Talesofmytail how are you doing today? If your fissure is still painfully after 6werks of starting I would get Botox because you don't want it to become chronic my fissure started 5 years ago and 10months ago I had Botox for it and it has helped alot

Hi Missy! So sorry to hear you have been dealing with this for almost 5 years! I was diagnosed with the fissure about 3 months ago. The CRS says the fissure is pretty much healed and my pain is now coming from the superficial abscess. He doesn't want to do Botox because it could reopen the fissure, so we are sticking with the nifedapine and treating the infection with antibiotics. If the antibiotics don't resolve the infection, then I'll need surgery to drain it and my surgeon mentioned doing Botox at the same time (since the fissure will reopen). I'm happy you are feeling better and it's encouraging to know Botox helps!

Hey Tails, sorry to hear that you got an infection, do you have some kind of underlying condition (like crohns) that lead to it? My butt has been itching like mad, seems to happen about once a week and cannot figure it out. I am taking 50mgs of colace/ a day still and think I am gonna discontinue it to see if it helps, but worried it will be 12 weeks post LIS for me tomorrow. Before LIS my stools were always kinda big and hard, now they are too loose. Anyway keep your head and I hope you are on the way to recovery.

Hey Thor. No known underlying condition here, though I haven't been tested for anything so who knows. I'm sorry you are so itchy! Are you using any topicals (not sure if the docs continue that after LIS)? I've heard of diltiazem causing an itch. I also wonder if putting some coconut oil on there might ease it. I understand your search for the elusive, perfect poop! It seems to always be escaping me as well! I'm still having some pain post BM and these antibiotics are no fun. I have a trip planned to Mexico for the end of next week and I'm really hoping I'm feeling better by then. I'm going hiking today because tomorrow is my birthday and I want to have one more hike in my 36th year. It's hard to push yourself to do "normal" stuff when your life has literally become a pain in the butt! I hope you are having a good day and not too uncomfortable

I never gave up on doing active stuff while I had a fissure, I am an athlete, and just was not willing to, however my pain was minimal outside of the bathroom. I have had to put so many creams up there that my butt basically revolts and develops a rash now with a lot of stuff, I am trying some vaseline, as a derm said it was okay. Still its very itchy/ tingly like nerves or something, I think its the incision scar and the cut muscle reconnecting. Pooping is a lot easier without a fissure, I think because of the tight sphincter I was chronically backed up because I could not relax enough to get everything out, I suspect a lot of fissure sufferers have this problem.

Hows everything going now? Hopefully you can still manage your trip, but personally I would stay away from hot tubs and pools if they are available.

Good morning Thor! I'm really physically active as well and have been able to keep working out and hiking through this whole thing (except for about a week when the spasms were at their worst). I think I'd have a full-on mental breakdown if I wasn't! I'm glad you are able to as well and haven't been plagued too much with the spasms. Also, your poor bottom! I hope the itch is subsiding! You're probably right though, it's likely a sign of healing... Just think how a regular cut or scrape, like one on your knee, itches when it heals. I'm on day 4 of the antibiotics and my symptoms seem to continue to subside. I'm wondering if my main problem wasn't from infection rather than actual fissures because I had pain all day, not just while using the toilet, and I haven't ever struggled with constipation. Who knows. Anyway, thanks for your advice about Mexico; I foresee lots of ocean bathing and no hot tub soaking in my near future!

Thor why don't you apply coconut cream only or nothing an let your butt go back to its natural state? So you had lis now your bms are normal I have hard tips to my bms and I wonder if it's from the fissure interrupting the last bit of my BM making it not come out then it stays there till the next morning becoming hard.

Talesofmytail I had a mental breakdown too while on antibiotics I have a fissure and mastitis with a 1-9 week old I was on and off antibiotics for ages 6wweks oral all up and hospital admission then a week of IV antibiotics for recurring mastitis but that's because dumb doctors didn't admit me sooner an kept sending me home with more pills so I understand the breakdown I did some research and antibiotics seems to be linked to breakdowns I hate the stuff now I believe it will kill us if we kill taking tons of it it kills our gut an bad bacteria and yeast take over you would be taking a probiotic everyday to counterbalance it, good luck to you both your not alone

Hey Missy-yeah I basically do not put anything on there unless I cannot sleep, the itching can get intense at night if I get even little hot, I believe it is my LIS scar and think it will get better with time, but it makes it hard to sleep at the moment.

I had the "hard tip" thing before I had LIS, and I believe it feels hard because you have a fissure and a tight butt, and because of those things you are never emptying your bowels completely so the stool becomes big and hard because its like a day behind schedule. Post LIS my BMs have been much larger in overall volume ( but smaller and thinner at the same time) and I have not experienced the "hard tip" in awhile, I have been off stool softeners for about three days and just drinking prune juice now to help keep things moving. I tried all kinds of things to alleviate the "hard tip," like olive oil, coconut oil etc. and none of it really worked except maybe Colace.

Hey yea I seem to get the hard tip often but it is hard not just feels hard because of the fissure being tight the stool is sometimes in little bits like constipation but I go everyday same time so not constipated only option is is that the end of today's BM doesn't come out because on the pain or discomfort during the first 3/4 then that last bit just retreats an waits to become the tip of tomorrows bm bloody annoying is what it is so its the fissure causing the fissure

Hey Missy. So sorry to hear about the horrible time you've been having! I can't even imagine caring for a newborn with all that going on! I totally agree antibiotics are not to be taken lightly and I also take a probiotic (I take every dose with yogurt as well). As for the hard poops, I wonder if drinking aloe juice would help at all? My naturopathic doctor recommended it and it did seem to coat the BM and help it come out easily.