1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Anal Fissure and Proctalgia

Painful Anal Fissure

Posted , 8 users are following.

NesieJaay
NesieJaay

Hey guys. I’ve literally ran out of options and no longer know what to do. I’m a 23 year old female.

 About last Monday, 12 days ago, I started getting a reeeeaaallyy sharp pain in my anus out of nowhere. I was literally laying down watching a movie with my boyfriend when my butt started hurting. I tried to ignore it, figured I got a butt spasm of some kind and tried to sleep it off. Well I was wrong. I woke up with extreme pain, I was barely able to sit up, let alone stand up. I took some Tylenol and went about my business and went to work. I work in an office at the LAX airport, needless to say, it’s extremely busy. I had to be moving around, sitting down for long periods, standing up, and walking around. I literally couldn’t. The pain was entirely too much for me to ignore. I couldn’t sit, stand, walk, laugh, talk, cough, sneeze, and the list goes on. I ended up calling off work the next day and went to Emergency. They told me I have a small anal fissure. 

Let’s pause right there . . . I was shocked when she mentioned how SMALL it is considering all the pain I’m in. I have a high tolerance for pain. I have breast implants plus nipple piercings. I cramp terribly while I’m on my period. I’m just not a punk when it comes to pain. But this pain I’m experiencing now . . . Nothing like any pains I’ve experienced before. It is excruciating. I have literally been at home laying down for 9 days now. It is very hard for me to walk around. I can’t even sit up straight without pain. Standing up is TORTURE. I’m scared to cough and sneeze. I really just need advise. 

She put her finger in my butt and felt around and didn’t feel anything else. The doctor prescribed Nifedipine and Lidocaine for the fissure to stop the pain. Advised that she couldn’t prescribe pain pills as they promote constipation so I should just continue taking Tylenol. Also told me to do sitz baths, naturally.

Might I add, she also tried to prescribe laxatives but I’m not constipated. I’ve had sever diarrhea since the problem started, not sure if it’s because of the anxiety it’s causing. It doesn’t hurt while I’m defecating, but it does start hurting once I’m done. 

However, I followed her advise, applied my ointments as directed, and took my sitz baths about 3-4 times a day, and the pain persisted. It’s a constant pain too, it doesn’t go away not even for a second. 

So I went strolling into emergency again. This time I had a different doctor. She told me I have an anal fissure and she could see it from the outside. She didn’t have to probe me with her finger or anything of that sort. However, she mentioned it being a big fissure. I was slightly confused about it being visible because I feel a lot of the pain internally. I did mention this to her and she explained that’s how they feel. She prescribed NORCOS for the pain ONLY if it became too much to handle and laxitives. She told me there was really nothing we can do besides wait for the fissure to heal on its own. She suggested I use coconut oil in my sitz baths to promote faster healing. 

Just yesterday, I started getting this really bad pressure feeling down there. It literally feels like I have to take a HUGE dump but I have nothing there, just a lot of pressure. Very uncomfortable when I try to walk. 

I have been doing everything I’ve been told to do including eating lots of fruits, vegetables, cereals, FIBER all together and try to stay away from bananas and dairy, but I’m still in pain. I have ran out of options. I feel like I have no hope and I would really love to get back to work. 

Does anyone have any suggestions they’d recommend for pain relief and faster healing? All suggestions are appreciated smile

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • robert84704
    robert84704 NesieJaay

    Posted

    Have the exact same problems, not sure if ever heals but do take marilax often. If you forget....pain starts all over again. Zananxa helps recommend you get some because the mental hell is unbearable !
  • KARTVM
    KARTVM NesieJaay

    Posted

    You may want to think about consulting a colorectal surgeon to diagnose the true severity of your fissure. If it is truly unbearable and you cannot wait for it to heal on its own, the surgeon can perform a lateral internal sphincterotomy that will release the spasm and promote healing for your fissure. There is an excellent success rate for fissures healing after surgery and lower recurrence in the future. Do your research and learn all you can online. Best wishes to you!
  • kmac5990
    kmac5990 NesieJaay

    Posted

    There’s a few different medications that can help with the pain and healing. I would see a gastro doctor. That’s where I started.. I’m Finally starting to heal after 7 surgeries for my fissure

  • debra79586
    debra79586 NesieJaay

    Posted

    We have all been through this and know how painful this is! I have had 3 children natural birth and the pain of childbirth is not as bad as an anal fissure! The doctor should prescribe Diltiazem tablets crushed in paraffin. This is a muscle relaxant. The pain is not from the actual fissure but the internal sphincter that goes into a spasm. This spasm stops blood flow to the fissure and then it doesn’t heal. This cream will relax the muscle enough to allow blood flow through and hopefully then it can heal. Continue with the miralax and sitz baths. Also apply coconut oil directly to the area. I hope you can get this healed soon! It is hell I know! Keep us posted. 
    • NesieJaay
      NesieJaay debra79586

      Posted

      Thank you so much for the information! I feel like you just explained everything I’ve been wanting to know thoroughly. I kept wondering why I felt the pain internally when the fissure was on the outside. It hasn’t bled or anything like that so I was confused about where all the pain was coming from. I even had my boyfriend take a picture of it so I can take a look and I was shocked by how subtle it looked. Doesn’t even seem like I have anything wrong with me, and the fissure looks like it’s healing. It’s the dang pain that won’t go away. But all in all Thank you for you explanation! 
  • Laura3333
    Laura3333 NesieJaay

    Posted

    Just for the time being don’t eat as much fibre, it causes more bulk and you have to have more bm’s.

    Plus, silly as it seems, some of the bran cereals don’t get fully digested and can be quite scratchy on the way out.

    Fissures are incredibly painful, you wouldn’t believe it unless you have had one.

    The feeling you need to go when you don’t is swelling, don’t push. Use sensitive wet woes after the toilet, I found that Sudocreme,baby cream was soothing, and provided a barrier as well.

  • cristian89782
    cristian89782 NesieJaay

    Posted

    Your description is exactly how I felt a year ago. Don’t know if it’s different for men and woman but that is exactly how I felt , I taught my life was ruined, my wife was scared and we taught the worst is happening. I was recommend colonoscopy after they did some stool analyzes but I refused...

    They told me it could be anything from fisure to cancer...

    Seen 5 doctors...

    I didn’t see in your description but my pain used to go away after about 10 hours post bowlmvt and was able to sleep but as soon as I’d finish going to the bathroom would start all over.

    So don’t give up, There is hope and I’m the prove ...

    Here is what I did:

    First -before the BM,apply some petroleum gel to the whole area.

    Reason being:

    Since it’s an open wound and you are about to have a BM , all the harmful bacteria that’s about to come out , it’s going to interact with the fisure and irritate it(remember, the pain you feel it’s not the fisure itself , it’s the spasms and the contractions of the muscle called levator ani, which is responsible with maintaining the anus shut ) so that petroleum gel will create a isolation film and allow the feces to glide without any of it remaining stuck in the fisure.

    Seccond-

    Use a pottysquatty or something to alivate your feet and allow you to sit in a deep squat when you have your BM.

    The deeper you squat the more theese muscles relax and the poo will come out without any effort.

    Third- and perhaps most important :

     stop using toilet paper-

    Reason being, toilet paper it’s made through the compression of microscopic fibers and when using it, some of those fibers remain stuck in the fisure thus causing more irritation further causing all this nerves ( and this area it’s one of the most concentration of nerves in the entire body) to stimulate and spasm the muscles in the anus area not allowing it to relax and heal.

    I use baby wipes, huggies , something non iritable and (this is probably the weirdest😳wink wipe the opposite direction you normally would.

    Fourth- wash the area right away with antibacterial soap , dry  gently with a soft towel and reaply the petroleum gel.

    Every 3-5 hours I wold sneak in the bathroom and repeat the cleaning process , only to make sure I’m on top of my game.

    Once I started doing all this , I saw improvement within few days and few weeks later I could do life again.

    It took about 3 months (can’t remember exactly ) until I began to forget about it but one thing is for sure;till this day I still follow the exact protocol and every pain free day is a blessing.

    Hope this wasn’t too long and most of it all hope it’ll help you as it did to me.

    Regards and well wishes.

    • bryan268
      bryan268 cristian89782

      Posted

      I agree with Cristian. Definitely use a potty squaty or as I did bath towels or books to put your feed on to put yourself in the proper position to make a BM. The Vaseline will definitely help. I had a chronic fissure about 4 years ago now. I was very stubborn and didn't go to the doctor and it took about 2 years for mine to heal. I definitely recommend Miralax a few times a day is what I took and that helped a lot and also having no meat for me or alcohol. My story as well as everyone here that had a fissure for a long period could fill 50 pages. I healed mine on my own after going to a specialist and the doctor telling me I can eat regularly and prescribed me the creams. For me I new either I had to have the surgery or I could get ocd about healing this fissure. After going for a year of it healing and coming back every few months with a larger bm I really got serious. What I did was not easy or probably recommended over the surgery but I started timing my bm and the amount of food I ate which was mostly broth and very little veggies in it always with lots of coconut oil or olive oil which I also took twice a day which helped with my bm. Though not easy for me I started for the first 3 months having a bm every 2 days to allow time for fissure to heal. I ended up losing 60lbs. but after a year of pain as everyone has described I figured this was the only was. I took certain vitamins to help hill muscle and tissue as well. After doing this for 3 months and gradually adding a little more solid food to my diet for the next 9 month's approx I then weaned myself off of the mirilax for the following 6 months. If you are taking mirilax you will want to wean yourself off. I always also took a bath after each bm and also one every night. I would only blot after a bm and would go after with a wet wipe and then blot dry and then use a blow dryer to dry even more. The more it stays dry the better for healing at least in my experience. The one thing I made a mistake about many times the first year is thinking after a few months that it was healed and then go back to normal somewhat and then it would start again. The one thing I would say it to stay positive though you will really get upset sometimes and when making a bm breathe and relax and have something to read so that you can have a good bm without the anxiety and in my experience I would o my use the cream when I had to for pain. Otherwise I would only sometimes use the Vaseline when I thought needed after the healing had started to help the area stay as dry as possible. Also I did clean and dry throughout the day. Sorry to hear about your situation and just know that it will heal and most of all stay positive.

  • NesieJaay
    NesieJaay

    Posted

    You guys, the problem is that it seems to be getting worse instead of better. I woke up this morning with redness all around the fissure, a tender fissure, and an extremely painful bottom. The bottom of my cheeks (closer to my vagina) are extremely tender with pain and are visibly red. I am unable to walk and the pain medicine isn’t working either. I’m tempted to go back into emergency. I’ve been crying since I woke up, the pain is unbearable. 
  • debra79586
    debra79586 NesieJaay

    Posted

    Hi Nesiejaay, I’m so so sorry you are going through this. Your symptoms seem like something else is going on and I think you should go to the emergency room. You need to see a colorectal surgeon and so they can have a good look. You may have some thrombossed hemorrhoids as well? My pain was always after a BM and lasted for 9-10 hours but there was some relief in between so your symptoms definitely seem more severe. Please let us know how you are doing! 
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.