, a perianal abscess, connected by a fistula to an internal abscess. My recovery was 8weeks with a district nurse coming every other day to unpack and repack my wound. They did remove the fistula but, like all my ops, the infection returned. i didn't return for surgery again for a long time after that and chose just to suffer it and try many natural remedies and lifestyle changes.
Then a bit later down the line I was having real trouble with am infection on my throat. I finally agreed to the op on the understanding I wasn't comfortable with them packing the wound, which the agreed they wouldn't do. But once I was injected and head strapped back they did what they wanted and told me after they know they're job! That was definitely going to be my last dealings with them all together.
Unfortunately I've had an infection that got really bad over last 4years due to my roofing job and stress and have hit the point I have no choice as this sporadically effects my mobility and has lost me job. I finally agreed to an op and have now been waiting a year. I will talk to them about packing but I'd love to know other people's views on it...
Thank you again for your reply!
Good luck and stay positive 😊

*The packing does need to be changed regularly, ideally as soon as it is soaked through.

I'm in the states and just recently had an abcess drained and it left a dime sized, inch deep hole in my upper thigh. They pack the wound to keep it open and draining when there is infection present so that it can heal from the inside-out. If it's not done, it can leave an open cavity below the skin since the top layer of skin wants to heal quickly while the inside takes longer. This is my understanding anyways...