Healing diary

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Healing diary

Postby Ash1988 » 25 Nov 2017, 11:08

Hello all, I thought for my peace of mind I would start a diary of my healing. I have posted a few times on the forums but I thought I would try and keep a record now

My fissure developed 5 months ago after childbirth and constipation caused by pain medication. I have always had problems with constipation and so if someone had told me that codeine caused constipation I would not have taken it.

After being originally diagnosed with piles ( i definitely had those as well) I struggled for 3 months with the pain which was always up and down!

I finally went back to the GP and she could see a fissure which she thought was healing. She gave me rectogesic and I have been using that for 7 weeks

In that time I feel the original fissure healed quite well but I seemed to develope another one the opposite side! I also have a rather larger skin tag which gets irritated and hurts a lot

For the last 2 weeks I was feeling a lot better but I went for a GO review yesterday where she did a rectal exam, which was extremely sore!

Today I feel like I’m back to square one, in a lot of pain, feel like there are multiple fissures and back to bleeding again

I’m really upset at the pain and blood, and feel like I’m back to square one

She has referred me to a CRS as she feels like it should have healed

I am now worried that I’m so stressed when having a BM that it will never heal. I go once a day which is lucky I guess, and I take lactulose! Although the past few days I feel like my BMs have been harder. So I’m back to the drawing board. Things I am going to try

1. Rectogesic twice a day morning and night

2. Apply Vaseline and germoloids cream before BM

3. Squat

4. Eat well, does anyone have any good healthy recipes?

5. Drink lots of water

I’m hoping these things will get me back to where I am in a few weeks

Any suggestions for supplements or anything else I could try would really be appreciated, I’m starting to loose hope that I will ever get through this

Help would be appreciated

I am just going to track my healing again here! Just for peace of mind and something I can look back on to make me feel better

Thanks

Ashleigh
Ash1988
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Re: Healing diary

Postby patience_and_healing » 25 Nov 2017, 20:11

Hi there, have you tried miralax instead of lactulose? If you can tolerate it then it's much more effective and produces softer BMs easily. I don't have any specific recipes that I follow. I try to avoid foods that I know specifically will not suit my stomach and cause constipation. Other than that I eat everything in moderation.
8/16-12/16: Fissure due to antibiotics
5/17: Botox to sphincter, fissure healed
9/19: Trigger point injections and pudendal nerve block
11/19: Botox to pelvic floor
8/20: Botox to pelvic floor in new location.
On and off in pelvic physical therapy
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Ash1988 » 29 Nov 2017, 16:24

It wouldn’t let me post before now but I have been pain free since Monday, just burning sensation after BM but no blood

I have gone back to 2 baths a day and using lidocaine cream before BM which is possibly why it is pain free?!

I had a curry for dinner tonight though which may have been an awful mistake! Here’s hoping it wasn’t!
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Ash1988 » 21 Feb 2018, 03:16

So its now february (almost march) and I am still not healed :(

Saw a CRS 4 weeks ago who saw what he called a "tiny" fissure at the 11 o'clock position. He gave me diltiazem and told me to use it for 8 weeks. He suggested alos that i try and reduce the amount of stool softeners that I am using and try to rely on diet. This was because I feel like I had loose stools which were causing urgency and burning when I went to the loo

Had a good few weeks there after using diltiazem for 4 weeks. However, after lowering the amount of lactulose to only 5mls in the evening the past 2 days I have had painful BM were i feel like my fissure is reopening with a little bit of blood. I'm sure that these would be normal stools for most people, but I dont seem to be able to pass without pain. This is a super annoying setback as I hasnt really been in pain for a while.

However, I do feel like I have spasms which last pretty much all day! they are not roll on the floor painful, but my bum feels really tight all day!

I have also developed severe tailbone pain when I sit and now have to sit with a foot underneath me, I'm assuming this is connected.

I ahve a review in april (no idea how I will wait that long) and if I am still symptomatic they will consider botox. However, I am back to work after maternity leave in a few weeks so this is going to completely change my routine, and as I have exams I'm not sure I can take the time to recover properly from botox!

This is a somewhat pointless post. But I feel like I need to write everything down somewhere to clear my head!
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Mypoorbutt » 21 Feb 2018, 11:40

Hi ash, sorry to hear you haven’t healed.
I’m not sure if your in the UK but could you ask for a resting pressure test as if you have a high resting tone this maybe the reason your unable to have a normal BM without pain.
I understand why your surgeon advised you to ease of the softeners as looser BMs are by their very nature more acidic and will irritate a fissure and make it difficult to heal.
Could you phone up the surgeons secretary and see if they can fit you in earlier, or phone up twice a week and see if they have any cancellations so you can be seen earlier. I did that and managed to be seen 6 weeks early.
Botox really isn’t a hard recovery for 99% of people and some really lucky people go to work the next day. I had two week off for Botox but only really needed one, I was back swimming and at the gym by week 2.
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Ash1988 » 21 Feb 2018, 12:37

Hi MPB, thanks for the comment!

yes im in the UK. Would you just just ask a CRS to do this? Yeah I think i maybe took too little last night and retore this morning, but does that mean I wont be able to stop taking it really? He told me to use diltiazem for my "tiny" fissure for 8 weeks and I'm only half way through at 4 weeks so I doubt they will do anything until the 8 weeks is up but that is a good suggestion!
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Re: Healing diary

Postby patience_and_healing » 21 Feb 2018, 13:24

Hi Ash, I read in another one of your posts that you're worried about not being able to take baths since you'll start work soon. You can try a heating pad or a hot water bottle instead. I find the hot water bottle safer since it doesn't get as hot as a heating pad.
8/16-12/16: Fissure due to antibiotics
5/17: Botox to sphincter, fissure healed
9/19: Trigger point injections and pudendal nerve block
11/19: Botox to pelvic floor
8/20: Botox to pelvic floor in new location.
On and off in pelvic physical therapy
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Mypoorbutt » 21 Feb 2018, 13:53

You can ask to be seen quicker if your pain is escalating. Maybe cut back on them slower and some doctors see a lot of patients with IBD so they are more aware of how badly loose BMs affect a fissure so are very anti laxative/softener. Others and I have seen some like it have told me to take softeners even after I have told them I go ten plus times a day. I think a CRS’s judgement can be swayed by the majority of the patients they see. For the moment you have to do what works best for you in this moment and if having looser stools is less painful then perhaps for now that’s what you have to do
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Re: Healing diary

Postby Ash1988 » 21 Feb 2018, 15:41

Thanks for the replies!

I will definintely buy a hot water bottle and give it ago! crazy that I dont own one even though live in the UK!

I will take more lactulose this evening anf hopefully too much damage is not already done :(

I'm going to enquire as to how much botox will be privately! although im scared to have it done and probably cant afford it!

Also I've just picked up another prescription of diltiazem and this time its an ointment instead of a cream, dont know if this will make any difference at all!

again thanks for all the replies they are really helpful when you feel a little bit alone!
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Re: Healing diary

Postby patience_and_healing » 22 Feb 2018, 13:24

Please try not to be afraid of Botox. It's a very safe procedure. The anal region in general is very resistant to infections and the small wounds left by the injections will heal quickly.
8/16-12/16: Fissure due to antibiotics
5/17: Botox to sphincter, fissure healed
9/19: Trigger point injections and pudendal nerve block
11/19: Botox to pelvic floor
8/20: Botox to pelvic floor in new location.
On and off in pelvic physical therapy
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