So in August of last year I was hospitalized with chronic anemia from my bleeding internal hemorrhoids. I never had pain with my internal or external but my hemoglobin was so low I had to relieve blood.well I made it to January waiting for my husbands new health insurance to kick in and drove 2.15 hours to a doctor who does the HET treatment because there were none in my area. I agreed to have it done on the basis that I was told it is relatively painless. It was not. The procedure itself was painful but not nearly as painful as what I’ve been going through for the last 8 days. I was uncontrollably sobbing so my aunt got me anxiety meds that keep me from crying. I can barely eat but I am using the bathroom and they are soft. My doctor because I’m in no condition to make 2.15 ride out there and 2.15 ride home hasn’t seen me but told me the procedure can cause a tear or an anal fissure. Gee thanks doc. So he phoned me in a prescription of diltizapem and lidocaine which I was pain free before I used it and as soon as I used it I was hot and burning and throbbing. Sits baths didn’t work for the pain only ice. So I’m afraid to use it. It’s like my body wants to go to the bathroom but once I get some out it’s like ok we can’t take it anymore and my body has to stop for a while before it musters the strength to say hey we have to go again. My problem is as I use the restroom the first time is manageable and the second and getting into the third starts to get a little more painful the last two I had did really hurt but I didn’t see any blood in my stool like I did yesterday. I’m scared I’m going to just hurt myself again every time I go to the bathroom. I don’t really know what advice I’m looking For. I’m just exhausted and want to be myself again. I’m afraid that I’m not feeling better fast enough I feel like I should have already felt a change in pain at some point these last 8 days. My hardest part is also trying to have motivation and not be depressed which is why my aunt gave me anxiety meds. When did everyone start to notice a change in their pain? Should I be worried about using that cream I was prescribed because it makes the pain worse? Is going to the potty then taking breaks then going back again going to make it worse or is it going to re tear me or what? I just can’t seem to get a full bowel movement out in one sitting honestly I don’t think I’ve had a full movement since before the procedure I’ve just been steady going some each day with soft stool.

You must keep your stools very soft. Take a stool softener and find your sweet spot in terms of quantity.
If the cream has side effects do not use it anymore. Try something else, like coconut oil or a zinc-oxide cream.
Going to the potty then taking breaks will not cause any harm as long as the stools are soft - but not diarrhea, as this is also very bad since it can burn the fissure site. Do not strain, try to relax while on the toilet.

The fissure pain can take weeks to subside so do not think something else is wrong unless a doctor sees you. Can you find another one closer to your home, just to make an exam and confirm you have a fissure?

Hang in there and remember many people went through this and found the way out, but it takes a lot of time - so please be patient as you won't solve anything with anxiety.

My stools are soft which has been good they shouldn’t be hard anyway cause I can barely eat I’ve had potato some soup a tiny bit of oatmeal and a small amount of chicken. I’m using miralax. The hardest part is not having anxiety because I have such severe anxiety anyway. I managed to get through my BMs this morning and with what I could tell was no blood. Yesterday I had 2 bms with no blood but I had a third one that felt awful and had blood drip out could I have re injured myself? I don’t trust anyone and I’m afraid to have anyone look up there because I don’t want anything to irritate me more than I already am. I also already deal with depression which is complicating this situation as well with my in controllable sobbing. Which now that I have some anxiety pills seems to have subsided. I just wish I didn’t feel like I was dying inside. Thank you so much for replying.

Why the anxiety Jamie? What are you afraid of? If you can change something for the better, then do it.
Those pills will definitely affect your gut flora and this is the last thing you want when dealing with a fissure. You must break out of this vicious circle!
Look around you and you will see others which were dealt much much worse cards. There are people here that cannot sleep, cannot eat and cannot walk - not because of anxiety but because of the pain. How about people with terminal diseases? How about those who have noone to support them and love them?
Stop looking at your stools, and stop worrying about blood dripping or something. You need a plan to get out of this, but pondering about this shitty situation will lead you nowhere.

I told you, there are a few simple rules to follow:
- keep stools soft
- eat a healthy diet so your body has the necessary weapons to fight this
- do not sweat the small stuff - this is the biggest enemy of beneficial gut bacteria
- try to see the good things around you and appreciate the support you got from your loved ones

I’m afraid of the pain. I’m in tremendous pain almost all the time. When I lay down is when it subsides but after I use the bathroom it can last for hours. Every time I get up my heart starts to race I get sick to my stomach and my chest gets hot. I’ve eaten some food but over these last 8 days I’ve had many days where I eat nothing just drink water because I’m so afraid of the pain when using the bathroom. That’s my fear that’s where my anxiety comes from. I know people have it worse child sex slaves and I personally know terminally ill people. This is a pain I have never felt before. I thought this was a support group. People were suppose to help ease your mind.

Also I have no support from loved ones. That’s why I am here.

Please take the anxiety pills if you need them. Gut flora be damned, you need to heal right now and with your body under such tremendous stress you won't be able to heal. I suggest you get a second opinion on why you're in so much pain, preferably from a doctor close by so you don't have to make a long journey. It's important to find out if you have an infection or some other complication happening that's causing the pain.

@Abu: People come here to be supported, not to be invalidated and told that their problems are not a big deal. There is no pain like your own pain. Try and avoid pontificating because that's the last thing a suffering person needs.

Well then, I guess that giving advice on how to deal with this situation isn't that welcomed anymore. I strongly believe that anxiety is what prevents healing and I never implied that pain doesn't exist. But a person must realize that coping with this requires a shift in thinking. Good luck and do whatever you feel is good for you.

Abu, it's good that you are here and are able to give support to posters who are suffering and in pain. I think that would always be very welcome here.

But there's a difference between support and advice - while emotional and practical support nearly always works, giving advice doesn't, very often, because people are different, and each person suffers in different ways. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

I don't think we have anyone in the forum who is medically trained, and medical advice needs to come from someone who has the qualifications to give it. That's why posters here mostly refrain from giving such advice, beyond recommending consultation with a medical professional, because the advice could be misinterpreted, or it might not be the right advice for the person concerned.

I hope you will stick around the forum, and continue to post here, but please be sensitive to the individual emotional needs of others.

All clear, I guess I am more inclined to give advice than support - advice based on my own experience as well as the countless books I've read during the past 5 years since I joined this community.
I will be more carefull in the future.