Hey Noelle,
I was wondering if you live close to any of us. I just thought maybe if you did we could recommend a CRS for you. Let us know if we can help, okay?
lecia

I live in MPLS. Last night I went to the UC. I had a really bad day and no sleep all week. The dr. actually did do a rectal exam and brought out the anoscope. It was excruciating-I have not ever felt pain like it in my life. He said he didn't see anything but a fissure. He wasn't very helpful, I finally broke down in tears and he gave me some narcotics to help me sleep very reluctantly. He was worried about me getting constipated, but I am not worried about it, using the miralax constantly. He also had a lot of trouble getting the scope in, he said something was too tight. He seemed very sympathetic but really didnt get it. I work at the clinic and am able to read my progress notes and he didnt seem to grasp a lot of the info. The only value I got out of it, was he mentioned other surgeons at the clinic can also perform the surgery, if the wait was too long. He told me they may get someone more important and cancel me! I sure hope not I will be livid, I am about ready to lose it. I dont know how I can convey to the surgeon the misery I am in without breaking down!

Hi Noelle,
Sorry to hear about your difficult time at the doctors although it is reassuring to hear he didn't find anything else.
I bet your anus is very tight from spasming from the fissure and pain. It can be hard to convey the amount of misery this causes to doctors-I think it should be a requirement that they have had at least one rectal problem themselves! I have a very nice doctor but she still doesn't understand how much of an impact this is having on my life so I understand how you feel.
I have been given valium before (a very small dose) to help with the spasms and tightening in the anus. I don't know if that is an option for you at all. It wasn't enough that I felt drugged or sleepy but just relaxed my bottom a bit. I seem to carry a lot of tension there from all the pain I have gone through.
My doctor is taking a leave of absence so I have to see another doctor in the practice and I asked her who I should see and I said I need to see someone who won't make me cry. I can get frustrated when I am trying to explain something and I feel like I am not heard and am in pain and that can bring on the tears which has made some doctors dismissive and patronizing.

I hope you will find someone who will take you seriously. It can take a few attempts to find the right person. I have seen two colo-rectal surgeons who were female and they were both very patient. I don't know if you have any in your area-there aren't many females in this specialty.
Can you try a different cream like diltiazem with lidocaine? How are your bms? Are you keeping regular?
I am sorry I don't know where MPLS is. What country are you from?
Do you work at a health center? Maybe someone there can pull some strings and get you in sooner or find the right person to see.
Hang in there!
Lecia

Minneapolis? You should have other CRS alternatives, I would think!
Honestly, it's become too apparent to me that too many physicians and their underlings simply don't understand the pain that an active fissure episode can cause! And too many don't care!
My anus was way too tight, too. The nefedipine really helps that. But only if it's applied to that whole region that is tight, not just the fissure. Relief of the tightness speeds healing, too.
I only had to undergo one session with the "probe' and he was mercifully quick. I feel I had a great CRS, in retrospect, compared with too many I've heard about on this forum!
Hope it gets better, soon!
Kim

I am in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have tried two of the creams but I don't believe they have the lidocaine. I work in a billing office of the clinic I go to. By choosing their clinic you can only use their doctors and specialists exclusively. So they do have several general surgeons and only one colorectal. So I am seeing him, he has a very good reputation-and I tried calling and getting an earlier appt-but she was rigid. I think I will be ok, and knowing that I am not alone has been very good !! But I agree it woudl be great to find a someone who can relate more. He was very slow last night doing the exam and the nurse had her head down there watching, just fascinated by it asking him all these questions. At one point she was asking me when I was screaming if it tickled!! Is she insane!!!!