anal fissure

Hi again, thanks for replying Nicro. Well I was discharged from hospital one week ago the same night that I had been taken to theatre. The consultant decided that I needed a Sigmoidoscopy under general anaesthetic which I agreed to. I also said that they could do whatever they needed to do to relieve my pain whilst I was asleep (so long as I wasnt rendered incontinent as a result). After about an hour I was woken and advised that as suspected, It was just a fissure. As I wasnt quite with it (groggy) I didnt ask if it was actually nearly healed or if tgey could see more using the camera. However, they had also botoxed me and must have given me a nerve block as I had my first comfortable pain free night in months.Trusting that the treatment would work and eager to get home to my littles girls and husband I allowed them to discharge me. Being pain free lasted 24 hours before I gradually slipped back to my original presentation. By the 3rd day I was back to not being able to stand up for more than a couple of minutes and having to have hot baths for pain relief. I was hoping to be seeing some gradual improvement as the days go by, day 8 I'm probably only noticing a 10% reduction in pain degree/frequency. Its also difficult to stay positive when you know that you have had a treatment, have no follow up arranged with the treating doctor for 5 more weeks and still cant function to manage even basic activites to help myself or the family. I wake up looking for a miracle. In addition to this I now have some swelling or sagging even? around the edge of my bottom which is causing friction rubbing against the fissure. I have to press it back in or constantly keep it soft with the GTN or vaseline (earning the rights for my namesake there). This on top of having to look at my diet and nutrition with a fine tooth comb is just depressing. My dick note runs out in 2days but theres no way I will be fit to go back. I have 12 more weeks left at full pay but want to be back as soon as possible. This allowance has to last a year and who knows if I might become ill again. All of these things are a burden. You wouldnt believe I am usually such a high spirited person would you

Katiech this really doesnt sou d quite the same as my fiisure symptoms but may well be an anterior fissu re e (not posterior) as it was caused by child birth right? Please dobt be embarrassed, book an appointment with a female GP or ask for a female at the Walk in centre. Good luck, its not likely to go awsy on its own so get that help!

*Apologies for the spelling mistakes! My finger tips are too large for my phone touchscreen keypad!!

Toomuchinfo. So sorry you are still suffering. Suggest that you wait a couple more days to see if there are any improvements. If not, try to get hold of the consultant's secretary and say that the follow up is too long to wait, and that you are available at short notice for a cancelled appointment and tell her that you are still suffering. Or lobby your GP to expedite your appointment. Either way, 5 weeks is a long wait only to confirm that it hasn't worked, and they will then have to reschedule you for surgery. Either that, or go back to A&E. Don't be passive.

Katie - where in the world are you (if you don;t mind me asking). Is your tear definitely in your back passage ? Either way, you really need to see a doctor to know what is really going on. You can't just go on suffering, especially when you have two small children. Don't feel embarrassed about it - if it was brought on by childbirth it is just one of those things ! Ignorance (about what it is) and fear/embarrasment aren't going to help you. The one thing most of us here have learnt is that when you start talking about it, you find out that it is more common than you realise - turned out my father in law had had it ! Please try to get Medical advice, and get a plan for a way forward. Good luck !

Hi everyone,

I'm 25 and have suffered with anal fissure for 6 years now, since 19. It has only ever been completely gone for no more than a month or 2 at a time, and I'm currently going through a particularly bad period. I can't afford to be off work, as I'm an apprentice and don't get sick days.

The bleeding is worse than ever and as I suffer with IBS and lactose intolerance, I get diarrhoea quite often, I've now had this bout of it for 4 days now and the bleeding and pain is worse than ever.

When I initially started seeing someone about it, the consultant told me that there was nothing they could do and it would go away by itself, this was after 6 months, and after using rectogesic for 6 weeks as recommended.

I then saw a different consultant who did the Botox injection for me, which lasted for 2days, until I had a bowel movement again and it just split back open.

I was given more rectogesic, again with no effect. I was then offered the internal sphincterotemy operation, which I went for, that left me with an open wound which was also very painful, but I was hopeful. But that seemed to have no effect atall, I was obviously in a lot of pain as the wound healed and even then when it was all healed I still saw no improvement in the fissure.

I have tried eating more fibre and taking fibre supplements but I'm at the end of my tether now!

I really hope that someone still looks at this thread and has any kind of suggestion for me. I saw that some people are considering smoothies and/or juices which seems to be appealing to me at the moment as I'm willing to try anything, but as an apprentice I'm always strapped for cash, so can't really afford supplements etc at the moment, but any suggestion is welcome!

I live in davenport ia and I have finally told my husband about this problem it was hard but with sooo much pain how could I hide it? He's doing what he can to make things easy for me but the pain just won't stop its worse and worse every day .... Iv looked at postes saying the op makes the pain worse and I feel like theirs no hope I cant be in constant pain or drugged up all day I have a 3 year old and a three month old how do I play with them or take care of them like this depression is starting to eat away at me I cant stand by and watch my boys play and not try to play to I was going to be a marine at one point in my life so being fit and active is a must for me how can I motivate my self to do 5 mile long jogs or Zumba if geting off the couch puts me into tears I'm just laying in bed and the pain is so bad I won't let my husband even touch me there's got to be a cure to this that actually works with out being drugged up 24/7

Hi Katiech1331

I've commented on this thread before but your post prompts me to reply again. I don't think Fissures ever actually go away completely. mine still flares up. It really is about life style. As soon as symptons appear I hit the liquids for a day or 2. I eat a whole lot of fruit. Oranges a particular favourite, I excercise regular and drink plenty water. Soups are good when yr bad and there's plenty of foods out there you can eat in place of pastries etc.

Dorito crisps I have found are really bad for me, think about it. they just bind you up and constipate. There's plenty other savoury snacks I can eat though. Sorry I can't offer a miracle cure, although neither can the docs. If anyone has, or knows anyone who has ever recovered completely from an anal fissure I'd like to hear from them. Until then I live by the golden rules,

What go's in soft comes out soft

The less go's in the less has to come out.

water and excercise should be staples of everyones lifestyle

Good luck

Kev

Thank you kev that was helpfull I'll have to try that and yes I to hope someone out their has found a way to make this go away for good

Hi all, I have made a lengthy, moany, poor me and my arse post in the botox thread, so won't repeat it here, but I too am at my wits end with spasms and pain since having botox last week. I'm barely eating, for fear of more pain, but am beginning to worry that not having anything to pass is just as damaging. The lack of information from the surgical team was astonishing - they discharged me with paracetamol (pointless) and codeine (constipating). I find it hard to believe that the global pharmaceutical industry can find nothing that works as well as opiates, without the attendant constipation. It's got to the point where I'm tempted to buy some cocaine to put up my bum! (joke, of course I wouldn't!)

I feel I have to post here my experience, just quickly. I had a fissure for 3 years and some days I would want to drive myself to Accident and Emergency the pain was so bad. I was constantly anemic from the blood loss and despite 4 trips to the doctors they didn't want to help and just kept prescribing Rectalgesic. I thought it was going to last forever and I couldn't bear the thought of it as it made my life hell, I even booked a appointment at a private hospital because the GPs don't have any expertise in this area (didn't need it in the end).

One thing I have done, one lifestyle change, has meant I have been healed for 5 weeks. I used to drink two glasses of red wine every evening. 6 weeks ago I quit drinking to loose weight and almost immediately the fissure started to heal and the bleeding and pain stopped. I am never drinking again if it means it keeps it at bay. The relief is out of this World. I started going to the gym because having no pain meant I could and consequently I drink far more water which probably also helps. So my advice is lay of the wine if you do drink.

i am new to this board, and actually registered just so I can reply to some of you suffering so badly... hearing from others who went through it helped me immensely when i was suffering. i had a bad chronic fissure 5 years ago. misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids (have those too, but that wasn't my main problem), changed docs and that one finally figured it out. gave me the nitroglyceron cream. that didn't help. got a sphinterotomy. that helped at first, but after 3 days the pain intensified, and it was awful. i completely feel the pain that Katiech1331 and JamieinPain, and others, talk about. i had one small boy at the time (now two boys), and missing out on being a parent and just functioning in every day life was devastating. the constant *horrible* pain was traumatizing and the most awful thing I have gone though. add to that that it is embarressing, so you can't talk about it with coworkers, etc, and it just makes it worse emotionally. BUT, it gets better. really. something will work for you. keep trying. fissures can heal. usually with surgery. but a good surgery is worth it. my fissure became infected, so i ended up having an undiagnosed abscess for 4 months. that was so painful, and i knew something was wrong, and i knew i needed a doctor to just help me...so it was so frustrating. in the meantime, i had botox which did not help, and more cream and more tears and more depression. i ultimately changed docs (again) and finally found a good one. he could see me within a week, and he was competent. scheduled a second sphinterotomy with him (sometimes the first one is too 'cautious' and so the muscle spasms don't stop), along with an abscess removal, which basically scaped out the whole fissure and makes an even bigger one, but this time it is 'fresh' skin and not chronic. BEST thing i ever did (other than marry my hubby and have my two beautiful boys, i suppose). within 2 weeks of surgery, i felt actually fine. and i felt nothing (nothing at all... NO pain, no sensation) by 4 weeks after. i then went 4 whole years with nothing at all. i have a very 'tiny' minor fissure now (after catching my youngest's digestive illness and having difficult BMs) that i just got back from the doc about. same doc. this time it is not chronic yet, so he recommended vaseline, which is why i am on this board looking things up. anyways, you can and will heal. find the right doctor! don't be embarressed, and stand up for yourself for your own care. with that said, here are things that i did while healing, many of which i still do every single day:

- MIRALAX (or whatever the UK equivalent is). best. thing. ever. my ob-gyn even said i can take it during pregnancy and i did. every day, like clockwork. works wonders on the stool consistency. ]

- obviously, lots and lots of water.

- i don't eat anything 'sharp.' imagine soaking it in water for an hour and imagine if it gets mushy. if the answer is no, then i i don't eat it. no seeds, nuts, etc. you can probably guess why.

- chew food really well.

- avoid constipating foods (red meat, white flour an rice, cheese, sugar)

- lots of veggies, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal (very mushy to start with), sweet potatoes... these are my 'staples' for when i was healing. if my calorie count got low (i am thin), i would supplement with boost drinks.

- always sit on a cushion, and try to sit in a way that is more to one side than flat on your bum.

- exercise in any way that you can. if all you can do is walk, then walk. i foudn the elliptical was low-impact and manageable even when i was feeling pretty bad. no heavy lifting or straining, just get your heart rate up. take a lot of deep breaths when you are exercising. it will help with the stress.

it was the worst thing i have every gone through, and i still have a lot of anxiety about it, to be honest. but i have been happy for the past 4 years. and healthy. you will get there too. minor set-backs (like the one i have now) do not really hurt very much at all. i just felt a small sharp pain that comes only every 30 minute or so... and went on for 3 weeks so figured i would get it checked out. but it is nothing like before, and i am hopeful that i will recover without going through more pain. it is something that will change some aspects of your lifestyle, but the pain can go away. good luck to you all!

g22896 and salijones, it's great to hear positive tales because, as everyone on here no doubt knows, there are dark times when you just think 'is this it for me? A lifetime of pain?' Thankfully, nine days post botox, I am on the mend, due in the main to Jeff in one of the other threads, who gave sterling advice on pain relief, meds and cream. Oh, and witch hazel, which I think has been a blessing. My pain times after BMs has gone from four hours to fifteen minutes in three days after getting Naproxen and tramadol and swabbing with the witch hazel. Things are healing, though I still can't stand for more than 10 mins without discomfort, but I'm hoping a few more days of bedrest (which is driving me nuts) and I'll be back on my feet. I eat fairly well but this latest episode has made me realise I need to up the ante. This forum has been amazing, and when I go back to my consultant I'm going to suggest he reads it and has a think about providing some pragmatic aftercare advice. Thanks everyone who shares - great resource.

Hi everyone. I am suffering with anal fissures since last 9 months. It was pretty bad in the first 6 months. Doctor's prescribed antibiotics , creams etc. It became better in 20 -25 days after taking medicines but the problem was that even one bowel movement with hard stool created another fissure & whole process has to repeated. Doctors suggested surgery but I am trying my best to avoid it.

In recent 3 months the fissure has healed upto 95%. I did two things......I started drinking 20ml of Aloe Veera with a glass of water 2 times a day. This reduced constipation drastically. Also I take a spoon of stool softener every night along with Aloe veera. Secondly my doctor suggested to apply Vaseline every day after the bowel movement even if the fissure is fully healed because dryness in the anus is another issue which causes fissures. In last 3 months I felt itiching for just 2-3 days, earlier it was so bad that I wasn't able walk properly. Also i have change my diet a lot in last 3 months , I take lot of fruits now , drink plenty of water & intake a lot of fibre rich diet. We need to avoid constipation at all cost for healing the fissures. I am hoping that with this regime I will get out of this problem. It's a miserable problem but people do get fully cured , I personally know 2 people who are fully cured without any surgery. Hope , that you will be fissure free one day. All the best.

 

Hi, iam 59 and have suffered from fissures for the last 19 years,, I use Diltiazem cream when ever my fissure flare up due to passing hard stool or Stress, the only way to deal with fissures is a healthy diet with plenty water. I have had months of pain free from it but stress and hard stool sometimes catch me off guard....If it flares up get the Diltiazem cream, have a hot shower after bowle movement and apply 1 inch of cream in and around your . Take two to three days off work and eat less drink more. Keep to the health diet and good luck