Hi AF friends,
I had a set back last week, shooting pains for a day or two. Happy to say they are gone. This was after having diarhia and then slightly constipated.
I was very surprised the pain went away so fast. I hadn't had sharp pains since may.
I had to cancel my appointment almost two weeks ago with the surgeon because of my set back. I'm seeing him this week.
I think my mental fatigue has caused me more stress the the AF.
I hate to say this (knock on wood) but I think I am healing even with the small set back. I have no pain during movements, my burning after a bm is gone or the worst less than a 1 on a scale of 10 of discomfort. No sharp spasms in over a month except for my setback caused by slight constipation.
I do more activities, well way more, trying to live instead of being frozen from fear of pain. I will say the short relapse made me realize how far I have come.
I think my mental fatigue of the whole AF issure was interfering with what I was experiencing... was/ is real and what was fear of old painful smyptoms. kwim?
I have been on Nifedipine since the end of March. I was in sever pain for over a month and then slowly...very slowly my pain deminished.
I also noticed I haven't felt the muscle tighten as much, not pain or spasms just a taunt feeling, which seems much better or gone?
My message of hope is to keep up with your treatment if you can. It has been three months for me on the medication and I have had 90% improvement.
I am aware of the AF area, with feeling of a little dull pull or a tiny itchy feeling.... maybe healing?
I just wanted to share that I am more hopeful I maybe on a better path than I let myself believe.
I want to have the surgeon take a look and hopefully be able to tell if he sees or feels a difference.
I want to also know how long I can stay on the meds because the have helped me so much.
I'm not sure of the future but i am very grateful for today. :)
Wishing you all health and peace. Marie

Just keep up what your doing Marie! Don't let up and you may very well whip this thing without surgery!
If you continue like this, and the itch gets stronger, I'd say you are definitely healing. Your CRS will verify that! I'm sure of it!
Keep us posted!

Marie,
I am on Nefedipine too. It has only been 3 weeks, But I did see a difference up until now. The past two days I have had 2 soft but formed BM's and I was in agnoy for hours. You see all week I was on an antibiotic for my tooth and my BMs were very loose. So now that I am off that antibiotic my BM's are forming a little more. As of right now I am standing typing this. When I have pain I can't even get near my butt with any cream I did last night when I thought it was calming down and I used the cream and then it aggravated it after. So I wait til it settles completely and then use the cream.
I was having some pretty good days, until yesterday. When this happened. I am afraid to eat but I do. Some times I don't know what to eat but I keep it healthy. I jut don't eat alot. This stress is unbearable on a persons body. I don't think I can do this for months on end like some of you guys have. I have to give you credit. I go back to the CRS on 7/16, I can't imagine he will say it is healing, but I hope so. I am going to my PCP on 7/10 to get something to help calm my nerves. I am scared because anytime I have this immense pain it shoots my blood pressure up and that scares me. This possibly can't be healthy to have that happen.
Pillow I am glad you are doing well. Do you have any words of wisdom that can possibly give me so hope. I use to be such an out going person. I feel like a hermit now and I do very little other than go to work and come home. Sorry to go on and on, if it wasn;t foreveryone on this forum I would have no one. Thanks for listening ...

Patty

Patty,
Do you take your BP, is that how you know it's up during the pain?
Hang in there and keep using the cream! We are all pulling for you and it *won't* last forever.
If you are eating healthy and otherwise healthy, it is OK if your BP goes up temporarily...it generally happens to most people. It's only dangerous if it goes up and stays up...
Are you a candidate for surgery?
I'll be praying for you and hoping your next BM is much better!
Kim

Kim,
Thanks, I have the nurse at work take my BP, Its not always high until I have pain. So maybe it does come down. I will have them check in on good days and bad days and compare. But it is still scary right now I am still in pain since 6:30am it's now 10:00am. My Bms' are very soft so I don't need a softner they just formed a little and thats what set me off for two days. Last night I finally fell asleep at 11:00pm after having a BM at 4:30pm. That was a long evening for me.
Kim did you ever feel so totally and metally lifeless because of this AF? I feel like this is going to take up my whole summer. Every morning I get at 5:30-6:00am just to get ready for work by 8:00am. Now I am afraid what tomorrow will bring. I am also afraid of missing work I have very few paid days left and soon I might have to miss some days without pay. I hope this AF does not compromise my job. Thanks again I am glad for Marie hopefully she will do great and maybe I will follow soon after.
Patty

P.S I will ask the CRS on the 16th If I am a canadate for surgery, not sure on that.

Yes, Patty, I was mentally drained and and my life was completely taken over by my AF. I never went anywhere, either. i couldn't, unless someone drove me. And i exhausted my mental energy worrying about what tomorrow would bring, and trying to figure out how to deal with the pain, and find ways to treat it.
It is really hell.
If you are at home, get in the hot bath as much as you can. I know it sounds like a trivial, broken record, but it it helps. Refresh the water when it gets lukewarm.
Find some ways to distract yourself from the pain, something that requires your mind to be focused. That helps some.
Really, I know this doesn't sound like what you want to hear, but you want you stools to be formed, but soft. But even when they are formed, if there is too much volume, it just makes the spincter go crazy.
Have you tried using the cream about an hour before the BM?
And you have a birthday coming up!!! I hope it is better by then!
I know what you're going through, Patty. Don't give up and believe it will get better, because it will..
Kim
P.S. Unless you are really over weight, or have some other condition, you are a candidate for surgery, most likely. You need your life back!

Kim,

You are right the baths do help. I also have a hand held card game and I try focus on that when I am in the tub. I will try using the cream before I have a BM. But sometimes first thing in the morning I don't have much time to think I just go. I still use A&D ointment and nupercainal they are very soothing, but I will use Nefedipine too. It's now 12 noon and tha pain is at a dull ache. Wow what a long morning. I have a question I ate strawberrries for the first time in a long time, could that have caused this bout of pain with the little seeds??? Maybe I will stick to my peaches and pears.

As far as surgey goes on 5/24 when I went to my DR. I weighed in at 182. I know that is heavy for my 5'3 frame, but I was solid because I always walked and rode my bike. But now I weigh 166 and I am still losing. I will not eat any junk at all and because of Lecia I switched to Soy Milk. It's wonderful. So I hope that is not considered to heavy to have surgery. I plan after this AF is resolved to keep up the good eating habits too. I never want to go thru this again.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. If Marie or Kim comes back on I would like to know or anyone else what they have for lunch? I need something different to make. Any new ideas??

Thanks again!

Patty

"did you ever feel so totally and metally lifeless because of this AF?"
I've felt this way a lot, and I have never even had "intense" pain -- just intermittent burning/stinging throughout the day, as well as blood streaks on the stool and bright red blood on tp. I can totally relate to how much time you spend on this thing -- for the past two months, I've woken up an hour early every day for "butt maintenance" and I'm too worried to go out to dinner with friends and eat something I'm not familiar with (which used to be one of my favorite things to do).
I'm on Nifedipine now, and I think it's helping. Possibly more helpful than that...I started taking organic Flax Oil supplements a week ago (1000mg -- 2 caps a day, one with breakfast or lunch, then one with dinner). Thanks for the suggestion, Lecia.
Are you taking these? I've been doing a lot of research lately, and although it's too early to really tell, I think I may -- like many people -- have had an Omega-3 deficiency. It's a fatty acid that -- among other things -- keeps the anal canal lubricated. I think it's helping me have some pain-free BMs, and hopefully creating a condition down there that will promote healing. (It also seems to be helping a skin problem I've had for 3 years.)
Just a thought.
Hope you feel better.
steve

Strawberries -- I eat four of them (preferably organic) every single day blended up in a fruit drink and have not noticed a problem. You could also try blueberries, though. I eat them too, and they're really healthy for you.
Lunch -- I like making a dhal dish for dinner and eating it as leftovoers. It gives you a chance to throw in a bunch of veggies -- lentils, onions, tomatoes, etc. And then eat it with brown rice for your whole grains/fiber. And as much of it organic as possible.
One other thing -- Before my BMs, I started using some vaseline to...hhmmm, no pretty way of saying this...lube up the anal opening. That's helped me too.

Patty,
I remember those long mornings well and am well acquainted with pain. It is so demoralizing and can wear you out. You just have to keep doing what you know to do and trust that your body will heal. That is what it is designed to do and is it's natural state so it will return. I will keep you in my prayers.
I don't know about the strawberries but if it preceded the pain I would definitely not try them for awhile. It is hard to know for sure but better to be cautious. When my AF pain was at its worse I would eat the same thing everyday so I knew pretty much what my BM would be the next day. It wasn't fun but it took the anxiety out of eating for me and worrying about the next morning.
I am in pain right now waiting to see a surgeon for a possible hernia on Tuesday. My visit out here in Colorado has sucked! Just when I get over the AF I get something new to deal with. But I have to trust that like the AF pain, this will not last forever, but there are times when I just want to scream-I want my life back!!!!
An easy thing to make for lunch would be warming up some frozen stir-fry veggies and putting some beans on top. I add some flax seed oil for the essential fatty acids and flavor. Also helps with lubing the digestive tract.
Take care,
Lecia