Hi everyone. I am new to the forum. 50 years peri-menopausal. I first had Botox (following a haemorrhoid banding around 5 years ago and I have been great. However in August following a bad tummy I had a fissure recurrence. It wasnt as painful as it has been in the past but lots of leaking. Got a Botox injection in October. Recovery was fine and smooth until mid January when again I felt something was off. Pre Botox I was given dltiazem which I had a very bad reaction too. Anyways, mid Jan, I started feeling a stretch/ soreness. Two weeks ago I had bleeding during a night time BM and some pain in the morning BM. Diet is very controlled, lot of fibre and water, two laxatives (one morning and one night). BM isnt painful to be honest but there is always something - for instance, I always feel very sticky. Last night I wasnt able to sleep because of severe itching. And post BM again, I am itchy and very uncomfortable (I think there was some leaking last night as my sheet is stained yellow). I was given rectogesic a week ago and I am not sure if this is a side effect. It’s been 4 months since the Botox and I feel like I am not ever going to come out of this situation. I do stress a lot and suffer from anxiety. Losing my mind. Any advice will be gratefully received.

Hi, just read your post. I'm so sorry you're going through problems (post Botox a while back, correct?). The first thing that concerns me is the yellow discharge you said you've been having. I'd get that checked by your primary care team, just to make sure there's no infection. They may refer you back to anorectal specialist, but someone on your team should be able to determine if there's infection. The second point of concern is the diazepam allergy or bad reaction. I found that cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) worked better for me than diazepam to relax sphincter muscle spasms, and it's not as risky to take, as diazepam is one of those meds you can get dependent upon. The third point is that I found nifedipine/lidocaine mixed into petroleum jelly (I get mine from a compounding pharmacy) to be helpful post-fissure maintenance. Finally, I swear the Botox injections really helped me. I only did one round, but if I ever need to, I'd get it done again in a heartbeat. There was a bit of bleeding and some pain from even 24-gauge needle sticks (I was sedated), but after a few weeks, much more normal life (and I swear by Metamucil).