GOOD AFTERNOON IVE BEEN SUFFERING THE HELL OF THE ANAL FISSURE FOR A YEAR (chronic) AND ITS REALLY TAKING ITS TOLL ON ME NOW IM SCARED TO GO BM BECAUSE I KNOW I WILL BE IN TORTEROUS PAIN FOR HOURS AFTER ALL THE CREAMS DO NOT WORK ME IVE TRIED MANY IVE TRIED SITZ BATHS ETC NO RELIEF THE ONLY SLIGHT RELIEF I GET IS SITTING ON A HEAT PAD IM DUE TO SEE A SPECIALIST NEXT MONDAY ALLTHOU ANXIOUS AS THE AREA IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL IF IT WASNT FOR BRING A MOTHER I HONESTLY THINK I WOULD OFF TAKEN MY OWN LIFE BY NOW THE PAIN IS SOMETHING I WOULDNT WISH ON MY WORST ENEMY I FEEL SO DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS ALL THE TIME ITS INTERERING WITH MY WHOLE LIFE SOCIAL WORK HOME ETC LITERALLY CAN NOT COPE ANYMORE PLEASE HELP :-(
I am the same only I'm almost 4 years in ;( I've had botox and it didn't work. I've tried everything. My consultant doesnt want to try the next stage surgery as I'm so young and worried about the risks. I dont know what to do anymore or where to turn. it truly is reducing my quality of life and taken over my life
hi, i was also the same Botox was a complete waste of time you both need LIS surgery without delay. it is no more painful than where you are with the pain now! risk - what risk? the slim chance of a bit of incontinence.. so what!!! u get your life back!! are you both washing your bums not wiping? a very hot wheat bag saved my life sit on one Immediately after BM. good luck don't give up stop drinking orange juice get more advice on diet too!!
stress and anxiety are the worst two thing as they contribute to your anal spasms be careful about what pain relief you are taking some pain killers cause spasms and the viscous cycle will continue
My recommendation is to get the LIS. I tried every cream, suppository, etc. they prescribed, its all a waste of time and money. I suffered for 18 months, constant pain, pressure, cutting, itching, burning etc. Im 7 weeks out of surgery. Im not 100%, but I believe its getting better (I'm a pessimist about everything). I still have very little blood, and I believe its from the incision site. Day 3-5 will be really rough, but it gets better. I was mentally where you are now, you're not alone.
hi ami thanks for writing how old are you if u dont mind me asking? im 34 and this has got to be the worst thing ever i would happily do child birth over this torture i use a heat pad to sit thats the only thing that gives a small amount of relief
hi thanks for writing i suffer with mental health as it is and this is the last straw for me i try to be positive and calm but the pain gets the better of me i feel sorry for my children having to see me in tears everyday and not being able to do much as can not function when the fissure is really kicking off its the worst pain isnt it glad your on the mend i hope one day soon i will be to
hi curtis thanks for writing as scared as i am for the op i think its the way forward i literally can not cope anymore its taking over my life glad your allmost healed what a relief
all i take is paracetamal and ibrufofen not that it works im still using GTN but again hardly touches the pain just makes me throb in that erea
Yes I hated my kids watching me in agony as well are used to hide myself in the room it was a horrific back then its been over a year now, I still have some bad days but nothing like it was you really need LIS surgery
I'm 27. I dont know how I've managed to cope with this for 4 years. I'm going to try and completely change my diet to just meat fish and veg and I hope this will help with my constipation. if this doesnt work I really will have to go for the surgery I cant take this anymore. like said above it all seems a waste of money everything I have tried so far
hope you feel better soon. I know how hard it is physically and mentally.
i feel your pain iam due into work tonight i do night shifts so kind of hoping i have bm soon in time for pain to ease this is how much it rules life i would defo go back and try get surgery for something so small has such a huge impact good luck
it really is i think mine has stemmed from last january i had severe sciatica and was on tramadol etc which caused constipation and i kind off remember feeling numb down that erea and struggled to pass a stool so thinking thats where it started i just get concern as hear so many storys that lis hasnt worked but then i guess you hear about the bad more then the good reviews i just really hope is there is light at the end of this fingers crossed
i believe there needs to be more support or local support groups for this horrible condition!! its soooooo painful!!!!! try hot baths and lubrication before going to the toilet, this helps a lot!!
i said to my partner its almost a silent killer so many people have got so bad you end up with suicidal thoughts myself included as its something alot of people feel embarrassed to talk about i agree theres little help for this complaint i found A@E AND DRS completely useless when i was begging for help it wouldnt be so bad if pain killers actually helped but they dont you just have to suffer its the most awful thing ive indured
Hi.Ive never been on a forum before but i feel the need to talk. ive been suffering terribly with anal fissures. ive always been constipated which has caused the fissures. i would like to share the changes ive made which have helped. All bran and fruit for breakfast i snack on home made bran cake and i drink 5 lints of water a day. Each morning i get in a salt bath. after 5 mins i insert a glycerin suppository. wait as long as i can and then stand over the loo. as soon as its over i jump back in the bath. And breath. Its been horrific. i sympathise with you all. I ended up in hospital as the pain was so bad they thought i had a brain anyurism. please drink more water. Good luck everyone xx
hi Lou7272, i understand your feeling. for me on of over 3 years now. i am dealing with it now. i am using Dr Buttler it is on Amazon and also Calmoseptine. My pain level now is like nothing or 1 &2, just bleeding then stop for 3 or 4 weeks bleeding again after BM. Try to eat more fiber, like Papaya and spinach that is help. You will heal, I have visited 3 doctors. Once wants me to do botox, the other two says no just be patient with cream if you still young. botox and surgery does not give you warranty if it gone or still come back. It is depend on your stool. You should try dr Buttler take a way the pain and stop bleeding use it for about a week or Two then use Calmoseptine. you will enjoy life again. Hope this help
Yo what's up! I just made an account to post on here. I might be making my own thread shortly with more details as this forum was useful for me regarding my issues which sound like your own and I'd like to return the favour.
This will be long so i apologise but try and make it through, it may be helpful.
I am a 28 year old male, UK with Ulcerative Colitis who has dealt with a chronic fissure for 6-7 years. i was diagnosed with bowel disease and due to this ended up with a bad tear that never healed. I started as a fit and healthy male who worked out daily and weighed about 14 1/2 stone before this nightmare, I now currently sit at 9 stone. I attribute the weight loss to anxiety over eating because as we all know whatever you eat has to come out the other end!
I also suffer from terrible anxiety which does not help our bottom situation at all. I have spent the last 5-7 years in my house doing nothing due to the pain and embarassment, spent so much time away from work and having no quality of life at all. I honestly believe the stress and anxiety comes hand in hand with the bottom pains as you wake up terrified to use the toilet and my whole world revolves around this. My spasms would last from first BM to 8-9:00pm at night. Horrendous pain.
The pain you feel is from the internal sphincter muscle spasm in response to the fissure. The muscle spasms preventing blood flow to the area and therefore healing.
This has been my experience with different procedures. My GP prescribed me the 2% Nitro Glycerin creams for 2 years which did not work, I tried 2 variations due to terrible headaches from the first cream eventually leading to an allergic reaction down there which made everything much worse.
Eventually after many years I got referred to a Colorectal Specialist who gave me Botox injections and a Fissurectomy (fissure scraping to remove scar tissue) last year. This procedure in my opinion was the worst pain I experienced with the whole ordeal, even worse than the fissure itself. Recovery was tough and I was taking max doses of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol just to get through the day and this lasts for 3-4 weeks. I would not recommend this as it did not solve my issue just provided relief for a few months.
My next visit with the specialist ended up with me being offered a LIS (Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy) or another round of Botox and examination under anaesthesia. I chose the Botox again for a second time as I was so terrified of a more major surgery - especially reading horror stories online about cutting into the Sphincter muscle, even in this forum lol. This round went a lot easier for me as there was no scraping of the fissure. I was walking within a week but still needed a lot of painkillers during and after BM's. Again I had short relief as the botox slightly paralyses the spincter muscle to prevent the spasms i mentioned earlier, but ended up being referred back again due to re-opening the fissure.
This leads up to where i am now and after finally choosing to settle for the LIS surgery which I had 1 week ago on Monday 17th Feb 2020. I read hundreds of horror stories from people here so was prepared for the worst - incontinence, terrible pains which lasts for weeks or months etc.
My experience was honestly the opposite of everything I read online. I woke up that morning to toast at 6:45am as no food is allowed after 7:00, I also drank as much water as i could before 11:00 as no fluids are allowed past that time either. I arrived at the hospital very nervous at 12:30 and had all pre checks done. The surgeon talks you through the procedure of making a small slice to the left or right of the rectum, not actually inside it. They then under the skin through the incision remove part of the internal sphincter muscle. In my case they removed the rear or posterior portion of my sphincter which was heavily damaged from years of tearing. I eventually went in for the surgery at about 3:30 and woke up completely out of it due to the painkillers and anaesthesia a few hours later. The pain isn't bad at this point so once checked out you spend that night sleeping it off.
Now don't get me wrong, the next 2 or 3 days are painful, especially when going to the bathroom. It hurt like a b***h but its more of a surgical pain than the fissure pain and spasms, I was and still am black and blue and swollen down there which is to be expected and the stitches are quite uncomfortable. But in my experience it is NOTHING compared to the pain of a fissure. you need to ensure you take the relevant laxatives they recommend, this is a huge point as you do NOT want to get constipated during recovery. I took 10ML of lactulose X4 times per day and X1 sachet of Fibregel on an evening. As I'm still in recovery I eat 4-5 tiny meals a day mostly greens and white meats, soft oats etc and a LOT of water to keep everything soft.
I am now just over one week in, stitches are still there, i'm still black and blue from bruising, but my experience in general is very positive. I have taken 0 and I mean no pain killers of any sort during my recovery so far going from the day after my surgery until this very second. No paracetamol no ibuprofen nothing. I currently go to the bathroom 2 or 3 times every day now and its easier to pass stool every time, i don't get the spasms at all anymore. I still have a bit of anxiety regarding going but it gets easier with each day I experience less pain.
I honestly think after years of damage down there my sphincter just kept getting tighter and tighter, I felt like a grown man trying to poo from a babies sized bottom and it was ruining my life. Although i am not fully recovered or sitting yet i have been on my feet walking since day 1 post surgery and each day is getting easier.
Anyone out there struggling with a chronic fissure get advice about a LIS, i am one week in and see a bright light at the end of my tunnel already and wouldn't recommend it enough.
wow thankyou for writing im to in the uk im pleased for you sounds like youve had it real bad too im seeing specialist this monday coming im going to push for Lis ive never written on these forums but glad i have as i felt so alone in this torture and nobody around me really knows the extent of pain i go through so its nice to chat with people whom have or are in the same situ i just really want it gone or at least better thankyou for your messages everyone it gives me some hope
No problem at all, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I completely agree with everything you have said especially regarding suicidal thoughts it really is an illness nobody understands unless you have been through it yourself.
Your experience may differ from mine and my circumstances may change but its honestly after a week made a huge difference already.