Please help, Itching for over 11 years

Good Luck with those creams Craig ... but in the meantime i suggest you make the time to read through MANY of the threads here (have a pen n paper with you so you can write things down!)  Not to discourage you but most of us have tried various lotions potions and ointments from doctors which in the end may have given temporary relief but in the end it comes back.  One of the creams i was prescribed made matters worse and my entire butt broke out in a rash!  Also certain ones can thin the skin and the area we're talking about is already so thin and sensitive so you have to be careful how much and how long you use them.  We're all different and i think the "cause" isn't always the same for each of us so that's why it's important that you do your own research and this is a great place to start.  It's an internal issue ... but what actually causes it is the mystery.  The creams etc don't address the root cause.

Did you really wait 11 yrs before you saw someone about this issue??!!

Wow i'm impressed that your doctor actually told you about this web site! That's a pretty good sign!!  Ya it's an embarrasing thing forsure... I seldom have to see a doctor so having to expose my butt of all things was tough but when you're desperate that no longer matters!  

(in-"bare" assed!! no more)  Hope what he gave you helps ... btw let us know what he prescribed for you .. but as i mentioned the best thing you can do is start reading .. reading ... reading.

I went to doctor because I thought it was a hemorrhoid. Nope. He said it was PA. Said there was nothing I could take for it, but I could change bathroom habits and look at my diet. Certain foods can irritate the area and I'm sure your doc gave you a list. But as for bathroom habits, I use baby wipes sans alcohol for initial cleaning, follow up with balneol or drugstore brand- CVS has a generic that is cheaper, and if necessary use A&d ointment for protection. I've been doing this routine for last several years as it scares me to go back to straight tissue. It really helped me and it didn't take too long to notice an improvement. I never did an experiment with my diet to see if that was cause. One last thing doctor said I could try to soothe area is a suppository that you get without prescription but pharmacy may have to order- Calmol. I tried those and it helped a little. Even though it is marketed for hemorrhoids.

kurious nailed it Craig. This conditon has almost as many "cures" as it has possible causes. Creams, lotions. antiboitics, fungicides, dosing for threadworm, diet and even capcasin didn't help me, although others on the forum have benefited from one or more of these. One common thread seems to be cleanliness. I, and a lot of others on the forum, use a hand held shower head when we bath each night. After that I used to apply a barrier of Calmoseptine but later switched to dusting with talc. I even used  a hair dryer to make sure all moisture was evaporated before applying the talc. Both worked but more recently I just blot it dry (no rubbing) with toilet paper after my shower. so far so good! Waking hours are a little more problematic as not many people can take a shower after every bowel movement. I just clean as well as possible with a  non greasy cleansing lotion. You will see Balneol mentioned frequently on the forum and it is good--but expensive. I have since switched to Cetaphil moisturizing lotion and it seems to work as well. Again--this is just what controls mine. It may not work for you, but as kurious said, there are many remedies that have worked for others on the forum--an short of anal tattooing none of them have any serious downside (although capcasin does burn like hell).  Good luck!     

Thanks very much guys for the advice I will keep you all updated on how I get on

I know this is going to sound insane but truly it works... Don't scratch !!!! You need to fight that urge trust me if you scratch it will get worse. If it's really bad just put pressure on it or ice but FO NOT SCRATCH ... Use damp tissue when wiping

Night 1- never woke up during the night to itch which is a massive bonus, felt the urge to itch at night before went to bed but put cream on and it settled down, itch is still there but don't feel the absolute need to itch it, it's a start

Fifteen years of suffering, bleeding skin, saw four doctors, prescrition creams are only masking symptoms. I changed my laundry soaps, my undergarment fabric to cotton, sleep with ice packs, tried every natural home remedy including Apple cider vinegar and now finally I am not just in relief I am cured! I started taking fish oil supplements and it's been months and it completely disappeared! No itching, no bleeding, no irritation, no desire to scratch. Please give it a try. I was at my wits end and I finally got a normal life back. I noticed results in less than a week. 

Fredthecat ... are you currently taking the apple cider vinegar and if so how much and how often .. and do you feel it was the fish oil that made the difference?  The ACV seems to be a cure-all .. great stuff.