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Recently diagnosed...

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ej21467
ej21467

Hello, I need your thoughts. Back in Jan/Feb. I had a health scare that turned out to be nothing and lost a family member suddenly. The stress was unreal and for the first time in my life I experienced constipation that would not abate. I did all the wrong things...insufficient water...straining. Had lower ab discomfort on and off. Eventually I added psyllium and seemed to be on the mend. Had a day of blood on paper and on the outside of the bm. My mother said probably a hemorrhoid from straining and to see a dr if it persisted. It didn't.

In April, I thought I was cured and stopped the psyllium. Wrong thing to do. Within 2 weeks the lower ab discomfort was back along with the constipation. Contacted a naturopath. Was put on remedies and big diet change. No gluten, no milk products, no sugar. 

Was doing well until end May while in the midst of using another directed supplement. No lower discomfort that time, just beginning of constipation again and a bit of red on paper. Back on psyllium.

This time though, I had anal pressure that came and went.

In beginning July, I saw a different naturopath for a second opinion. She concurred with the first that the pressure was due to a back and forth with constipation and gas. (Didn't have the gas much tho.) Told me to add magnesium to my supplements to ensure no more constipation.

A couple of weeks ago the pressure came back but in a minor way.  This time I had soreness and a feeling of having something thin like a string up there, moving around. If I didn't have that it felt like sitting on a golf ball...or just very dry and raw.

it got so bad last week that my husband took me to emerg as I could not sleep. The dr was busy and distracted. Said he saw inflammation and gave me a suppository to use once a day. Also handed me the tube of lidocaine and said I could keep it.

Went home. Suppository helped a bit but wore off fast as he said to use only one a day.. Lidocaine burned.

Made appointment with own bp, scheduled for this week. 

Pain unbearable so went to emerg in nearby city.

Within literally 2 seconds the dr says I have a posterior fissure...

I have no other issues, intestinal palpating good.

Prescribed more suppositories for 2x per day.

I asked him if this caused the anal pressure and other sensations and he said yes. What I did not ask him is why I do not feel pain when I have a bm. I feel pain, pressure, soreness and the 'string' sensation within minutes of waking and for hours after I lie down at night.

I cannot sit or stand for long. Only lying on my stomach with a hot water bottle on my buttocks helps!

Is this what fissures do??? I have kids and a job that I have to return to in 4 weeks. Even soaking in the tub hurts as I cannot sit properly without pain.

Does sitting make posterior fissures worse?

I have never dealt with this kind of thing before. Thought I was healthy, fit. I am in my early 50's.

Can anyone here relate to my situation? I have had soft bms for 2 weeks + so maybe this is why it doesn't hurt to have the bm?  I don't know. Why the pain all day then..and worse after waking, sitting, standing??

Thanks for reading ))-:

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • toorialay18313
    toorialay18313 ej21467

    Posted

    Hi trying  to understand posterior . I am not good with medical terms. I personally had chronic anal fissure. Wich develops after 4-6 weeks having fissure. Also your simptoms interesting. I think the pain you have it's called spasm. When I had them at beginning it would lost 10 to 14 hours. After did some treatment 4 to 6 it lost. If you can go and read my notes in here you will get some idea. Reply to me please.all the best

  • toorialay18313
    toorialay18313 ej21467

    Posted

    In that case you have Anal fissure, if it's been more than 4-6 weeks then its chronic anal fissure. Obviously Diet relaxing . Try operation called LIS. You will feel instantly ok 

  • mmarcus151910
    mmarcus151910 ej21467

    Posted

    Here are some suggestions I have for you to help you through:

    1. Try somee zinc oxide in the form of calmoseptine which has menthol to soothe the area down there as well. Calmoseptine can be bought at almost any local drugstore and can be bought online too.

    2. Try squatting when going on the toilet instead of sitting. This is a much  helathier position and the poop sometimes will just slide out,  no pushing or straining involved.

    3. I would definately take a fiber supplement, specifically metamucil  is what I take evveryday,  in ordr to allow your stools to be soft and to allow them to pass thorugh easily. THis being said, with any fiber supplemetn, you must drink lots of water when using them, or they will not work veffectively. Also, do not take too much as too much fiber can irritate your bowels on the way  out and diarreah actually does worse down there.

    4. I would recommend getting a sphicteronomy surgery (LIS) if htings dont get better. I waited it out, gave up, had the surgery, and was able to heal within about two weeks. I had a chronic fissure, so I knew where you are ocming from with v all the pain and discomfort.

    Try listening to music to distract your mind a bit, especially when going to the bathroom. If you are in writing pain, distract yourself with a movie or TV show right after. Also, to prevent myself from screaming and from putting more stress in the area down  there, i bit down on a washcloth in order to make the tensions with my teeth instead of my sphicter muscle.

    Hope this helps!!!

    Best,

    Myles

     

  • ej21467
    ej21467

    Posted

    Update:

    Have been on diltiazem for 5 days with success in dealing with the sphincter muscle. Trouble is that I read that the med can cause constipation. I have not been able to have a bm today but feel like I have to and when I used the med before bed, I could tell there was a bm 'waiting'  I took magnesium earlier, prune juice later...now am considering half a dose of stool softener as nothing is happening. Very worried..cannot risk constipation right now when I have started to heal!

    Any suggestions? I had well over 2 litres of water today too.

  • ej21467
    ej21467

    Posted

    So now I only have a burning when I have a bm. It's manageable.

    However I still have sphincter pressure when I stand up for more than 5 min. I am fine lying down or sitting on a donut pillow.

    Will this go away when the fissure heals? 

    I read this on a doctor website online:

    "So what can cause your internal anal sphincter to be chronically tense? In the absence of overt neurological dysfunction, the most common cause of a hypertonic internal anal sphincter is ongoing emotional stress.

    Emotional stress causes your autonomic nervous system to gear up to fight or run for your life. One of the consequences of being chronically amped for a fight or flight response is a tense and dysfunctional gastrointestinal tract, which includes a taut internal anal sphincter."

    He says a tight sphincter causes fissures. It's not always the other way around. I don't know what to think.

    Anyone else experience tightness only when standing?

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