Alyssa,

I had a pudendal nerve block to break the pain cycle. It certainly did numb everything down there but it also seemed to block the nerves which controlled my bladder. It was scary waiting around while my bladder was filling but I couldn't yet pass urine. Luckily by the end of the day things started to work again. Unfortunately the pain came back though. I read online somewhere it's best to do a series of 3 nerve blocks. I have only had one.

It was good to feel pain free for a few hours because at the time my pain was pretty much 24/7.

These days I seem to get periods of relief throughout the day, sometimes up to half a day of relief or more. Of course I can have flare ups where the pain is 24/7, in particular when I have incomplete or multiple bowel movements in a single day.

I could best describe my pain as like a hot burning pain, like a Chinese arm burn but up the back passage instead. When it is severe it's impossible to distract myself from it.

It has really held my life up somewhat the last few years. Frustrating because otherwise I would be relatively healthy.

Pafen,

I have the burning pain too... But I feel only when I am sitting down and just a general ache when standing like if you have a cut and it hurts And then you add pressure to it, then it burns. I would also be healthy and happy if it was not for this pain! I had an emotional breakdown last night because I just can't imagine going through another year of this pain, I'm exhausted... I have two children to care for, work and I have to pretend everything is okay.

The tissue in the rectum feels as though its tender to the touch and dilating is still painful don't know how this is supposed to help end the pain cycle.

P,

Where was the nerve block placed/ injected?

Alyssa, did you have any positive effects from your last botox injections? That is, do the muscles feel any looser at least?

My 2nd Botox injection was only to the sphincter.. It has relaxed my sphincter that's about it.. Pain still the same I find it harder to have a bm... I had better pain results with Botox to the pelvic floor

The Botox has only helped with pain during bm (before hot coal; after scrapping pain) the burning sitting pain has not made a difference even with Botox or the ache

Are you still seeing a physio? You very well could still have muscle issues causing your pain as I know it took me a number of injections (each about 6 months apart) before I really felt a difference. It may be that they didn't get the right muscles yet. Don't lose hope.

I am also wondering if you may have access to trigger point injections. After years of botox I was surprised to learn that it doesn't get everything. That is, it doesn't necessarily eradicate trigger points. A killed Doctor can get deep in there and needle the tight tissue. My new Doctor really wants me to try trigger point injections for a few consecutive months before the botox again. She is very skilled at finding tight bands of tissue that nobody has found on me after so many years. Long story short, pain down there is kind of like and onion and you may need to peel back several layers before getting to the source.

How long ago was your botox? That may still kick in...

Alyssa wrote:My 2nd Botox injection was only to the sphincter.. It has relaxed my sphincter that's about it.. Pain still the same I find it harder to have a bm... I had better pain results with Botox to the pelvic floor

Can you tell me how you find it harder to have a BM? I find when I relax my internal sphincter that it is difficult to get the right propulsion down there to get things out. Even the ointment does it to me now after the LIS but the spasms after and during the BM are horrendous if I don't use some. Still trying to see if I can find a balance with that. I also find it difficult to know when to go. Like the urge is more vague. Then when I try to go my pelvic floor muscles fight me. So frustrating! Especially when trying to heal my LIS site and fissure.

I find it difficult to get the stool out... It just sits there and I have to really push to get things to move out.. If its larger in size (thicker than a dime) it's harder to expel, it just sits there and I have to strain to get it out. I'm so frustrated... What do you take to get things moving? I just drank some hot water with lemon this morning since I feel it there but it does not want to come out!!!

That's funny. I have been doing that too with the hot lemon water but now my muscles seem to be too strong for even that. Does is feel tight and that is why it won't come out or does it feel like it is stalled there? I had the stalled issue before and I had to almost liquify my stool and that worked. Used stool softener and magnesium. Now I have a very tight external sphincter that clamps down when my BM comes on as it is always very urgent, I guess due to the relaxation of the internal sphincter. Even with a soft stool that narrow in diameter and pressure coming out causes me so much pain that goes on most of the day. I was so afraid of this happening with the LIS. Doctors just don't understand this stuff sometimes:( Funny as things were working for me BM-wise until the pelvic floor reacted.