Allthepain, I'm not sure if the Diltiazem is helping or not. I've been using it pretty regularly for over 3 weeks. Have had the fissure for over 4 weeks. I guess I have to give it longer to see if it works. Interestingly, my CRS offered me Botox this week if I wanted it. She tried to inspect me to see if the fissure was healing but the area started bleeding when she began to spread me to look around, so we're not really sure how it's progressing. I think I'm deciding against the Botox because she admitted that she might make the fissure a little worse when she opens me up to inject it. I'm in pain for half the day but managing it now and just don't want to risk making it worse before I deliver. If I'm still dealing with this after delivery I will ask for the LIS to end my misery.

That's so great that you're in a manageable state. I wish you the best luck in keeping it under control for the rest of the pregnancy. I can't believe it won't heal for you though even though you're keeping things super soft. I wonder if these things just won't heal on their own over time unless we seriously relax our sphincter muscle through surgery or dilation. I long for the days when I didn't even know what an anal fissure was... Ugh

I didn't know they offered the Botox while pregnant. I wish there were something that could help you through the next few weeks, but at least you are getting close! I'm sure the thought of a newborn and LIS surgery sounds awful though. After my last baby, I was in so much pain all day long that I think I would have gotten the LIS. That being said, I'm terrified of any sort of incontince. The people on this board seem to speak very highly of it though, so I think it would be worth the risk.

Have you decided if you will have a C-section or not? I'm still terrified that delivery will make my problem unbearable, but I really don't want a C-section either. I technically had my fissure for the last birth although it had been healed for a couple of years. It wasn't affected at all by delivery so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

Sometimes I really can't believe how much of my life centers around butt pain and poos lol.

If it will make you feel any better, my CRS said in his 20 years practice he hasn't seen any incontinence cases, because nowadays they are not allowed to cut as much muscles as in the past. I haven't come across incontinence case in this forum as well.

Hey everyone as I said earlier my fissure healed during the last 5 ishe months of my pregnancy then came back when baby was 4 weeks old from a soft bm I think because of giving birth an hormones changing an breast feeding it's hard to what exactly caused it. But if you muscle is tight shut everytime you try to out cream on I would think thats high resting pressure but if it just gets tight after a bm then that's just the muscle trying to protect itself an may not mean a high resting pressure can't you guys get a resting pressure test don't anal tone test ?

Allthepain, yeah I didn't think they'd offer my botox either, but my CRS said that it would stay localized to the injection site and even if it didn't that studies have not shown it to be harmful to the fetus or something. I honestly am pretty sure that I'm the first pregnant woman with a fissure that she's treated before (she's pretty young) so I'm not totally confident she's correct.

Thanks Hopefull123, I've read a lot about the LIS procedure too and have also come to the conclusion that incontinence seems very rare and mostly limited to passing gas rather than stool. I feel like I can live with that if it gets me out of all this pain, yikes!

Missy, I would like to get a resting pressure test done but hadn't thought to ask for it. I'm pretty sure my tone has been elevated lately as a result of the pain and spasms, even if it wasn't elevated prior to the fissure. Have you had the test done? Does it require them inserting anything large inside the anus?

I haven't had it done it costs an is separate from the program so to speak not sure if I'll pay to have it done one day if this Botox doesn't work, not sure on how it's done I'm sure if you asked google you'd find the answers I think after my 4 year old fissure my tone is most likely higher too but cant we use dilation for this issue? I'm just taking fiber to have formed soft bms hoping to naturally stretch it that's why they use to do the Lord's procedure where they would just stretch the anus with 4 fingers because it needs stretching I made my stools soft for 4 years trying to heal this thing now my muscle would of surely shrunk I'm working on it an once this fissure is healed I'll start dilation good luck

Missy, I’ve read great things about dilation. I tried with my finger for a week but my fissure is just too sore right now to keep it up. Maybe after it heals more. I’m fairly certain I’ll get LIS once the baby’s out if things don’t improve though. I’m doing everything right and it just won’t heal. I even bleed from it from urinating, it’s crazy. So I figure why prolong the suffering you know?

Yea I understand the pregnancy won't be helping because of the pressure hormones an everything else I was lucky to heal during my pregnancy, have baby an see how you go it will take a few months after baby for all the swelling an damage post birth to settle down see how you get you mite heal without lis or Botox it's such a challenge isn't it an it's hard to know whats right for everyone good luck hun just think positively think about your beautiful little miracle perfect in everyway, I've just started reading a book by Louise hay called you can heal your life, it's great an is really healing me in many ways x

Missy, it is totally such a challenge to figure out what to do. My husband’s job is moving us overseas to Indonesia in mid-June and we definitely won’t have access to great healthcare there, so I feel pressure to get this resolved as soon as possible. That’s another reason I’m thinking LIS after delivery because I won’t have a lot of time before we move overseas and I lose access to my CRS, so sad! I’ve seen some of you writing about Louise Hay on the forum and looked her up. Her philosophy sounds interesting and very positive!

Very positive something I lacked but now I'm seeing life in a different way much better then before I believe I've been looking for something an wanting to find myself for years I feel like this is it I found the answer learning to let go of the negative past forgive everyone an myself see my worth learn to love myself I'm on a journey to heal my inside heart mind soul like cleaning up all the mess inside, the outside is the fissure shoulder pain an head aches I get are not my focus anymore I use to think poor me an I would dwell on the pain an discomfort I would do research all day on fissure treatments an feeding an snow balling my anxiety so much wasted energy an time now my anxiety is so much less I don't research anything anymore instead of looking outward for answers I look inside for the most part or I'll ask the clever people on here, I believe our emotions build an build an lodge themselves in our body somewhere as an outlet you may of heard at some stage not to swollow your emotions an bottle them up it will only cause trouble.