New member - I have some questions

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New member - I have some questions

Postby sunset8949 » 19 Sep 2017, 21:09

Hi everyone. I'm sure like every new member on this board, I'm here because I'm currently struggling with what I believe is an anal fissure.

The very first one I ever had was 8 years ago. I was bleeding after having a bowel movement and went to the doctor. The doctor did an exam and had me take Miralax for a few days and the bleeding stopped less than a week later. Ever since then it's come back 2-3 times per year, never lasting longer than a week each instance.

This particular occurrence is a little different than when it usually flares up. Ordinarily I'll have some sharp/"scraping" pain when having a BM which causes streaks of blood on the stool and bright red blood on the toilet paper for a few days, but minimal pain after the BM. That's what happened yesterday. This morning I went and had some small but hard stools but was surprised to see I had zero bleeding. Later in the afternoon I had to go again and this time blood had dripped into the toilet making the water red. The bleeding stopped after about 2 wipes with toilet paper.

I've had a BM at least once a day but this weekend the stools were harder. I tried to drink more water and eat more fiber today to soften them. I suppose I'll see tomorrow how things turn out.

I'm thinking my fissure is considered mild, but I'm concerned that it came back 2 months in a row as well as with more blood than normal today. Is this something I'll struggle with my whole life? Tips for keeping it under control?
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Re: New member - I have some questions

Postby Marie12 » 22 Sep 2017, 14:06

I take a stool softner daily (Colace) this makes a lot of difference and also try to do a sitz bath 2-3 times a day. My GI dr told me lots of fiber but you have to keep the stool soft. I wish I had taken a stool softner when my constipation started. Also have you seen a GI dr., they can give you ointments to decrease the sphincter tone, I was on diltiazem, but I also think there are other ones.
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Re: New member - I have some questions

Postby Fissura anal » 25 Sep 2017, 12:18

Hi sunset
I read your post and I am left wondering if what you have is really an anal fissure. You know, you can get get pain and blood from other types of problems, like internal hemorrhoids... they are not as painful, sometimes hardly painful. Anal fissures do not go away in a few days or a week... and the pain makes you want to scrape the walls and floor with your bare nails... I howled while having BMs! Pain does not go away after the BM with AFs, sometimes it can even be worse than the pain during a BM!

I would get checked by a specialist to check if it really is a "mild" AF ( sorry but I find it hard to believe that such a thing exists...) if it's recurring. Blood in stools can be an indication for many different illnesses.

As for tips, if after you see a specialist you are told you have an AF, here is what I advise.
( this is copied from another post I did in another thread)

In my experience, when you have an acute ( first time having it, that is, not chronic) AF you really have to stick to the application of the nitroglycerin cream, in my country it's called Retogesic

Yes, it gives you a strong headache. But you can take painkillers for the headache. The headache is nothing compared to the pain around your butt, so do not worry about it too much :naughty:

The pain will not go away immediately, do not expect instant results. It takes weeks, or even months. Basically the treatment cream's role is not to take away the pain but to allow the muscle to stop contracting so hard. But it will only work in the long run so you really must be patient.
... I know :gah:

I was not and now I am paying for my mistake! For me it has been 3 months since the AF nightmare started. I am still doing the cream twice a day and I am still not healed. Because half way through these three months I was feeling better and relented a bit in the application of the cream and taking the stool softeners! A BIG mistake! :nope: One or two hard stools BM and my anal fissure was back!
:sadd:

I have realized the treatments must be continuous until all the pain is gone, and the AF has healed thoroughly
:(

I have realized that hard stools can reopen your AF or make new ones! So it is also extremely important to develop good habits regarding your BM:

- have some fiber every day ( I recommend wholegrain cereal with powdered linseed and soaked chia seeds) to make your bowels work regularly. If you do a bowl of cereal every morning, then it's guaranteed you will become more regular in your BMs

- have fiber at every meal, a bit of vegetables, beans, peas, chickpeas, ( if they make you have gases, use sparingly) or wholegrain pasta or bread, or a salad. You need the fiber to keep you bowels happy and making you have at least one BM a day

- take probiotics. They help your bowels, and a happy bowel makes happy BM :lol:

- ideally have at least one BM a day. When you do not have them once a day, the stools harden. The longer they stay inside you, the more they harden as they get dehydrated just before coming out, and therefore a lot harder as they do.
:poostick:
Sometimes they act like a cork, bottling you up inside. So, it's very important to keep them "moving" down and out, if you know what I mean
:constipated:

- you must avoid food that blocks you up: bananas, rice, honey, coffee, tea, chocolate, honey, refined flours

- take stool softeners and drink a LOT of water to help it work

- only go to the toilet for a BM when you feel a real urge. Try to develop a routine, our bowels love routines

- avoid straining at any cost. The natural human position for BM is not sitting so avoid sitting upright, lean your chest against your knees as that helps the stools pass, or you can sit as this image shows - https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-6 ... aaa100d7-c

- clean with warm water. Soak in warm water or keep the area warm as heat helps the muscle relax. You can sit in warm water or use a heat pack covered with clean smooth cloth. If you manage to relax the muscle, this eases the discomfort as the relentless pain is caused by the permanent contraction of the muscle, which leads to more pain. It's a vicious circle and it's essential to break it ... but it IS POSSIBLE
Don't lose hope :rainbow:

The nitroglycerin cream does give you a headache. It's not pleasant to feel it on top of the other AF pain, but in the long run, it will work. You must persevere, or there will be months of pain, and your fissure can become chronic.
:~!@:

I hope you feel better soon
:grouphugs:
2010 first external thrombosed hemorrhoid
2013 second external thrombosed hemorrhoid
2017 third external thrombosed hemorrhoid + anal fissure : treating with Retogesic 2x a day and stool softener but still not healed, considering colonoscopy
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