Extreme anal fissure pain

Posted , 17 users are following.

So I've dealt with anal fissures before that went away on their own but NOW it's much worse a couple of years later.

I am in SO MUCH PAIN - I've been considering the emergency room. I'm hoping I can get an appointment first thing Monday morning because I'm desperate.

I've used everything from Wheatgrass cream to my dad's prescribed ointment he used for hemorrhoids to baby wipes to Neosporin for external use. I'm CRINGING in pain. Can't sit or lay down in certain ways...

Will I be able to tell the doctor I want the surgery? That's all I want. . Just knock me out and get rid of all this.. please help!!!!

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  • Posted

    They will probably give you rectogesic or diltiazem to try first. I asked exactly the same, wouldnt even give me the op before trying the botox first.
    • Posted

      Hopefully either one of those will help... but I'm begging for the surgery. I don't understand why it's a last resort when it'll solve the issue... ugh!

    • Posted

      I feel your pain / anger julia. They told me because the lis op can leave people with incontinence so like to try all other procedures first. If i could afford it i would have gone private.
    • Posted

      I just can't live like this. I want to just slip into a coma to get a break. This is ungodly painful... I REALLY hope I can get an appointment for Monday.

  • Posted

    Hi Julia,

    ​Im so sorry to hear that you are still in severe pain with your Anal Fissure my thoughts are with you.

    ​I had a very bad attack last July which lasted a very long time i thought that they were  Hemmoriods i went to my doctor who examined me and he told me i had an Anal Fissure as he could see this, the only reason i think what caused this is that i may have strained myself while on the toilet.

    ​To ease my pain i had hot bubble baths ( NOT TO HOT ) part your cheeks and the pain does go away which is a great relief.

    ​I went back to see him after i used all my ointment which was called RECTOGESIC which did ease my pain, and pain killer tablets, i did say that i cant cope with the severe pain anymore when it returns.

    So he reffered me to see a Consulant for the operation  who told me that they use Botox whch lasts for 3 months they cannot stitch this because of the blood flow. 

    ​And yes i was pain free for 3 Months which was amazing hard to believe i know Julia.

    ​But in that time i totally changed my life style with regards to eating and more walking.

    ​First thing in the Morning i have maybe one or 2 cups of coffee which for me takes effect within 30 mins to an hour which i beleive may help to soffen your stools.

    ​Then for Breakfast i have Yoghurt with Fresh Fruit.

    For lunch a Sandwich.

    ​For Dinner ordinary food but again be careful what you are eating half your quantity,

    and for me personally this really works for me and i have been pain free in all this time.

    ​I really hope Julia that i may have been of some help to you please let me know if my ideas  have helped you in anyway.

    ​Clive (  UK Birmingham )

     

    • Posted

      Hi clive, did you only have 1 round of botox? I had mine done 4 days ago. Im waiting to see the results as still in a little pain at the moment, just hope it sorts it and that i do t have to go back for another round or the lis op. Going to stick to a strict fiber diet now and hope it heals in the next 3 months while the botox is effective.
    • Posted

      Hi. I'm curious about the botox injections. My doctor told me if the ointment I'm using now doesn't work, my next option would be botox. The thought of having a needle stuck up my rear end is scary to say the least. It sounds like an extremely painful procedure. He told me I'm to young for surgery (I'm 54) as there is a good chance of incontinence. At this point I'm thinking how bad can it be? Can you tell me about your experience with botox?

  • Posted

    I am sorry you are going through this.  I too have had dealings with this issue and they seemed to have always healed pretty quickly and this one I have had on and off for 5 months.  I have a little pain now and when this one first happened the pain was like cuttting glass.  HORRIBLE.  The worst part for me is the blood I see from time to time.  I get so depressed.  Try a sitz bath 3 times a day.  That really seems to help.  I also watch what I eat too.  I do lots of high fiber, no bread, all fruits and veggies too.  Lots of water as well.  Seems to help me a bit. 

     

    • Posted

      I've taken so many baths. They're not helping one bit. A lot of people say "take the baths" but I don't understand it cause they're not helping. I feel like everything everyone is saying is for minor fissure pain... I'm at my wits end. Can't even stick a q-tip up my butt. I want to scream!

    • Posted

      I would start looking for recommended colon surgeons in your area. I lived in pain for years and like you, it was manageable pain for most of that time until about two months ago. I believe that is when my fissure went "chronic". Nothing worked. The pain was always there. Kept me from work, kept me from sleep, kept me from living my life. I was embarrassed to have anyone look at it before but it got to the point i had no choice. So I started with my primary care doc. Prescribed a cream for hemorrhoids with stearoids. No good and read that continued use would actually thin the anal walls. What i did discover through this however was that that tiny little nipple on the end of that tube was almost too large to insert into my anus. I went back to the doc and asked flat out for a recommendation to see a specialist as the pain was still as bad if not worse. They sent me to a gastroenterologyst who took a look and prescribed nitroglycerin ointment for a fissure. Keep in mind i had three docs look at my bum but none inside because i stated on arrival it was just to too sore for that. I used the ointment for a few days as my condition worsened to the point i could hardly walk. Finally i found the guy i was looking for. Through persistent research i found a colorectal surgeon in my area that had an opening to get me in and take a look. He was immediately able to diagnose my problem from a glance on the outside. I had a fissure and a fistula that were visible and plain as day. I saw him on Tuesday, i had my surgery on Friday. As in two days ago lol. I already feel so much better. Here's the kicker, i actually had three fistula and a fissure plus he removed a skin tag and I feel better than i did before 10 fold. Day one was tough, but it's gotten better each day since. I write this now kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I can feel the tension has been relieved and i hope to have the quality of life back I had so many years ago when i didn't have to fear going to the restroom. I think I'm on my way. Go get yourself checked out, you'll be glad you did. I told myself going into surgery that the pain ccouldn't be worse than it is now, and I was right.

    • Posted

      I would start looking for recommended colon surgeons in your area. I lived in pain for years and like you, it was manageable pain for most of that time until about two months ago. I believe that is when my fissure went "chronic". Nothing worked. The pain was always there. Kept me from work, kept me from sleep, kept me from living my life. I was embarrassed to have anyone look at it before but it got to the point i had no choice. So I started with my primary care doc. Prescribed a cream for hemorrhoids with stearoids. No good and read that continued use would actually thin the anal walls. What i did discover through this however was that that tiny little nipple on the end of that tube was almost too large to insert into my anus. I went back to the doc and asked flat out for a recommendation to see a specialist as the pain was still as bad if not worse. They sent me to a gastroenterologyst who took a look and prescribed nitroglycerin ointment for a fissure. Keep in mind i had three docs look at my bum but none inside because i stated on arrival it was just to too sore for that. I used the ointment for a few days as my condition worsened to the point i could hardly walk. Finally i found the guy i was looking for. Through persistent research i found a colorectal surgeon in my area that had an opening to get me in and take a look. He was immediately able to diagnose my problem from a glance on the outside. I had a fissure and a fistula that were visible and plain as day. I saw him on Tuesday, i had my surgery on Friday. As in two days ago lol. I already feel so much better. Here's the kicker, i actually had three fistula and a fissure plus he removed a skin tag and I feel better than i did before 10 fold. Day one was tough, but it's gotten better each day since. I write this now kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I can feel the tension has been relieved and i hope to have the quality of life back I had so many years ago when i didn't have to fear going to the restroom. I think I'm on my way. Go get yourself checked out, you'll be glad you did. I told myself going into surgery that the pain ccouldn't be worse than it is now, and I was right.

    • Posted

      Hey, thanks for your story.

      Yeah- I've had fissures before but they went away on their own. I think I got my fissure this past Thurs... but the pain is so severe. So I'm desperate... Idk how people just deal with it for weeks and months and years! I'm not embarrassed to see the butt doctor... if I'm in pain - I need help!! The doctor I'm going to see is a specialist... were you able to tell your doctor you wanted the surgery and they followed through?

      I don't want a bunch of "no's" ugh ! I just want pain medication... ointments... whatever will help me.

    • Posted

      In my case I think it was a matter of finding the right doctor for the job. I made a lot of calls and did a lot of research online. I had an appointment with a surgeon 200 miles away when I finally found my guy local. He never questioned my need for surgery and in fact scoffed when I asked about botox etc. He told me he knows of no other surgical procedure that is as simple that has as much impact on a persons quality life as LIS. He has performed 100s of these procedures which is also important when you find your doc imo. I looked specially for surgeons that did LIS surgeries, ie said online they specialized in fissures etc.
    • Posted

      Hello Matt

      ?I feel like mine is a cronic one now.  I've lived with fissures since the birth of my daughter in 1987 on and off.  Usually they heal right up.  THis one is a NIGHTMARE for sure.  I get so scared.  Just a question if you don't mind...was your pain like an uncomfortable pressure when you were just laying around?   What was your pain like after surgery?

       

    • Posted

      The fissure I have/had I believe was there for 10+ years. It would always show up after i had a large poop, maybe 5 times a year. I always knew it was going to hurt when it bled. But in the past it would go away within a few days of normal poops,usually laxative induced. Two months ago it showed up without warning, no bad poo or anything and would not go away. It started as uuncomfortable pain after every bowel mmovement and would last a couple hours then gone until the next trip to the potty. Then it got worse to where it was uuncomfortable all day every day. Then about a week and a half ago it became unbearable to where I could hardly walk. It was like someone was inside pinching as hard as they could. Although I would never actually do it, i did think to myself on several ooccasions last week that death would be a welcome relief. It was that bad. I lost 30 lbs. In the last month because I was terrified to poop so I all but stopped eating. I was asked by my surgeon to do a colonoscopy so he could see if there were any other underlying problems before I went under the knife so i then did bowel prep last Wednesday and had a ccolonoscopy on Thursday. This was terrifying to think about having done but it wasn't actually as bad as I thought and it even relieved some of the tension in my rear to the point i walked into surgery Friday with less pain than Ihad

    • Posted

      -sorry aaccidentally hit the reply button... Anyway that brings me to post op. I went in Friday at 3 pm and was done in about an hour and a half, mind you my case was a bit ddifferent being that I had 3 fistula as well and a skin tag removed. In most cases a LIS surgery takes less than an hour. Pain was very minimal when I woke up but I did have a hunk gauze shoved up there with a numbing agent. I left the hospital at about six that night. No real pain to speak of throughout the night. When I woke in the morning I had to remove the bandages and the gauze that was stuck in me. This part was pretty painful. At the nurses suggestion i did this in the shower to help with the tape and whatnot. I immediately took a sitz bath and a pain pill and was relieved. The pain since is there but it's mild. I've had probably 5 bowel movements since surgery, all are painful but not extremely and immediately soothed with a sitz bath right after. They get better every day. I believe since I had the bowel prep cocktail of laxative that my body is still making things very soft and I'm going more than normal, but I'm eating a normal diet now (high fiber) and things are getting back to normal. I hope to be back to work by next week.

    • Posted

      Matt....thank you for the support.  I appreciate it so very much.  I am kind of in the same situation.  This one just seems to want to hang around from time to time.  I have lost quite a bit of weight just because I went vegan with eating fish as my only meat.  It seems to help with regular bathroom runs. 

       

    • Posted

      I too have fissure. I don't know if you are putting water in a bathtub and sitting in there or what. I use a sitz bath that fits on the commode. You can get it one at the drugstore. it will probably come with a hose of some sort because you are suppose to fill a bag up with warm water and let in go thru the hose and into the sitz bath. I threw that thing away and I just fill the sitz bath up with very warm to as hot as I can stand water right from the bathroom sink fawcett. It sits over the rim of the toilet and then I sit down. I just soak in that for about 20 minutes 3 or more times a day. the theory is that the warm water relaxes the muscles down there allowing more blood flow to the area thus promoting healing. it does feel good when the fissure is hurting. Also, I know this is gonna sound gross and it really is but it does help. My doctor told me to do this. When  you have to have a bowel movement, sit in that sitz bath and have one, it helps when the muscles are relaxed. Afterward, you can always dump into toilet and start again fresh just to soak. It's gross but when you are in agony, who cares... It's helps! The clorox wipes are wonderful for disinfecting and cleaning the thing. Hope this helps.

    • Edited

      I have suffered from an anal fissure for 13 years.

      Have done sitz baths, used Boudreaux Butt Paste (a great help), and taken Muralax for several years (helps a lot).

      NOW I BELIEVE I AM CURING THE FISSURE ITSELF!

      This is what I do:

      1.Clean area as best you can.

      2.Apply a thimbleful of Vaseline. Try to get some inside.

      3.Protect your underwear with a pad or paper napkin.

      4.Repeat about 12 times daily.

      5.Continue for 4 weeks.

      I am in my 12th day of doing this and truly believe the fissure is healing. No more pain, no more blood. No more swelling.

      This is the technique I was instructed to follow after a recent surgery to remove a small skin cancer on my neck. I thought – if it will work there, why not this on other parts of the body.

      This is definitely working for me. Vaseline and paper napkins are cheap.

      I would avoid surgery or Botox treatment at all costs, only as a last resort.

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