My problems started after taking antibiotics for a chest infection. The antibiotics gave me an extreme case of diarrhoea that lasted for two days. This i believe gave me piles. After using various haemorrhoid cream without success i visited my gp who confirmed the piles and gave me some alternative cream.This had little effect either. Went back to the gp's and finally after suffering for 4 months he gave me an examination. He said i had remains of internal and external piles plus a small skin tag. He prescribed some cream that contained anaesthetic. I was back after a few days with a real sore backside. He said i had developed an external infection and gave me some cream that treats thrush. The infection cleared but i realised that all that the haemorrhoid cream was doing was masking the pain and the problem was still there. Finally i went to see a specialist through private healthcare. He got to the root cause within minutes. He told me that there is 3 things going on. Firstly the piles (of which i have no concern at the moment), secondly he said that i have an anal fissure that is causing all the pain and an anal fistula which is causing the repeated soreness and rashes. He said that the fistula is in such a position that effectively my anus is now keyhole shaped. He prescribed rectalgesic for the fissure and told me to throw it away if i felt no difference after 3 weeks and would therefore need an operation. About the fistula, he told me to stop wiping my backside and wash down with a shower head instead then dry off with a hair dryer. After finishing laughing, i told him ive got no problem applying the rectalgesic but the rest is neither feasible or practical. He told me that the external skin around that area is basically worn out and will get worse every time i wipe. In the real world i gently wipe with good quality paper and then finish off with baby wipes. He told me to never put any cream of any sort on that area again. Its not him with the problem though and the soreness and itching is sometimes unbearable. I had a chat with the local chemist and he told me to use sudocrem of which actually works wonders. I am just over 3 weeks into the treatment and overall i can say there are improvements. When i am at home and taking it easy i feel so much better with just the odd itch or tickle. All the stabbing and 'being ripped open by a stanley knife' type of pains are mostly gone. The real problem is work. I do 12 hour shifts and it is like 12 hours of torture. I guess its the fistula problem that is being irritated with all of the walking and therefore sweating. My backside becomes as sore as hell and i can almost hear people saying 'why is he walking like he's sxxt himself'. The other problem is the side effects of the rectalgesic. It doesnt give me headaches but i do feel real tired and worn out. On the first week of taking it i actually blacked out in the bathroom and woke up full of bruises across my back where i had fallen into the shower basin. Ive not blacked out since but wonder if it may be a combination of side effects plus me having an underactive thyroid and therefore take levothyroxine tablets. I seem to have no energy or motivation to do anything because its all too much hard work.I have had a little time off work but am worried about having more because work treats illness like a sin and have little or no sympathy for you. If you are off sick, then your not at work and must be disciplined.If i'm off for more than 2 days then they stop the sick pay so how would i live? Can't even mention the company name because they sacked the last person who did that.

Regards chazzer

I'm sorry you're going through all that! I don't have any experience with a fistula, but there is a lot of information on the forum about them. I have learned more and found more helpful suggestions here than from my CRS. I'm sure you will find something that will help you tolerate it and start to heal. Good luck!