Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

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Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby T8Y1OR » 24 Aug 2014, 13:09

Hi Everyone,

So glad that i have found this site, i have suffered for a year in silence, the problem from what i read is very self inflicted, i am overweight and in need of some serious help! I have found that anusol moist toilet wipes and sudocrem.

i have never really understood my problem but after reading a lot of posts on here today i understand, my diet was appalling it consisted of mainly eating and drinking beer, potatoes, rice, chocolate, spicy food and lots of cheese!

as far as quality of life goes i feel i have lost the last year of my life, the all time low was spending my wifes birthday in the most amount of pain i have ever had and not doing the thing she wanted to do.

Changes
I have recently joined a gym but the pain really puts me off going, my wife wants to go on walks but the same story the pain makes me not want to go anywhere.

i have stopped drinking real ales and switched to whiskey (heard it was a better with a fissure)

if anyone can give me any advice i would really appreciate it.

Thanks
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby Scientist2516 » 24 Aug 2014, 13:41

Hi T8Y1OR,

Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you've been going through this. Yes, the pain makes it very very difficult to exercise. I put on some weight when my fissure was bad, so I can relate. Gym exercise may not be the best, because it's usually a lot of weight-bearing exercise, which puts pressure on the rectum. And the bikes are probably out of the question too. I found that during the day there were some times that were relatively pain-free, and some times that were so awful I just had to lie down and cry. Gentle exercise like walking was OK during the hours when the pain subsided. Swimming may be a possibility too.

So the best advice I can give you is what you already know - make serious changes to your diet. You can search around here for fissure-friendly foods. You need healthy foods, lean meats, lentils, fruits and veg. Do not overdo the fibre, but get enough fibre to keep your stools soft and passing through regularly. Also, drink lots of water to hydrate the stools.

You can keep a food diary, where you make a note of what you eat, how soft your stools are and how much pain you have. You can use this forum to keep the diary, and people can give you advice, cheer you on, etc.

Some people find that certain foods are constipating, and should be avoided. Cheese and red meat are triggers for some. You will have to experiment to find out. The main thing is SOFT STOOLS and NO straining on the toilet.

There are lots of other things that help. Warm baths, sit on a heat-pad or hot water bottle to soothe the pain, etc. Search around, read the success stories, ask questions, let us know how you get on!
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: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby T8Y1OR » 24 Aug 2014, 13:55

Hi Scientist2516

Thank you so much for the reply, I will give the heat a try and see if it helps, I will keep a track over the next few weeks and see if i can find food that i need to cut out.

I don't do any weights at the gym i only really use the tredmill and the swimming pool so that should be ok.

Fingers crossed because I NEED my life back.
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby msimon » 24 Aug 2014, 18:34

Hi T8Y1OR, Glad you found this site but sorry that you had to. I don't know if this was mentioned or if you came across it but a lot of people on here take stool softeners daily (such as Miralax/Movicol) to have consistently soft BMs. This helps me a lot. Also, if you can work up the courage to go to your Doctor there are ointments that can be used to relax the muscle spasm and promote blood flow to the area to help with healing. Just be careful to not let them prod too much. I have had things get worse from careless Doctors. The ointments are called Nitroglycerine, Nifedipine, and Diltiazem and they have to be compounded. They all do basically the same thing. Most people don't start with the Nitro as it can cause bad headaches. Hope things get better for you really quick.
Dec '13 Fissure from anoscope
3 X internal sphincter botox
'08-'15 Botox for pelvic floor dysfunction
Nov '14 LIS/sentinel tag removal
Feb '15 Deroofing of recurrent infection from LIS
summer '15-healed but still ongoing muscle dysfunction/pain
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby mmklinemm » 24 Aug 2014, 19:40

You're in the right place to find advice and support! If you haven't been to a colorectal surgeon, that would be my biggest recommendation. You need to make sure what is causing your pain and how best to treat it. GPs have a reputation for misdiagnosing fissures. The things I have found most helpful to healing and minimizing pain are squatting to have a BM (I put my feet up on a stool), using a portable bidet for cleaning, my heating pad, 2-3 hot baths per day, nifedipine ointment, drinking at least 100 oz water per day, and eating about 30g (35g for men) fiber each day. Unfortunately, figuring out which foods to eat is trial and error. I find the food issue is the most stressful part of this. I've had so much oat bran, sweet potatoes, pecans, salads, creamy peanut butter, and watermelon that I'm nearly sick to death of them. But they work and don't hurt me, so I'll eat them forever if I have to just to avoid that horrible fissure pain. Giving up most dairy was the best thing for me. I can still have hard, aged cheeses and lactose free kefir, but everything else causes me problems.

Good luck!! I'm sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us!
Status: LIS 20 Oct 2014, 2nd LIS 05 March 2018.
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby mmklinemm » 24 Aug 2014, 19:45

I forgot to add walking. I walk 2.5 miles almost everyday. I feel so much better when I do. Find a light exercise that you enjoy and do what feels comfortable for you. The important thing is to increase blood flow to the fissure area without causing trauma. I've read that yoga is great, but I haven't tried it since my fissure.
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby T8Y1OR » 25 Aug 2014, 04:04

Morning Everyone, thank you so much for the advice.

I have some anusol which really helps, my issue is the food, i have made a list of things to cut out of my diet from post on here, fingers crossed that cutting out some of them will help.

I have got a heat pad which is like heaven! I will start to do walks and/or swimming each day to help.

one area I am unsure of is potatoes and chopped tomatoes.

also sorry to ask but when you say squat do you hover over the toilet?

Thanks everyone
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby mmklinemm » 25 Aug 2014, 05:08

I don't hover, just put my feet up on a stool to decrease the angle of my hips. I started with a normal foot stool, then bought a Squatty Potty. Google it and you'll see why it's so helpful.

Be careful with the anusol, too. Extended use of hydrocortisone can thin the skin in that area and make it harder to heal.
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Re: Finally somewhere to talk about my problem

Postby hurtinend » 25 Aug 2014, 10:38

agree with the squatty potty - sounds so silly but I bought one 2 weeks ago and it is helping me a great deal. Remember, the modern "toilet" is just that, a modern invention. All through history, people squatted, it the natural position to poop in, aligns the hips and colon, making for more efficient elimination.

Vaseline the area before a BM, this is helping me too.

Walk walk walk, best exercise there is, start slow..no injuries, gradually go faster and farther. I go 5 miles, 5 days a week, have lost 12 pounds in 3 months. Less weight is good for the fissure, decreases pressure "down there".

Good luck my friend.
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