Hey Sue
I went back to the docs this morning. Fissure is back and my doctor could see it. I think it got worse this week as I cut down on movicol and rectogesic. Also she had a feel inside and couldn't actually feel any bloody hemorrhoids. I thought they were what was making everything so bad this week initially as was hoping the fissure might have healed. But no, it was the fissure all along I think. My doctor said hemorrhoids would not be causing me that much pain. Literally I some angry at the people I went to see at the hospital. I feel like I wasn't taken seriously at all and they fobbed me off with the hemorrhoid thing and clearly didn't bother to look properly for the fissure.
The good news is that I have finally got a private referral now. The bad is that this is going to cost me nearly Ј200 for the first consultation. I think it will be worth it though. I am so sick of this.
Hows everything going for you? Hope you're doing ok :)

Hey Layla,
that's great you've got a private appt- the difference in the care and attitude is unbelievable!
The only thing about it is they charge for each "procedure". They class looking with an anuscope a "surgical procedure" and you will more than likely be hit with another Ј100. That's what happened to me at the Nuffield, anyway.

Ah good to know Val, thank you :)
Yeah weirdly I am really 'looking forward' to going (inasmuch as one can look forward to showing a total stranger their bum lol) I've been given such differing information from the GPs I've seen at my practice and the buffoons at the hospital- one minute I have a fissure- one minute I don't- one minute I have internal hemorrhoids- one minute I don't...It's made me feel mental. I actually can't wait to to be taken seriously and talk to someone about the options I have.
I've already had a colonoscopy at the hospital and so hopefully it won't be needed again. I actually think that might have been where the confusion arose. They were more concerned with what might be going on *inside* and don't think they may have paid attention to the fact my fissure was there on the outside, hidden under my skin tag.
Hope you're doing well Val :)

Well done for getting the private referral Layla! I also felt like I was going mad, the private consultation helps I think. Just a warning, not sure if you're going to a BMI hospital, but I was charged Ј190 for a consultation, Ј110 for the guy to look and do a sigmoidoscopy (and they may want to look again even if you tell them), and Ј75 to use the hospital equipment - very expensive!! I was quoted Ј2000 for botox and Ј140 for follow up appointments, hence my decision to go the NHS route (unfortunately)!! My parents have offered to pay but thats extortionate I think and have refused to do it considering my NHS appointment is less than a month away now. But I did find it useful and reassuring so worth the initial consultation I think. Unfortunately I have had terrible itching and soreness, and the pressure has returned underneath which has not been comfy but at my next NHS appointment I am pushing for help with this. Also have seemed to develop a slight lump aswell which last time my doc said thought was an abscess so fingers crossed that's not back too, not sure I culd cope with that aswell!! I had my first counselling session yesterday, and she's booked me in for more so that has been very positive, a step in the right direction. I'm sorry to hear you have the fissure and pain back, I really hope the private consultation is useful for you and that it gets you treatment faster. I'm sure it's the right thing for you to do, you deserve some help as you've been suffering for so long! Let me know how it goes :D

Oh man that is pricey Sue! I hope they won't need to do a colonoscopy at the hospital. I had one on the NHS. My dream is that they take a look, see the fissure and I ask them them to refer me to their NHS hospital (if they also practice at one). Its a long shot but I'm desperate to try and anything and just want to see someone in the know who will not fob me off with the f*cking hemorrhoid excuse again! Gaaah!
Botox seems to be what a lot of people are being offered aren't they? I'm a bit sceptical about it, mainly because of the price (which is just insane!) but also because you don't know if it's worked right away and many people on here seem to have had to have LIS anyway. If we end up getting all this done privately it's gonna be a nightmare. Do you think you can push for LIS? Did your CRS say anything about it?
Bloody hell, bad luck with the abscess! That is NOT fair. I really hope it isn't that. And the itching and soreness. What cream are you using right now? Rectogesic can make me terribly irritated down there. But annoyingly not using it is worse. Is it the thrush playing up again? I know someone who had terrible ongoing thrush and they went on something called the candida diet. Really helped them, might be worth a google if so.
It's so good you're having counseling though. This week particularly (probably because I'm stressed with my dissertation anyway) the fissure has been really getting me down. It's so depressing. I think it makes me physically worse when I feel like that so can totally see the how positive it can be to talk to someone.
Let me know how you're getting on. :D

Hey Layla, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch for a few days. Had my good old infections back; ear, eye, sinusitis and bad throat. Don't do it by halves do I?! My body seems to be fighting it off quicker though so I see that as a good sign. I have an ultrasound scan today on my bladder, so hopefully that will eliminate that and other things and show that my problems are all related to the fissure. I don't know when you have your appointment but I hope it goes well. I think the botox is good from my point of view, I actually think the fissure is getting better. It seems to have been for 3 and half weeks now, still getting twinges but much improved so fingers crossed! I think the rectogesic is working, but at the same time it is that that is irritating me. As I'm on antibiotics too, the thrush is raging which is bad. Thanks for the advice, will look up the candida diet. My doctor just says it will go eventually but the pharmacist said they should have done a swab by now. The CRS I saw said to do botox I think as I told him I was getting irritated, he said he didn't think I needed an operation and that it would get better. I tend to agree with him at the min, he would be the one to do the botox if I paid so will see what they say on the NHS. If the wait is too long my parents said they would help out to go private once. The only thing I am worried about is the pressure underneath, which doesn't seem to be going. Got to try and go back to work the 1st september aswell, don't want to overdo things and retear. Plus I can't drive so really restricting if my parents have to give me lifts.
I'm sorry you've been feeling down, how did the dissertation go? I have found stress makes my fissure worse, so I can't imagine what on earth you must be going through. Let me know how your appointment goes

Hey Layla, how are things going? Hope you got your appointment :)

Hi just thought I'd let you know how I got on :)
By an enormous stroke of luck I managed to see someone who is a a senior consultant at the NHS hospital I went to (probably why my GP advised me to go see him now I think about it.) When I told them I'd already seen someone at that hospital and they'd completely misdiagnosed me with hemorrhoids, he was really shocked and said that he was going to look into who'd seen me and have a go at them as they were clearly idiots. He said he could see the fissure and it looked too painful to do a digital examination and couldn't believe that even if it hadn't been as bad before, the person who saw me on the NHS had not seen it, or taken me seriously.
He said that generally they try not to do LIS (he said he wouldn't give me botox) on girls my age because of complications with childbirth but if they needed to, he would do it himself, on the NHS, as he saw no point in me having to pay for it privately just because someone had not bothered to their job. Hopefully I'll be able to hold him to this! In the meantime I have to take anoheal for six weeks and see how I get on. He's hopeful that it may heal it even though I've had it so long (I'm not, tried too many flipping creams now lol). He said that if I were I man, he'd advise LIS straight away but as a woman he feels we should exhaust all other routes before that.
Overall I am really relieved to have finally seen someone so helpful and be taken seriously! I would advise anyone struggling with the NHS to pay for the private consultation if they can and see how that works out. The difference in care was astounding.

Great news Layla! Just shows you that because of the prefix: DR. Doesn't mean that their any good! Am really pleased you now have someone decent taking care of you from now on. I used Anoheal (diltiazem) for 5 months and it helped me till the itching started. Now, a month later I use no cream at all (except for vaseline b4 my bm) and my mate movicol. Well Done :D

Thanks Andrea! I'm sceptical about Anoheal as I've heard a lot about the itching and I've just had this fissure for so long I'm worried there'll be too much scar tissue for it to heal without surgery. But definitely worth a try, as I'd rather heal without surgery if at all poss (not least because I've just started a new job) fingers crossed eh....