Undercarriage problem [blush]

[ChubbyScotsBurd]

I have got an anal fissure. And a pile, so my GP tells me. She winced lots in a sympathetic manner and prescribed me a big bottle of lactulose, but that was nearly a fortnight ago and still much shitting-shards-of-glass feelings and scenes from Texas Chainsaw Massacre when wiping.

Will it take longer to fix? Should I go back? Am BF so lignocaine's off limits apparently .

Are you constipated? You may need to do more than lactulose to sort it.

How old is your LO?

I don't know what lignocaine is, but I really doubt it's unsafe while BFing. Topical relief for piles (e.g. anusol) say they're not fine while bf, but I can't see why, and happily ignore that rule. (Lots of not-safe-while-bfing prohibitions are about protecting drug companies from litigation, not really about safety.)

I'm living on wholemeal bread and fruit, with some beans thrown in for good measure.

Not overly constipated but slower than pre-baby. He's 3 months (and he was a section birth which pisses me off no end - consoled myself by thinking one of the few benefits would be no damage in the knicker dept - snort!).

I've never had any that required medical attention, but ime, they can take a long time to finally heal. The problem is that the wound re-opens anytime you have a big one

You have to pay attention to your diet - drink plenty of water so that you never need to strain.

Anusol comes in non-drug forms - smells of thyme, IIRC. I personally wouldn't be worried about a small amount of a well-known drug.

You want to ensure your stool consistency is loose, to avoid angering the fissure or pile. Obviously you want to ensure the area is clean and dry to aid healing.

Lots of water, and lots of walking, or other exercise, if possible - moving about keeps your guts moving.

I think you probably need to up your fluid intake Chubby. Lots of fibre can actually constipate you. Think of fibre as blotting paper, when it's dry it's like hard pellets/ When it's wet it is larger & softer & therefore so is your poo! (sorry !) You may be drinking what seems like loads for you but BF takes a lot & then you suffer!

Lignocaine/pile treatments are contraindicated when BF because it's local anaesthetic basically, & like anything else can be passed through to baby. Having said that it would be such a small dose but as NQC says it's to cover their (the drug co;) own backs.

I found sitting in a warm bath with tea-tree & Lavender oils (up to 7 drops of each) really helped sooth it- even if it did look a bit pink after a while

I just never fretted about anything topical while bf. The drugs that are actually contraindicated while bf are things like anti-cancer drugs. The rest are generally fine, particularly with older babies.

my hubby had this a couple of years ago. He had an op to correct it as he was finding the pain really hard to cope with he wished he'd had it done sooner as he was only in overnight and no problems since.

Try a squirt of handcream on your toilet paper when wiping

Chubby - you're not alone! I suffered the same thing about 6 months after having my DS I just used piles cream on the fissure and ensured I drank lots of fluids. Oh and I alos had sitz(? spelling) baths which is a bath with about 3 incehes of water in and also some salt - anyhow it cleared up completely after a week and felt better after about 2 days. Hope this helps

Use unperfumed babywipes instead of toilet paper - much softer and gets the area cleaner.

Thank you you kind souls. It is so cruel, that the most embarrassing things are so painful. Don't get me started on my agonising bilaterally ingrown big toenail which deteriorated horrendously while pregnant but the podiatrist won't remove because of the local anaesthetic while I'm BFing. I'm going back in a fortnight to challenge her about the lignocaine (or whatever they use in spinals these days) they gave me for my section - like, 90 minutes before his first breastfeed or something!

You lot will know me if you see me in the street, I'm the one hobbling round like I've got piles and an infected big toe ...

don't put your babywipes down the loo though, you'll end up with a blockage! thats why I sugested a squirt of cream on some toilet paper.