Anal fissure support

[SadFace2]

I know this isn't an unreasonable debate but I'm posting for traffic because I really need some help here.

Had surgery for piles which is all sorted now but suffered a tear during my surgery. I've been struggling ever since. 5 weeks now. Doesn't sound long but I am starting to go under.

They gave me botox during the surgery and since I'm not doing well I'm assuming more Botox in the future wouldn't be especially helpful. I was using diltiazem cream but that's now started to react badly and really set me back.

I'm being careful with food, barely eating to be honest. I'm on movicol so I'm not constipated and I don't have diarrhea. I'm using a footstool to go to the toilet and I'm having baths to encourage blood flow and healing.

I don't know that there's anything more I can do but I'm starting to lose my mind so had to post.

Even if you don't have a miracle cure I think I'd just appreciate some support at this point. I don't think I've ever been so low.
Thank you.

@Waxlyrically unfortunately I'm not. They offered me an app in Jan, but I'd gone 10 week's without any issues, so I cancelled. They told me I'd have to be referred again by my GP. I've already had a consultation though with a colorectal surgeon, so I'm hoping they can shove me on the waiting list for botox again. Seems silly to have to wait year's to have another examination with a colorectal consultant, when they already know what the problem is. It really does affect your quality of life. You're either in pain, or scared to death of the pain returning when you are briefly pain free.

Ah, ladies, I'm so sorry. I ha e had a couple of minor relapses where abut more pain and bleeding occurred, but nothing like the original pain of passing broken glass. The bleeding carried on for a few days, but I healed both times. Have had the nasty throbbing ache after going once, but it went after a few minutes. I am hoping and praying that the worst is over and even if I do have a relapse, it will be minor. I have kept taking 15 ml of lactulose morning and evening every days, plus a stool softener after each meal and drinking as much water as I can. Have been eating more broad diet, including things like croissants, which I never dared have when things were really bad. I definitely think the botox helped me get to a decent point in the healing process where even if I do relapse, it's not that bad and you recover. I would recommend it to anyone. I thought I only had 1 fissure and after the botox procedure the surgeon told me I had two! One quite deep (sorry!) and the other not as bad. I thought (and I think he was also wondering!) that I'd need the LIS surgery, but touch wood, not so far. It's 4 months since the botox procedure and I had the fissures for 4 weeks prior to that. I just couldn't deal with the pain. Never known anything like it. I am praying for all of you to heal quickly.

God this has got to be the worst condition. Have been reading and listening a lot about the link between the gut and our brain. Truly think yoga, breathing exercises help me. I try not to aim for pain free as I feel I put my life on hold instead try very hard not to panic when it hurts. I think this takes the spasms down a notch. Good luck. X

I posted about my experience ages ago - I am really pleased to say I had my BOTOX treatment in December 2016 and I am still fissure free. I do try not to get constipated but I don't take regular stool softener and have not done for many many years - and this is after not being able to walk more than 100ft without extreme pain and being reduced to tears by the pain several times a day, when just sitting, not even trying to go to the loo, and on ever increasing pain meds including fentanyl. So it is possible to be fissure and pain free after treatment.
I really came on to say that I am really amazed at the number of people who seem to suffer with this! I had never heard of it before it happened to me - I think because it is to do with poo (very basically) it is considered 'dirty'. I think perhaps it should be more 'out there'. There may be millions of people in the world who are embarrassed to go to their doctors... I was in so much pain that without super strong pain meds and the promise of treatment I'm not sure how much longer I could have carried on. I can imagine that it could make people feel suicidal. For all of you who are still suffering - I really feel for you. Don't hesitate to go to your doctor if you have not already done so - and definitely have the treatment if you need it.

Yep mine have been bad again. No reason for it other than it seems to coincide with time of the month when I must get slightly more constipated. So it seems like I’m getting there with the healing then one or two days around my period it just relapses again.

I do think the Botox helped to some extent though as it’s mainly itching and mild bleeding now although I did have a few days of the throbbing and pain when sat down/driving etc again so it must have torn more higher up again slightly.

Sorry so many of you are still in the same boat. It’s so tiring.

Ive relapsed a couple of times since I last posted, latest this morning. They don’t seem to be as sore as the first time and I find they heal fairly quickly. I hope they go away permanently at some point.

I'm sorry to hear others are still suffering

I was sore after my relapse for a few day's. I've been okay since. Hoping it continues. I just have to ensure I don't eat too much cheese and I drink plenty! I don't use any lotion or potions. I just leave it alone and take pain killers if need be. I don't want to irritate it further.

We went out for something to eat for my birthday this week and I ate far too much resulting in a really bad relapse the next day. I’m so sore again, particularly after a BM and there’s a lot of blood (sorry for tmi). Back to the routine and just hoping it heals quickly again

I am really struggling again at the moment too 😢 I was ok for a few days but am now going backwards. It is agony going to the toilet and for hours afterwards. I am really stressed with work which isn't helping but part of that stress is dealing with this. I am now counting down until I can get Botox having been all geared up to cancel. Why do things seemingly work then for no reason at all suddenly fail? This thing is relentless!!

The last bit of your post is exactly it. So frustrating every time you think something is working/it’s healing ok it somewhere along the line fails and you are back to square one. I can’t work out any pattern to it or trigger foods that make my ibs worse/BMs more difficult or frequent. And yes; it’s relentless

I feel this.
move had mine since February last year.
from late November last year it seemed to be gone. But about a week ago I did a large stool which I believe made it flare up again. However, like you say it seemed to be overall less painful and heal quicker. But my real thought is… will it be on and off like this forever? X

wax it's the after pains that really got me down. It was hard to work at my desk when I had no desire to sit down and was just counting down until I could walk to the toilet / kitchen / printer again to ease it off a bit.

I've only had two flare ups since botox in 2017 (I had a tear for a decade). However, my life still naturally revolves around not causing a problem. Too much sitting down or food is bad. Exercise, healthy food and sleep are good. I'm always scared I'll pick up a stomach bug and tear again. I hope the risk drops when my kids leave home in a few years and I won't be rushing around so much.
Better go to parkrun now, just had my healthy porridge breakfast.....sigh.

How is everyone doing? I had a good few days this week and even managed a work trip to London that involved getting up (and more critically going to the loo!) super early. All good but today for no reason whatsoever both the “terrible twins” are playing up again today. Overall though I think fissure 2 is going through the same lengthy cycle of one step back and two forward that fissure 1 put me through & that one grumbles much less these days!

Glad to hear you’ve experienced some improvement @Waxlyrically.

I’m currently day 4 into a relapse so hopefully past the worst of it. I’ve settled into a pattern of a relapse around once a month, taking around a week to heal and then I’m pretty good in between. I just need to work out how I stop relapses happening. They seem to be linked to my menstrual cycle as that changes some of my bowel movements.

I’m finding the same regarding monthly cycles and it making it worse. Then starts to heal then back to the next month and wham… square one again. I’m am sooooo fed up of it all now. Doctors aren’t interested; I showed them a photo of the loo filled with blood to try to shock them into helping because often I can’t leave the house in the mornings for ages because of the bleeding. They gave me some different cream… then I asked for a referral back to surgeon and they made me do an e consult form, then replied to that and said they had to see me face to face to re refer me to surgeon. Then a different doctor sent another message saying they had no record of my operation under GA and had a sigmoidoscopy ever been done? And if not to contact them urgently. Sigh…. Would explain why I never got a follow up check. I feel completely forgotten.

How is everyone doing at the moment?

@theimposter, that sounds really rubbish! Have you managed to make any progress with an appointment?

I was running low on stool softener so was taking a smaller dose until I could restock and ended up partially relapsing. I wasn’t even constipated and didn’t strain at all so I don’t understand it. I’m not bleeding either but in absolute agony so think I’ve torn internally. I’m fast reaching breaking point and need to do something about this but I don’t know what my next move should be.

My GP gave me a private clinic’s number (they haven’t offered to refer me to a colorectal surgeon because the waiting list is so long) but they only do lateral sphincterectomy and I know that’s only usually done when all other treatments have failed. I’m trying to find a private clinic that offers the Botox treatment first but struggling to find one nearby. I’m not even sure I should opt for Botox first or go straight for the surgery? I don’t think I can do nothing though because it’s clear that whilst I can heal the fissure, it always returns and I can’t live like this anymore 😞

Still struggling here too. I’m in pain right now as I had an additional loo trip this evening. I’m so fed up. I seem to have two pain free days followed by 3 or 4 painful ones in a never ending cycle. I don’t understand why it keeps re tearing. No bleeding here either just pain after I’ve been to the loo that lasts for hours.

Migranium; so I haven’t got any further with a rereferral. Last thing was I left the GP chasing up the hospital to find out the notes of my op. Weeks ago.

in the meantime I’ve had another awful issue with my neck and been on a lot of codeine and other drugs. It has done me a favour in a way as I’m no longer going to the loo 3-4 times a day so it’s helped it heal a bit. It still bleeds when I do go but has been less uncomfortable in general although maybe the constant cocktail of painkillers also helps painwise… we shall see.

Has anyone seen more improvement in the interim?

Its been a couple of months so just wondering how everyone is getting on?

I've been worried to post in case I jinx it but I think (hope) my AF has healed. The last time I posted was my last relapse and I was gearing up to make an appointment for Botox/surgery. This is the longest period of time since it all started that I haven’t had a relapse. I stopped taking stool softener several weeks ago too after being religious about it for a good while.

I think what did it in the end was taking up regular aerobic exercise. I go to a few classes a week and my fitness is much improved but the best thing has been having no pain from the fissure. Thought I’d share in case it helps anyone else.

I was on this thread quite early on - had been using Rectogesic which reduced the severity but what finally healed it was Medihoney.

After it healed I lost weight and kept most of it off and kept using Fybogel for about 3 months. I think both of those things helped. I get the odd twinge now and again but touch wood it has not recurred. If I ever do have a twinge I am religious about going back on the sachets and drinking lots of water.

Before it became very painful and chronic in Dec 21 I used to get bleeding occasionally which I put down to haemorrhoids and once or twice an episode of very severe pain that lasted a few days. I thought the haemorrhoids had thrombosed. Was that the fissure? Or did the Rectogesic also heal the haemorrhoids? I don’t know, but I haven’t had any bleeding for a year now.

Reading my earlier replies has reminded me how awful it was. Never want to go back there again.

Higher up has healed. Still waiting for my referral date again. All the drugs for my other issues have helped but the last bit where they cut the skin away at same time as Botox just won’t fully heal. Fun times. I’m glad you have both had more success it’s a pain in the arse literally when it won’t go away.

I'm still here sadly. I had about 2 months of healing no pain really and returning to normal life. Suddenly out of the blue both my fissures tore and I am just coming out of the worst flare up in the two years I've suffered from this. I've had to beg for more rectogesic which at least turns off the muscle cramps. Does anyone know if it's ok to use it long term? I just can't get rid of mine for good. Maybe when my menopause settles but for now it's back in the Botox queue for me 😢

Unfortunately I’ve also relapsed again. Completely out of the blue and no reason for it at all. Started off as just a tiny bit of blood but is now a full relapse and I’m back on the stool softener and rectogesic with accompanying headaches. I’m absolutely terrified that this is it again now for months on end but I’m coping for now as I know it’s possible for it to heal.

Any posters managed to get theirs to go away for good? What do you think helped in the end? @DelurkingLawyer, I’m glad yours have finally healed.

How is everyone else getting on?

@Migrainium I am so sorry to hear you had a relapse.

Sod’s law I had the beginnings of a mini relapse earlier this month. TMI but too much straining so entirely my fault. No bleeding but woke up the next morning with a hint of a dull ache that made me remember everything. Straight back on the medihoney for a few days and it has gone again.

@DelurkingLawyer can I ask which medihoney it is that you use? Is it the wound gel?

Hoping you've managed to stay pain free, I am in absolute agony all day every day right now.