NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

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NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Rcece » 01 Sep 2016, 14:59

Ive had some gastro issues for about a year now. Developed a Fissure about 4-5 months ago. I HAVE NOT stayed disciplined with stool softeners, fiber, staying hydrated. My Gastro did a rectal exam (finger only) and suspected I have a fissure. He prescribed the Nitro cream and Ill use it for about 2 weeks then after I feel 100% Ill give up on it. Im disappointed in myself and my Dr for not giving me more a straightforward plan. I honestly just thought to use it until I felt better. Whats strange is Ive never seen blood on the toilet paper but I defintely will have a throbbing/burnign sensation for hrs after I go (I usually go 2 times in the am and maybe 1 more time in afternoon).

Here is my question: Is it possible to heal a fissure after dealing with it for 4-5 months without surgery or should I do the conservative approach 1 more time and actually commit to it a little longer. If anyone on the forum thinks its a waste of time Ill opt to have the surgery and try to put this behind me (no pun intended).

Also.....was ok until last Friday when I passed a hard stool. Had a throbbing pain afterwards for most of the day and lasted about 4 days. Im feeling a lot better today (almost no pain).
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Canadabum » 01 Sep 2016, 15:47

Surgery is great for those who have really tried the non-surgical method and not advanced in their healing...sounds to me like you really need to give it a go for a long term basis to see if you can heal without surgical intervention.

How long...personally I did it for as long as it took...conservatively i would give yourself a good 3-6 months and see how you are doing and then evaluate.

Eat well (fibre)
Drink well
Apply fissure cream
Use sitz bath
Possy positioning is important (like a squatty potty)
Apply heat during the day
Try hard to keep your spirits up...swim, walk, talk with family/friends

Good luck with your progress
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Rcece » 02 Sep 2016, 09:34

Thank you very much Canadabum. Have another question for you. I also realize this can vary greatly from person to person. Today is the first day (in about a week) that the pain has subsided to almost nothing. Each day I progressively felt better. Ive been taking ducolax at night, nitro in the morning, and sticking to high fiber. I realize now that I cant just give up on this once I start feeling better. How long should I continue treatment after im feeling pretty much ok? I will continue to eat a healthy/high fiber diet for most of my life but was curious how long you think I should stick with a strict routine. Thanks a ton.
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Canadabum » 02 Sep 2016, 09:45

Great to hear that your pain is beginning to subside -- excellent news.

Our bottoms take a long time to heal -- they are sensitive, delicate once injured and can cause an immense amount of discomfort as you have discovered. I can tell you if it were myself I would adhere to a strict regimen (assuming it was working for you) for a month or so...and see how you are doing...if all is going great then taper off whatever part of your regimen you want and/or reintroduce those things that you want to reintroduce in to your diet/life.

It would be a shame to relax the regimen now -- now that you have seen success, only to reinjure yourself (which happened to me many times). I compare it to going to the gym and getting fit...you put in lots of effort for a couple months, see some results...is that the time to quit because you got to where you want to be...or should you maintain a base amount of gym stuff....same with our fissures.

I hope my poor analogy helps as well as my own opinion...given how much pain these can cause I would err on the cautious side and continue being vigilant and then taper off as you like/see fit.
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Rcece » 02 Sep 2016, 17:14

You are the best. Thank you so much for your input. I thought your analogy was absolutely awesome. Have a great holiday weekend : )
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby MattMecham » 02 Sep 2016, 20:11

Hi Rcece. I dealt with an anal fissure for about 3 years. It would flare up like nobody's business for months at a time, and then go to sleep for a few months. Just long enough to make me feel really hopeful, and then one morning, "Surprise! I'm back! Did you miss me?" I tried probably 5 or 6 different types of therapies before I just got sick and tired of the whole damned thing (only 2 or 3 hours of sleep a night if I was lucky, and hours of searing pain after every bowel movement), and had LIS. From the second I woke up, that tearing, stabbing sensation was gone, and here it is about 5 years later, and not even a peep from that spot. One of the best decisions I ever made.
Semper Fi,

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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby Rcece » 05 Sep 2016, 17:20

Matt....how was your surgery experience? Did you do it under local anesthesia? Did you give botox a try before the surgery? I have an appt with CRS in two weeks and Im thinking Ill go in there with the mindset this needs to get done. Not super excited about having my anus cut. Ive watched a couple youtube videos and the actual surgery seems to take under 5 minutes. From what I have gathered it appears like a small incision is made to gain access to the internal sphincter muscle which gets cut. Then stitches go in and its all over. Once the muscle is cut then it basically permanently relaxes which heals existing fissures and prevents recurrence. Although I have a pretty good tolerance for pain I have a slight phobia of surgery. Tend to get super anxious and its tough for me to think about anything else. Since April of this year (over 4 months) its been pretty debilitating. It affects my mood and its honestly done damage to my marriage. I can get very snippy with my wife because its a constant battle to have a day where I dont feel the constant throbbing and burning. It really affects your psyche. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
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Re: NEW TO THE FORUM AND NEED ADVICE.......PLEASE

Postby MattMecham » 05 Sep 2016, 19:23

Hello, Rcece. I was completely put under for the surgery -- didn't know up from down, and then I woke up in a recovery room. Felt like a horse had kicked me in the ass, but the searing pain was gone (replaced by a throb, which was, like, a billion times better!). The surgery was very routine, no complications. I do not know how long it took - I never asked - but I had the impression that not a whole lot of time had passed.

I did not try Botox. After three years of living in a nightmare, I was just so damned sick, tired, and fed up with all the different remedies that I tried, NONE of which was even remotely helpful, that I just skipped that step and went for LIS. Plus, I was tired of spending money on stuff that didn't work. My research of LIS persuaded me that it had an exceptionally high success rate, so I just figured "What the hell - why not just do that, and skip all the hippy medicine?" Not that "hippy medicine" should be counted for naught, lol. That stuff really does work for a lot of people; however, my fissure was more like a chasm straight to hell, and called for "extreme measures" (LIS), at least in my book.

I, too, was anxious in the week leading up to the surgery. I'd read all the stupid horror stories about rectums and sphincters forever destroyed by surgery, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. Here's the deal - it is only a small percentage of people who do not respond optimally to the surgery, and it is those few who are going to scream the loudest and the shrillest on the internet - the ones that are going to be heard the most. A couple of "bad apples" can make an entire bushel look unappealing. So, while those people have every right to be upset about the surgery not being helpful, we should not look at their experiences as the rule, but rather the exception.

It is my opinion that most people who have a positive, life-changing experience through surgery are so effing happy to just feel normal again, that perhaps they don't think about coming back to a forum that they no longer need. Therefore, we do not hear the success stories as often as we should.
Semper Fi,

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