Hello all,

TL;DR at the end :)

This is my first time talking about this. I've done a bunch of research on my own but am feeling lost and alone, and could really use some advice on this!

I think I've had fissure issues all my life, mostly when I was a kid - I have what looks like scar tissue left over from one that was painful as a kid (5/10 pain), and I remember several times finding blood on the paper after wiping, but NEVER anywhere near this kind of pain! Now only 24/f. My father has also suffered from fissures, and ended up getting surgery. I'm not sure if that's important.

It started a week and a half ago. I will try to make the long story short. It started on a Friday, BM regular until Weds. I had a BM on that Weds, Fri, Mon, and yesterday, Tues. On Weds, pain was 3.5/10, no bleeding - left for 5 hour trip to see family for holiday. Unfortunately, with Thanksgiving, and the way family is (heavy social drinkers, big on eating out as the city has great food, etc), I did not eat well, but did eat in moderation and stuck to beer. Fri BM was mostly solid, 6/10 pain and blood. Sun drove home, 5 hour drive, EXCRUCIATING PAIN. During all of this time, I believed my condition to be a hemorrhoid (although thrombosed when pain got bad), because I could feel what I know now is a skin tag and pain was minimal. Used Prep H this entire time, and it felt like it was helping.

Mon morning, buy Tucks pads, stool softeners, and start sitz baths. Daily discomfort was up, but manageable - until I had a BM. 8/10 pain, soft stool, almost cried. Felt this day like I opened the wound again. Determined skin tag was just that, and could finally see/identify issue as a fissure.

Yesterday, I bought two types of pain cremes, one with 4% lidocaine, epsom salts, petroleum jelly, an enema, laxative suppositories. I had only a liquid breakfast, smoothie with almond milk and fibrous fruits. I used the suppository and then the enema (read in some thread to make stool as watery as possible to pass? bad idea). Two hours to have this BM because pain was 10/10, UNBEARABLE every time I tried!! Had to bite on something to not cry. Finally did and felt instantly better. Had bath, tried creme. Both cremes that I've tried do not help and only BURN, so I gently wiped off. The area surrounding the fissure has since become pretty swollen.

Here's my issues and my thoughts - I just moved, and am in the process of getting a job (and insurance through job). It will be another 9 weeks, or more, until I see this insurance (if I don't sign up for Obamacare in the meantime? I don't even know...) I do not have ANY money for a doctor, or a specialist, or prescriptions, and certainly not surgery, without insurance. I've thrown more money than I can probably budget at all of these over the counter attempts to help myself.

I have not eaten since yesterday's liquid breakfast. I am considering doing a liquid diet/water fast for as long as I can hold out, using vitamins/soups/non-dairy/caffeine liquids to have some kind of calories/nutrition. I've also read that just water fasts are safe for a few days, with vitamins. I'm just scared to have another BM, I absolutely refuse to do it right now. Has anyone had success with this? As a food lover, does anyone have any tips to make this suck less? Any tips to stay safe, other than vitamins?

I can also feel that the area is very tight, and contracting, obviously delaying healing. Are there over the counter things I can try to relax the muscle? Other than 2-3 baths a day, a heating pad, and light cardio, is there any other way to increase blood flow or relax the muscles to help this issue?

The area is the most painful it's been for this entire ordeal. I can't even pass gas it's so raw and painful, it feels like glass, and the area's so swollen! I doubt it's infection, I've been very clean and careful. Maybe just that I tried so many treatments yesterday? Will this go away if I leave it alone? Is this a sign that the condition is worsening? Does the pain stay this excruciating for the entire ordeal??? Any other pain management or over the counter treatments I can try?

Thank you all who took the time to read this. I'm embarrassed talking about this to anyone I know. It feels like such a lonely issue, and the pain (and def the irritability from not eating much, ha!) has made it so that I just want to sit on the couch and cry. I'm scared of the bathroom, and I just want to get back to normal. I've become so discouraged reading stories of people dealing with this for months, or YEARS. It's only been a few days of this level of pain, and I can already feel myself becoming depressed about it, it's taking up my every thought. I can't possibly manage myself on this level of pain for that long. Any thoughts or advice would be so so so appreciated!

TL;DR had an anal fissure for a week and a half. didn't take care of it over holidays, tried tons of over the counter treatments for hemorrhoids and fissures. nothing's worked and I'm low on options (no insurance or money for doctors). is a water fast a good idea? what other treatments or options might help?

Obviously you do need to see a CRS as soon as possible but here’s a bit of advice
Take as many sitz baths as you can when my spasms were at their worst I was having at least 7 a day.
Do not wipe with toilet paper after a BM, try showering the area (I do) or using a portable bidet or wet wipes or even wet toilet paper.
Use a barrier cream like zinc and castor oil or Vaseline before a BM to protect the area.
Eat healthily but be careful with the laxatives as a very liquid acidic BM can burn the fissure and make it worse. Maybe a stool softener would be better. I know lots of people use magnesium....I have no issues trying to get soft stools so can’t offer much advise there
If your having spasms and have a history of ‘bottom’ issues then your best option is to see a CRS as they can give you cream specifically for a fissure to help stop the spasms and improve healing time. They could also test your resting pressure to see if surgery might be best for you.
I personally stopped eating for a ten day period which greatly helped with my pain but because my resting tone was high my fissure still did not heal....which is why it’s always best to see a good doc.
I’m eternally greatful I have the nhs as I could not have lived with my spasms without the GTN cream
Good luck and I’m sure others will come with really good ideas

Mypoorbutt wrote:Obviously you do need to see a CRS as soon as possible but here’s a bit of advice
Take as many sitz baths as you can when my spasms were at their worst I was having at least 7 a day.
Do not wipe with toilet paper after a BM, try showering the area (I do) or using a portable bidet or wet wipes or even wet toilet paper.
Use a barrier cream like zinc and castor oil or Vaseline before a BM to protect the area.
Eat healthily but be careful with the laxatives as a very liquid acidic BM can burn the fissure and make it worse. Maybe a stool softener would be better. I know lots of people use magnesium....I have no issues trying to get soft stools so can’t offer much advise there
If your having spasms and have a history of ‘bottom’ issues then your best option is to see a CRS as they can give you cream specifically for a fissure to help stop the spasms and improve healing time. They could also test your resting pressure to see if surgery might be best for you.
I personally stopped eating for a ten day period which greatly helped with my pain but because my resting tone was high my fissure still did not heal....which is why it’s always best to see a good doc.
I’m eternally greatful I have the nhs as I could not have lived with my spasms without the GTN cream
Good luck and I’m sure others will come with really good ideas

Thanks for the fast reply!

Hmm. Since I've been home, I have been showering, and lots of baths, but I can definitely do more. I haven't tried the magnesium, when it comes time, I'll switch to that.

I'm not sure I could stop eating for ten days! That's dedication! Any tips or tricks to this, to stay healthy or make it less horrible?

I should absolutely see a doctor, you're right. I just can't afford it for a while. I'm trying to keep positive by telling myself I can do it myself, even though that doesn't seem to be a regular case!

Thanks again!

I’m sure that if your resting tone is normal then you can heal this yourself....lots of members on this board have done so.
I was in agony with the spasms lasting 24 hours after a BM and I also have crohns and IBS so my list of ‘safe’ food was small anyway.
I think vitamins like Ruitin is helpful in sifting skin healing and I found comfrey cream was also very helpful especially after I had the op to lower my resting tone. The creams will sting especially the first couple of times. Coconut oil always used to sting if I put it directly on the fissure. You can also add coconut oil and oil of oregano to your bath but only a few drops of oregano is needed. I also used medi honey and oxonated olive oil. But for me nothing even touched it until I had Botox but my pressure was exceptionally high.