I posted it, and lost this so sorry if it appears twice. I went to the dr. last April with rectal bleeding and severe pain, he didnt examine me. The dr, said it was hemmies-I guess he could examine me through my clothes?? Anyway he sent me off to a surgeon. I didn't go because I was so embarrassed, he also yelled and said it was because of my being overweight. So anyway Dec, I went to a new dr, he didnt examine me either sent me off to a surgeon. One month wait. Saw her, she did take a look on the outside and said she saw a fissure, also stuck a q-tip in. So tried the sitz baths and trini nitrate for seven weeks, went back to her with no improvement. In fact I was worse, so she sent me off to another surgeon-said she couldnt help me since I am prone to constipation and wouldnt operate on me. So here I am another five week wait, and I can barely sit the pain is so bad. So I called and talked to the surgeon's nurse-she basically said fissures don't hurt this bad and something else is going on. She has cancer patients that are more important, deal with it. She was very curt and gave me a bunch of useless info I already have found. So anyway is this long of a wait time standard? Any suggestions? How can I make this surgeon actually examine me and see what I am dealing with?? I doubt I have cancer but wouldnt know since I havent been checked?? Have you all been checked with colonscopy or sigmoidoscopy?? Any help would be great. Thanks
Noelle

Hi Noelle
Welcome, im sorry for you it sounds like your really in pain and frustrated.
The Dr's you have seen sound like they have no time for you which is very sad indeed. I would, and i know it may take a little while, but i would definitely try and find a GP that will be caring and considerate and actually check your butt out and diagnose what is wrong.
If you cant find a GP, go directly to a CRS (colorectal surgeon) and only stick with one you are comfortable with.. even if they dont operate, they will have some good advice for you.
Now - advice I can give you regarding your butt... if it is a fissure, trying increasing the fibre in your diet, change to wholemeal everything, lots of fruit, lots of vegies, cut out your dairy and cut out red meat, and this should help with constipation. Get onto a stool softener such as colace, or sorbitol.. this will help ease out the BM. I also use Metamucil, a fibre supplement. (just be careful not to get too much fibre)
What you want to do is change everything about your diet to get a nice soft fluffy BM.. ditch the fatty foods, the sugary foods, stop alchol and if you smoke, yes you need to give that up too!
There are alot of changes that need to take place before healing can start, and most of all you need to relax... lots of stress can lead to eratic BM's that can be really loose..
Thats all i can think of at the minute, I hope some of it helps..
Please check out as many posts as you can and get all the recycled info as it will be of good use to you..
goodluck,
Cheryl

Welcome to the Forum! I really cannot add much to the fine advice Cheryl has given; What steps have you taken to alter your diet to a fissure friendly one?
You say you are prone to constipation, which is the main reason most people get fissures...Do you eat plenty of fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water?
Yes, you need to see a Colorectal Dr. You may need a referal from a GP for insurance purposes.
I'm not sure what the nurse meant by fissures not hurting that bad; most of us on this board know they can be excrutiating at times.
And long waits are not uncommon to see specialists.
Right now, the main thing is we need to know is what your diet is like. You need to have soft (but not mushy) stools everyday; the more consistent your bms become, the more manageable your fissure will be.
Kim

Dear Noelle,
I love your name-it is beautiful! I am glad you found us here-we know what you are suffering with. I am amazed that colo-rectal doctors after seeing so many patients can be so dismissive about the pain. I understand what you are going through with the doctors. I have seen 5 colo-rectal doctors over the years with various rectal problems-the latest being the fissure-and it is hard to find one that is both an excellent diagnostician and compassionate.
One of the first colo-rectal doctors I saw told me I had post-partum depression. I said I wouldn't be depressed if my butt didn't hurt so bad. This pain can be unrelenting and severe and as awful as it sounds, I think colo-rectal doctors would be better practitioners if they had suffered from some of these conditions.
I hope you can shop around and find someone to take your pain seriously. I know sometimes there just isn't a lot of choice-like where I live-I have to travel 2 hours to get to my colo-rectal doctor.
I know keeping the bowels the right consistency is important by getting enough fiber and water. I still eat the same diet everyday to avoid surprises in the morning. It is boring but it keeps me functional while I am healing. So, if you find something that is nutritionally balanced that keeps your bms as comfy as possible stick with it for awhile. I also hit the tub right after I am done.
It does take awhile for fissures to heal with or without surgery, because that area keeps getting reinjured when you go to the bathroom and its dirty and if you have spasms it prevents enough blood flow to promote healing.
I would also try to lubricate your anus before going to the bathroom. You can do this by orally taking flax seed or fish oils or by putting a lubricant jelly inside. I cover my fissure with A and D ointment which is used as a protectorant for baby's skin. Anyone out of the US that wants me to send them a tube, just let me know. Also the gel they use like KY Jelly for paps and personal lubrication can be used. I know one of our boardies uses cocoa butter too that helps.
Maybe your doctor can give you a tube of lidocaine which will numb that area too.
Do you have anyone that can go with you and make sure your concerns are being addressed by the doctor?
I feel for the pain you are going through. The pain can be very intense and of such a personal nature that it makes it hard to deal with. Let us know how we can help, okay?
Lecia

:hi: Noelle
I'm so sorry that you are dealing with such rude/arrogant doctors.
If you can, do look around for a doctor who will give you the time of day and be actually willing to examine you.
I am not sure what country you're in but can say that although some doc's here in syd, australia aren't the best, there are a few good ones who have a good bedside manner and are willing to offer other alternatives and last resort.. surgery.
This forum is great for information and the people on here are so supportive. (thanks Cheryl for doing a fine job with this site)
Take people's advice on here and try to heal yourself through what others have recommended. (it can either a)not work or b) heal yourself) - worth a try :)
I hope you find the great doc which is awaiting you and hope you get better
please keep us posted
take care
dee

hi noelle,
in the three years that i had seen my CRS, he never inserted anything in my butt either. however, all he needed to do was kinda seek into just a little by the use of his fingers to see that there was a fissure present.
so it may not be the case that you need anything else going inside you. as a matter of fact, a good conservative CRS will not subject you to more pain and possible irritation and further damage to your fissure.
****
if you are severly constipated - due to foods, stress, emotions, medication, etc. - then you need to take a few steps back and see why you are constipated.
for me, it is a combination of things.
****
i really don't understand where doctors and nurses get off treating you in the manner you have described. it's unprofessional and unethical. that is what they are there for!!!!!
so it seems that you need to locate a good CRS who will treat you with dignity and concern. you deserve that.
****
i just had a colonoscopy and i really recommend it for anyone who has questions about what may be going on inside. i think once you have a better idea of what is happening inside to you, then you are better able to address your healing.
diet is so important. just as is sleeping well, getting exercise, and having an overall good outlook.
****
not sure where you are located or how old you are....someone around here may be able to give you a referral or something?
you are in good hands in joining this group.
don't settle for crappy (forgive me for the pun) health care......once you get the right doctor, healing is so much more easier.

I am on miralax, I was diagnosed with IBS last year. I take it every other day and it seems to take care of me. I guess I really don't feel constipated-to me being constipated is not going for a few weeks-which happened in past. But Im going almost daily-so this surgonI saw wasn't really understanding I guess. I don't excercise right now because movement seems to excaberate the pain. Even sitting here right now is hurting. I am part of a managed care that has only one colorectal surgeon for all of us. From what I understand I can see another surgeon but they arent colorectal, and right now I don't want to take any chances. After this experience though I will be changing clinics and specialists etc. I guess I'm gonna have to stick it out. I am paying a high deductible so I kind of just want to be done with it ASAP. Thanks everyone for the advice and kindness-I will use it all.
Noelle

hi noelle,
IBS can pose a challenge in your fissure puzzle.
with regards to exercise, i wonder what you think about it, what does it mean, and what can and can't you do? for instance, do you consider walking exercise and is that painful as well? i just started getting into QI GONG, which is an ancient asian/chinese form of restorative exercise, from which T'ai Chi has spun off from. The purpose of QI GONG is to get the "blocked or stagnant" energy in your body moving and moving out to bring in good energy. Combining QI GONG and acupuncture can really help you with IBS and get your body working although you really just seem to stay put in one area.
i haven't googled IBS and macrobiotics - a way of eating (not a pill or something you have to buy) - but i would think that eating macrobiotically (or as close to as you can) could have benefits for both your fissure, IBS, and overall health. i would suggest that you GOOGLE: IBS and macrobiotics and see what you can come up with. for a good resource on learning more about macrobiotics from a woman's perspective - get yourself the book: A Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics by J. Porter.
one last note, since you mention being over weight - as i consider myself to be - i tend to get "sweaty" butt! :bounce: it's so so important to keep your butt 'dry' and/or moisture free due to sweat. a big helper in doing this is blow drying your butt after your shower/bath. once you have dried it, then you should look into getting a body moisturizer like JoJoba Oil or what I would recommend, Palmers Cocoa Butter with Vitamin E. Just apply a very thin coating surrounding the internal anus - no need to insert your finger into the anus or onto the fissure. just the surrounding anus skin that is external. during the day, you can check for moisture by going to the restroom and just patting it with some toilet paper to keep it dry - don't rub the toilet paper as you don't want to take off the moisturizer.
this may pose a bigger challenge for you but i tend to believe it was one of the best things that helped me alleviate my fissure situation without surgery. THE SQUAT. if you are able to get into a SQUAT position on the toilet or over the toilet, that would facilitate less straining and a much easier method of getting the bowels cleared. for some reason, for me, it alleviated the pressure directly on my fissure and allowed me to crap with ease.
along with crapping, if you can get some baby moist wipes. forget toilet paper. and DON'T rub the toilet paper, don't irritate your anus and/or fissure. simply use the baby wipes to apply a nice gentle cleaning wipe over the anus. if you can, the best thing is to take a shower and wash your butt WITHOUT SOAP - never never use SOAP to wash your butt; just some nice warm, soothing water for your butt! if body SOAP gets into contact with your butt/anus, wash it off immediately. NO WITCH HAZEL either.
as i said before, dry your butt after the shower with a gentle pat with your towel and then blow dry on a nice cool setting until your anus is nice and dry. apply your moisturizer and you are ready for the day!
i wish you the best of luck noelle until you can get the care from a dr. that you deserve.

im 5'4" 150lbs I guess that is overweight or obese?? I think I look pretty good though LOL..Thanks again for the help I hope to get well in time for summer, so I can walk..right now walking seems to irritate it as well as sitting on chairs without cushions...Thanks
again!
Noelle

I know what you mean about walking and exercising. I can't do too much because the friction irritates the fissure and this skin tag thingie I have. It makes the pain worse for me. So right now I don't do anything beyond just what I need to do. I think something like Tai Chi could be nice and relaxing with the slow movements. I have also thought about getting an exercise ball but I wouldn't be able to sit on it yet. That is something I avoid doing!
Talk to you later!
Lecia