Hello, I am so glad to have found this site it has already helped me a lot just from browsing! Basically I am a 22 year old male who has been suffering on and off (mainly on) from anal bleeding, pain and itching for at least 10 years now. About 6 years ago I went to the doctor to get it checked out. After having an extremely brief look he came to he conclusion that I had a tight sphincter which was causing small anal fissures. He told me the only way to cure this was for him to stick a metal pole up my arse causing my sphincter to rip open and heal less tightly. I was obviously horrified by this and have thus never mentioned it to a doctor since. When the pain has been at its worse I seem to have a fairly large pea shaped lump in my anus which sticks out during bowel movements and makes it near impossible to wipe or pass stools. I would often have extreme pain and small bright red dots of blood on toilet paper after wiping even when this lump wasn't present. For the past few months I have been holding my bowel movements in for up to 12 hours so I can pass stools at home and clean my arse with a shower rather than wiping (disgusting I know, but it has been doing the job) This has got rid of pain and itching most of the time, although still there occasionally. It is however extremely unpractical with work etc and so I can't keep doing this forever.I have also started having 1-2 hot baths a week which seems to help if I am in discomfort. Last night I was at a friends house and HAD to go to the toilet for a bowel movement. I ended up having to wipe my arse and have now woken up this morning with a bruised feeling and after some feeling about have discovered that lump back in its usual place. This has got me seriously upset and depressed thinking about all the time I put in making sure I didn't wipe my arse and now after wiping once I seem to be back to square one! My fiet is fairly healthy (apart from drinking at weekends and i am a daily smoker) I am sorry for the long post but wanted to include as many factors as possible. Any advice at all will be massively appreciated!!

Hello

Really sorry to hear about your issues. Try not to worry too much about it and see a Colorectal Surgeon as soon as possible. These are surgeons who specialise in bum issues and can advise you much better than a GP who are very hit and miss when it comes to AF's etc.

Try getting wet wipes from Boots or Tescos etc with minimal additives or for sensitive skin. These can really help you wipe your arse properly. Normal dry tissues cause problems for a lot of people and you are not the only one.

Baths are a good idea + shower head.

One thing I do is to use like a simple jug. Basically fill it from the sink and once I am done with BM pour water on my back side by tilting it behind me by holding in one hand.

Hope you feel well soon :)

Thanks for the reply. I've done a bit more looking around on here and learnt that the lump must be a Sentinel Pile. Also that, because I'm in the UK I probably won't get surgery through the NHS untl I've tried botox twice and sat on the waiting list for years. Unfortunately I don't think I will be able to afford to spend any where near 2 thousand pounds anytime soon. I will just keep looking through this fantastic website for remedies and hope I can sort myself out for now. I don't know if it's possible to get a check up off an expert via the NHS? I will certainly have a look though because at the moment I can't even afford to pay just for a check up. Great site though btw! I just wish I found it years ago and could have maybe prevented this from going on so long.

Ask your GP to send you to a colorectal surgeon. He should be able to do that on NHS. Also it really depends how much pain you have but basically if its effecting your life/work badly then do tell that to your GP or maybe go to A&E to see what they say.

I dont see how people can survive with this debilitating condition for months while waiting for NHS Appointments. Surely there would be a better way.

Hello there. I can sympathise with trying to get help on the NHS. I managed to get Botox reasonably quickly, but getting any follow up or help after that was a nightmare and I went for surgery privately in the end. But it varies depending on where you live I expect and also it'd help if there weren't strikes and the government generally trying to grind the system into the ground...

Anyway, go to your GP, Chambers21, and ask them to refer you to see a specialist. If they can flag it as urgent then that'll help, so make a fuss (I did a lot of crying!). Or go to see a private surgeon (your GP will need to refer you) and then at least they can put you on the NHS list for surgery/investigation quicker. Or join Benenden who can get you treated sooner sometimes. I got offered an op through them much quicker than NHS but went for private because I just couldn't wait any more. https://www.benenden.co.uk/
Good luck!