Botox for AF

Digestive health
1

Hi,

I have been working my way methodically through all the possible treatments for AF over the past 3 months. I now seriously think I have a better idea of what works than my consultant! The various creams were all very corrosive and were therefore not workable (bad enough to have the AF pain without feeling as though you're sitting in an acid bath).

I tended to have three basic types of pain - no doubt they will be familiar to you:

1) actually going to the loo which is the razor blade scenario

2) the spasms afterwards. Sometimes the actual BM was almost bearable, but the spasm would always creep up on me, lasting for several hours

3) the sheer discomfort of everything in that area (yes, piles, tags, fissures and Uncle Tom Cobley and all!) being so swollen that normal walking was very uncomfortable.

Anyway - I had botox 5 weeks ago. my consultant cheerfully said that he would scrape the sides of the fissure so there is a fresh wound that will heal faster (fun!) and this caused a LOT of pain afterwards. However, things have gradually improved and I am now verying on positively comfortable!

2 recommendations:

1:

keep a diary of what you eat and what the result is. Take note of any medication you use and how often you use it. Apart from anything else, it is good to know that, eg, last Monday you had x many painkillers and this Monday only y amount. With this diary, you are in a better position to work out what helps and what hinders.

2:

BE TOTALLY SELFISH! You are in a lot of pain: you are not much fun to loved ones like that. It will help everyone long term if you put yourself first. For me this meant really concentrating on diet and water intake. I have alsways eaten loads of fruit and veg, but now live almost excvlusively on it. I NEVER have a sandwich just so I can be done and ready to take the kids somewhere - if we all have to wait 40 mins for my brown rice to cook, then so be it! For me a 'good' diet is avoiding:

- red meat

- bread (whole meal too)

- any processed food

All the food I eat is high in fibre and I still swallow Lactulose. Plus loads of water, of course.

I don't know what wil happen when the botox wears off, but am so much enjoying being alive and having the energy to get on with interesting things. The extra effort in concentrating on diet is well worth while.

If you have tried all the creams, I would (at this stage anyway) reccommend botox and a really serious change of diet.

I'll post again when the botox has worn off.

Best of luck.

2

Hi their

Just to tell you that I have suffered from fissure on and off for last 15 years, and my fissure heals pretty quickly, but this time I decided to go for botox, which I had it 4 days ago, but my pain has'nt gone yet. i want to know if you experiened pain after the bowl movement after botox injection, bz this is my 4th day, and I have gone to the loo 3 times in 3 days, and everyday I had excruciating pain after the bowl movement. Is it the pain due to the fissure or on the injection site? love to hear your comments. Good thing is that there is no more spasm , its just severe pain after being to the toilet. Rouphly how long should it take to get rid of the pain permanently?

cheers

3

Hi there

Has the botox helped with the piles as well? How are things for you now and how much discomfort did you have the few days post botox.

I'm due to go in in the next coupel of weeks to have botox and dont know what to expect.

Thanks

4

I had the botox 4 months ago, the relief was immediate, but you have to rush to the loo quickly as you can't control the muscle there.

However feeling really fed up as it has returned, it's difficult monitoring what you eat all the time, you just want to feel normal again. I saw a nutritionist who suggested kiwis 3x a day, eat okra & take a digestive enzyme with meals. It helped but now i've slipped up after eating out larger meals and forgetting my routine!

Mine started after being prescribed aspirin & blood pressure tablets 2 years ago. Aspirin make you constipated, I stopped them but the damage was done, I feel angry at the consultant for getting me in this state!

Liquid poo is the answer, has anyone discovered what to take!!

5

I just had the Botox after 3.5 months of excruciating pain during and hours after a bowel movement. It's been almost two weeks since and all I can say is that I had maybe 2 good days since and since those 2 good days the past 3 have been painful again. Last night I had a BM and the pain was just like it was in the beginning diagnosis of my Fissure. The doctor told me not to expect anything for 6 weeks. Some people feel relief right away and others don't. It's depressing and frustrating because I just want to go on with my life again. Not only am I dealing with this pain, I got dumped by my boyfriend just about the same time. I don't think I'm ever going to feel like myself again. I'm watching my fiber including taking psyllium fiber twice a day, plum and prune juice and miralax and my bm's still feel like rocks when they come out. I think my next step will be the sphinectectomy. I'd rather handle the incontinence than the pain. I'm not giving up yet on the Botox, I guess I figured it would work quicker. Good luck

6

Mine took longer to start to work so do not give up hope just yet. 2 weeks is not long enough to throw in the towel.

You must find a regime that keeps your stools soft. Whatever you are doing doesn't seem to be doing the trick.

I follow a suggestion made in an earlier post and use stool softeners/ flax seed oil/ dried fruit. It may not be what works for you but additional fibre as you describe did not help me and neither did more water.

I cannot say that you will avoid a sphincterotomy but you must make passing soft stools a priority and give the botox a chance.