My experience with a chronic anal fissure
Posted , 107 users are following.
Hi all
I thought that I would post this as a lot of people appear to be going through the same agony that I was going through for over a year.
Anyway, I was at uni and going through a bad time in my life, whenever I get stressed my guts go into turmoil. As a result I was off uni for a week with severe rectal pain and feeling lower than a snake's belly. I booked an appointment with my GP as I had experienced similar symptoms before.
My GP recognised the symptoms immediately, I thought I had piles, she said I was too young so had a look. The digital examination wasn't fun, in fact she said she had never seen anyway change colour so quickly but it was worth it because I was refered to a colo-rectal surgeon.
I took my sick note back into my tutor and as I was doing a clinical degree, he said straight away that fissures were worsened and sometimes caused by stress. The penny dropped.
As I said I was going through a very very bad time in my life which necessitated me going on antidepressants (Cipralex) for my emotional state. When this was added to wall climbing agony due to fissures I was near breaking point. I remember after one bowel movement almost fainting with the pain, I was lying at the top of the stairs at my mum's house and clawing at the wallpaper with my fingernails - I have had a broken leg and in terms of pain that fissure was far worse, trust me.
I went to see the colo-rectal surgeon a few weeks later, I was terrified, but he was a lovely man, very very considerate. He told me that I had a large fissure that could be helped with an ointment. I told him my background so he talked a bit more openly and said that fissures are an incredibly debilitating condition. He once had a 16 stone rugby player openly weeping on his consulting couch with the pain - I can understand why.
I was prescribed GTN ointment and started using it as directed. I had a slight headache which I could live with, but this was far better than the agony of the fissure and this headache was pretty much gone after the first week. After a week of use the pain from the fissure had also subsided to nothing. After six weeks I went back to the surgeon and I was healed.
I wish that was the end of the story but it isn't, I have probably had four or five bad flare ups since and dozens of other twinges, spasms, bleeds and itches since but I am nowhere near as bad as the first time - I can live with this now. I have seen the surgeon twice since and he has offered surgery but my frame of mind precluded me from that, I was simply terrified.
My GP is very understanding and I can get GTN on prescription whenever I need it. I was prescribed Anoheal by the surgeon as well but this didn't work as well as GTN for me, but I have seen cases in work where this has been incredibly effective.
As I said earlier, I was doing a clinical degree, which I have now passed, so I feel that I am pretty well qualified to offer a bit of advice, so here it is.
1. Go and see your GP. Don't be embarrassed, your doctor has seen dozens of these - they are very very common. If you get fobbed off or feel that you haven't got anywhere, go back and tell him/her that you are not happy and you will go elsewhere i.e. change your GP. Changing your GP hits their bank balance, and as GPs are notoriously greedy, they will do something. Nobody should have to suffer with this.
2. Take something for the pain but NOT codeine. Ibuprofen worked best for me.
3. Drink plenty of fluids and lay off the alcohol while you are healing.
4. Eat lots of fibre and fresh fruit and veg, switch to brown bread and have something like Weetabix for breakfast. This softens stools and makes them easier to pass - less pain and less damage to existing fissures.
5. Use a stool softener, one Movicol sachet daily really really helped me. You can buy these over the counter from your local Pharmacist but tell them what it is for. Alternatively get them on prescription from your GP.
6. Lay off the red meat, there is some science to this as meat increases the residence time in the gut and predisposes to harder stools. This really helped me and I have seen a few accounts here where sufferers also say that.
7. Try to relax, easier said than done, but try simple things like having a hot bath instead of a shower. If anything helps you, no matter how crazy or off the wall it may sound, carry on doing it. Going out for a drive helped me. Staying active also helps constipation and makes you feel better. Don't stay in and stew - stay positive.
8. Stick to the doctor's directions of any drugs you are given. If you are told to apply a cream for 6 weeks into the anus, then make sure it goes into the anus for 6 weeks. And into the anus means into the hole - not nice, but a lot nicer than the agony from an untreated fissure.
Remember you are not alone, these things can be cured. You will feel terrible and you will feel like nobody else understands what you are going through but believe me, these things are very very common.
And if all the above doesn't help there is a simple operation that can be done on a day case basis that has a 95% chance of curing it for good.
If you are reading this you are no doubt feeling horrible but believe me, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Good luck with your pain in the ass.
15 likes, 216 replies
JamieInPain Guest
Posted
yvonne007 JamieInPain
Posted
My issues started in August 2010 and since drinking Metamucil nightly as well as 2 over the counter stool softeners every night since March of this year, I have been pain free. I hope this can help you as well. And over the counter stool softeners are safe long term
JamieInPain yvonne007
Posted
yvonne007 JamieInPain
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Wish Drs. had more knowledge about AF and treatment. Hoping for a cure real soon! I'll let you know if I learn about anything new. Wishing you the best.
migdaliaaponte Guest
Posted
stephen09752 Guest
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migdaliaaponte stephen09752
Posted
4 times a day is the most it had been prescribed to me.
Hope you feel better soon.
stephen09752 Guest
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susan31693 Guest
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JamieInPain Guest
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Anyway, my advice to anyone who is being palmed off or locked out or ignored is to write directly to the person accountable. Keep harassing them. He who shouts loudest gets listened to. Your health is of paramount importance, so do whatever you need to, even threats of legal action, because the poor buggers are snowed under and basically wading through huge waiting lists and if you don't stand out from the crowd you'll be left crawling up the list and suffering.
good luck, and get the treatment you all need and deserve. We will prevail!
kristin_35136 Guest
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samantha200495 Guest
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After dealing with chronic anal fissures for over 2 years I have finally booked for a sigmoidoscopy, possible biopsy and botox treatment next week. I would like some insight on what to expect with the treatment and recovery as I will have to go back to work soon after the procedure.
I would also like to talk about my experience to see how it compares to others.
I believe my fissures started over 2 years ago as a result of me holding my bowels while at school. The muscle is now so strong that even the smallest poops feel like I am giving birth to baby elephants. I have used rectogesic and ultraproct at different stages which helped the pain and relaxed my muscles, but my fissures still became irritated with the next bowel movement. I also found that plum juice worked much better than laxatives but I have been unable to get my hands on the unsweetened version from my supermarket in a while. I felt as though seeds in bread were increasing the pain and after cutting those out my BM were much more bareable, but still sore. I was tested for a gluten intollerance to see if I was right about the reaction but results came back negative, I still think I have a sensitivity to gluten and will cut it out completely up until my surgery to see if it makes a difference. I had previously refused the procedure because I am petrified of hospitals and needles, but after hearing about my grandfathers bowel cancer symptoms and experience I was practically running to the doctors. I am really afraid that my surgery will reveal a more serious diagnosis.
I would also appriciate some post OP advice in regards to diet and activity...
I am a vegetarian, wine drinker, and admittly don't drink much water. I am mildly active. On my bum all day a uni but constantly on my feet at work.
Thanks in advance.
samantha200495 Guest
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Thanks
j30262 Guest
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I had chronic problems and price in USA for surgery was retarded. i planned a trip to visit family in South Korea and everything was great.. I asked around and they said a hospital in Seoul specialized in those things went there. Daehang Hospital.. took a week to do blood test and then surgery was one day andspent one night there, then they said no flying for 2 weeks should be ok. So total my trip was 3 week which is my normal trips to Korea..
Everything was great flying back home next week almost no pain already after 5 days... Total bill was about $1000 USD without insurance.. i did the cheaper route with 7 person bed for one night. They said with insurance is $300 USD..
They cut out the fissure and now can go to bathroom without any pain..still some blood but thats normal.
DaisyRyan Guest
Posted
I have suffered from chronic anal fissures since Feb 2008! The pain was been so bad that it wasn't hard to remember the date!
Since then up until now I've had on and off fissures and every time I make a bowel movement, i've always been very nervous. Sometimes I'd go months with no problem, but when I did get a problem, it was always very painful and caused problems with my daily life until it decided to heal.
I have seen GPs about this more times than I can count, along with rectal examinations. It often didn't lead anywhere, and SOMETIMES i'd be given a cream to help, which never did. I was taking movicol for months to the point where the taste of the stuff made me feel like I was fighting to urge to vomit, and it wasn't strong enough.
To add to my bad fissure problem, I have IBS. I go through phases of very soft and easy to pass stools to rock hard constipation, the latter of which always causes painful tears. It seems to be triggered by stress instead of my diet, since I have a fairly healthy diet which hasn't changed. My stress levels also can't be helped since I suffer from severe anxiety and depression.
I feel like i'm trapped in a very painful vicious circle!
I have seen a surgeon before, who did a very painful examination of my bowels, which came out with no problems, though he mentioned he noticed the fissures. Nothing has ever been mentioned to me about sugery, and since I've suffered with this for so long, i'd jump at the chance of it!
I now have a few fissures at once which are the most painful i've ever had since it started. On top of that, I have a hemorrhoid which after treating will not settle. I'm fighting the urge to scream and vomit from the pain when I am making a bowel movement, and last time I felt dizzy for two days after!
I went to see my GP the other day, who is very hard to get an appointment with, but we only had time to talk about my depression, since that has also gone down hill! I'm going to try to get a new appointment tomorrow, though in the meantime i've sent my mum to the pharmacy with my debit card and asked her to get me whatever she can! I was advised on this forum under the IBS section to try Laxido for the constipation, though right now I think my body won't let me go because of the extreme pain.
Having this problem along with my severe anxiety does not work out too well.