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.

@GaslighterDenier I am so sorry to hear you are suffering. It is awful. This is the one I use - think you may be able to get it off Amazon as well. I hope it works for you. https://www.revital.co.uk/products/comvita-medihoney-antibac-wound-gel-50gr?variant=37186320400542&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqqit3bjTggMV0-TtCh2p0QBcEAQYAiABEgIFgPD_BwE

@DelurkingLawyer thankyou so much for the quick reply! Going to prime some now and cross everything that it helps.

Don’t go too mad because it does melt with body heat. And don’t try to put it specifically on the fissure. Tried that and hit the ceiling. Little and often worked for me. I kept up with Fybogel in the meantime. Best of luck.

Unfortunately had no relief with the medihoney and I'm having to use GTN cream multiple times a day for any relief from the pain. Had an appointment today with a consultant surgeon and she couldn't even assess me so has booked an assessment under anesthetic for 19th Dec. She has said that she will do Botox during this if it is indeed a fissure.

Does anyone have any experience of Botox to treat a fissure? 🤞🏻

Yes, botox helped me! One year on, no stool softeners and no pain and been like this for months! Also H Fissure oil by Amoils....expensive but very worth it as immediately reduces pain and increases lubrication. I really hope you get some relief soon, it's so unbelievably painful and debilitating.

@GaslighterDenier yes I had Botox which helped heal it. It did come back just not as badly. I still have mine but it flares up less and less as time goes on. I am only using Pranicura at the moment and try to relax the muscle often using a sort of inverse kegel exercise I googled. Starting HRT also made a big difference for me. I hope you feel better soon - these things are excruciating!

@Waxlyrically thanks for the reply, it's currently completely debilitating and the pain is lasting hours if not all day so any improvement will be a help. Pleased yours is flaring up less!

I’ve been up and down,

any think stress triggers there’s as well?

I believe illness can cause a flare up. I don't currently use any creams for mine. I just take Lactulose regliously x2 a day. Mine has settled down, but I was ill with laryngitis recently and all my glands were swollen in my neck. I noticed at the same time the fissure flared up.

Hi, sorry to hear about everyone's experiences. I wonder if I could get some advice?

I have, what I assumed is an anal fissure, but symptoms seem a bit weird. I don't really get much pain when actually going to the loo (although there is blood), and no pain at all until about 2-3 hours after going, when I get burning and shooting pains which last an hour or so.

I'm not remotely constipated (and very rarely am) - I'm vegan so most of what I eat is full of fiber and couldn'tget any more fiberin my diet if I tried! I've had piles before and I don't think it's that again.

Could this be an anal fissure or is the main pain with that when you're actually going to the loo?

Sympathies OP, anal fissures are just so excruciatingly painful.
I had one for about a year after DS3 was born. Had multiple baths a day, hardly eating anything, sweating in pain every toilet visit. Ended up with Botox twice which helped a little, but not permanently.
I ended up having a small op where the muscles in my anus were very slightly cut (general anaesthetic, but outpatient). This has helped but the physio lady afterwards said she doesn’t like the procedure because it can have long term affects. This worked for me about 6 years ago and haven’t had a problem since. It isn’t something to be taken lightly, it comes with risks of damage, but I just couldn’t continue as I was. Msg me if you want any more info. Good luck.

Hi I have what i think is anal fissures i do get shooting pains & slight bleeding when i poo but my main symptom is crazy itchiness so bad it keeps me awake at night, is this a common symptom?

Also the botox people have mentioned, is this available on the nhs or have people paid privately?

I'm 42 and been suffering with them since I was 11. I did have a skin graft for a really bad one when I was 19. I just use sudocreme and ride out the pain. Eat lots of fruit and fibre and drink lots of water. Try not to get constipated

I am so glad l found this thread. I’ve been suffering for months now. In excruciating pain every day, l am going through max dose of paracetamol and ibuprofen some days, not a day without painkillers. I have been prescribed cream by GP, it helped for 3 days then it started to make things worse.
My question is how do people stay regular? I am now so scared of going to the toilet and hours and hours of pain that follows, l sometimes can’t go for 2/3 days. I drink lots of water, take extra fibre, drink laxatives, excercise, l can eat a bag of prunes on top of it and nothing. I am sitting in masses of pain now because l need to go toilet but l can’t.
I am so stressed about it, as l know it will lead to more tearing and yet more pain. 😢😥

I’m really sorry you’re experiencing the torture of AFs @MatildaMercinia. I would go back to your GP and get something else to help and perhaps on the waiting list for Botox. Which cream were you prescribed? I recognise the fear of needing to go knowing what’s in store. What really helped me was drinking a lot of milk of magnesia (which I now always have in my cupboard just in case). I found this to be the most effective stool softener. Even if you don’t go for days, it will still be easy to pass. Sitting in a warm bath or use a sitz bath can ease the spasms which cause the pain.

I really hope they heal soon for you.

Rectogesic, in desperation l used a small bit today, after stopping for a month and it brought some relief. I added milk of magnesia to my daily laxative load now, thank you for a tip! Definitely back to GP this month, l pay for the Botox if l have to, anything to make it stop 😢

@moana1234 This was the worst part of the fissures for me; the horrendous itching at night. At its worst I used to have to run baths at 3am as it was the only way to get any comfort.

I had Botox on NHS a year and a half ago. It worked to heal the upper part (thankfully) but I am still left with hideous itching at times which gets worse when I wipe a lot due to IBS and NHS just keep cancelling my referrals (and forgot to give me a follow up after the op). So depending on your area I wouldn’t hold your breath for NHS help and would look into private if you can afford to. I hope you can get some relief

Wonder if anyone has any experience of using betadine to treat themselves?

Hi all,
I've struggled with AF in the past but since two weeks post birth I've had a big one and been in horrendous pain. GP prescribed me titanium oxide (nappy cream) and dermal lotion to wash in and on examination said it was a tear. This isn't helping, I've used sitz bath, germaloid, prune juice.
Struggling with pain when I'm going every day but feel a day or two relief when I'm not as regular. So confused as I'm told to eat lots of fibre and when I do I am going regular but this just flares it all up. I'm waiting till the very last moment to use the loo as I find this help. Any help/advice/words of support are welcome. It's just becoming exhausting.

Sorry to hear others are suffering. Mine was excruciating all day every day at first but now flares up approximately once a month but less painfully. I take a softener every day and use Pranicura straight after going if it's bad. I'm not sure they ever totally go away but they do improve & mine doesn't completely rule my life anymore, although it still has its moments/days when it feels like it does.

I’m so sorry to hear you’re experiencing this when you have a new baby to take care of. You have my sympathy.

Whats happening is that every time you open your bowels, you reopen the fissure. When you haven’t been for a couple of days, it’s allowed it to heal a bit but of course will be worse when you finally go. Extra fibre and more water is aimed at keeping your stools soft and easy to pass and avoid straining to avoid opening the fissure. I didn’t find that enough either and a good stool softener made all the difference. I used a few but found milk of magnesia the best as you can adjust the dose so your stools become almost liquid so the sphincter doesn’t open at all and allows the fissure to heal.

I would go back to your GP. It may be that you’re more limited in available treatments if you’re breast feeding but it’s worth asking. Fissures can be tricky to heal because the sphincter doesn’t have good blood supply and as it’s an injury to a muscle, the fibres go into spasm and pull apart (this is the cause of the terrible burning pain). Warm water and sitz baths can give a bit of relief when this is happening. There are medications like rectogesic that promote blood flow and relax the muscles which aid healing. That was the second thing I found most helpful in healing mine.

The other thing about going back to your GP is that you can get on the wait list for more invasive procedures like Botox if the above doesn’t work.

Really hoping they heal for you soon 🤞

Hi everyone I know this is a old thread but I come across it and I just wanted to share what I use for my anal fissure which I found was the only thing that helped it!
mine Started after I had my son 2 years ago he was 9 pound born so explains it all lol.
for the first 4 months I was in so so much pain every day, went back and forth to the doctors and got given the cream and laxatives but they weren’t really working. I read up online about ‘healing natural oils’ which is for fissures. It’s a bit on the pricey said I think I paid just under £40 for a small bottle but you only need 2-3 drops a time. It comes from America but it arrived fairly quickly if I remember correctly. Anyway I started using it and it helped so much pretty quickly. I still have flare ups if I get constipated but the pain is nowhere near like when it started. If I get a flare up I use it straight away and it helps it so quickly. I will attach a picture for anyone still suffering if you wanted to look into it! Xx

Place marking. I am in bits over this. The pain is unbearable.

Sorry you are in a lot of pain; it really is awful until you can get on top of it. Would push for Botox if you can. Also fybogel may help as others have mentioned. Numbing gels can help if you can get them

Hi sorry to jump on here, I know there hasn’t been any posts in a while.

I can see what I think is an anal fissure.

I paid privately to see a colorectal doctor, he had a brief look- I hope he actually saw what I can because he didn’t seem too concerned, but what I have seen (I do have to pull my bum open a little) is like an actual hole! He said yes it is a fissure, it’s not bad (!) and he will refer me back to the nhs for Botox. He also suggested the surgery but said I could be left incontinent so just try Botox first.

It is above the actual bumhole, and also has some Sort of flap of skin hanging off.

I asked if it was a tag, from the bad fissure, and he said yes.

I suffer with health anxiety so panic it’s somthing worse. I have only read about, and seen images of little paper cut looking ones online.

It bleeds every few days which is getting me down. It just stings a little, not the massive pain I read about on here.

anyway just looking for peoples experiences of the Botox for a fissure that’s more than just a small cut. Mines an actual hole, and to me
theres no way that can heal!

was anyone else’s that big?