Hi everyone
I found this website a couple of weeks ago, but it was locked by admin until now. So I am happy to be here!!
I was diagnosed only a few weeks ago with an anal fissure, though I have been suffering for over a month. But I have some good news to share!
My doctor prescibed Proctosyly, that only seemed to make me bleed more and made my bowel movements feel like I was passing two broken glasses instead of one! I believe it was hydrocortisone cream. I have been reading this website for a few weeks, and have been desperately searching internet for some kind of answer to this hell.
I found a website called Dr Wheatgrass, they have product on it that is called Anti-Recovery cream that is primarly wheatgrass in a cream form. In total desperation and with total skeptisism, I ordered some online. It came Monday nite of this week. it is now Thursday and I cannot tell you the difference I feel. I am not bleeding anymore. I can sit at my desk at work comfortably. I am not kidding, I know it may not be for everyone, but it is really helping me.
My bowels are still painful but now awful like last week, in part because my doctor prescribed that (sp) Lanacaine (the gel to put on about 20 minutes before you poop to help numb things. THAT really helps. But I am telling you, now that I stopped the hydrocortisone and am only using wheatgrass, i seem to be WAY better. Has anyone had similar stories using the Dr Wheatgrass Anti Recovery Cream? I also do sitz baths and stool softners, citrucel and basically eating veggies and fruit.
Thanks for letting me join this forum finally, when I found it and started reading that other folks are going thru this too, it made me feel so much better. I will keep you posted on the wheatgrass. I am hoping I am not jinxing myself by saying it is working, but I truly feel better and wanted to share!!!

Hey Cathy,
Welcome! I am fairly new too and love this place.
How much/how many times a day do you use the wheatgrass? How many times on the citracel?

Hi tracy
I do the wheatgrass cream 3 times a day.....morning, noon and bedtime.
I try to do 2 sitz baths a day. I do the Citrucel twice a day. I also take a stool softener before bed. Like I said, I am scared to eat anything else except fruit and veggies, so if anything good is out of this I have lost weight (I need about 20 off anyway!!!).
I know this sounds crazy, but the anxiety before a BM (ie knowing it is going to hurt like hell) is awful. I am pretty laid back and consider myself tough, but this whole fissure experience has thrown me for a loop. Plus I am a single mom with 2 active kids, I guess that is why I am so desperate for this to be gone. I have not been fun to live with this last month!!
The Dr Wheatgrass Recovery cream you only use a little but it goes a long way. I put it on the outside, then put some on the inside with a qtip. I could not even insert that stupid hydrocortisone gizmo, it made me bleed and swollen. Monday nite when I first applied the wheatcrass cream I was in pretty bad shape. Tuesday it felt much better, Wed better, today better. I can actually put the qtip with the cream in and feel no pain. I don't bleed anymore exept a little with bowel movement. I keep thinking, ok, this is working for me, why in the world do not more people know about it. I did see a couple people tried on this website with no sucess. But I feel lucky to have literally stumbled upon this on the internet last week. I had buyers remorse after (it was only $30) but I felt like maybe I was wasting my money. But it is helping.
How long have you had your fissure and what have you tried?

I actually got some wheatgrass cream too about two months ago. I only use it once or so a day. It did seem to help, but I am not sure if it was the cream or if I was getting better anyway. I wasn't tempted by other ads as they seemed hokey, but that website seemed legit. I still use it but have moved up to twice a day. I figure it isn't hurting it so why not. I think I will try it three times a day too and see what happens. I also keep the area very dry and use a blowdryer on a cool setting! Baths never seemed to do much for me...
I got my fissure during December of last year (oh what a great Christmas present). I had no idea what was going on and had a hard time getting into to any CRS or specialist. My primary care thought it was hemmies and gave me that cortisone cream and proctofoam (both horrible). I finally got to see a CRS late Jan and he recommended surgery. I had no clue about fissures and was in pretty bad shape so I went for LIS.
I am much better after LIS, but as you have read here, it doesn't heal the fissure, just allows for easier passing of stool and blood flow to the area (plus makes spasms diminish). I do know it will heal with time and patience (harder on some days)
I have a two and a half year old boy and I know what you mean about being hard to be around. I did everything I could to put on a happy face for him. I still sometimes cannot believe one fissure can take so long to heal and how common they actually are. Are you working?
I know about the anxiety before BM's. I don't have nearly the anxiety now but do still get a bit scared of a large or dry poo. What stool softener do you use? I just use the citracel at night and some benefiber during the day, with the occasional miralax if I eat worse. I too lost 22 pounds while in the worst of it. I have expanded the diet some now, but stay away as much as possible from bread and dairy.

Tracy
Sorry you got your during Christmas, that is a bummer.
I am glad you are feeling better. My boys are 8 and 17, and I know having a 2 year old is quite different. It is hard for little ones that age to understand you are having a bad day.
The stool softner I use is just the CVS brand "one a day" deal...it is the one without sodium.
I am working an inside sales job, small company, everyone is nice and understanding though it is quite embarrasing to explain. I had never heard of fissures before this either. Not a clue.
This website is great comfort though. Some of the comments are laugh out loud funny!! It is nice folks have not lost their sense of humor!

I work in a mental health office and was embarrased but everyone understood (free therapy :( ) I am hoping by this Christmas, this will be long and forever gone!
Yes it was hard when I was not allowed to pick him up. I cried a lot and thought I was really strong too, until this. Fissures are the devil! No one should have to experience that. Do you think you got yours from being constipated?

Tracy
This may be too much info (LOL) but this is how I think I got my fissure.....
My boys both had intestinal nasty stuff in April. Diarhea (sp??), etc. It was going around the schools big time. I never officially was down and out with it, but I definately had some loose bowels for a few weeks. You know how it is, you just keep going and save sick time for your kids. So I kept going. My bottom was a little raw from what I was trying to fight. THen, right around my period, I get constipated. So that, then, was happening, I had a rock hard BM and I think that is how I got my fissure......................my butt was raw from fighting the intestinal thing, bam, constipation and there you have it. Exciting story, eh??!!!

I don't think there is too much TMI on this forum!! I like that I can talk about my butt with people who understand...
I think I had small fissures from my pregnancy. I got the most horrific constipation and strained (hey I thought the worst thing would be hemmies) and ever since having my son, I would have some pain after certain BM's. Nothing major but I guess I was bordering on a real deal fissure and then bam, one day I went and tried to hurry a little (at work) and felt more pain than usual that didn't go away.
Too bad we didn't know what this could be doing to us!!!! I too always take care of my son first and worry about myself later....do you have family nearby to help you?

Tracey
I do have my mom here in town and my big sister. They have been great!
But with this type of stuff, if you have never had one, it is hard to understand the pain. You are so right, it is so great you can talk about pooping, the pain, and every single person on here can relate. I must say though, my sister has been great in particular though she has never had this. I called her the other day after a BM to tell her about it (something you can only do with a sister) and she got me laughing so hard about the content of our recent conversations, it was good medicine the laughter.
What do you eat Tracey, give me your days menu..
mine is salad, steamed veggies, steamed chicken, fruit. I go easy on dressing because trying to limit salt, so I found a dressing with less salt.

I eat salad too a lot and use fruit on top instead of dressing somtimes...I bake fiber one apple cinnamon muffins for breakfast and eat kashi cereals. I actually stay away from real high fiber foods as they were making my stools huge (especially double fiber bread)! I love my veggies, and have included fish and shrimp, which seems to do well. I also sneak in some desserts and french fries now which don't seem to bother me. I used to love mexican food so much but well, not anymore :( I also cook boca a lot too now,instead of red meat.
I told my husband I never thought we would be having some of the conversations we have. I came out of the bathroom one day and was like OMG I think I plugged the toilet up!