I've just found this forum and it is really interesting to read about other peoples experiences, and it's good to know that I'm not alone in this, as some family members and friends do not understand why I have been in pain for such a long time.
In November last year (2012), I flew to a wedding in Melbourne. I always suffer constipation when flying, but this time everything seemed okay. Until 4 days into the trip, where I started to have massive, painful stomach cramps, and a very large amount of rectal bleeding, even without opening my bowels. I flew straight home the next day, and presented myself to a hospital who, according to my nurse friend, was supposed to be good at colo-rectal surgeries and specialisation. I was admitted immediately, and after having a sigmoidoscopy, was found to have 3 very large internal haemhorroids, which were removed with general anaesthesia and surgery. I was released from hospital, without having opened my bowels. A week later, I had to return to hospital with fecal impaction, and urinary retention. This was treated and I was sent home again.
2 weeks later, I was in a massive amount of pain, suffering from muscle spasms in my rectum. I presented to a different, private hospital (the prior hospital was a public hospital), as I felt that the public system had let me down. I was diagnosed with fecal impaction again, and anal fissures. I also had more haemhorroids that had not been treated, so under another GA I had botox to treat the fissure, and some banding of the haemhorroids. The hospital and surgeon were brilliant, as the surgeon had suffered a fissure himself, so could relate to my pain, and therefore gave me pain medication and laxative treatment to suit. After a week I went home.
Another 3 weeks passed by, and I was still in a massive amount of pain. Actually, the most pain I had been in during this entire ordeal. I presented to the private hospital again, only to find this time that not only do I have a fissure, but I also now have an abscess and a fistula. Another surgery, and a drain was put in to drain the abscess. Another week in hospital.
3 weeks later, and I was still in pain, which was worsening. I went and saw my GP this time, who had also suffered an anal abscess himself, and was very sympathetic to my cause. He gave me some morphine, and told me to present to hospital again if the pain didn't subside. He also took bloods to test me for Coeliac Disease, due to my ongoing stomach pain.
I presented back to the hospital again, where I had another GA to check for any changes, and for manual evacuation. I was also given a gastroscopy to check for Coeliac, which came back positive. My diet immediately was changed to avoid gluten, so I hoped that this might see the end of my ongoing bowel issues also.
Not to be. Just two weeks ago, still in a lot of pain after each bowel movement, I called my colorectal surgeon and made an appointment with him. He arranged another GA, and I had more botox, and the anal fissure was found to have increased in size.
So, all in all, I have not been able to work in 6 months so far. I have had 7 hospital admissions, and 5 surgeries in this time. I am lying on my couch right now, still in pain, and am now having bladder pain to go with it. I have sitz baths, I have laxatives, I have pain meds... and I am just at my wits end. Right now I feel like presenting to hospital again, but I don't know if that is the right thing or not. I just don't know what to do next. This has been the worst 6 months of my life, as I have always been a pretty healthy person.
Thanks for listening, and I would appreciate any advice or suggestions that anyone may have!
to the Forum Kristy! Really sorry that you are in pain, and we are here to advise and commiserate too! We have all been there and some of us still are. 
