Anal fissure

Thank you for your response! I will definitely be looking into those you suggested.

Thank you for your reply! I have been taking full baths often with lots of Epsom salts. I am going to look into getting an actual sitz bath to go over the toliet! It seems like it will easier to fit into the day.

That's the only way, I could fit it into my day. I do 15 minutes and I use the time to read, or talk to God. Think of as peaceful time.😊 See yourself being healed.

Do you put in Epsom salts as well as warm water? I really have lost what little faith I had in just about any higher power at this point, unfortunately.  But I  will try and also visualize being healed, maybe the power of postitive thinking will do me some good. Thanks again!

Don't lose faith!!! It has been my saving grace. Yes I do sometimes put Epsom Salts, but have found that a few drops of essential oils works better for me. I use lavender, lemon, cypress and tea tree oil. Happy healing.

I haven’t tried any position  yet, I have been way to scared! The general surgeon I went to said I could try but it may be too painful and stretch the area. Which doesn’t sound good or fun at all!

Thank you for your reply! It is wonderful to hear a husbands perspective!! I do try to be patient with him but not having someone to talk, especially your husband, has taken quiet the mental toll. I am so glad to have found this forum and braved up enough to post. I have thought of seeking out a counselor just to be able to talk out everything but I’m still too embarrassed to say anything to a non Dr about it.

I really like your idea of taking him to the Drs and having him hear things first hand. That way he knows I’m not just withholding sex for the heck of it, I just need to heal.

I think West Coast's advice was spot on. This is chronic condition and I have heard such horror stories about surgery. You also have to find out your triggers. My BM's are formed but not hard. My triggers are, red meat(luckily I'm mostly a chicken, fish, and turkey girl), spicy food, and granola bars.

In the end you have to find what works for you and really him stressing you out about sex is not going to help you heal any faster. I hope you find relief soon.🤗🤗

Thank you for your reply Juanita! I am still learning my triggers. I have tried to cut out the “typical” ones like dairy and I haven’t eaten any meats in a long while. The granola bar is interesting, I’ll have to watch that one as well since I do eat them fairly often. I think you’ve inspired me to create a food diary with BM habits to really nail it down! Thank you!

Everything takes a long time before you know if it is working or not. My proctologist gave me a list of foods to avoid such coffee, any caffeinated drinks/food like chocolate. He said you have to stop taking the foods for 90 days which feels like a long time.

I wrote up my experiences on my blog, I had a chronic fissure for well over a year, where I couldn't do anything, was in excruciating pain every day, nobody knew what I was going thru. Even the proctologist didn't even have sympathy and you would think they would know.

Let me know and I will go find it, I listed all the foods (not that many if you interested).

Not sure what kind of husband he is and I won't assume or how long you have been married. No one really prepares us for a Chronic Fissure, it is something else and we really can't expect anyone around us to know what we going thru let alone understand.

I wouldn't be too embarrassed, you get used to it over time and it will depend on how close minded he is and you know us males, we pretty close-minded. My wife still to this day didn't know the pain I went thru and I can't expect her to. Women might have a better idea as it is similar to hemorrhoids in a way. 

Definitely drag him along if he is willing, hell, send him this link and we will tell him .. he won't like it, but it is the truth. I had cancer surgery at the same time as my fissure and I am convinced the cancer meds caused my fissure in the first place although the doctors didn't think so, but I can tell you right now my surgery was nowhere as near as painful as my fissure, it is probably the most pain I have had to live with for the longest period of time in my life.

I am planning on writing a series of blogs to help people understand the condition and to advise them what I did and help them as much as possible.

Another thing I did was go see an Osteopath (not a natural path, they quite different, there is another one, I forget the name, they all do very different things). She taught me various exercises, was licensed for internal work, physio and acupuncture. I think she definitely played a role in my healing even though she knew nothing about the condition, but they are trained to understand the body, so it is something worth considering. I was impressed she was willing to go inside me even though she knew I was in a lot of pain, was willing to try anything. It was covered under my medical plan, so it cost me nothing, so if you have some sort of extended health, definitely worth checking out.

Take a look at my profile, I added a link to the blog I am specifically talking about. I keep updating it with stuff I remember over the years.

I would love a link to your blog! Thank you. I will take any help/tips to get through this.

Thank you again. We have been married going on 14 years so you’d think by now this kind of thing would be easy to talk about. I think he finds it “gross” or weird and just gives me a funny face and changes the subject.  After I post this I’m going to your profile to find the link. Maybe having a male perspective will help him understand how painful this really is. 

I thank you you very much, this is more support than I could have imagined .

Im also going to check into that form of Dr. we have pretty good insurance but I know things like chiropractic care is not covered. I’ll cross my fingers though!

You're very welcome. As far as the granola bars, I don't think I digest them well enough for them to be soft enough when I have a BM they end up irritating or actually opening the fissure. So no more granola bars for me.

Popcorn and nuts are definately out for me, same reason. They aren't digested well and feel like they're scraping on the way out. Seems like anything high fibre hurts, even though you need fibre to stay regular. I find metamucil is OK.

Kathy you aren't the first person to say that high fiber hurts(how strange) I'm ok with nuts, but I dont eat them often, maybe a few times a year. Luckily I don't like popcorn.

I have problems with nuts as well. My instestinses ache if I eat to many. I have noticed anything with how it affects my BMs so I will definitely keep an eye out if I ever eat them. Yet I do use almond milk in my oatmeal. I have started a food diary and hope that helps me be more conscience about what’s going on in my body.

I started taking a fiber powder. I started with the recommended amount and it was WAY too much! I was having 5-6 BMs a day. It was awful. I think I found a good amount that works for me but am also taking 3 Dulcolax a day to help. I fear stopping that at this point as every time I think I’m good too, I retear something. 

Yes, five to six Bm's a day is too many. You have to poo, but you don't want to go too many times because it needs to heal. This last flare up was caused by very spicy food. I'm very aware of what I eat and I don't eat a lot. The incident with the food happened Feb. 9th and  I am just now healing nicely. I tell you, I PRAYED and along with that, sitz baths and HemoTreat(cream and suppositories)I'm doing much better. A lot of people say don't use soap or a washcloth in that area to wash, and while I agree with that premise, I use my hand but I use a fragrance free shower gel that I get at Whole Foods. 

?I still use the HemoTreat cream after a BM. I carry it in a contact lens case to be discreet.

Just went to my 6 week recheck with the General surgeon and am not impressed. He told me I was healed! Ha! What a load of garbage. I even told him that I could see it still and how I was able to, it’s pretty darn hard to miss!  Didn’t listen and just told me to stop taking Myralax and just do the fiber. I am so disappointed that he basically brushes me off since I haven’t been in a lot of pain all the time. I need to call the specialist and see what they say but I am not hopeful with the healthcare anymore in my area. 

I understand. You have to find the right doctor. It's hard.