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Anal self massage and techniques for chronic fissure post botox?

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andrew97847
andrew97847

Hi guys, fellow anal sufferer here. To be brief I'm 8 weeks post botox surgery and trying to stay positive. I won't give the whole pre-story as I'll be here all day so bullet points are... Had fissure from around January, used mainly Rectogesic and softeners (2 x movicol per day) I had gone from around 8-10 hours of severe/bad pain following BM to now around 4-6 hours of pain post botox (with now no Rectogesic) to then on some good days I have had only 3 hours of pain. Unfortunately I had a set back last week and now back to around 6 hours before I can walk around without pain which brings me to techniques....

This my be similar to what some people do or not at all, but when I have a BM I never have to force but try and keep my sphincter muscle from opening up fully, as my BM's are soft they can then exit without having to stretch open the muscle too much and avoid further tearing. After being impatient and not seeing improvement I decided to try and relax more last week to see if that would help but it had the opposite effect and seemed to tear it more, which gave me the set back. Does anyone try doing that or have any techniques like that?

As most know with chronic fissures the main issue is that the muscle is so tight it causes pain but more importantly stops the tear being able to heal, hence the botox to help loosen it, but it only does so much. I did read a article a while back about anal self massage in which you basically insert a finger and hold it there for ten mins twice daily to help the sphincter loosen. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5479997/

I tried this at various stages before botox and felt at times it helped, but as most will know it's sometimes impossible to know what is working unless it clears completely. Does anyone have any success of this? I don't want to go back doing this if it will cause it to go worse but as with most people I get beside myself with frustration and impatience of why it won't heal.

The other option is to apply rectogesic for another period, which my surgeon did suggest as a possibility and I felt was very successful in periods before botox. However as with the other method it also involves going inside which I am wanting to avoid. But I suppose how else am I supposed to loosen it as without that happening the fissure can't heal right?

To that point a final more curious question really... when I have used rectogesic and self massage it sometimes hurts but nothing like what the pain is like when having a BM or following pain after it, why is that? Why does the fissure tear when very soft stools come out but at all when a finger is put in? Might sound stupid but just wondered if anyone could tell me?

Sorry, lots of questions there! If I sound all over the place, it's because like most of us I am! Just trying to scramble around in the dark and reach for something that will help progress it.

Andy

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • prad74161
    prad74161 andrew97847

    Posted

    hi im using rectogesic and dr.wheatgrass and also taking homeopathic treatment which is apparently good nothing to loose. i must say it is getting better

  • mark90976
    mark90976 andrew97847

    Edited

    hi reading what you wrote its like living my life at the minute. I do use my little finger, especially a couple of hours after a bm . the pain has stopped after using (and I still use rectogesic) its just stay tense for few hours . I'm on my 5 weeks on using ointment plus cicatridine suppositery. its paradise now instead of 5 weeks ago. but as soon as it gets tense I tend to put my little finger under cold water and then it goes in. doing that I try to keep the anal area loose and the tensions seems to go away. I Dont do it for 10 minutes, like do it three times and every time I put the finger under cold water. it seems to work for a little while. it gives me like between 10 to 30 minutes break. then I'll do it again. since last three days I started bleeding quiet a bit. it never happened before.

    • andrew97847
      andrew97847 mark90976

      Posted

      The bleeding is a funny thing, I tended to get it in the first few weeks, since then I get bleeding once in a great while. I was guessing it was because the muscle is so tense now it cuts off the blood supply or doesn't allow it to bleed out. That's the thing though, its all guesswork at this stage. I think all you can do is keep everything very consistent and stick at it. The hardest thing I have found is being patient as the road to recovery is very very slow.

      For now I'm just sticking with stool softeners like clockwork and trying not to open up the tear so much when I go. Sometimes I try fasting and skipping a BM but also find sometimes I have a lot passing through in one BM the day after which can sometimes not be great but on the whole it helps. Although fasting is easier said than done, can be such a difficult thing but worth it.

      Think I will try using the rectogesic again, glad its working for you, in all honesty I think it was almost as good as botox but you have to use it consistently, that was my downfall in the first weeks, I tended to use slightly less than the suggested dose and skip sometimes. I learned my lesson.

      Is it a daft question about using the finger though in that why doesn't that tear it but a BM does? I want to loosen it more using that way if needed but worry it may be hindering if I am re-opening but doesn't seem to hurt.

  • mark90976
    mark90976 andrew97847

    Edited

    imagethat's something I cant work it out myself . when I have a bm , it felt like I had 200 knives passing down, not its better I cant deny it. when you go to the toilet use a a step where you put your feet up. I does help as well. I found that a hot bath helps me better then sitz one. as I cant sitting down for too long. its all tricks that you learn as like you said its a very slow healing process. my life stopped. I'm Italian and a chef ,I love to cook and to eat. everything stopped. don't do fasting as I try to eat always something. at the beginning I had just a soup at lunch and a slice of whole meal bread at dinner. was trying to go to the toilet any other day sometimes it didn't go to plan. most days it did. as I've started to introduce in my diet fruit, vegetables and legumes my stool are always soft so I'm avoiding laxatives. even tho they're soft sometimes it hurts too. how old are you,? I'm 37 ,before having the fissure I was always eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and was going to the gym 3 times at week. having that lifestyle had me to go toilet 3 to 4 times at day. whatever was going in was going out. soft and healthy stools, perfect lifestyle. no alcohol and this is the results

    • andrew97847
      andrew97847 mark90976

      Posted

      I'm the same Mark, I was 37 before the fissure but 38 now. I read that fissures are more common in people under 40 years old and in pregnant and young people, which was actually surprising as I thought they would be more common getting older, so hopefully if we get past this it will be the last!

      You say it has been much better than five weeks ago so is gradually getting better? If so that's great and if I can give any advice it is just to stay very patient and don't become relaxed or complacent when the pain goes down further and stick to everything you are doing exactly. Soon as you get a winning formula that is seeing progress I think it is important to stick with it. I got frustrated and tried something else which I should not have done and set myself back. I am recovering again very slowly but this time I will not be frustrated and keep being patient, although it can be very frustrating when you only see very slight progress over a couple of weeks! When I get down to pain for just over 2 hours again I won't start celebrating and will keep very focused.

      Yes fasting is very hard, to be honest I meant more like over one meal rather than all day, which would be extremely difficult. I am trying my best to avoid a meal today or eat very little so I can go all day tomorrow not having a BM.

      I would not be too hard on yourself for getting this it seems most people, myself included, never had constipation or anything, it just happened one day. I actually had one a few years back but it went away after a couple weeks and was just painful for 20 mins or so. I thought the same would happen this time. Problem was I had zero knowledge that they could turn this bad, if I knew what I know now I would have immediately gone on stool softeners and rectogesic instead of being relaxed about it at the beginning. Not wanting to blame my doctor at all but when seeing her instead of 'take these laxatives and ointment' I wish she had of been more like, 'look these can turn chronic and stop you being able to do anything but lie down for up to 10 hours a day and take your life from you, you need to take this very seriously'. I had no idea it could turn into what it has and wish I knew. Who could have guessed we would be months down the line talking on the internet to strangers about sticking fingers up our arseholes.

      If it is gradually getting better Mark then great but if you get even slightly hard stools some days I would definitely suggest having a stool softener. I am on 2x Movicol a day, these are not laxatives as such but stool softeners which are much better for your insides (so my surgeon tells me). I honestly think keeping stools very soft are the number one thing to help. But as I say if you are getting better gradually then don't change anything! and stick exactly to what you are doing. Just keep it in mind going forward if anything changes or you need softer stools.

    • mark90976
      mark90976 andrew97847

      Edited

      Hey mate sorry for the late reply but as I didn't have any bm today I took the chance to cook, cleaning my toilet and do some washing. Cant do every thing in one go or the burning will start (I get burning only on a bm day off, if I have a bm it will get tense). During the day off my anus is totally relaxed. Have you ever watched South park? When cartman was in prison and he was sticking Disneyland up his ass to smuggle it inside? Yeah can do that.

      Yes from the last 5 weeks the improvement has been really good, but I always keep my feet on the ground, just in case things go worse again. I will defo stick with what I'm doing. But I've got another three weeks to get better as I can only use the cream for 8 weeks straight. Then I don't know what will happen.

      As I've got a couple of hemorrhoids coming up as well (frustrating as I don't push nothing out) I'm using a natural oil made by cypress and arnica. Its a natural oil that does pretty much what the ointment should do, attract the blood down the anal area. Ointment time are 8.30 am and 8.30 pm. The oil are around lunch time. Thinking about getting the stool softener as well. To be fair sometimes when I get bm I tend to use some pain killer, don't use them all the time like twice at week as I don't want to cause costipation. The doctor told me it was a fissure when I went for a consultation but its with my research that I'v'd asked for the prescription of the ointment. Yeah I can be a doctor too. Never thought a tiny cut could cause so much pain and misery. I felt so alone. You say to family and friends what you're going throught but they don't really get it. I'm lucky that with the lockdown I get to stay at home. Working wise I would have lost my job for sure . While I was in pain that's when I was doing all the research to try to get better, Ended up doing a video for you tube explaining my situation and what I'm doing to get better. Need to do another one as soon its over

    • andrew97847
      andrew97847 mark90976

      Edited

      Hey Mark,

      Just wanted to apologise for the late reply (you thought yours was late!) Had a set back and a miserable last week, so just getting back on course again now. Will get back into these boards and advise to see if I can pick up anymore help. Hope all is progressing with you!

  • prad74161
    prad74161 andrew97847

    Posted

    hi iam 42 and i have a fissure now i have had it in the past but they went away im a few days to a week by applying anusol ointment.This time they have become chronic and it is hard mentally and physically as the healing is super slow.I am applying rectogesic even though it makes me get slight headaches some time but not bad and Dr.Wheatgrass and i am taking fybogel husk one everyday and drink plenty of eater and eat fruit and veg. I found that by avoiding dairy, meat i lost weight which i think doesnt help as my energy levels went down so i have not slowly added them back but i consume them very little and have daily fruit veg and water a lot and i xant afford to skip a meal because im normally thin and dont want to loose any weight..I am confident that it will heal eventually but it needs persositence.A froend of mine had a fissure for teo months and he didnt apply any cram etc and only drank more fluids and eventually it healed so it will heal..we hust need to stay optimistic and use this forum to post small successes and encourage each other

  • prad74161
    prad74161 andrew97847

    Posted

    hi iam 42 and i have a fissure now i have had it in the past but they went away im a few days to a week by applying anusol ointment.This time they have become chronic and it is hard mentally and physically as the healing is super slow.I am applying rectogesic even though it makes me get slight headaches some time but not bad and Dr.Wheatgrass and i am taking fybogel husk one everyday and drink plenty of eater and eat fruit and veg. I found that by avoiding dairy, meat i lost weight which i think doesnt help as my energy levels went down so i have not slowly added them back but i consume them very little and have daily fruit veg and water a lot and i xant afford to skip a meal because im normally thin and dont want to loose any weight..I am confident that it will heal eventually but it needs persositence.A froend of mine had a fissure for teo months and he didnt apply any cram etc and only drank more fluids and eventually it healed so it will heal..we hust need to stay optimistic and use this forum to post small successes and encourage each other

  • prad74161
    prad74161 andrew97847

    Posted

    hi iam 42 and i have a fissure now i have had it in the past but they went away im a few days to a week by applying anusol ointment.This time they have become chronic and it is hard mentally and physically as the healing is super slow.I am applying rectogesic even though it makes me get slight headaches some time but not bad and Dr.Wheatgrass and i am taking fybogel husk one everyday and drink plenty of eater and eat fruit and veg. I found that by avoiding dairy, meat i lost weight which i think doesnt help as my energy levels went down so i have not slowly added them back but i consume them very little and have daily fruit veg and water a lot and i xant afford to skip a meal because im normally thin and dont want to loose any weight..I am confident that it will heal eventually but it needs persositence.A froend of mine had a fissure for teo months and he didnt apply any cram etc and only drank more fluids and eventually it healed so it will heal..we hust need to stay optimistic and use this forum to post small successes and encourage each other

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