hello

HEEEELLLLLPPPPPP!!!

I am a 42 year-old male who had been suffering from anal fissure for a year and a half or so. The doctor confirmed that I was completely cured at some point using a combination of Diltiazem, Forlax and coconut oil. I that point, I do not recall having skin tags. Unfortunately, a stressful period tore my bottom apart again and I have been suffering atrociously until end Nov 2016. Since then, I have been moving between 70% to 90% cured without ever reaching 100%. In the meantime, I have grown skin tags and my anus looks like a small cabbage. I have had to drop the diltiazem completely because every time I now try to insert it into my anus using my forefinger, I either hurt myself or the tip of my anus develop some bloody rash. Today after, 2 months, I am experiencing some pain reminiscent of the atrocious one I felt when my suffering was at its highest. I can remain blood-free for at most 2 weeks and then there will be some in the toilet paper when I will wipe myself. I am unable to keep my stool absolutely soft during my morning bowel morning. It seems to me that the morning poop is made up of the dinner, lunch and breakfast of the previous day and the breakfast comes out first followed by the lunch and dinner. I am currently experimenting with magnesium citrate. I take 200 mg at night and 200 mg after breakfast. Unfortunately, it does not seem to soften the breakfast poop but the dinner poop comes out all soft (like a semi-dirrahea). I also do take 2 sachets of Forlax just before dinner. So i am not sure whether the softness has to do with the Forlax or the magnesium citrate, I am currently eating no animal protein at all save for some sardines 3 to 4 times a week. A terrible diet! So i have a few questions:

1. how should I take the magnesium citrate so that my breakfast and other meals all come out soft?
2. what should I do concerning the skin tags?
3. I am thinking of putting garlic in custom made coconut suppositories and use that in the morning and at night. Has anybody tried garlic?
4. Does anybody know some reliable sites from which I can buy suppository molds? I have seen some but they look fishy.

thanks a lot in advance.

helpmeplease -- welcome to the forum...sorry to hear about your struggles...I can totally relate.

I had an active fissure that "healed" but ever since have been dealing with flare ups and a papilla (like an internal skin tag) that gets aggravated and bleeds...right now dealing with my own burning issues (no-pun intended!).

Few thoughts -- first, ditch the diltiazem and get yourself some nifedipine. Many on this board have developed rashes from diltiazem and for some reason nifedipine seems to be just as good without all the rashy side effects.

As for magnesium...i also found too much made things watery. You may want to reduce the magnesium and opt for something called Miralax -- it is an osmotic stool softener that works wonders on breakfast lunch and dinner ;) I would highly recommend.

As for applying creams -- the fissure creams do not need to be jammed up there...smear them around your anus and the active ingredient will be well absorbed.

Skin tags -- try and leave them alone...hopefully they will recede a bit. I know it is close to impossible...but the more you ignore them the better. Some people have had them removed only to have multiple grow back at the same spot.

Never tried garlic other than in pasta or a stew. Personally I would not be doing that...hard to know the right dose and it could cause irritation.

Keep us posted -- I hope you feel some relief soon.

Canadabum

If you're looking for a suppository, I found anusol plus extra pain relief suppositories to be very soothing. I had lots of rectal burning and it was helpful! I use once nightly. Otherwise Canadabum has you covered!

Hey GG -- I am having some burning issues...may try that suppository. Does it help hems?

I think it has brought my hems down a little - it is for hemorrhoids, but I'm having trouble reducing them because my sphincter pressure is too high - hoping LIS will deal with that and hems will go back to not bothering me at all!

I find witch hazel helps reduce the size, but the suppositories have helped most with the burning. I've also tried Prep H cooling gel, which is soothing, and there are some good more natural options from a company called Earth Mama Angel Baby (check out well.ca since you're in Canada too!). The Earth Mama stuff is made for post partum symptoms - which include hems and fissures!

thank you Canadabum and GilmoreGirl for your replies.

to Canadabum:

Forlax, which I use, is also an osmotic stool softener. We do not have Miralax in my country. One Forlax sachet contains 10g macrogol 4000 (‎Polyethylene glycol - same as Miralax). I take 2 sachets before dinner. I have been taking the magnesium over and above the Forlax after I read a post on this forum that someone found relief in it. I was trying to keep my stools the softest possible. Maybe that is an overkill?

Since Miralax and Forlax are comparable, how much do you take at breakfast, lunch and dinner? I do not want to use the loo during office hours as they do not have floor toilets; seat toilets are a nightmare for me. Does your dose make you go to the toilet more than once per day?

I have also noticed something since a few months; it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean myself properly. So much so that I currently wear woman's pad to reduce the mess in my underwear! Yes, you read that right! Do you have a solution for that?

And concerning meal sizes, do you eat regular portions or do you eat half-portions for every meal? I have already lost 20 pounds and look like a zombie!

thanks and regards

Hi helpmeplease!

Sorry to hear about your woes. I have faced similar desperation with several of the things you mentioned.

Re: cleaning yourself -- I use a travel bidet, not so much for mess, but so I dont irritate my anus with wiping. It is amazing. Even when I was healed, I continued to use it. Hardly need TP now.

Re: hard morning poop -- I use a glycerin suppository before bed if I havent pooped since the morning, and have never had a problem with the dreaded morning plug that is often more difficult to pass. My recent re-tear unfortunately happened when i went over a day without pooping and was dehydrated, and neglected to use a suppository before going to bed -- bad idea.

I agree with others that magnesium + the forlax might be overkill. I did that briefly, and then decided to continue with magnesium only. It was easier for me dosage wise. I take all my magnesium before bed ~10pm, sometimes up to 1000 mg if I am healing and want to make sure things are very soft, altho warning this often results in diarrhea -- which I still prefer to feeling the pain of the fissure. When I am healed and being careful, I generally take around 600 - 700 mg as that keeps think soft and formed but not hard)

Suppositories -- I found some interesting recipes on this forum. The disposable suppository molds I found on amazon were really expensive ($40!). So I bought a silicone mold shaped like coffee beans that people use for baking and ice cubes that was about $7. The mold is re-usable, and a good size and shape for a suppository. I am still waiting for them to arrive to make my own suppositories.

Re: garlic. I agree with others -- wouldnt do that.

Re: meal sizes. I dont notice a significant difference between full size or half size unless I eat too much fiber, which makes my poops really bulky. I generally only eat till I am full. I also lost weight when I went nearly vegan when I retor last December, and just re-tore again so am expecting to lose some weight since I'm back to being mostly vegan during the healing stage.

Cant speak to skin tags, hope you get some advice on that are find a thread in this forum that answers your questions.

Best wishes to you and your bum :)

@Canadabum & @healthybutt: thanks a lot for your replies.

@Canadabum

1. Which brand of nifedipine do you use?
2. How often do you apply it?
3. Do you apply it also before your BMs or only after or at bedtime?
4. Do you use a gel or cream version?
5. Do you apply it deep inside your anus, just inside or outside?

@healthybutt

I tried the glycerin suppository, a brand called Cristal. God it was huge! I could not push it inside and I hurt myself in the process. Which brand do you use? Could you post a picture so that I can get an idea about its size?

thanks to you both!

Hi helpmeplease,

I'm away from home currently so I cant take a photo, but I use fleet suppositories. Each one is about 1.75 inches long and maybe .25 inch wide, and I usually dip it vaseline first so it slides right in! There is also liquid glycerin you can use rectally -- not sure how that works since I havent tried it. Also fleet pedialax has kid glycerin suppositories which I have read are smaller and easier to insert, although I havent tried those either.

If your suppositories are huge, you might be able to cut them in half or shorter, and use vaseline to lubricate the suppository when inserting.

Good luck!

helpmeplease...apologies for not getting back sooner. Truth is that I have had a bit of a relapse myself so all my advice should be taken with that in mind...that I too am not 100%. In my case I think it is a papilla issue, but not sure.

As for nifedipine -- it is a prescribed ointment that the pharmacist makes. It is a powder that is put in to a vaseline base - so no brand. When I was using it I applied 2x-3x per day. I would apply in the morning, lunch and evening...and if I had a bm I would reapply. It was a gel version - vaseline base. I applied around the anus - not deep in..no need to go deep because the active ingredient is absorbed.

As for meal sizes...I too lost a lot of weight when things were bad...and put it all back on (lol). I used to add oil to everything I ate - both to lubricate myself and get calories. i found eating spoonfulls of flax oil or olive oil great...and I would put extra virgin olive oil on much of my food - which was tasty. I also made sure to eat fatty fish (not sure if you eat fish) as much as I could. I didnt find eating half meals helped me...and trust me I went many days eating very little...still bled and was in pain. I also know that my mind would not allow me to eat normal portions because of how scared I was to injure myself...its a tough balance to strike. Try adding oils - flax, olive and coconut were my favorites.

Best - CB