My experience with an Anal Fissure

Salute digestiva
1

If you are reading this because you've got a fissure, my heart goes out to you. How something so small in somewhere so private can cause so much pain is amazing.

Like many, I thought I had piles, so spent a fortune on creams. It was eventually diagnosed as a fissure about six months ago, but not before struggling with pain for many months (if not sporadically for the last 10 years or so). The problem got to be severe and highly debilitating - I literally had to stay near a hot bath all day as it was the only relief.

My life saver is Rectogesic. My understanding is that the intense pain comes when the anal muscles constrict (hence hot baths working by relaxing the muscles). Rectogesic does a similar thing in that it relaxes the muscles and therefore promotes healing. It really was / is a life saver. Ask your doctor for it - it's fantastic.

The cream is fantastic - but as you will have read from other postings, it takes a very long time for the fissure to heal. The way I've coped with the fissure, and my advice for anyone reading this, is to follow a pretty strict food regime. The one simple golden rule is \"only put in what can make a smooth exit out again\".

Whenever I had painful stools I used to follow the advice of eating more fibre. I actually think I was doing myself more harm that good because I overloaded on fibrous foods like all-bran, seeds and nuts etc - basically stuff that your body can't easily break-down - and remember the golden rule \"only put in what will have a smooth exit out again\". Don't quote me on this, but I understand the key is the difference between soluble fibre rather than non-soluble fibre. So, brown wholegrain bread is great, but more fibrous breads with the seeds in is bad idea. Wholegrain cereals are great, muesli is dreadful. Prawns or fish are good, lamb jalfrazi....hopefully you've got the idea.

If I don't feel as though I've had enough fibre in my diet I then supplement it with Fibregel which is a soluble fibre that you can buy from the chemist or supermarket. Lots of water and anything you can do to make sure you go just once a day are other essential elements.

Sticking to that simple rule keeps the pain away, however my fissure hasn't totally healed yet - it has come back twice in the last six months, but only for a number of days. When it does come back I then follow a strict regime of lot's of water, double doses of fibregel plus milk of magnesia - basically making the stools as soft and runny as possible which stops it from getting worse PLUS the Rectogesic cream twice a day until it's no longer painful to pass a stool.

I really hope this helps.

2

Hi In my opinion ..good advice there! BUT one persons 'bad for you' is another persons 'ok' ,so I think we should ,by trial and error (ouch!) ,sort out the foodstuffs that are right for theindividual.

3

Hi There

Have read your posting - I have recently been diagnosed with a anal fissure and have been given rectogesic amongst other things. I have been using it since monday (now Friday) and from the first night I ahve been experiencing crushing headaches all night (they wake me up they are so painful) I am going to not take tonight to see if it makes any difference.

Has anyone else experienced any symptoms for using Rectogesic?

4

Hi

Rectogesic is great, but it can give you the headaches you are experiencing. With regular use these get better and with me it ended up with just a light feeling in the head. This took about a month. Persevere as Rectogesic is by far the best non-surgical treatment.

I hope that for your sake it goes with using the oitment. I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and am still in pain most days. I am going to ask for a repeat prescription of Rectogesic to see if that now helps

Best of luck

PJ

5

Hello, I too have been diagnosed with Anal fissure and given rectogesic, however I was surprised to see the application advice was to put the cream on your finger and insert, I to anus, my fissure is so painful I have tried but simply cannot bear to insert, can someone recommend an easy way to apply this cream ?

Thanks

6

Hi Helen,

I just put it on top rather than in. It makes you feel woozy and gives you a headache but it's so worth it. I guess the better it gets the deeper you can put it in. I don't believe the cream does anything to heal the fissure, more directs blood to area to aid healing.

The other key thing for me is (what was called Milk of Magnesia) which is the only thing that turns my stools to liquid. You can't buy it any more but you can buy Magnesium Hydroxide. I got a prescription from the Doctor but the pharmacist very helpfully told me I could buy it cheaper without a prescription (£4.20 for 500ml which lasts ages). Without it you are literally damaging the fissure every bowl movement which is horrendous.

Get the retrogesic on pronto and have a tablespoon of Magnesium Hydroxide after every meal. A few days of easy stools and it should improve massively.

Good luck.

7

Thanks so much for your response very helpful & I shall defo try your suggestion .....who knew there was something out there so darn painful other than childbirth !

8

I suffered from anal fissure for more than 3 years. Tried many treatments but it just would not go away. My friend who is doing Botox Training course at Aesthetic Advancement, Canada suggested me of trying Botox injection. I was feared of having Botox injection because already I’ve heard that if it is not done properly side effect will be more than effective. She convinced me and finally I agreed because the pain was so severe. Now I’m pain free and have great gratitude to Botox and my friend. I know that many have tried operation but it hasn’t worked and increased the pain. So better ask for Botox injection instead of surgery.

9

I am on day 10 of rectogesic and except from the side effects which are awful it appears to be working ..........so far, but I will defo go for a Botox consultation too so many thanks for your advice !

10

I deal with the same problem 6 months now... i haven't heard before for botox injections. Can you please give me some more infos??

11

I take movicol 1 satchet a day and going to the toilet has never been easyer. It is not absorbed in the blood stream. It is very safe. Better then milk of magnesia. :-)

12

Hi There

             I had suffered  with an anal fissure for 18 years before it was diagnosed,i was in the Navy when i first had symptoms,but the Navy doctor just about killed me on examination and said to me you have not got piles.Advance 18 yrs living in Australia had suffered with constipation all of this time then lots of blood.Went to doctor he just looked at my backside,into hospital had operation on sphinter and voila cured,i was in hospital 4 days.Advance 30 years it's back,rectogesic must be the new replacement for an op and yes it is working.To help things along i have a banana smoothie with 600ml of milk blended and 3 to 4 tablespoons of psyllium husk. I lIVE IN Austrakia but i buy this product in woolies so i would say tesco would be the place it is tasteless and the smootie is nice to drink.Hope this helps

13

Hi there...I am similar to you, having had chronic anal fissure for just over 20 years now. I have had surgery twice. The last was quite successful, but quite traumatic, with almost a week in hospital. The following years were mostly ok with on and off bouts of constipation. I have learned over the years, that I need a high fluid intake to 'keep healthy'. Being active really helps as well. But...even with all this personal knowledge, sometimes it all justs goes to hell....after 6 weeks in NZ, doing strenuous hiking, with a good diet and fluid intake...once I stopped the activities, and did a couple of weeks slow touristy things, and the occasional (truly) cream bun...I began to have problems. In the end, I was in dire straits before we flew home, even with drinking heaps of water, and adding nuts and more fibre to my diet. At home, the big relief was daily corn intake, and twice daily Metamucil. This has helped enormously....plus I have been extremely diligent with my fibre diet. Sadly, this is now 2 1/2years down the track. I am still on Metamucil; still on a generous corn daily serving; still drinking plenty of water....still have painful stool motions with anal fissure....am now wondering how I will fare when I go to Europe in 3 months for hiking, kayaking, via ferrata! I am quite concerned....does anyone have ideas, please? Thanks, L.

14

Hi There mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I know how expensive Metamucil is in Oz, but this  psyllium husk is $au 10 for 500gram i take 4 tbsp with a banana and milk low fat works like a charm nice as steady .I saw my specialist on Thurdays past after having an Endeoscopy and Colonoscopy just some Gastitis nothing to worry about Nexium 20mg daily don't get much reflux anyway but some blood was found in a test but not a worry and a small polyp in colon no worries.He did a visual exam no fissure ,and said come back in 5 yrs i'll be 69 so it's anyway up TA-RA

15

I have been dealing with an annual fissure which has not totally healed for over 2 years. I did have some success with ingesting Aloe Vera gel and careful setting habits but just recently it has flared up again and I am in immense pain. My GP recommended Botox and I recently went to a Bowell specialist for a second opinion. He put me off when he mentioned it took 3 months to work with some leakage and flatulence. He further said there was a slight risk of permanent leakage. I am using Rectogesic (again) and will try for 6wks. If no better and the pain does not subside I am seriously thinking about Botox. Can you share your experience? was the leakage manageable at work etc?

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Get the Botox injection-totally works

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Iv been on it for two days now how long be for it works and I had a skin tag took a way two but on the left side im still in pain just hope I get beter has I dont no how much longer I can go with it geting me down now but just had blood for one day out of the 3

18

Hi, I have had exactly the same experience. I don't know how long I can go on using the cream if these headaches go on. I only started it yesterday and had really a really bad headache all day. I told the Doctor about it and she said it is quite usual to get the headaches and to carry on using the cream but take paracetamol before I use it. I must say that my headache had not been quite so bad today but it is still there. I am hoping the treatment works quickly because I am told I will have to be refererred to a specialist otherwise.

19

Hello ziphius,

It's good to know you're finding relief after this time.. usually, so you're making progress. I too have found the same situation, as for many people, some days are better than others. Like others say, even from one moment to the next, after an unhappy episode in the bathroom, at least part of that day can become difficult. Your contribution here sounds different to that of most others, and while each one has its own merit, with everyone being different, I'm wondering in your case, could seasonal changes be impacting on your fissure/s. I have found since last summer, and this one upon us, mine has become progressively worse these past few weeks with the heat increasing, while not unexpectedly, it was sudden. In having said that, it is documented hot weather can aggravate fissures, some other people wrote, ice packs made no difference to providing relief. I'd say it depends on the person, and while many here claim sitting in a hot bath with coconut oil applied, which has healing properties helps, it could solve the issue for me too. I'm reluctant to attempt it for the moment, someone of authority recommended it's also applied in betweeen showers, I'm putting off because of the likely stinging. Anyway, while it's fairly cold here in winter, and quite hot in summer, I found I presented with no symptoms of fissures until temperatures rose this season. While I paid admittedly more attention to diet during the cooler months, with more fibre, and some of what you too recommend in your regime, I found today, simply putting on the air conditioning, an unusual strategy, provided welcome relief for these few hours I didn't think would otherwise occur. After that I was fine, in finding there's a pattern forming, it could be I don't manage the heat well, whenever it's a cooler day, I never once have an issue RE: fissures. To give you an example, more preventative than a cure, I've decided, as much as practical, to avoid venturing out in the car, with its 'hot seat,' so to speak, past a certain morning hour, as it can add to discomfort in that area. While I can't speak for everyone, one of the hardest aspects of fissures I've found is, the initial process of sitting in the car, until the air conditioning changes that. I must say, I've taken to sitting in the car while immobile, in having no idea what the neighbours must think, I drive when I'm ready, when it's cooler yes, I have found even a brief drive somewhere helps me relax during which time I'm then able to face the world. In then fully meeting my commitments,(like others would have, I'd order groceries online,) while it's true when they say, you get what you pay for, the same could be said about buying something after you've seen it first. For the moment, after my time in the car, I return home free of pain. Once again, this measure to most might sound oversimplified, it would be impractical for those of you using public transport in your daily routine, while waiting for a train or bus, though some forms of transport have standard features of cooling the surrounding air, including any hot seats someone else has vacated.This car idea works for me, in then today, considering doing likewise by cooling the house. I then considered work options, sometimes I was lead to believe I couldn't return to work until drastic measures were made, such as surgery. What I'm doing, won't solve all aspects of fissures, the object is getting through this summer, I'm writing this in the hope it helps others. I have found, as so many others say, this experience is debiliatating, understandably, it's hard to smile when it flares up, any number of us could have experienced pain of one kind or another, I found other kinds I've had were shortlived, in getting through it. I think doctors would have a fair idea what it's like, but are choosing to underplay it. I have noticed a common thread among medicos, among patients seeing them with this condition as described here, I too thought I was the only one with complaint of this nature to share, that many doctors don't consider worthwhile treating. Like you, I have found ointments prescribed an expensive exercise, despite the cost, none of us at this point would mind paying for something that's effective, one stung far more than coconut oil did. That could be why any number of people swear by coconut oil, because it's natural. 

As I said, I have found advice about fibre helpful, I can relate to what you're saying. Along with the recurrence of pain not being easy, I can still truthfully say, this summer is so far proving a bit better, with fissures being manageable, thinking what to do about it. It's clear any number of us are working our way around this ourselves in consulting forums, my day, like that of others, is much easier when I follow food intake with care, in adding, what one food type does for one person might differ for someone else. Clearly diet is the key, it may not altogether solve the problem of fissures, but will have prevent any recurrences after an effective remedy, many here do make sense, or alternatively surgery. 

20

I first had one in 2012 got scared to go to dr as lots of blood in stools, eventually went to see my gp as pain was so bad diagnosed with a fissure and an inside pile went through all creams diet changes etc didnt work so had botox in 2013 i felt like a new women after going to the loo pain free was like heaven unfortunately fissure has returned much worse have to take valuim (only temp) as ive been referred to consultant straight away for more botox i do recommend all the stool softners try and stay away from strong painkilkers unfortunately this time i had no choice as pain and spasms are ruining my life it has been a nice 4 yrs until now, i do truly recommend the botox treatment