Hi All,
So grateful to have found this forum. I've been reading for a while now, but feeling overwhelmed with trying to figure out what I should do, so I thought I would finally register and introduce myself.
I gave birth to my first child late December 2015. Labor went fairly smoothly, but I did have about two hours of very unproductive pushing before I changed positions and my son was born. I think this is what led to my fissure.
My first bathroom trip after labor was scary, but uneventful. I think it was the second time I went that I felt a slight stingy, pinchy feeling. Everything was so swollen and all the sensations so new, I didn't really give much thought to it.
Stingy feeling got worse and I began to experience what I know now are spasms. It took a really long time to get diagnosed because I thought I just had hemorrhoids and figured there wasn't much the doctor could do.
Was in extreme pain at my postpartum checkup, midwife said that my hemorrhoids weren't that bad and shouldn't be hurting that much. Not very helpful, since it didn't change the pain I felt. Turns out they were looking at my sentinel pile, but didn't recognize it as such.
Luckily, upon further complaining, I was finally referred to a CRS two months postpartum. He quickly diagnosed me with fissure, prescribed Nifedipine, told me to eat lots of fiber, said it would take two months to heal, and scheduled a follow up a month later.
It's now been almost four months since I finally got diagnosed, and I am still suffering.
I've never had issues with constipation, but find myself swinging wildly from painful loose stools to constipation. I've tried Benefiber, which seemed to help for a couple days, but seems to be contributing to the constipation.
I've cut out coffee, been trying to focus on eating vegetables. Have oatmeal every morning for breakfast as recommended by CRS. Been doing a site bath after every BM for about a month now.
I'm just at a loss. I can't enjoy and care for my son the way I want to because I can't sit/move without pain on some days. Add to this breastfeeding, which I think limits my treatment options.
Would love to hear some suggestions for what to try next. I'm thinking about asking the CRS about Botox next time I go in. Also, if there are any mamas out there, would love to hear your experiences. I really want my son to have siblings, but at this point, I'm terrified that this could happen again and I'm afraid he may be an only child. (Coming from an only child, I know this isn't a horrible thing, but as an adult, I've longed for siblings of my own.)
Thank you in advance for any advice/support you can send my way.