Hello to all,

I found this forum by Google. My story with anal fissure started 6 months ago in May 2023. First, I had a small bleeding post BM and started to feel discomfort. I signed it off as haemmorrhoids thinking it will go away.

In time, discomfort turned into pain and finally I found myself bite the pillow not to disturb the neighbours as I was screaming in pain. I saw my GP and was given hammerrhoids ointments. It didn't help and I went on to see CS who diagnosed me with anal fissure and prescribed nitro-glycerine ointment. It didn't help and I booked second appointment for next Friday.

Throughout this time I tried tens of ointments, even engaging people from other countries to bring me what they heard that "works" for my condition. At one moment there was a 10 days "pause" of pain and I thought it was over. Then I had a very hard stool and was back in pain. To cope with the pain I started taking NSAID Ketoprofen 50-100mgs aand am taking it in average every second day.

Long story short:

Out of all this ointments and remedies I found this to work to aleviate the pain to some degree for me:

- benzocaine ointment
- cold gel compress

Hello!

Just curious if you have tried doing “sitz” baths … my dr recommended at the least 3x a day to relax the sphincter muscle so that fissure can heal. ( as I sit here in a sitz bath with epsom salt typing this) haha.

Also, I’m sure you’ve heard it but I would definitely have some sort of stool softener and or laxative like miralax until you’re way out of the woods so you don’t re tear yourself. (I’m in the USA) so not sure if products are the same where you live or not.

Good luck!

I am reading about this sitzbaths but don't really understand how could that help? I have a bathtub and was sitting on the side of it showering my butt with lukewarm water and felt nothing.

Is there something I am missing?

Hi pjole,

Sitz baths are meant to relax the spinchter muscles and also help blood get to that area. Agree with Gardengril about the stool softener, Miralax is the one of choice.

Washing the area and not wiping was also recommended and it goes a long way in lowering the irritation in that region. I don't think washing versus sitting in warm water has the same effect esp blood flow and relaxation, so you might be better off tryign the sirz baths to see if they help with the pain and discomfort.

Hope this helps!

OK. I must try it then. Nothing to loose I guess...