Anal fissure, need advice please :(
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi, first time posting so no idea if I'm doing this right - sorry!
This may end up being a really long post due to me needing to write everything down, so I apologise if you get bored reading this.
First of all, I think I need to explain that I get quite bad anxiety, especially towards my health and this is why I have come on here.
I have never drank a lot of fluids and I can go all day at work not having a single drink, go home, have tea, maybe decide I'm thirsty, have one or two glasses of squash or fizzy water and then happily go to bed. My BMs have always been hard, but never really painful. Anyway, for the last three or four weeks, I had been having sharp pains when having a BM but only for a split second and then the rest of the BM was painfree. When I wiped I noticed bright red blood on the tissue paper and on the stool- never had this changed the colour of the toilet water and is only a blob on the toilet paper on first wipe and is usually gone on the second wipe (I'm really sorry if I'm giving too much info). I hadn't been having any pain after going to the toilet really, maybe sometimes a slight itch.
This went on, then as well as the sharp pain when having a BM, before I needed to go to the toilet I sometimes get a sharp pain in my lower abdomen , period pain region, which went as soon as I had had a BM- anxiety in me worried about appendicitis but my boyfriend told me I would be in severe pain all the time.
The last 4 days I have decided to drink much more to try and make my stools softer (and obviously I know this will be better for my health too) I have been drinking around 2 and a half litres of water a day which for me is a miracle and apart from weeing LOADS, I haven't felt any different. Apart from my BM's these are the first pain free BMs I have felt for ages! I was so happy, but then when I wiped there was still blood on the tissue paper for the first day. Now when I wipe, there is no blood on the tissue paper, but still I can see blood on the stools. The problem that I am facing now is that I have a constant ache which started after a BM Tuesday- the ache/ throb mainly feels like it is in my left bum cheek and it isn't really a painful pain, but an annoying/ sometimes a little painful ache, a bit like if someone is constantly pressing on a big bruise.
After convincing myself I have bowel cancer I took myself to the GP (even though I was very scared to do so), on discussing the symptoms , she said she suspected anal fissure, and she then got me to lie on the bed whilst she had a look. She spread my cheeks apart (again sorry for TMI) and said she could see a fissure about 4mm long, she pressed the left side where it was and I felt a sharp pain, she said because I was in pain she wouldn't do an internal examination. She gave me some cream ( scheriproct ointment ) and when I asked her if this would help clear the fissure up she said yes. I explained I was too scared to come to the doctors and she said not to worry because usually pain means something isn't cancer! But since being home, I haven't had any pain, just blood and this throbbing and I'm now scared she's misdiagnosed!
Since returning home (Thursday) after my GP appointment I have had lots more gas, I feel like I have been farting so much more, even my partner has picked up on it- so lady like I know but I have to get it out or I have stomach pains- it's almost like I need another BM, but I only have ever had one a day so don't want to start having more as I know that's a symptom of bowel cancer!!
What I really want to know is has anyone else had symptoms like mine with a fissure, blood after BM, throbbing afterwards constantly , increased gas, feeling like you need another BM, but no real pain, or have I got something to worry about?!
Also, this scheriproct ointment that she gave me, has anyone else used this? Because as I said, when I asked her she said it would help clear the fissure up but everything I have found online states it's a local anaesthetic rather than a cure and as I only have what I suspect is nerve pain in my bum cheek I don't know if I need to use it?
I am so sorry for probably sounding really silly in this post, I just need some advice / reassurance!
Thanks in advance
0 likes, 8 replies
green59 jamma1994
Posted
Hi Jamma,
Poor you! Good thing is at least you know it's a fissure and not anything else. This is quite common and important to try and manage early on before it worsens and needs surgery.
The best ointment is called diltiazem, you need to ask for this and use it for around 3 months. Strict fibre diet and lots of water going forward. If things don't go away don't be worried as an operation may be needed. I had one in June and I've never felt so good
pain free ever.
Please go and change this ointment and also dont wipe too hard as that only irritates the cut. A few wipes and then shower after each bowel moment to clean yourself.
For pain control take ibrufen if you need something and avoid anything that constipated you from today.
All the best!
jamma1994 green59
Posted
Thank you so so much for the reply!
I have very little fibre in my diet, before I went on holiday in May , I tried to tone my stomach up/ get a 'beach bod' and was eating healthily / having lots of fruit and veg, but since being back, truthfully I've been really unhealthy lately and have been having a takeaway a week which I wasn't doing before, so shouldn't think my diet is helping.
Is it normal not to have pain apart from this throbbing/ aching pain constantly. And is it usually to be more gassy/ feel like I need another BM? I'm only used to one a day.
Annoyed23 green59
Posted
mmarcus151910 jamma1994
Posted
Hi jamma1994,
You have posted right, so no worries on that.
I'm really sorry you have been going through all this. In this forum, there are a lot of people who are going through or have gone through, myself included, what you are going through.
First of all, anal fissures can cause pain (which is because you are opening a cut every time you go to the bathroom because the lining of the skin has to stretch to allow the poop to go thorugh). Some people, if the fissure is small, don't feel any pain. They just have some blood. When I first started getting a fissure (at this point I didn't even know what a fissure was), I had some blood in the toilet but that was all. No pain. I kind of assumed it was a hemmroid (Note: Hemmroids are veins in your but that can become inflamed, swell up, and become painful at times. Throbbing is usually associated with a hemmroid as the throbbing feeling is associated with the blood throbbing in the hemmroid itself. Also to note, when you have a hemmroid, you constantly feel like you have to go to the bathroom. Then when you get to the bathroom, nothing wants to come out. I would advice you not to strain on the toilet when you go, just let it come out naturally).
I have never had increased gas, although maybe that has to do with your change in diet as your body may be adjusting to the larger intake of water.
Also to note, the throbbing feeling may be associated with a fissure too. Part of the problems with a fissure healing is the sphincter muscle. This is the muscle that allows you to hold in farts. However, there are two of them. There is an internal sphincter muscle and external one. The internal one you have no control of. The external one is the one you use to hold in farts when you don't want anyone to smell them coming out.
When you go to the bathroom and you have an anal fissure, the internal sphincter muscle goes into spasm, something that you cannot control. In your case you have no pain, in others (like mine), this throbbing of the sphincter musclee can cause immense pain. I don't want to scare you with this last detail, but just know that if you take care of it (since you don't have any pain currently), then it probably won't get to that stage. But this is what the throbbing feeling can be attributed to, the throbbing or spasming of the sphincter muscle.
In all, I would say you either have a fissure, a hemmroid, or both. A hemmroid can be internal or external. So, it is possible that the doctor didn't see one because she didn't want to do the internal exam.
I had dealt with a nasty fissure about 2 years ago, one that turned chronic and caused me to have to have surgery.
That being said, I am attaching a post that I put on somebody else blog with some tips on how to deal with it:
Here are some suggestions I have for you to help you through:
1. Try somee zinc oxide in the form of calmoseptine which has menthol to soothe the area down there as well. Calmoseptine can be bought at almost any local drugstore and can be bought online too.
2. Try squatting when going on the toilet instead of sitting. This is a much helathier position and the poop sometimes will just slide out, no pushing or straining involved.
3. I would definately take a fiber supplement, specifically metamucil is what I take evveryday, in ordr to allow your stools to be soft and to allow them to pass thorugh easily. THis being said, with any fiber supplemetn, you must drink lots of water when using them, or they will not work veffectively. Also, do not take too much metamucil as too much fiber can irritate your bowels on the way out and diarreah actually does worse down there. Your goal should be nice soft well-formed stools.
5. I would recommend getting a sphicteronomy surgery if htings dont get better. I waited it out, gave up, had the surgery, and was able to heal within about two weeks. you do not have to worry about this, as you are not in pain, but I just wanted to throw it in there.
Try listening to music to distract your mind a bit, especially when going to the bathroom. If you are in writing pain, distract yourself with a movie or TV show right after.
Good Luck!!!
Sincerely,
Myles
jamma1994 mmarcus151910
Posted
Thank you so much mmarcus. Most of my troubles always is my anxiety and I have to constantly tell myself I'm fine, but that's so hard when I'm worried about something more serious.
So thank you so much for telling me that pain isn't always there, it was the blood that was mostly concerning me, because when I wasn't drinking much and had sharp pain with a BM and then blood afterwards I could understand why because I felt that my stool was hard and that was obviously causing the blood, but now I have softer stools and still have blood that's what was really concerning me.
I will definitely get some fibre supplement as truthfully I get very little fibre in my diet and maybe I might get some stool softnerners as I worry that when I go back to work from my holiday I may lapse back into not drinking much even though I am going to make a massive effort to continue drinking lots as I don't want this getting any worse!
mmarcus151910 jamma1994
Posted
terryford jamma1994
Posted
Sounds like you went theough the same as me. I started having problems like you in october 2015. Was to scared to go and see a doc and for 3 months put up with it and just hoped it would go away. I was wrong it turned chronic and the pain got much worse. I had a 12 week course of rectogesic ointment then a 12 week course of dialtizem. Neither of these helped so last week had a op where they injected botox into the muscle and also banded 3 internal hemmoroids which i never knew i had. I have been in some pain since but each day is getting a little easier. Key is to keep stools soft but not to soft. A nurse gave me a excellent tip - every morning before eating anything, have a cup of tea and add a table spoon of olive oil. It doesnt taste the best but helps stool literally slide out. I will do this now for the rest of my life. After that i have a bowl of bran flakes, then a glass of pure orange juice and some fybogel with water. Have some sandwitches for dinner (brown bread), fruit salad and beans on toast for tea. (Lots of water inbetween). Been doing this for 3 days now and honestly you see and feel a massive difference when going to the toilet. Give it a try. Also get back to the docs and ask for rectogesic and also to write to the surgeon in hospital as for me to recieve appointment in hospita took about 5 months then another 3 before i got surgery.
Tashaceecee jamma1994
Posted
Definitely a fissure I had those exact same symptoms for months but every time I went to the doctor they told me it was a hemorroihd and just sent me away with a cream. The pain never went away and eventually my fissure became chronic. When I got an appointment with a specialist after nagging my GP for ages he diagnosed my "hemorroihd" as a fissure with a skin tag on the outside and prescribed me with rectogesic and boy did it change my life! I used it twice a day morning and night and always after a BM and got instant relief. It relaxes your anal muscle to allow blood flow to the fissure which helps it heal up on its own and its successful 70% of the time in treating fissures according to my doctor. Coz my fissure was chronic my doctor also put me down for a spinchetrotomy and skin tag removal just in case my fissure didn't heal with the cream as it was chronic and these tend to be a bit more difficult to heal with cream.
On the 11th of sept I went in to the hospital and was anxious; I knew I was definitely having the skin tag removed but was unsure if I'd have the spinchetrotomy as this would be decided by my surgeon once I was on the operating table and once he took a look at my fissure. I woke up after the op and was glad to know that I only had the skin tag removal and no sphincterotomy. Boy was I relieved! I'm now 10 days post op and things are looking up, first few days were a bit rough but now I only experience minor pain after my BMs but the pain is getting better day by day. I've increased the fibre in my diet and have been taking stool softeners to keep my BMs soft and also drinking loads of water. I was prescribed cocodamol for the pain but it causes constipation so I've been taking ibuprofen instead which has been working well.
Hope this helps!! Definitely try and get some rectogesic or something similar from your doctor. It's prescription only in the UK but it may be different for you depending on where you are.
Take care X