Botox diary

Are you sitting comfortably? No!

A place for you to keep a record of your healing or surgery.

Return to Diaries



Botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 21 Feb 2016, 08:57

I've been suffering with fissures for years now but the latest experience has been by far the worst. I've been in hours of pain post BM every day for five months now. The various creams and diet changes didn't make much difference. So last Thursday I went into hospital for investigation and botox. I thought they might do LIS but the surgeon said that for women it can cause more problems later in life so he felt it was best avoided. At 54 it was nice to be considered too young for something!

Anyway I was terrified but everyone was so kind. This was in the UK under the NHS by the way. When I came round from the general anaesthetic I was very woozy but felt no pain, just discomfort. The day after the operation I was sleepy too but it was such a wonderful novelty to be in no pain for the first time in ages. Of course, I hadn't had a BM yet...

Day two started well, sleepy and pain free, and feeling very positive. But as the day wore on I kept feeling the need to go to the loo but not quite succeeding. Then in the evening I had to spend a ridiculous length of time on the toilet - well over an hour. Never experienced anything like it and hope never to again. I was halfway along the process but it just wasn't happening. Tried so hard not to strain but I was stuck in hideous BM limbo and couldn't go back. In the end it was really painful and there was blood and I'm scared that any good from the botox has been completely undone. Still in pain today and filled with dread at the thought of the next BM.

Anyone else been through anything similar after general anaesthetic/botox? Would really like to hear from someone who's been in a similar situation.
Last edited by brokenbottom on 04 Mar 2016, 13:06, edited 1 time in total.
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 23 Feb 2016, 10:04

So it's five days since the botox now and I'm in a worse state than before I had it. So miserable. Not being able to talk to people about it makes it so much worse too. Such a horrid embarrassing thing.
I've been sticking to eating all the right things as best I can and taking Fibogel, Dulcoease and Lactulose, so subsequent BMs have been swift and not too painful. Unfortunately the real pain sets in about an hour afterwards and then goes on for hours. I'm so worried I caused extra damage with that hideous post-op BM.
Anyone else had botox? How did you get on afterwards? I guess I was hoping for a miracle, but didn't get one.
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby ouchie25 » 24 Feb 2016, 07:20

I had Botox 2.5 months ago.

The pain after the op was def worse than it had ever been pre op. The pain was the same as yours and lingered for hours after a bm. This went on for exactly 10 days then the Botox must have kicked in and it was all down hill from there - no more burning pains and gradually the pain with each bm disappeared. I think I was pain free within a month, but everyone heals differently. Don't loose hope, these early days are the hardest.
User avatar
ouchie25
Salt Bather
 
Posts: 71
Topics: 4
Joined: 07 Dec 2015, 17:00
Location: Australia
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 11 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 24 Feb 2016, 07:39

A million thanks ouchie25 for your post here. You've given me hope which was something I'd completely lost! Just been reading your diary which I hadn't seen before and it's cheered me up so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! xx
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 25 Feb 2016, 16:58

Little update. Yesterday (day 6) after the op was a real low. Reading ouchie25's diary bucked me up a bit but the pain after my morning BM went on for 7-8 hours and was full-on unable-to-walk, lying-in-bed-crying sort of pain. I managed to get an appointment with my GP who was really sympathetic but really couldn't offer me much. She didn't think it was worth getting in touch with the surgeon as he'd just say it was too soon to know but she wasn't exactly being encouraging about the likelihood of things improving either. She suggested going back on the Naproxen pain killers I'd been taking before the botox and offered me anti-depressants. The latter was tempting but it's not like being upset because you're in embarrassing pain all day is an unreasonable thing to be upset about! So I didn't go for that.

That evening though I had what I like to think of as the flatulence of hope. It wasn't exactly pleasant to suddenly have wind I wasn't able to control, but it made me think that maybe the botox had kicked in...

And today (day 7) has been better. My BM was pretty much pain free (and super fast thanks to Lactulose, Fibogel and the rest of the gang), but it's the pain that comes on an hour or so later that is the killer for me. Admittedly I had taken a Naproxen pain killer but the intensity of pain today was much lower and by lunch time I was able to sit down, which was quite exciting really.

Fingers crossed today wasn't a flash in the pan, as it were. Going to count out my drugs and potions for tomorrow and hope for the best.
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 28 Feb 2016, 15:03

Not sure the hopefulness paid off really... Days 8 and 9 was similar in that I was able to sit down by lunchtime, mainly thanks to the prescription painkillers I've gone back on (Naproxen). On day 9 I felt reasonably optimistic and in the afternoon I actually had some energy to to get on with normal stuff around the house.

Today was day 10 and I made the mistake of thinking this would be the start of my new/old life but Mr Fissure did not oblige. Despite my BM being easy and blood-free the pain kicked in an hour later and pretty much wiped out the day. I was back to spending most of it in bed on my side with a hot water bottle on my behind. What a waste of a sunny Sunday.

My biggest worry now is that I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow and if I have another day like today I don't see how that's possible. I'm not seeing any trajectory of improvement, just relentless pain and misery.
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 29 Feb 2016, 16:28

Day 11 - my first day back at work since the botox.

Wasn't sure I was going to make it but somehow I did. My BM was blood-free (yay!) and I guess it was relatively pain-free but I'm finding these days that the stress and fear of what is to follow make it hard to tell. The worst pain I get is about an hour after a BM and can go on for hours and hours. If I was going to get my train I had to leave at just the point when the pain usually kicks in so it was a bit of a gamble.

I was in quite a bit of pain on the train and wondered if I'd been really foolish even attempting to be normal. I didn't sit down of course - haven't been able to sit down on the train to work for the past two months. And I was so slow waliking to the office as that really hurt too.

But everyone was very kind at work and luckily no one asked about what was wrong with me (one of my biggest fears!). Miraculously I was able to perch on my office chair within an hour or so of getting to the office, which was a big improvement on last week when I couldn't sit down until the evening some days. Not getting my hopes up too much but glad to have got the first day back at work behind me (no pun intended!).

One thing though was I did have a bit of a escaping gas incident, which obviously was another big worry about going back to office life. I was incredibly lucky in that it happened during a rare moment when no one else was in the room. Phew! (For them and me!)
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby Canadabum » 29 Feb 2016, 17:06

brokenbottom -- i am so impressed with your grit and determination!! Way to go for being able to muster the strength to get back to work...I know it is not easy. As ouchie said, the early days are often the hardest...time is your friend here and hopefully soon you will feel some relief.

No blood --- yaaaaayyyyyy!!! That is a huge milestone...celebrate it.

I look forward to hearing about your progress -- sending you tons of support!
Canadabum
User avatar
Canadabum
Moderator
 
Posts: 607
Topics: 19
Joined: 12 Apr 2015, 21:01
Has thanked: 179 times
Been thanked: 123 times
Gender: Male

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 29 Feb 2016, 17:15

Aww thanks so much for your support Canadabum! Really means a lot. These infernal fissures are so isolating because it's difficult to talk about them, so this board is a total lifeline. Thanks!
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female

Re: botox diary

Postby brokenbottom » 01 Mar 2016, 17:48

Day 12 - Bit of a setback

I woke up with high hopes and my BM was pretty painless... but there was a teeny bit of blood. Boo.
Got ready for work and just around the time I was all ready to leave, the pain kicked in. I suppose better then than on the train but really upsetting. Don't feel like I'm moving forward at all, just stuck in some hideous cycle of hell.

So I contacted work and said I'd be late. Took to my bed with my trusty hot water bottle to ride it out. It was a couple of hours before I felt I could make it to the station and there were plenty of points on the journey I thought I'd been a bit too gung ho. But by lunchtime at least I was making a fair impression of someone sitting at a desk normally and I got through the rest of the day albeit with some discomfort.

Off to be now with that nagging dread of what tomorrow will bring. How I long for the days when I'd have a poo in the morning and then not think about my bottom for the rest of the day.
Suffered acute AFs since about 2010
2015 Chronic AF diagnosed
18/2/16 Botox (unsuccessful)
12/4/16 Lateral anal sphincterotomy and removal of polyp and two tags
User avatar
brokenbottom
VIP
 
Posts: 108
Topics: 3
Joined: 05 Feb 2016, 11:10
Location: UK
Has thanked: 63 times
Been thanked: 24 times
Gender: Female


  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to Diaries



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest