I have an AF -- what should I know?

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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby newgirl » 23 Apr 2012, 14:32

Hello Friends
I wanted to share my ordeal and recovery through the AF. I am 98% recovered now and this forum provided a lot of information and humor that kept me sane through this. So I thought I owe it to all here to share my path to recovery ☺
My problem started with very bad eating habits and little water in the diet. It manifested itself as a Thrombosed Hemorrhoid. Drove to the doctor in sheer pain, crying all the while and barely managed to make it to the office. As I waited, I popped 2 ibuprofens to manage the pain. The doctor (general surgery, not CRS) said that he can cut it right there in his office as an outpatient procedure. But he said that the body was already taking care of it as it was bleeding and it can heal on its own. I was happy to let body heal on its own. I went home thinking that not pooping for a couple of days would relieve pressure and heal. Oh boy! Was I wrong?
After a week of this constant pain(did have a hard BM during this week every time I went ), I was in even more pain and went to the doc again. This time the hemmy had almost healed but there was a fissure now. Hard stool had backed up in my system. This visit was Monday. Now, I was armed with Miralax, Ducosate and 0.2% nitroglycerine (did not know that it had to be applied inside the anus)!
Well, with my plethora of medicines, I started my High Fiber, high water diet. By wed, I was still backed up and I almost fainted while trying to pass a massive piece of hard stool. I could not do it, and sucked it back inside-cried all day and emailed the doc. The doc suggested Glycerin Suppository, which I put in Thu morning and pooped out such a big, hard piece of stool. OMG! Have not felt such relief and terror at the same time.
By now, the diet, miralax and stool softener decided to take charge and the following few days, things got gradually softer. I was aiming for toothpaste consistency in the bathroom. It took me some time to get there but I figured out the right dosage, knew to put 0.2% Nitro inside the anus, sitz baths etc. This whole process took another 1.5 weeks.
I went to the doc at the 3-week mark, 5-week mark and y’day was the 7-week mark. Y’day he said, it’s completely healed!! However, I still feel anxious. There is still some itching and pricking which I asked the doc. He said, “ itching is the lowest form of pain and pricking means the nerves are trying to form connections again”.
Also right before my periods, I get slightly constipated and can feel the fissure. I up my intake of Miralax at the first sign. The doctor said that’s because of pressure felt in the body during that time.
Now this is my regimen:
Morning: get up- 2 glasses of water, which sets things in motion.
Breakfast : High Fiber Cereal (Fiber one)
Snack: an apple or any high fiber fruit
Lunch : Mostly salad or high fiber meal- brown rice/beans etc.
Snack: Nuts/ dates
Dinner : Leafy Veggies or some fibrous meal again
During the day I take a heaping tablespoon of Citrucel. Before sleeping I take half a cap of Miralax. Drink 3 liters of water a day and do sitz bath at night. Doc says that’s when our body is repairing itself. He’s also prescribed Lidocaine if the pricking gets severe.
Sometimes I still get depressed and anxious as things are still not perfect there and it’s been so long! The doc says that the nerves grow at the rate of 1mm per month! I’m learning to be patient and smile!
Hope this helps! Things do get better!
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby workingonit » 25 Apr 2012, 17:39

Thanks Newgirl,
Nice to know what itching and pricking can mean.
Congrats on healing!
-Tanya
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby sailorgal » 08 May 2012, 20:26

There is lots of great ideas on here. I think one that warrants being put on this thread is making sure that you are receiving treatment from a CRS that you trust and that is addressing your concerns and issues, if at all possible. Never having been thru this before, I luckily got my 1st CRS involved within the first few weeks of my fissure last December 2011. Due to a combination of my slow healing, not responding to conservative treatment and my CRS not having great communication skills (despite my repeated attempts), I sought a 2nd opinion at month 3 (2 months post-botoxw/fissurectomy). And at month 5 months, have officially switched my care over to my new guy. It's not to say that my first CRS was not nice (she was lovely, personable) or capable (her treatment was fine) - but her communication was not good (was vague, not forthright when I attempted asking questions, at times double-talked/was inconsistent with recommendations, and was waaayyy too fast for me to be able to have a normal conversation to discuss options and process the information) resulting in me not having the greatest trust in her which trumps any effective treatment technique she may be capable of. My current guy TAKES HIS TIME (and runs at least an hour late with his appointments, but it's worth it!) and lays out all the information for me so that I can make an informed decision.
So, moral of the story is that if you are not totally satisfied with your CRS, do not waste any time in getting a 2nd opinion! That is my only regret in this ordeal - altho, hindsight is 20/20 . . .
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what types of pain meds are doctors prescribing?

Postby momshouse » 15 May 2012, 08:06

Hello, im a newbie and just started fighting my second fissure off, its been 4 weeks now and the pain is about a 7 to 8 out of ten on bad days.On good days its about a 3, lol i was beginning to feel that this was life now but this ite tells me there is hope.I wanted to ask what type of pain meds are these doctors prescribing for you other sufferers?,what works best? I did the morphine thing but i don't think it did much.My friend saw i was in pain and offered me a oxocette witch was wonderful the pain was gone for 4 to 6 hours. I live in a very small town and there is no resident doctor here so every time i return for my flare ups we gotta go through the whole process of him poking at it and of course the finger thing ARG... I had one doctor tell me it didn't hurt and i should go home and deal with it, Can you imagine....Anyway ya what other types are you guys trying?
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby 44alegna44 » 15 May 2012, 16:06

Hello Mom and Welcome Image ,
First off let me tell how sorry I am that you are living with a fissure and the pain that comes along with it :(
Second, I hate to ask you to re-post this, but if you do under the New To The Forum page, you'll probably get more views and opinions.
Is your doctor a CRS or a GP....a Colon Rectal Specialist is definitely who you should be seeking out to help treat and manage this condition. Also, I believe he/she will have a better understanding/knowledge of the pain level this brings and would be best suited to prescribe you something to help you cope better.
I have tried valium, which I wasn't a fan of as it made me too listless....Advil has always done the trick for me...it's just that sometimes the pain level was so high I'd have to take 4-5 at a time, and although it helped, I know that my stomach was at risk of taking a beating by popping so many, so that's not adviseable. I was prescribed percocet after my surgery to help during the recovery and I did find that it worked well for the pain and I could function on it as well. I just didn't take it longer than the first 2 days after surgery, as by that point 2-3 advil kept the pain at bay.
Best Wishes and Good Luck Image
Angel Image
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby momshouse » 15 May 2012, 18:51

thanks for the reply wow it feels better to read a personalized response, i was worried about getting addicted to the meds cause its so nice to not be in pain you know. So some people actually suffer from these blasted things for years!!, oh man i couldn't handle years. thanks again for the response.
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby LennyKing » 20 May 2012, 04:52

Hi I am a newbee, I was diagnosed having haemoroid 2 weeks ago but have been in excruciating pain now for three weeks gp gave me suppositories and Proctosedyl ointment did no good at all was in so mucjh pain i ended up at A and E i was then told i have fissure and was given Rectogesic cream this was four days ago I am in so much pain all day it doesnt subside apart from when im asleep I also use Calendula cream. I am going off my head with pain can anyone suggest anything PLEASE thank you Lenny
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby momshouse » 20 May 2012, 07:27

hi lenny sorry dude i wish i was closer to you cause i would just give you some of mine but since I'm not i recommend trimacete or oxocette they are powerful opiates of course do the bath thing even tho it only really feels better while your in there at least its a little relief i also found when i tried cold it helped if ya get a chance to be left alone put a cold cloth directly against your anus.again i feel for you man and other than a doctors help there is not much else you can do best of luck
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby Sana1 » 28 May 2012, 00:10

Hi Mom and Lenny
When I had my non-stop spasms (9 out of 10 ) for about a month, I've got very short term relief while deep squatting with my knees wide open. Somehow it streched something inside and gave me little break. I did not respond at all to any pain meds unfortunately. Be careful if you decide to try it, do slowly, it all depends when your fissure is located. I discovered this pose while searching under "yoga for hemorrhoids", I couldn't try others because of a cast and a sling on my left arm.
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Re: I have an AF -- what should I know?

Postby Skippy » 31 May 2012, 08:24

Hi,
The fun thing about AF's is that they are different for everyone, so just remember how special you are!
I got mine after a colonoscopy...don't have a colonoscopy unless you have symptoms that require it. It my case, I had blood in my stools for three months. Now I have a fissure with urethritis, so it's a long road.
The best thing about a fissure is that it forces you to only eat what your body needs, not what it wants. This means trying to get your potties down to once per day or less. I actually got my fissure healed for the first time in 3 months by doing this, and lost 15 un-needed pounds in the process.
I also know that for me, standing is better than sitting. Also note that increasing the bloodflow down there will help healing too. So have a sitz bath twice a day, and use nitro before you go to sleep. Just don't get the sitz bathwater onto any other body parts because the nitro will go there along with all your other creams, and you might get a UTI. i did! A sitzbath has water only on your butt, nowhere else. Otherwise, shower!
My AF also started with a severe peri-anal infection that was only stopped by topical ficudin creme. My anal skin began bleeding and I could no longer wipe after potty. So do what I did and get a bidet.
Experiment with fiber until you potty only once in the morning, and try having a little with each meal.
Watch out for stretching too far. For me, bending over rips the AF, so walking is my only exercise. Eventually, some low impact rollerblading for me, but otherwise lots of rest, preferably lying on my tummy.
Never overeat, and avoid anything that will constipate or give you hard stools. Eat to minimize volume of potty, and that will handle the calorie count automatically. Eat some healthy fat and protein in your breakfast and you won't feel hungry. Have popsicles for snacks and lots of fruit or protein smoothies. And lots of soft food that is already beaten to death before it enters your body.
I have found that aspartame, fake sugars, and caffeine make my urethritis worse, so I got off them. But I also found that beer kills my pain. I am already downing several tylenol and 1 aspirin a day as well as fish oil, to ease my pain. I drink rarely but realized that 2 beers with ice in a glass immediately stops the pain. Yes, drink water, but with my urethritis, I drink only enough to have a clear pee 4 times per day. Anymore and my pain increases.
The moral of the story is that your behaviour needs to become focused. I seemed to have cured my AF last week, but it relapsed with a food binge and some hard stools which broke it again.
With the right behaviour change, 2 months should fix it, and I will be back rollerblading.
Good luck...Skippy
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