Heey Everybody, I have been reading this Forum for a couple of months and I just decided to register and participate.
I have been struggling with an AF for a quite long time although it was until about 6 months that it got worse.
Being in a pretty open and anonymous platform here, I will be honest, I got for the first time the fissure around 4 years ago when having anal sex. I guess I didn't take good care of it in that moment and the fissure became chronic. For some years it was an on/off thing, not too problematic, opening again sometimes because of sexual intercourse or less frequently because of constipation.
Almost 7 months ago I had sex again and the AF got really bad this time. Some months before that I was also diagnosed with Irritable Bowe Syndrome (IBS). During the last summer the bleeding was constant and the pain unbearable. I was almost not eating anything at all and I even lost weight. I live in the Netherlands and in my experience, the medical care has not been great as I expected. Although my health insurance covers everything, the waiting times are always so long. My specialist doctor checked me one month after that time I had sex and she first discarded some other problems like IBD or Hemmies but surprisingly she said there was NO AF. I can feel a skin tag associated with the AF so I don't understand how she didn't see the AF even she performed a Sigmoidoscopy. This doctor concluded that my rectal bleeding didn't have explanation XD.
After becoming an expert in all the measures to take when having an AF I could achieve longer and longer periods without bleeding or symptoms. The maximum time until now has been 6 weeks. I have tried a super strict healthy lifestyle, (no coffee, no alcohol, almost vegan, lots of fiber etc) and no anal sex of course since that day that made that AF worse. I have tried diltiazem for almost two months but It didn't work, the AF comes back again because of no apparent reasons.
Right now I asked for a second opinion from another specialist (Diltiazem was given by my GP without examining me but who believed I had an AF). I am almost sure this is an AF, years ago 2 doctors said it was that (I moved to another country so I cant go with them now).
I hope this second doctor can see whats happening and if it is an AF this time I will suggest the next step... Botox injection.
Sorry for the mess in the story but I tried to anxiously to summarize what could be easily written in a long novel of frustration and despair XD