Seriously depressed about anal fissure

Mine have healed. Pencil thin stools? I think a colonoscopy may be in order to rule out anything else.

Dear Hanns,I sufferred for six months trying all kinds of balms and salves...bathes and concoctions.In the end I met a confident colorectal docter who assured me,once the fissure is chronic,only surgery could resolve the muscles which are traumatised and in spasms.Its no way to live,find a proper colorectal surgeon.My relief was immediate,going under freaked me out,but its the best decision I ever made

Ginny I am so sorry to hear about the pain you are going through. I had the botox done April 2017 and the LIS May 2017... I was in tremendous pain and I think the Botox made my fissure worse that is why I got the LIS the very next month. I was in so much pain I would only have a BM during the sitz bath. I think I started feeling better about two weeks post botox. I wish you a quick recovery.

Thank you for your reply it's now nearly 4 weeks and although back on my feet sort of I'm still on painkillers and laxatives . Hoping to get into see mg consultant before my June appointment i really don't think his idea of the BOTOX has worked at all x

its the most debilitating condition that nobodby seems what to do about it,but I can honestly advice you to find a reputable colorectal surgeon and have the lis done.I too sufferred for six months there no lotions salves soaks and diets I havent tried.I was lucky to find a surgeon who understood the condition very well and explained to me that my fissurr had become chronic at 3weeks and only relieving the tension through cutting through the muscle will let the fissure heal.If you are afraid of pain,the is no pain compared to those spasms.Next day after the lis I was so afraid to go the toilet,imagining I had a cut but everything slipped out like magic I healed.I had a bit of bleeding for 3days and that was it.no more pain,1year later

How old are you if you don’t mind me asking. I’m 37. It’s looking after the 2 young children that’s breaking me even more as you don’t get to rest. Has the op left you incontinent? Did you have any problems at all as this is my fear? The colorectal surgeon I’m using said Botox first and if that doesn’t work then sphincterectomy next? I’m desperate. 

im 34 and I havent experienced any incontinence.I cant imagine the horror of looking after little ones in your condition.I would say just go directly for the operation.

Thank you. Are you in the uk? I shall ask my surgeon on Wednesday to do it rather than Botox I can’t carry on like this!

Hi Sarah I've been reading your comments and I to am going through it at the moment after having first BOTOX op just under 4 weeks ago. I have 4 children and like you came on here to see if anyone could offer any support or advise when I could barely stand up 6 days after op. I need to go back to I don't think this has worked. The only thing I've found helped is a continuous supply of laxative sachets to keep me empty that the doc said I should take . I'm here if you need any support or to air off xx

Oh Hun it’s so rubbish as I said previously it’s well and truly ruined my life. I pray that the Botox works as I have a feeling the consultant won’t perform the other surgery until we have tried this option. In a way I’m grateful for being home with children or I’d be on long term sick as just can’t function like this, but then I feel my children are suffering as I have no patience due to being in constant pain. Have you found any pain killers that help at all and what laxatives are you on? Do you feel the Botox helped at all or made things worse? 

Also how long had you had your fissure for and had you tried all the gtn creams etc? Xx

Yeh I'd tried all the creams and none worked. It started with 4 mths of constant bleeding and spasms across to the back of my hips. I finally went to doctor who over and over again in a sobbing mess knowing I'd left it to long but had been to embarrassed to go. Another 3 mths later I saw consultant and he put me on creams and gels etc to no joy. Then 4 weeks ago nearly had the botox. The bleeding has restarted and I can barely eat a thing but I'm on laxatives 3 times a day (laxido) powder drink. The pain has got more under control but I can only take paracetamol and ibuprofen as I'm allergic to anything morphine based like tramadol etc so I'm pretty limited. I'm not saying it hasn't worked at all but I don't feel it's done a lot . Certainly took me a good 2 weeks to even think about sitting and walking properly took just as long . If u have it done then make sure u have as much help as possible with kids and don't try lifting anything. Even a kettle hurt lifting it after 3 days. Some people bounce back but personally I found giving birth with just gas and air easier and I could run round the next day after that to. So I'm really hoping he says to try the next step soon as my life is on stand still atm unless there is a bathroom nearby. Totally feel for you it's one of the worst things I've ever experienced x

The pain of the fissure was around for over a year before the botox x

The laxido is good making sure there is definitely no weight in your system on the bowel as I found anything waiting to pass through caused agony x

Thanks for all the info. Are you in the uk too? I’ll try laxido as I’ve got cosmolcol and fibregel and they aren’t brilliant. You are right if you have anything in your system the pain intensifies. Is such a rubbish condition. I agree child birth is less painful than this. I’m so worried about the Botox as I’ve read so many forums and it’s such conflicting stories. Some people it works great, others makes things worse. I just feel so miserable. My life is on hold until this is sorted and it needs to be done by July as husband goes away for 4 months with work :-( xx

Yes I'm in the UK. Is he army ? It sounds it . I'm in Hampshire x

I've started getting fresh orange juice and just adding a bit to the laxido when it's made up and it makes it more bearable to drink. Just dissolve it all first then top it up with the orange. I've cut down on coffee etc to and drink the fresh orange inbetween x

He’s in the raf which makes life hard when he’s away suffering like this. Today I’ve managed to do an online shop and even that was a Struggle. How do you cope with the constant pain? I’ve literally reached the end. I’m drained and so so miserable :-( 

Yep coffee is my saviour but I now only have one cup a day due to this and rest water xx

Well hot water bottles are now my best friend!! As soon as u get up I take pain killers and laxido. And get next lot of hot water bottles ready . Choose where u sit carefully. And make sure it's well padded then position hot bottles as close to pain area as possible. If u can lay on the sofa for a while on your side and put them behind you. Then it's painkillers and hot bottles all the way until you get to lunch and laxido and again dinner and laxido and then try a hot bath I find that helps. Before botox I would run several baths a day. The heat seems to really help x

Do try and get a bit of walking in as it won't help the rest of you being fixed in place all the time so do a little but don't over do it . It will seem a struggle but it will also help your bm with the water your drinking. Remember you are going to feel washed out aswell on the painkillers and if your like me forever in the toilet on the laxatives so you need to try and have healthy drinks like the pure orange of fruit drinks aswell as water x

I do the hot baths and painkillers and heat pad in microwave. I honestly don’t think I can go for a walk it’s just too painful with the spasms. It’s just all so so rubbish and I just want to be better to live a normal life again :-( the spasms last all day and vary in strength x at the minute even a hot bath isn’t taking the edge off it. I’m so sorry for moaning on :-( x

Heat is the only thing I find helps. As for moaning don't worry we are all in this boat together. Wish I could suggest something else for you x

Thanks Hun. Here’s to hoping Wednesday brings some kind of relief :-) xx

Hi ginny24605

So I had the Botox last Wednesday and we are now on day 5 after the procedure.  He injected me with Botox and sliced off the sentinel pile at the bAse of anal fissure. Thursday wasn’t too bad just very uncomfortable, Friday was not a good day due to constipation but needing to go and after 3 failed attempts I went in the bath! Yep I’m disgusting. Saturday and Sunday felt ok, no spasms and bowel movements no too painful, today though spasms horrendous again even though bowel movement didn’t really cause too much pain! Is this normal? Why have I gone backwards? I just feel like back to square one and even more miserable.  

Hi I went backwards for a few weeks and I still get a lot of discomfort but not as bad as it was . Hopefully you will start to feel better soon . Don't let your bowels fill up take the laxido sachets if you need them . Any pressure on the bowel will make you uncomfortable. Use sachets after meals or you'll be up half the night . Take some ibuprofen and paracetamol that should hopefully knock more pain on the head . I'm 5 weeks after op now and still healing . So keep positive you can get through this x

Thanks so much for all your support really hope we both start feeling better soon xx

Hi Sarah just wondered how your doing. It's been a few weeks and I'm finally starting to eat properly again and omg the pain is disappearing. I've got to go back for haemrroids and another BOTOX but if I feel 95% better than I did . So don't give up hope if your still feeling a bit rough it's taken me 9 weeks to get this far after op xx

Hey 

I am soooooo much better thank you. Have the odd rubbish day but nothing like it was. It’s so nice to be able to take the kids out and not be house bound with the horrendous spasms. I went back to see my consultant and he told me that I had a very chronic well established fissure, which will take time to heal. Sounds stupid but made me feel better knowing that I hadn’t just been making a fuss about nothing. I’m scared as they say the Botox wears off after about 3 months and you can go back to square one, but I’m keeping everything crossed it doesn’t happen. So pleased you are on the mend too. Not nice that you have to go back, but if it helps, then do it Hun xx let me know how you get on xx

I see my consultant on the 7th June but definitely the difference is incredible. If j have to go in again then at least I'm more geared up for what it will be like afterwards. Yes I will do stay in touch x

Yes definitely you now know what to expect x yes stay in touch hun, wish you all the luck for the 7th xx

Hey Ginny. How are you doing? I seem to have gone backwards and very sore again. Emailed consultant on Friday so will wait and see what they say as only 7 weeks after botox and I thought it was meant to last Atleast 3 months. Feel miserable again :-( you’ve got your second lot coming up soon haven’t you xx

Hi Sarah yes I have my next appointment with consultant next Thursday on the 7th. Don't panic I was only just starting to pick up at 8 weeks and start to eat something other than weetabix , rice krispies or a sandwich so you may find you'll make a turn around yet! If you feel u are struggling with the toilet or anything then don't forget to take a dose of laxido . Just try not to rely on it long term. Try eating high fibre foods and drink plenty of squash. Just don't lose faith yet xxx

I actually can't believe how much I suffered before having the botox done. Never thought I'd get back to normalish. I'm not completely brilliant but 90% better than I was for definite ! Keep going Sarah your gonna make it through this xx

Thanks so much for replying.   I feel I live on laxatives and if I don’t take them can’t go to the loo so it’s a vicious circle really. I was doing so well tho with little to no pain then boom here we go again being really sore like someone is shoving cut glass up my arse continuesly! Do you really think I could improve again or do you think it’s the Botox wearing off? Xx so pleased you are doing so well. So is it just a check up on 7th for you xx

I got off the laxatives as I started to panic and worry if I was on them long term as you can lose the muscle strength that you would normally have if your on them long term. To do that I ate high fibre food such as weetabix and I drank a litre of fresh orange squash each day and gradually cut that down to normal squash. I made sure I rested when I needed to and took painkillers in the morning and evening and also a nice hot bath every night without fail. I also used toilet wipes throughout the day rather than tissue paper . The fibre and squash I felt was the most important yo keep me empty so to speak. I didn't eat a lot of carb apart from bread nd potatoes, I stayed away from all pasta and rice and any spicy food and i still am but its worth it ! Your at the point i was when i thought nothing was ever going to work and handled right you could still make a total turn around . This may sound crude but i literally kept everything as clean as possible and ate right so that all healing went into it . And to be fair I've been a cow to my husband coz even interaction shall I say with him has been out of the question it's all been about me getting better!! I think you could still recover and don't rush it . No lifting Hoover's and shopping bags with tins in keep everything as simple and as light as you can . The BOTOX will only work if you allow it to do it's job without extra strain on your body. So cut down on laxatives get that fresh orange into you and plenty of veg and I'm sure you can crack this one !!xx

The 7th is to see consultant and hopefully not need more BOTOX but to get the haemrroids dealt with as still passing occasional blood as apparently I have quite a few inside so we shall see. Definitely tons better than I was this time last year when I was soaking everything with blood panicking going to the doctors about it and having no support at all from home thinking I was probably going to die soon it was that bad so keep going you can do this and get yourself back together xx

Thanks for all your advise and support x I’ve managed to get in to see my consultant tomorrow so we shall see what he suggests as hubby goes away end of July for 4 months and I just cant deal with both little ones on my own like this x let me know how your appointment goes too xxx

Hey Ginny

How did your appointment go yesterday? X

Hey Ginny

How did your appointment go yesterday xx

Hi Sarah to be honest it was a pretty awful day. Although the pain is so much better apparently it was really chronic and hasn't healed properly. I'm to get through summer holidays as best as I can but if I need to see him before my app in October then I'm to ring him. So by November I have to go in for stitches and more BOTOX. My monthly also upset my bowels so they have also done referral to gynae as it looks like I'll need hysterectomy aswell.i see that consultant on August 11th. Feeling pretty low atm xx

Oh Hun I really feel for you. My doctor said mine is really chronic too, he classed it as a well established very chronic fissure :-( so I take it the Botox has taken pain away for a while but it’s not healed properly. Stitches?! Is that to stitch your anal fissure? Are they leaving the piles? Will he not do the surgery just more botox or is that the option you’ve taken?  You really are having a rough time aren’t you. How old are you to have a hysterectomy you poor thing :-( always here if you want to talk xxx

Hi Sarah the the stitches are for the fissure and another lot of BOTOX. That's what he has said it needs . Yes it took pain away but not healed properly. I turned 42 on the 6th . The day before I found out. I have 4 lovely kids though so I wasn't planning anymore my youngest is 7 now . It's just the surgery that scares me !! So I have a bit of a year ahead it looks like . So not feeling myself atm xx

Oh wow I didn’t even realise they could stitch a fissure? They didn’t even stitch me after my hemmoroidectomy and he hasn’t suggested it for fissure just Botox or the op. Good that you got your kids already Hun, don’t be scared if you have lived with a fissure anything else is a walk in the park surely xx can imagine you don’t, it’s a lot to take in and deal with all in one go xxx thinking of you xxx