Anal Fissure for 6 months, scared and sore

[MissTulipan]

Hi

Despite having a teenage daughter and having looked for words of wisdom from mumsnet many times in the past, I have never posted, until now...

I have had a sore bum on and off since a few slightly painful poos back in May brought about by eating a load of peanuts (never ever again) Having had mild piles after birth if DD2 I assumed I had piles and self treated for internal piles.

Had sore times and ok times all summer but more sore in recent weeks and noticed external piles appearing and feeling generally sore. Went to GP last week and she looked and said I have piles on the outside and thinks I have a fissure. She offered to refer me to hospital or to try a stronger piles cream. I said I would do what ever she felt was best. She prescribed a stronger hydrocortisone cream, Scheriproct and said to go back in few weeks.

Having now read about anal fissures (gone Google mad) I am now realising that the symptoms match what I've been experiencing but just not to the extreme as some people have described. But I relate to the nagging pain and soreness on and off all day. I don't have issues with constipation and am an active 42 year old. I am going to go back to the GP and ask for the cream that increases blood flow to bum area. I cannot see a tear in my bum but it feels like it is inside above where the tight muscle bit ends.

As it's obviously been there for 6 months and not cleared up I have got myself into a really silly state of thinking that it will be with me forever causing chronic pain (if it gets worse) or I will end up having the surgery that cuts the muscle and i will end up soiling my pants. I'm an anxious person generally but this has made me feel panicked reading about the difficulties treating these things!

Can anyone offer me some words of wisdom and hope as I've spent all evening crying on and off as the family are out. I've been on my feet all day with work and I feel scared and sore.

Thank you

Interesting to hear your updates. Sorry to hear of more suffering. Fissures are such awful things and I have really suffered too. I am thankfully doing quite a bit better at the moment - I came across a cream made in Australia, but can buy it over here, which has helped me a lot I think. A lot of people rave about it for fissures, the testimonials I read were really impressive so I figured it was worth a go and it soothes and has kept things at bay. Best thing is it’s all natural and heals using basically an extract of Wheatgrass. It’s called Dr Wheatgrass super balm, they have a website, I’ve been using this every morning and evening. Fissures haven’t totally gone but hardly much pain atm. Such a relief! Hope it may help some of you too. The slippery elm sounded interesting too. Anything is worth a shot. You all have my sympathy.

Found this old thread I have had piles for years my GP told me no surgery or op as purely cosmetic (a couple of years ago). Anyway things have been getting worse and sympathetic new Gp referred me to colorectal clinic in Dec. My piles were described as being in the big side of big and I have an anal fissure. Specialist prescribed some cream mid Dec but pharmasists aren’t authorised to dispense it as it’s not licensed for that use. I have been calling his secretary’s and I should get this cream this week fingers crossed 🤞. Follow up visit end of March.

@amazonian27 can you let me know what the cream is called and is it for the fissure or the piles?

I think the cream is diltiazem as I had this too. It is an unlicensed cream but can be prescribed by specialists.

The cream is for fissures I meant to say, it hella to increase blood flow to the area and promote healing.

Yes I think that’s the one @MissTulipan
Have you used it?
Specialist also says to wash my bum in a bath but we only have a shower as only a small bathroom so DH did away with it when we re-did the bathroom.

Ive used that one. Didn't work for me. I might see if i can try some of the creams again as im trying to change my diet to increase fibre so im hoping that combined with cream might finally heal. Im really down tonight. Im in bed stinging.

I did have Botox back in July but didn’t really do anything to help. Time and lactulose daily has helped me, none of the creams, I had rectogesic and diltiazem. My gp told me not to use softeners so I didn’t. After the Botox the surgeon told me to take lactulose daily and 6 months later I still am! Not stopping yet either. I am nearly 2 years since all this started , well 20 months but only in the last month have I really turned a corner.

I've heard good reviews about the Dr wheatgrass cream! I might give it a go. I'm kind off in the same boat as Miss Tulipan.....both creams (didn't work) 2 rounds of botox (improvement but still didn't heal) I take lactulose daily, prune juice and use sudocreme. I have good days and sore days but on a whole I'd say it's very very slowly improving with time. I think time is the big factor. Had mine 14 months now. It's manageable at the moment. It's important to remember not to eat junk when you're feeling good. Keep up the water and the veggies etc. Fissures are so unpredictable. Ill have a few weeks where I'll feel like I'm making real progress and then bang I have a very sore week and feel like I've taken 2 steps back. It can be very frustrating

Finally got hold of diltiazem but just recovering from being wiped out with antibiotics following a UTI last week.
I am a bit scared of the side effects to start using it and I want a couple of days of feeling ok before I start.
It’s not clear from the instructions but I usually have a bowel movement within about half an hour of waking should I use the cream first thing just before a bowel movement is likely to happen or after a motion.

I would use after so you aren’t wiping it off. I think I used it 2 times per day, morning and before bed. Hope it helps you, I’m feeling a lot better currently if that gives you hope but it’s taken ages and lots of lactulose and water.

I had no side effects from it except after a couple of months when tube was nearly empty it’s started causing irritation on the skin.

That’s good to know you had no side effects and are feeling better MissTulipan
I already have dry itchy skin (I get it every January it drives me nuts) and talked about in the side effects and dreading headache. Will have to bite the bullet.

I think it’s Rectogesic , the other treatment cream which is more known to give headaches. Although I didn’t get them when I was in rectogesic and no headaches with diltiazem.

Gosh I feel your pain! I've had fissures for over 2 years, got it at the end of 2016 and it feels like I've just been going in cycles. I've had 2 rounds of botox and the advancement flap surgery but the buggers just keep popping up again!! It's nowhere near as painful as it was when I first got them, but it's still uncomfortable and whilst I try to keep my stools soft with laxido it's not always possible. I think I've just accepted this is how things are and I'm trying best to manage to pain. I've used rectogesic, GTN and am using diltiazem at the moment, so it's just about managing the pain for me now. I've been back to my consultant more times than I count and he says they heal but they come back! Hoping for the day where I don't have to deal with this anymore, but my consultant told me it can take years for it fully heal again :(

I had my Botox done today! Praying that it works for me. Still very numb from the local anaesthetic and it looks horrific down there think I now have some piles to deal with too..

Bubs101 is there a reason why you opted for the flap surgery and not LIS? I'm now considering surgery because I've had enough and botox has done nothing for me.
FluffyDavis I hope the botox works for you, make sure you keep your stool soft. If it doesn't work after this first time id encourage you to have a second shot. My consultant told me it was 50% chance that 1 shot would work and he encouraged a second shot in most patients. Hopfully this will be the cure for you x

FluffyDavis Hope your ok and you get a good result.

I am still getting used to the headaches and light headed ness using the cream beginning with D. My blood pressure was always on the low side. So I am struggling with this.

Thanks all
Amazonian have you tried any other creams? Might be worth a try if this one doesn't agree with you.
I'm assuming I am meant to keep using my GTN cream after Botox? Forgot to ask and I've nearly run out 🤦‍♀️

I was told the creams were no longer needed and to stop so i didn't use any after the first lot of botox but because the first shot didn't heal me I asked if I could use the diltiazem after the second shot of botox and again consultant said it wasn't needed but agreed I could use it as it would do no harm

Thanks Joanna

FluffyDavis if you feel the cream helps then go for it. It won't do any harm. I only last 4 weeks using the diltiazem after the second lot of botox because it began to cause me some irritation so i replaced it sudocreme instead. I've got some Dr wheatgrass cream on its way in the post. I'll let you know what that's like. I've still got another 4 weeks until this round of botox has worn off

I don’t think I can tolerate much more of feeling like this not had Botox this is the first thing the colorectal specialist has prescribed and I am almost at the end of week one. I am not seeing him again until end of March? I have headaches, light headed ness/dizziness, feel frightened and scared I am going to collapse/faint/die also have tingly tight arms and calves and strange sensations when I get into bed a lot like when you have too much alcohol and frieghtened to close your eyes as you don’t like the sensation.

If you're feeling really terrible I'd ring your surgical team and ask for an urgent appointment. They will more than likely offer you botox straight away. Botox is nothing to be frightened of. It doesn't damage your bowel or harm your bowel in any way. It just relaxes your muscle which should help with pain. Don't continue to suffer if you're feeling really bad

I couldn't tolerate the gtn cream due to the side effects and the diltiazem unfortunately didn't help me so my team offered me botox fairly quickly