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Terrified of having lateral sphincterotomy.

Posted , 6 users are following.

mark94515
mark94515

Hello.

 This is my first post on this forum, though I have been following it for a while. I am a 56 year old male. I was diagnosed with a fissure over 10 years ago, well the first Gp to examine me said it was proctalgia fugax after forcefully inserting her finger up there. You could hear my screams next door it hurt so much ! But a visit to the hospital diagnosed a fissure which has been active for a few months each year since then. Though the underlying cause is the fact that my anus is so tight all the time, it is hard to insert my little finger to apply medication. Last year when the fissure became infected, the GP I saw put me on the 5 month waiting list to see a consultant, after giving me tramadol, which didn't reduce the unbearable pain at all. I was then lucky enough to see the best GP in my local practice who has sadly now retired. She told me to increase my dosage of Laxido, a stool softening laxative, to up to 8 sachets a day. Though I had been prescribed it for a long time, no one had said to take so much. Anyway, it worked ! I also was using GTN.

I have now seen the consultant who said she could help, as the muscles around my anus were very tight, which I already knew as I have already said, I found it hard to even insert my little finger to apply the GTN cream. Oh, on that note, don't try using a sryinge to apply GTN "up there" I did once and almost passed out as it gets absorbed so quickly.

 So, I have been pain free since last August when I upped my Laxido dosage. I now take about 2 to 3 sachets daily. the Gp who upped the dose told me to consider using it for life as an alternative to surgery. I am due to see the consultant in a few weeks as she wants to do an examination under general anasthetic with the option of botox, as a prelude to having the lateral sphincterotomy. I have talked to 2 people who have had the surgery. One said that they would have happily shot themselves after, due to the pain. The other just said that it didn't help much. So should I have the surgery or just carry on with Laxido for the rest of my life ?

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • kim13206
    kim13206 mark94515

    Posted

    Hey Mark

    My husband had a really bad fissure for almost a year. He went to two different specialist and the second discovered that he had the fissure. He gave him some cream and said it would get rid of it hopefully but would take up to six weeks  or longer to get it well. Well I decided to join this group to see what others were doing for their fissure. I wanted him out of all that pain he was in. Saw where lots were using coconut oil. So guess what I bought him some the very next day. And it worked for him thank the lord! He didn't like taking a bath in it so he would just put some on his finger every time he used the bathroom and would rub it on his tush and put a little up his tush and it has worked for him. He is pain free now but still will put coconut oil down there not every time but sometimes just because. So thankful for this group and thankful he is pain free. 

  • T2231
    T2231 mark94515

    Posted

    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.

  • jeff11
    jeff11 mark94515

    Posted

    Hi Mark

    How are you doing  . . .  I like you am talking Macrogol (Laxido type) about 3 a day . . I have one healed fissure and two skin tags and sadly a newer less sore fissure.

    I visited a private consultant today who described my anus as 'tight as a walnut' - which was the main cause of the healing not completing.

    My story is long as I have suffered since 2012 and I am thoroughly fed up and slightly depressed as a result.

    I have tried everything to repair naturally but nothing has worked and now this consultant has suggested a cure is the Lateral Sphincterectomy . . .

    Everything I read after LIS (Lateral Sphincterectomy) tends towards a lot of pain with some saying the regret it greatly and months and months of pain - only a few seem to get success.

    In short I am totally confused and worried.  What do i do?

  • neil87282
    neil87282 mark94515

    Posted

    Hello Mark.

    Same boat as you, dread going to the toilet and it is all I think about. My job revolves driving and office work, so you can imagine.

    i found a product in Boots called Hemoclin, it is quite expensive you can also get it online, I find when used in conjunction with liquid lactulose, that helped. Strangely as well I went off the high fibre diet as I found that bunged me up. Get bad sessions for about three weeks at a time but the above helps clear it up quicker and makes it bearable most of the time. I have had one botuloxin injection which did give a good 5 months relief but got to go back in May for another one.

    also my Gp gave me Instilagel which I tale 10 mins before going, that numbs everything. 

    You have to ask for it as a lot of GPs don't think of it, but mix and match and it does help.

    thoughts with everyone as it is the worst two years of my life.

  • mark94515
    mark94515

    Posted

    Hi,

    Thank you to all who have replied to my question. Sorry I haven't been on the forum for ages. I have just posted my story as a reply to a Mrs Shah who has a question on the anal fissure forum, but the main points are that one of my Gp's told me to take up to 8 sachests of laxido daily, and to consider taking it for life. I saw the consultant, and although she was happy to do the lateral sphincterotomy, she agreed that taking laxido like I did was a viable alternative. she added lactulose to it. After initially taking quite a lot of laxido/ lactulose, I now average 2 sachets + lactulose daily. I take it together each morning and add a 1 gram vitamin C dissolvable tablet, which makes it more palatable. No fissure, no pain since August last year ! I suppose I'm lucky that I live in Wales where prescriptions are free, as I am on a very low income, but don't clain any benefits.

    Anyway, thanks again to all who replied and the best of luck to anyone unfortunate to have a fissure !

                                                       Mark.

  • yvonney
    yvonney mark94515

    Posted

    MARK HOW DID IT GO-DID YOU HAVE THE OP OR NOT? I AM IN SAME SITUATION NOW,
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