Hi all
Amazing website with advice and experience from all over the world, thanks for the support I already had over the last week just reading the advice and tips.
I am a 53 year old married man (fisherman, not my job my hobby) living close to the coast in Dorset, Southern UK.
I have had blood and pain after BMs since December last and have been to doctors 3 times, Jan, Mar and 10 days ago. Have had variously Diltiazem, xyloproct and suppositories since Jan and just now have Diltiazem and lactulose 2x5ml. Waiting for a lower bowel colonoscopy to check up on stuff.
I could go into the gory details here but having read lots of posts I know that I am no worse off than most here. Will say however that I have severe pain on and after BMs, leading to burning (especially with Diltaizem) and varying amounts of blood.
If I walk more than 20 yards on the flat or up and down stairs after BM it seems to become 100 times worse. Baths and rest seem to work well.
I have changed my diet to high fibre (soluble and insoluble) perhaps sometimes too much fibre. I eat lots of veggies mainly peas, carrots, beans, baked beans. I eat fruit maybe 3 apples a day and drink a fair bit of water, prune juice (1/2 litre a day) and the odd sachet of MOVICOL inherited fom my dad.
I seem to have blood, pain and burning even with fairly soft stools. Havent really had a hard stool for weeks although all feel hard and bulky just now.
Going back to my GP tomorrow to ask about a change of regime as things seem to be getting worse and sysmptoms now out of control for me.
How do people manage to go to work with these sorts of symptoms and has anyone else tried just about all of the recommended "dos", avoided just about all of the "don'ts" and still not been able to manage the symptoms. I am actually starting to feel ill and this this is starting to take over my life.
Wonderful to see the AF survivors posts.
Thank you again

Hi there, welcome to the forum, but sorry you have to be here!
As you've had your fissure for a good few months, it is extremely likely that it's not going to heal up by itself, without surgery. The best course of action, if you're going to your GP tomorrow, is to ask for a referral to a CRS.
I didn't have to go out to work, but when I first got my fissure, I was near enough housebound for 7 months, in agony with the spasms.
Would you be in a position to go privately to see a CRS? It's just that you get the choice of who you see, and they are always consultant surgeons - the top of the field. Also the appt would be in a week or so, whereas NHS you'd be looking at months before you saw anyone.
It seems like you're doing all the right things. You could try Rectogesic instead of Diltiazem, to see if it might work, although it does cause blinding headaches in a lot of people.

Thanks for the reply and welcome Val
You sound like you have been through quite an ordeal yourself. Better now hopefully.
Depending on the cost of going privately to see a CRS I could probably stretch to it. I gave up my job in April with the intention of getting another one about now, I am a teacher but the thing got worse rather than better. Would depend on the price probably but will do some research.
I think that given another few weeks of this I will be ready to do anything to get it sorted.
Thanks for the tip about rectogesic. I will mention it when I go although when they are doing rectal exams i find it best not to upset them by questioning their approach...LOL
I do get headaches with diltiazem and dizzy spells. The dizzy spells can actually be light relief from the pain however.
On a more general note, is there generally a painkiller of choice.
Thanks again

It will cost around Ј150 for a consultation. Another Ј100 if they do a "surgical procedure", which basically means they use an anuscope! It's a joke! But sooo worth it! The difference between private and NHS is unbelievable. You can always get your surgeon to refer you back to himself by writing to your gp, then you would get the same surgeon, as the private ones are consultant surgeons on nhs.
As to painkillers, well everyone is different. When I had spasms, I took a cocktail of painkillers, including pethidine, and was still rolling around in agony. After my fistula op though, I took tramadol, which worked very well. Paracetamol and ibruprofen did very little for fissure pain, but were ok for after surgery pain, once I had stopped the tramadol.
I did take a low dose of valium for a while which helped, but I hear they can be addictive to some people, and codeine could be better.
If you try codeine remember the stool softeners!

Hi fissureman,
2x5ml of lactulose hardly seems enough at all; especially if you still need to drink a shed load of prune juice too. When you see your GP again, I'd try and get that changed to movicol (Laxido is the brand-name I use), as it's much better. With my first fissure I drank loads of lactulose, as I didn't know any different (and hadn't come across this forum then), but did get it healed on the NHS thanks to Botox. This time I'm much more clued up, and have noticed a vast difference.
Good luck.

Thanks for advice.
Visited doctor. Have movicol and actually know how to apply Diltiazem which is actually quite effective after all.
Symptoms are a bit better, for today anyhow.
Have appointment for sigmoidoscopy in 3 weeks so that should liven it up a bit.
Thanks again