Hello everyone,
I'm no stranger to this forum. 2.5 years ago I suffered a perianal abscess/fistula (no IBD, likely a clogged gland). I immediately went on a high fiber diet and was having 2-4 BMs per day and that seemed to make me feel much better and I had no more problems....until now.
I started a new medication last week for my OCD....called Anafranil. Previously I had been taking Prozac without any issues, but I found it was likely making me BM more frequently than usual, so I decided to try Anafranil since it was supposed to lower that. Big mistake! I became horribly constipated and I was having only 1 very hard bowel movement per day. Unfortunately these side effects began to become noticeable while I was on my way to vacationing in Mexico. Now I am in Mexico and I have been having burning pain and small amounts of blood on the tissue with some bowel movements (2 out of the 5 bowel movements I've had since I arrived in Mexico have had blood, while all have had burning pain). This all started after I had one particularly hard and large bowel movement 3 days ago in the airport.
I am so paranoid about abscess/fistula formation that it is making me worried sick. So far there are no lumps, no fever and no sign of either of those things, but I'm hoping I can resolve this before either of those things becomes possible. As of right now I am using a Prep H suppository after each BM and I have been using lidocaine/hydrocortisone cream to numb the area (which has removed the pain completely but not solved the problem). The issue is persisting despite all of my bowel movements for the past 2 days being soft. Do I just need to wait it out? Is there anything more I can do?
Some important notes-
1.) I am taking metamucil twice per day now with extra water.
2.) My anus seems much tighter than usual....what is this a sign of?
3.) There appears to be a particularly troublesome hemorrhoid that gets agitated along the scar wall where my fistula was removed. Is this normal?
Thanks. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. My most important goal is to avoid any fistula or abscess development. The hemorrhoid I can deal with so long as it remains as such. I'm also curious as to what the symptoms of a fissure are. I do not feel any cut or crack and the pain seems to be coming from around/near the scar on the hemorrhoid, which is in the front, not the back where fissures are usually located. The hemorrhoid appears to be inside (I rarely, if ever, have external hemorrhoids).