ANAL FISSURE

hi moonfairy

you sound miserable, as i have been for the last 5 mths. I have outlined what i have gone through to maybe help inform your choices etc.

Firstly i was diagnosed with an abscess after a couple of weeks of 'unexplained' pain- felt like i'd been kicked up the bum! . Then at another doctor (i moved house and hence GP) it was properly diagnosed as a possible fissure, and told i had to wait 9 weeks to see an NHS specialist! I was in so much pain and had been for 3 mths by this stage, so 9 weeks waiting wasnt an option.

I therefore asked my GP for a colo-rectal specialist who was private, but also worked for the NHS- this was so i could get my APPOINTMENTS by an expert sped up, but could always be referred back to the NHS (as i didnt have insurance). Being uninsured meant i had to pay myself, but due to the agony i was in and the fact my life had become 'get to work, try to work, get home from work', and nothing else, i was desperate!

anyway, i was seen the following week- the specialist was expensive (£180 for one 20 minute appt) but was worth it rather than waiting 9 weeks! he continued the rectogesic GTN ointment treatment, but the frequency and timing of application was changed. anyway, nothing happened over the next 3 -5 weeks-it seemed to start to heal, then nothing. i got so desperate, since i go to the loo on average 3 or more times a day (a lot i know, but apparently in the range of 'normal')- so it wasnt even getting the chance to heal. i therefore reduced my diet to one of soup, fibre and little else...it gave me a lot of pain relief (I had become desperate one day after limping home half way thru the day feeling like i'd been stabbed!), and at times i thought it was healing, as i reduced my toilet trips to once a day.

But after losing a stone, 4 weeks later, it was still there. anyway, i saw the specialist again, and he agreed the sphincterotomy was the best solution. the NHS wait was going to be 4-6 weeks, compared with one for private. But after being in pain for 5 mths, i decided it was worth waiting the extra 4-6, especially since the private op was also £2500!

To my surprise, i also got a phone call to say my operation was in one week- this was after being on the list for only 3 days! so i was over the moon. so I went in for the operation last thursday, -and was out of hospital the same day- and am now at home recovering. There has been a bit of blood and obvious pain, but am hopeful things begin to heal now. it's just too early to say, altho after going for the first time yesterday, it was painful (since i hadnt been since thurs), but didnt have the awful dull ache associated with that.

The stats for healing after a lateral sphincterotomy are above 95%, and the incontinence thing is overblown- when you look at the stats, they are higher than they really are as they give stats for everyone...however, older people, esp women who have had children are more likely to have this. I don't know whether you are in these catergories?, but as i am a male 34 year old, i figured that the stats for such complications would be highly reduced (specialist said this as well). I've also ready a study that suggested the vast majority of patients were already suffering incontinence symptoms BEFORE their operation, so the stats gathered on this are over-estimated. finally, the 'definition' of incontinence is quite wide- i was terrified i'd end up pooing my pants, but in reality, a 'skid mark' on your underwear also falls under the same definition, as does less control of farting.

Anyway, as i'm still healing, it's hard to know, but i have been breaking wind a bit, but i've been in full control of it thus far!! haha. it's too early to tell how it's going to turn out, but i would definitely seek that second opinion, if you havent already. and dont rush into paying privately, unless you have insurance- once put into 'urgent' on the NHS the wait was supposed to be 4-6 weeks, which isnt that long, a

Hi moon fairy, I know how you feel, I have had a anal pain constantly for 2.5 years , not coping, been like a hamster on a flipping nhs wheel, one minute it was a fissure then it wasn't then I saw a guy at Manchester who said I had pudendal nerve entrapment without examining me, then I went to a specialist in bristol who said not pudendal nerve entrapment , maybe a occult rectal prolape

then seen another colorectal specialist who said he would give me a Botox injection and a examination under aenethetic, in between I have had to wait on the nhs list

and I had a letter to say attend for Botox and exam under a different specialist because the one I saw wasn't available to do it for a while

this other specialist didn't bother coming to speak to me as he should he send his young sidekick , I explained things to him , he said not to worry himself or this specialist would come and speak to me about finding afterward

was in agony when I came round, nurse in recovery said they have found a chronic fissure, why didn't you get it treated when it was acute ? !!

told her why, , was informed that the specialist and his sidekick were busy and that I wouldn't be seeing anyone , he was just signing me back to my g.p

is em though the Botox has loosened my tight sphincer muscle I am in terrible pain and am very limited what I can take for it, I feel like throw ing the towel in, I just don't want to live anymore , as I feel I don't live I just exist   In a crying weepy mess due to pain

Hi moonfairy, I recently had a sphinctertomy, going on to 3 weeks now post surgery. Was diagnosed with a fissure only a week before surgery and ad my gp is a personal friend he called his friend who is a surgeon and specialist in the field and booked me in straight away. Worst suffering ever! Cant work cant eat cant think cant focus cant make love, it ruins life honestly.  Goung into surgery I asked the surgeon what are the risks and he said very very rare not even worth mentioning and he said to trust him I will thank him for it. The second I woke up after surgery.. I felt BRAND NEW! first BM I was scared as hell but happened great, yes it felt weird due to stitches and stuff but no pain thank God, and here I am now feel normal again and great,  no pain, no leakage and just good. If you are suffering dont delay, go do it! NOTHING will get rid of a nasty fissure, I know people who have lived with it for over 5 years. Good luck

Moonfairy,  I apologize, this is a such a late reply to your post.  This is my first day to becoming a member of this forum.  I had read this forum over a year ago, and it helped me to make a decision to have surgery for my fissure.  I am 43, and had suffered with a chronic one (maybe 4 times a year it would  bother me for a month or so.  I actually got used to living with it!!).  But in March of last year it came back, and never went away.  I was miserable. I could barely work, exercise (I had lost over 200 pounds exercising per docs instructions......"it may help with healling your fissure if you aren't so obese") but it didn't.  This bout I had last year was enough to make we want to die.  Truly.  I couldn't stand living in chronic pain.  I finally had enough and my husband took me to my doctor.  She sent me to a surgeon 3 hours away that day.  I had surgery (Lateral spinchterotomy) 2 weeks later.  It was the best thing I could have done for myself.  My mental health, and the health of my marriage.  I would encourage anyone to have it done.  It saved my life, in every sense.  Thanks for listening, I have never shared this with anyone but my husband 1 co-worker.  All the best in health,  Jennifer

Sorry, that meant to read, I was diagnosed with my fissure when I was 19.  I was 43 when I had surgery.  So years of pain............

how are you feeling now? was it worth your while to have the operation?

Oh ..

LIs is a double edge sword... u may and you may not heal thats the big Q... another research says that after 40 tone of Sphicter also decreases so you may end up incontinent once growint forty and naughty that haunts me...

How about keeping stool soft ( low calorie liquid diet ) and keeping tone down of Mr.Sphincy by Ca channel blockers or nitrates ???

Had anyone tried MEBO ?

I have problems for 3 years and ended up with wrong diagonises and a Anal abscess that left a hole and then the fissure! I had my first operation in Nov 2014 along with a hernia and it was a terrible time . I had a seton fitted and lots of problems infections and was very ill for most of the time. The pain was and still is chronic despite painkillers Tramadol daily plus others. I was given another operation in January same type and seton still in. The pain is worse than ever and I still nearly pass out at times with the pain. I am eating a well as I can and taking the laxatives and even more painkillers. My life is awful just now and I pray for some relief somewhere. My life is on hold and for one who was very fit I can hardly walk at times and the pain is like a knife on raw skin. I have 4 - 5 baths a day and that is the only relief. I am a fit 62 year old but I am really worried about the future. Another operation beckons in April if they can fit me in again. I dread for the future and hope they can sort it . Any ideas to make life better? 

I've been to the doctor and tried the nitroglycerin and everything.

Drink 2-4 glasses of miralax and 2-4 glasses of water daily and you'll heal in about 2days to a week. It softens your stool to the point that your bm no longer hurts.

I just healed myself from a fissure of 2+ months.

Resume: synopsis

I have a very high threshold to pain. I am a very tough cookie!

The pain has been so utterly intense over the last 18 months: had bouts of crying. panic attacks (never before)

I’ve had severe fissure for several years, had motility assessments,

Diltizam cream: horrible itch: unbearable: had to stop.

Rectogesic : painful contractions in anus.

Have very religiously tried every solution suggested: but creams will only ever take the top off the pain, never cure…

Without being a drama queen, my mistake was always being positive and cheerful for my consultant appointments: you have to remember that most doctors have NEVER had the pain of a fissure.

Pain initially like a broken glass bottle, twisted round: as this eventually ceases, (by 4.00pm!)As this settles, lasts in left buttock for a long time: could sciatic nerve be affected???

Whole buttock aches like been kicked very hard

Now every morning after first BM, or even wind, get intense unbearable pain

Shower after every BM, hot bath, then heat pad until , takes until 4.00pm until able to do anything at all

Draining, angry at frustration of being unable to find any relief or cure

(As a SRN neonatal nurse, I was used to always finding a solution…)

Very depressed at inevitable next day/every day pain

It has stopped my life.

Ithe great difficulty was finding a patient who had had the operation, and could give an opinion on the results.

I had a great random stroke of luck, in that the Nurse Practitioner at our Health Centre has had the operation, and requested that the operation be carried out. on balance, recommends the op-_much better comfort now

At my last consultant review, he readily agreed, after years of pain…

This time, really want to know

Does the op have a realistic chance of success-reduce pain

Seems to me that any complications-wind/staining/rush to toilet must be better than pain

How long NHS waiting list, please?

About 3-4 months

How much privately-about £3-4k

How soon-two weeks

Fairly severe pain for three/four days after, but pain will go! Hurrah!!!

My surgeon, for the first time after years of conservative approach, said that “the chances of success are high, complications minimal. For years, they did the lateral sphyncterectomy on most patients, but felt pressured to reduce the frequency of operating.

(I had even thought about a colostomy for six months to let the bowel/anus rest & heal???)

Report will follow after the op.

Hi. Yes I suffered for 9 years with two fissures. One being chronic. Mine didn't go away after 6 months. I tried everything I could. I had the op 6 weeks ago. I'm now pain free when I poop. There are risks yes I agree. The hospital done a muscle function test to make sure my body could cope and not leave me incontenient. My result was good from the pretests. I had infection after which was bad. Now after 9 years I am pain free x x there are risks I agreed to take but now I'm pain free xxxx

I also hears of someone else who is now incontinent following this op. Please get all the pretests done first and make sure your surgeon is very experienced xxx

Now having op privately-total cost £1750, one week after consultation!

no contest!