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Autoimmune disease

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Original poster

Anal fissure, any advice?

32 replies

MintyChops · 06/06/2018 15:16

I have Crohns colitis and have just had a flare up but now told I also have a fissure. It is agony, like being knifed every time I have a bm. I have been given Rectalgesic to heal and Instillagel to help with the pain. I’m not sure how long I can cope with this, it is truly agonizing. Anyone else have/had a fissure? Any comfort to offer?

OP posts:

Original poster

MintyChops · 08/06/2018 13:14

Anyone?

OP posts:

DaysLikeThese123 · 08/06/2018 16:39

I had a very mild one a while ago and was breastfeeding so just waited for it to heal and took lots of lactulose and paracetamol.

Not very helpful! Sorry,it was awful.

Pure withchazel from boots massively soothed my stitches 'down there' after childbirth. Would that help? Also, a low stool to put feet under fet when having a bowel movement might help.

If you want more answers maybe also post in 'general health' as there will be more traffic and lots of people will probably have experienced them without autoimmune conditions

Original poster

MintyChops · 08/06/2018 20:08

Thank you Days....

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applepatch · 08/06/2018 20:39

You have my sympathies, I had one a while back and man oh man was it sore going for a bm
I was prescribed lactulose which did help but I also used the anusol pessaries...bit strange to use but very comforting and soothing when sore! It healed eventually but I seem to remember it being a good few weeks. GP said due to nature of it (constantly being 'reopened') that it could take some time so be prepared
It did go eventually and now and then when I feel it might be coming back I use the pessaries for some comfort!

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 08/06/2018 20:44

Do you have the flexibility to stand on the toilet and squat? Or at least raise your feet on a footstool / pile of books. Helps with a smooth exit.

Also don't hold your breath, a toilet roll tube can be useful to bite down on if you really need. And fybogel to help keep it soft.

eurochick · 08/06/2018 20:48

Drink loads and eat lots of fruit to make going to the loo easier.

AFistfulofDolores1 · 08/06/2018 20:48

This is a life-saver:

SquattyPotty

Original poster

MintyChops · 08/06/2018 23:00

Oh thank you all, this is a lonely and painful place to be. I am going to order the Squatty Potty - I would fall off a pile of books I think. I am taking the fybogel but with the flare up and the fear I have lost my appetite. I am living on mugs of homemade chicken stock and the odd slice of white bread or banana if I can force it down. Thank god for how much stock I have in the freezer.

apple, was it really weeks? Like 2? Or more like 4?

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Murane · 08/06/2018 23:14

I've had a fissure before. Had to put Vaseline on before every bm. It helps it slide out smoothly and helps the skin stretch instead of tearing. Still hurt but not as much.

diamantegal · 08/06/2018 23:27

DH has had this for the last couple of years - clearly severe enough that it's not healing and he's now under consultant care for potential surgery.

Things that have helped:

lots of water - at least 2l per day
fibre heavy diet, including flex seed on cereal and lots of fruit and veg
lactose free milk (no idea why - wasn't listening!)
low level exercise - going for a walk at lunchtime, and also ad-hoc walks when he gets a flare up and sitting down is painful
little/no alcohol
reducing stress levels (easier said than done)

But most of all, prescription cream from GP. Can't remember what it's called, but apparently well worth the humiliation of the GP appointment to get it.

namechangedtoday15 · 08/06/2018 23:30

Not much help but I had surgery. Never had any further problems.

applepatch · 09/06/2018 05:59

Mintychops it did take a good wee while to be honest, mine was quite bad I think as the GP had a look and said 'oh lady' at one point they said possibly surgery if it didn't heal it did take a while BUT it did heal on it's own
Everything that other posters have mentioned is what I would say as I think lots of water etc helped loads

gryffen · 09/06/2018 06:06

I had a nasty one a few years ago and that pain was worse than gallstones.

Laxido stool softner

Ibuprofen and lysine aka feminax as it's muscle damage is best painkiller and works quickly

Don't know what's safe for you with chrohns but above does work

Kahu · 09/06/2018 06:39

No citrus fruits, no caffeine, no alcohol was advised by my consultant. And he was right, I noticed a big difference just cutting out those three things - if I drink a glass of orange juice it is agony later...

Gottokondo · 09/06/2018 06:56

Mine took around 4 weeks to heal but was becoming less painful every week. The long healing proces isn't as agonizing as you think now (because a new fissure is awful). Do anything and everything to keep your stool soft. I tried the cream, it does help but gave me terrible headaches so I decided that 1 painful poo was better than a 24 hour headache. But if you don't get that side effect it really helps.

EffRam · 09/06/2018 07:01

All of the above, and the best tip I found along with putting your feet up on stool, and sitting up really straight with back against back of toilet, was to blow through your lips like youre making a horse sound as you go?! So your lips are very loose (like blowing a raspberry with your lips not tongue). Hope that describes it! But you can't tense your bum while you're relaxing your mouth for some reason, so this keeps the muscles down there as relaxed as possible and reduces the tension. I found this, alongside rectogesic, fybogel, loads of water etc, helped because I got in a cycle of being so tense because I knew it would hurt so much.

Ooh Epsom salt bath can also soothe after.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 09/06/2018 07:02

I had one of these after one of my pregnancies. Christ, the agony, utter agony!!!!! It left me nearly unable to walk one evening...

In the nicest possible way, you need to sort out your diet to sort it out. Lots of probiotics and fibre rich veggies. Soaked chia seeds very good for softening. Ask GP for lactulose whilst it heals

AFistfulofDolores1 · 10/06/2018 14:43

@MintyChops - PM me and let me know if the SquattyPotty helps :)

FelineChapo · 05/07/2018 08:22

Not sure if you still need help with this.
Use a bidet (you can buy cheap plastic handheld ones on eBay etc). In the long run though, if you have CD and colitis - invest in a good quality bidet toilet seat.
Calmoseptine will sooth the area. Use baby wipes rather than toilet paper. A piping hot sitz bath after each BM will also help. Add Epsom salts too.
I hope you’re better by now though.

user1471547789 · 05/07/2018 22:45

I have UC and suffer with anal fissures quite regularly. I have tried a few natural remedies but in truth the only thing I have found to properly work is rectogeslic (probably spelt wrong!) Prescribed from dr but genuinely started working within days and gone within the week. You have my sympathies OP they are horrible.

Original poster

MintyChops · 16/07/2018 00:04

Well it has all been resolved but not how you may expect. I had spent 4 weeks more or less in bed from what I thought was a Crohns flare up, hardly eating (I lost 40lbs), agony from fissure, stupidly thought I would be ok, luckily had an appointment with my gastro consultant who immediately admitte€ me to hospital.

Turned out that as well as a massive fissure I had toxic megacolon, came close to perforating (which they reckoned could have killed me) and I had to have an ileostomy and now have a (hopefully reversible) colostomy bag. The surgeon dealt with the fissure by injecting Botox into it; my first Botox and no one will ever see it!

So I am sort of still in shock from what has happened and coming to terms with it all. Thank God The fissure pain is no more, I desperately hope that I never ge5 another one (assuming they can “reconnect” me in time).

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FelineChapo · 16/07/2018 09:21

Oh wow! You’ve been on quite the journey! I’m glad you’re recovering now and that you managed to not succumb to the dreaded toxic megacolon.
I had a temp bag in 2012. Hated the little bugger - but just like you - saved my life.
And I’ve had the Botox too. Hilarious isn’t it. Some people put in their face - we put it in our bums!
Look after yourself. Sing out if you need to chat about the bag etc.

Original poster

MintyChops · 16/07/2018 23:20

Thanks Feline, it has been a rough couple of months but I am moving on and thankfully still here! What was the reversal like? The surgeon said in 6 months’ time and I know it has been just 3 weeks but I am just wondering..... Also, did your fissure come back, also known as, for how long does Botox in the bum last?

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FelineChapo · 17/07/2018 08:40

I had to wait 18 months for my reversal. It was painful at first - passing poop and wind was excruciating. But after a few weeks - all back to normal.
I haven’t had the Botox for over a decade. From memory it lasted about 6-8 weeks. Your sphincter is frozen - so no holding back farts. They just march on with impunity. But you’re disconnected - so not so much of a problem. Unless you’re getting mucus discharge etc.
I’ve had mild fissures since - but nothing like that doozy. It ulcerated my anus. It was utterly horrendous. Even morphine didn’t touch the pain. Ouch!

Original poster

MintyChops · 17/07/2018 23:13

Bloody hell, an ulcerated anus sounds like a medieval plague but here we are in the 21st century, suffering these hideous things. I am hoping that since my bum is having a break so to speak (they did the Botox at the same time as the surgery) and has 6 months to heal it will be ok. And perhaps never, ever come back.

Thank you for letting me know about the reversal; a few weeks of painful poos then back to normal sounds pretty good.

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