by Canadabum » 16 Sep 2015, 16:26
So here is the update....i must say, I sort of feel sheepish even writing this because I myself have a hard time believing this...but apparently....the fissure has healed!?!?! Did I just write that....it is actually healed.
I say this with !?! after the word healed for a couple reasons: 1. I am thrilled that I am healed 2. I am confused because I still have some sensitivity, and 3. I feel like i am pretty vulnerable to tearing it open if I do not keep things really controlled and generally soft....so still scared and a bit anxious about my state of healing.
I know that in the scheme of things I should be shouting joy from the rafters...but I am feeling a bit cautious still. I would love to hear from others who have healed and how long they felt sensations and a general sense of vulnerability down there for...
So here is what happened -- first of all, the Dr. was fantastic. He did a very thorough digital exam and then did a rigid-sigmoidoscopy exam. He said he could feel the scar tissue and a small bump (i think it is called a papilla) where the fissure was. He did not see any fissure...but saw where it was. I was told that I have a very robust sphincter muscle (too bad i cant show it off...like a six pack...lol) and a long passage...he thought that the very strong muscle may have contributed to the problem in the first place.
The exam was not horrible...but not pleasant. I used no drugs etc before the procedure. Deep breathing and a sense that it would soon be over got me through it. The awesome thing is that when he slid his finger around where the fissure was and would be...NO PAIN!! The last two times that happened...lets just say the patients in the waiting room must have thought that the Dr. was torturing me.
He did not suggest surgery and said i should manage this medically with (you guessed it my fellow fissure friends....) Sitz Baths, Fibre and Ointment......(as an aside, dont you wish you could tell someone to to the aforementioned and charge them $300 for the brilliant suggestion...). The baths are to be done on an as needed basis...in case of a flare up. The ointment also as needed...i was prescribed niphedepine this time. He told me is maintains its efficacy for about 6 months. The Fibre is something to be done every day until I take my final rest in a pine box. He highly suggested psyllium, metamucil and bran buds. I will give these a whirl....i remember that in my early days of fissure when everything was raw, open and pulsing with pain that fibre sucked as it made everything bulky...but perhaps now it will be ok.
So I also asked about Restoralax (Miralax) -- I told him that I take about a quarter dose in the morning and a quarter dose in the evening. His first words to me were....who put you on that. I told him that I put myself on it. He said that he does not recommend it for his "younger" patients (i am 43) and that he uses it for constipation in his older and elderly patients. His feeling was that it is not exactly a stool softener and it is more or a gentle laxative. He told me he would cut it out. I said that I was reluctant to cut it out because it has been so helpful. I then asked him that if I chose to continue using this for say another full year every day...would it cause any harm or be a problem...his answer was a clear no...no problem to continue to use, however he does not recommend.
So there you have it....I will continue to let you know how I progress and what is going on with me. There should be a section on this site for people who are reluctantly healed or sceptically healed...that is where i would post my next thread. I am really thrilled that i was given some great news today...perhaps the reason I am not jumping up and down is because i am a bit shocked and also a bit sceptical. When it sinks in i will let you know.
I cant thank all of you enough for your help, feedback and support...without a doubt it has helped in my healing process...so thank you all..specially the administrators and moderators who do such a great job for all of us by keeping this forum humming. This is not the last you will hear from me...no doubt I will have more questions, there will likely be a twist and a turn of events at some point...and I will certainly be there when i can to shed some light from my experience.
Best to all,
Canadabum
(apologies for the long and somewhat rambling note!)