Botox - hoping for a miracle

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Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby FDP » 08 Dec 2013, 17:48

Had botox injections after 3 months of suffering with AF and think it might be helpful to myself and others if I document my journey to recovery (hopefully!).

Went under general anesthetic and woke up from the procedure feeling a bit groggy but not in any pain. I ate a small amount of food that day and am normally very regular with my BM's but the anesthetic must have constipated me a bit because i didn't go to the toilet until two days later. So I spent most of the day yesterday in and out of the toilet trying to go. it felt a bit different but still had strong pain and a little bleeding. had to have a bath after finally getting everything out completely as I still felt a bit of the burning pain. i noticed that it definitely didn't last as long though.

fingers crossed it only gets better from here. a little worried but because i was hoping todays BM would come in the morning as usual but Im still waiting. Im actually excited to go to the toilet for once so I can see if its any better but part of me thinks/knows that ill be disappointed though.
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby vdb324 » 08 Dec 2013, 21:30

I am on my second round of Botox. I was told that blood after the injection is common. The pain usually takes a few days to subside - the time for the Botox to kick in. Best of luck to you!
Feb. 2013 - Developed AF
July 2013 - Diagnosed AF;nifidepine lidocaine treatment
Oct. 2013 - 1st round of Botox & skin tag removal
Dec. 2013 - 2nd Botox
March 2014 - Spinchterotomy
June 2015 - Diagnosed with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Vulvodynia
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby FDP » 08 Dec 2013, 22:57

Thanks vdb324, good luck to you also. So sorry to hear you are also suffering from this horrible situation.

please remind me to never get excited to do a BM again! It was more painful than yesterday and made worse because my 3 month old baby was hysterically crying and i was in too much pain to settle him properly. i feel terrible and like i could fail as a mother if this keeps happening everyday. i hope i don't scar the poor thing for life for letting him see me like this. There was a little blood and burning pain also and it could be wishful thinking but i think that the burning pain is no where near as intense as it was before the botox. still hurt like hell and brought me to tears though. I think i was still a bit constipated so i hope tomorrow is a better day. If i can just get the stool soft i think it would be a lot more manageable. stool softeners don't seem to be working unfortunately. guess ill have to be even more strict about my diet which is prunes for breakfast, avocado and ricotta on cruskits for lunch and sweet potato mash for dinner. and a bit of chocolate here and there to keep me sane. if i stick to that every day surely
That will fix me right?

Is it just me or does anyone else day dream about your life before the AF. When you could eat whatever you wanted and never thought twice about going to the toilet. Didn't think my New Years wish this year was going to be "to do a painless poo". Fml.
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby Scientist2516 » 09 Dec 2013, 00:02

FDP, my heart goes out to the new mothers on this forum. Having a little baby is enough to deal with without the agony of a fissure. I hope you are able to get some joy from your baby even though you are in such pain. Don't worry, your baby will not be scarred by this experience.
It will take a while for you to get your diet and stool softeners/laxatives to where they need to be, so a diary is an excellent idea. You can record what you eat and what effect it has, and the level of pain.
I really hope the botox kicks in for you soon!
Nifedipine/lidocaine, no help
Diltiazem, effective, but caused major rash
Nitroglycerine, effective.
Topical estrogen for final healing.
Gentle heat to bottom - pain relief, muscle relaxant
Kondremul mineral oil
Time - lots of time.
Status - Healed!
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby FDP » 09 Dec 2013, 21:54

Thanks Scientist2156, my boy is the only thing that keeps me going. he can bring a smile to my face even when im suffering the most. I am now starting to understand why children are so special.

Im having a better day today. I took Normacol last night to help with the constipation and skipped dinner so i don't keep blocking things up. I've still spent most of the day in the toilet because its taking forever to be completely empty. stools are almost too soft like diahhorea but at least its not as painful as yesterday. no burning afterwards so I think that the botox has kicked in - yay!! Now if tomorrow i spend only half the day in the bathroom ill already feel much better. so far im thinking that botox was definitely worth it. id recommend to anyone having botox, to make sure you don't get constipated after. take a laxative that same day and do everything you can to get regular BMs again.

Cant wait to have my life back. When i finally do, im going to make sure i enjoy every single moment!
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby vdb324 » 09 Dec 2013, 23:45

Have you tried Miralax? That seems to help me, coupled with fiber. I don't think Colace and stool softeners did much for me.

And kudos to you! I watched a nephew not too long ago for a day, and it was a lot trying to fit in times to use the bathroom, sitz baths, medicine, water, etc.
Feb. 2013 - Developed AF
July 2013 - Diagnosed AF;nifidepine lidocaine treatment
Oct. 2013 - 1st round of Botox & skin tag removal
Dec. 2013 - 2nd Botox
March 2014 - Spinchterotomy
June 2015 - Diagnosed with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Vulvodynia
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby FDP » 13 Jan 2014, 17:34

Hi, sorry I haven't posted in a while, yes I am happy to say I have been busy getting better! I think I can finally share tips on what I have done/am doing to try and stay better:

1. BOTOX
I had botox injections about a month ago and it has done wonders to eliminate the pain. if you can, i highly reccommend doing it. I live in Australia and have private health insurance. I ended up being $1500 out of pocket but it was worth every cent and would do it again if I had to. Surgery was painless and it took about 4 days for the spasms pain to be entirely gone after a BM. you can still feel a little pain if your stool passes the fissure but its a walk in the park and laughable compared to the horrifying nightmare it used to be.

2. STRICT DIET
Here is what I have been typically eating. it may not seem like a lot but its important to graze rather than have any large meals. i was starving for the first couple of days but my stomach must have shrunk because its enough now.

breakfast - 4 prunes with half a cup of low fat custard

mid-morning snack - 2 cruskitts with peanut butter and honey and/or an 'up n go' (liquid cereal drink)

lunch - 3 cruskitts with avocado and fetta or ricotta & sun dried tomatoes

afternoon snack - mango and a sneaky piece of milk chocolate

dinner - sweet potato and pumpkin mash with baby spinach and 2 baby beetroots. 2-3 times per week I also have a little (handful) chicken or fish.

dessert - ice cream

No matter how hungry you are just stick to this diet for at least 2 months, then slowly start introducing other foods but have them together with other soft foods like sweet potato mash or avocado.

Also very important, drink 2-3 litres of water a day. carry a 1 litre drink bottle with you wherever you go and keep it filled. fill before you go to bed and have it handy for the night feeds.

Foods to stay away from for at least 6 months to a year:
Bread
Hard cheese
Pizza
Anything processed
Foods high in saturated fat

3. MEDICATION
I've been using Rectogesic twice a day for about 8 weeks now. I think it does work but only if you have a good diet. One of the ingredients is lanolin so you can use Lasinoh breastfeeding nipple cream instead if you are worried about the side affects.

Magnesium tablets also helped a bit with the pain before I had the botox. So did Nurofen Zavance.

I also used Coloxyl Green for stool softeners before bed but found after following the above diet I didn't need them anymore.

If you are travelling or it looks like you might miss the days BM, dont  hesitate, take a laxative like Normacol or Movicol. You really don't want to have a hard stool and undo all the good work you've done.

SWEDISH BITTERS - MIRACLE CURE?
I hope Im not jinxing myself for saying this but I have also discovered that Swedish Bitters is a bit of a miracle cure. About a week ago I had a bad re-tear from caving and eating pizza (NEVER AGAIN!!). So bad I was soaking up 4 tissues of blood. So I put a little bit of Swedish bitters onto a cotton ball and then right after a BM, stuck the cotton ball on my butt, pressing hard enough for it to sting. I then left it in between my cheeks for about half an hour. The sting went away after a couple mins. Next day - No bleeding! It has been a week now and I only once bled a pindrop of blood after a BM but repeated the process above and it was gone again the very next day!! Now I don't know what the pain involved would be if I didn't have the botox so please use with caution!

4. WHEN GOING TO THE TOILET
When you go, try only go once a day but if you feel the urge, go right away. Holding it in will only make it worse.

Try let it 'fall' out REALLY SLOWLY rather than straining.

Use baby wipes or flushable wipes soaked in witch hazel. Aldi sells flushable wipes for $3.

5. ENJOY EACH MOMENT WHEN NOT IN PAIN
try not to fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself after having a bad BM. Tell yourself that negativity and depression will prolong your condition so make an effort to surround yourself in things that make you happy. Know that fissures heal overnight so live by the motto, "tomorrow is another day and it could very well be a day with no pain."

Im not saying Im completely cured but im finding that im having more good days than bad which is better than having more bad days than good :)
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby missy moo33 » 09 Feb 2014, 18:26

hi are you breastfeeding? did the botox work? im a breastfeeding mum with fissures that keep coming back nothing works for me
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Re: Botox - hoping for a miracle

Postby FDP » 29 Apr 2014, 00:13

Hi missy moo33, I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I have only just re-visited this forum because unfortunately the Botox has begun to wear off (4 months later) and I'm starting to feel pain again. I had a huge re-tear a few days ago and the pain is getting worse each day. I am still breast feeding but am going to start weaning tomorrow as my son starts daycare soon anyway so I think now is the right time. I didn't want to stop until I was 100% ready because if stopping breast feeding didn't make a difference to my healing I would have regretted it terribly.

Sorry to hear you are suffering with fissures. How are you going? I hope you have found some relief even if only temporary.
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