With the use of stool softeners, it is slightly less painful at the moment that I go, but right at the very end I seem to have a spasm (like my rectum slams shut) and then it really hurts and for a long time afterwards.

Has anyone experienced this? What can I do to help stop this?

Daisy

Hi Daisy, depending on the extent of the pain but I find the pain post BM is soothed by sitting on a warm wheatbag/sitz bath, ibuprofen and inserting a glob of Sudocrem into the anus, sometimes if I leave my finger in the anus for a bit it helps, sort of self dilation relief. I too have sometimes had no pain during but pain after. I'm not sure how to prevent it.

I've experienced this too. It's hard to predict how the pain will manifest itself sometimes. Usually it's most painful when I first open my bowles and the pain eases a bit for the duration of the toilet visit. I usually have a mild stinging sensation for a few hours afterwards which I treat with ibuprofen. Helps a lot for me. Sometimes though I have very little pain when passing the stools but by the time i've wiped and left the bathroom the pain suddenly starts then. It's very annoying.

Whenever i've been to the toilet I put some coconut oil around the site of the fissure and take some painkillers. I actually don't find baths that soothing for some reason. Do you use any anaesthetic cream or gel when going to the bathroom?

This is just about the most common pain from anal fissures, daisy001, and the only thing that helped me (gradually) was using a Sitz Bath and dilation. Took a year...and I still have some problems, but not excruciating pain any more.

Sometimes sitting on a sitz bath before BM helps relax things and prevent some of those spasms, and sitting on it afterwards as well. I also find simply taking deep breaths and making sure everything is totally relaxed helps a lot, though I know that's hard when anticipating pain.