My struggle with the fissures

My story with the pain

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My struggle with the fissures

Postby Hees » 16 Jan 2022, 06:14

I am glad I found this fourm as I learned a lot from it and from all the experiences that everyone shares.

I will introduce myself and share my struggle here. Please be patient with my English as it is my second language.

I am 33, I live in Washington State as an immigrant. I am a part time dad for 2 wonderful kids (4 and 7) and I have a professional full time career. I am active and I work out 5 to 7 times per week. Not many family or friends here beside my kids. I am also going through heartbreaking stressful breakup (which, the stress could have added to the problem that I will explain below).

Every some months when I forget to eat healthy I get constipations, I usually get these annoying pain in my rectum area and they usually past for 5 - 7 days. I use ibuprofen and sit in the bathtub and I goes on its own. I was used to them I thought they were hemorid and I don't remmeber when it started but at least few years ago.

23 days ago when my struggle started, I was constipated, I had to strain and the rectum pain came back. I thought it would go away within a week. I fixed the constipations, took ibuprofen, used hot bathtub but this time it didn't go away and it started to he more painful than ever. And the pain sensations were changing as I will explain later. I had mix of sharp, burning and muscle pain all day. From the morning when I used the bathroom until I go to bed. I was in a lot of pain more pain than I experienced before ( I had 3 knew surgeries including 2 ACLs). The pain kept getting stronger and wouldn't go away that I sometimes felt hot, sweat, and felt light headed and almost passed out from the pain.  I couldn't work full days, I couldnt work out anymore, I couldn't care for my little children. I started to spend average of 6 hours in the bathtub every day. I started to not even be able to care for myself from the pain. I didn't leave my apartment much and I was going crazy at home from the unmanaged pain that lasts all the time.

I went to the urgent care, the doctor inspected me there and he said he didn't see fissure but he felt internal hemorid. He referred me to a specialist. After few days I saw the specialist, the specialist saw a fissure and prescribed to me 2% Diltiazem ointment and  he said if the ointment doesn't help he will schedule a surgery and I didn't really learn more than that, I didn't ask much questions as I was distracted by the pain. My only hope that the ointment would work at that time. I went home. It was Friday, I couldn't pick the ointment yet because it is made at a compound pharmacy and they are closed during the weekend. During this weekend I was on my knees from the pain. It felt like the muscles are very tight and the was combination of sharp and muscle pain.  I was on my knees crying. I was able to call the 24/7 line and they ordered for me oxycodon/Tylenol to manage the pain. I picked it up and it is the first time in my life I use that kind of pain meds. Things were only getting worst, for example my rectum muscles were very tight that I couldn't fit the tip of my finger in to put the ointment after I picked it on Monday. I was blocked because of how tight it was, I had a lot of fiber supplements and fiber in my food, no meat, fruits, salad, Mirliax, Dulcolax. I was also worried because I learned that oxycodon causes constipations. I was able to use push a little bit again after I was very scared and my body was anxious about it because all the pain. I was able to have a BM, it hurt a lot during the BM like sharp pain, then turned to burning pain for about an hour after and then turns to muscle cramps/sharp extreme pain and it last for the whole night. The rectum muscles are so tight and blocked that I struggle with even releasing gas. Now since my last big BM, the area getting irritated with hot water, pads. So using the bath tub relaxes the muscles but burns the skin and irritat it.

The combination of pain been changing

At the beginning it was sharp pain during BM, very reliving and satisfying 20 - 30 minutes with no pain, then the rest of the night would be extreme cramps/sharp pain.


After that I lost this satisfying 20 30 mintues of relive and its replaced by burning fire irritated skin pain for an hour.

I can deal with the pain during BM, or the hour after of this burning pain. The part that drives me crazy is the long not ending muscle/sharp pain. It goes in waves and it hurt so much that I was not functional at all. I wonder if my stress from the breakup is adding to me being tensioned or for the muscles to not relax.

These have been the longest hardest 23 days I had in my recent years. I look and feel miserable. The pain and the pain meds and being at home are driving me crazy. I feel drained physically and emotionally. 

I am confused of why it hurt that much and for that long. Could it be something more than fissure?

The good news that I called to schedule a surgery because I can't wait like that. I will have a surgery tomorrow. I don't know exactly what it is because I havet spoke to a Dr yet. But from this form I am assuming it will be LIS. Also, how complications this surgery is? My surgeon is young and new and I am not sure how much experience he has, no one reviewed him online yet. But if I want to schedule with an experienced higher rated surgeon then I would have to wait another month at least and I can not do that.

Does these symptoms sound normal to fissures? I will appreciate any advice or feedback. I am anxious and worried about the surgery but also excited and very hopeful that it will stop this pain
Hees
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby Hees » 18 Jan 2022, 23:10

Follow up:

I had my LIS done yesterday and the pain is already nothing compared to what I had before the LIS. I am okay without any pain meds or just some Tylenol. My surgeon told me that it was one of the worst fissures he have ever seen. I am now in the second night after the surgery and recovering.
Hees
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby patience_and_healing » 19 Jan 2022, 13:28

Thank you for updating us. It certainly sounds like you would not have healed without surgery. Wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you never have to suffer a fissure again.
8/16-12/16: Fissure due to antibiotics
5/17: Botox to sphincter, fissure healed
9/19: Trigger point injections and pudendal nerve block
11/19: Botox to pelvic floor
8/20: Botox to pelvic floor in new location.
On and off in pelvic physical therapy
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby davminos » 20 Jan 2022, 19:44

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and hoping you never again have to experience such horrible fissure pain.
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby Hees » 22 Jan 2022, 11:47

Thank you very much for the responses. I am in day 5 after the surgery.
Day 1: I was little beat up from the surgery and slept a lot.

Day2 and 3: pain was very minimal and I probably did too much I cleaned the house drove my car and moved little too much.

Day 4 and 5: pain is back again and spasms. It still not the same level of pain before the surgery but it is pretty painful. Spasms and sharp pain and blood in the toilet. I also noticed that I already lost my stitches or can't feel them. My doctor prescribed some muscle relaxer for me to help with the spasms pain.
Hees
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby patience_and_healing » 23 Jan 2022, 02:41

That sounds tough. Are you still taking stool softeners like miralax? You need to give your body the maximum chance to heal this permanently.
8/16-12/16: Fissure due to antibiotics
5/17: Botox to sphincter, fissure healed
9/19: Trigger point injections and pudendal nerve block
11/19: Botox to pelvic floor
8/20: Botox to pelvic floor in new location.
On and off in pelvic physical therapy
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby Hees » 23 Jan 2022, 16:51

I was taking stool softeners everyday and a lot of fiber. Was having 3 or 4 BMs ( my normal was one in the morning) so I am cutting back a little with fibers and Stool softeners. I am now in day 6 now.. the surgery pain doesn't bother me anymore but the pre surgery pain is slowly coming back. I am again in so much pain from the spasms and the fissure itself. I also noticed that I lost the stitches after day 3 or 4.
Hees
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby davminos » 23 Jan 2022, 18:50

Finding a balance with stool softeners is important and challenging. I've been on one daily dose of miralax for the past years. Some days seems to work other days takes me forever to clean up after BM which irritates the fissure area. Today was the first time in over a year that I accidentally cleaned too much and irritated the fissure, was very painful. I had a colonoscopy last March and doctor told me he saw it was a big one but had scarred over. However I think this will be a lifetime challenge. Hope you can find right dose of stool softener. I have nifidepine with lidocaine ointment that helps with spasm and pain. Maybe ask your Dr if that could help at all. Now I'm afraid that I may have irritated what should be a healed fissure so need to be extra careful tomorrow and hope it doesn't open up again. The anxiety is a whole other issue too. Wishing you the best as you recover.
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby Hees » 25 Jan 2022, 03:35

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you feel better and I am sorry you irritated your fissure today. Are you trying to avoid LIS surgery?
I have been using Vaseline everyday since i saw someone reccomending it in anothet foram. I also ordered some potassium supplements from Amazon since I saw somewhere that potassium can help with spasms and muscle contractions. Eating a lot of fiber, less carbs and meat and hoping for my fissure to heal so I can have a normal life again.
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Re: My struggle with the fissures

Postby davminos » 25 Jan 2022, 09:18

Yes, would like to avoid the surgery and my doctor has not recommended it. Vaseline also seems to sooth and promote healing. A return to normalcy would be great, let's hope that happens.
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