I also found the nature of my pain changing - lots of weird sensations, zings and zangs. I never had what you describe...but know the experience of monitoring every feeling. I'm still doing it as I recover.

I personally wouldn't take it one way or other...just normal course most likely.

zings and zangs is a great way to describe how I feel and yes I also agree that self monitoring can get a bit obsessive but its hard not to obsess about a fissure! Again, many thanks

Hello and as others have stated... I am sorry that you too are suffering with this AF problem. I myself was just diagnosed with anal cancer...the wounds are right inside the anus...affecting my sphincter... the initial problem was some bleeding with BM and within a few weeks had a bout of incontinence that surprised me. It took an entire month to get an appointment and with the diagnosis now two weeks ago the doctors had done nothing to recommend dealing with the symptoms so I have been doing the sitz baths but with the addition of tea bags in the hot water steeped for half an hour. This has been very comforting to my bum. Three times a day for soothing relief. I am praying that I can find an open-minded progressive doctor to help me find the minimally invasive, oxygen therapy and sphincter saving procedure so that I can get my life back.
I was having the really hard continuous spasms for a few days but then read about immodium to assist. That has worked for me without the scary side effects of the pills that the gastroenterologist had prescribed.
I too drink plenty of water all day long. I do not have hard stools...my problem was a constant leakage of loose and bloody stool. The immodium has been a blessing to stop the spasms.
It is difficult to not be embarassed by this condition around my life partner and even friends. I have always been clean and very aware of hygiene so this is a disturbing problem to have. I pray for everyone that is suffering with this and similar conditions.
Thank you to all in the forum...

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I had to go through a lot of cancer treatment and it's so much to deal with but there are great treatments and support so you will have great help and you will adjust. I am not the same person as I was before surgery for thyroid cancer but I have come through and got my life back and you will too. I wish you all the best. Take care

Hi berlinbaby.

I was diagnosed with AF high up internally & scarring (must have had previous AF unkown).
My pain has changed from sharp / throbbing / aching to discomfort with the occasional sharp pain & tingling/itchy feeling- (weird). Some days I feel it low & its not going to heal. I try to remind myself that the pain is not as bad as it was at the beginning. I also managed to pass a fitness test & 2 days physical training for work this weekend without much activation so I'm taking that as a positive.
I'm on rectogesic but also using heat pads / warm bath. Trying some pelvic floor relaxation exercises. I take 1 × 500 mg magnesium tablet. 1 l glutamine tablet. A multivitamin & 1 spoonful of psyllium husk in water daily. I'm also ensuring I get enough water/fruit & veg to keep things sort. Also trying to re-learn how to poop - without pushing, which seems to help.

Good luck.

Hi Berlinbaby
I have just joined too and even though the previous replies you had give you good advice I would like to add some of my own. I have had a AF for the last 3 months, never had one before so I can relate to your problem of pain. The pain will not go away with any ointment. The one which gave you a headache was probably the nitroglycerin ointment. It is one of the side effects, but it goes away after a few hours. I have read extensively about anal fissures and even though I am not a doctor or especialist I have now understood that the reason why it takes so long to heal is that it's a cut that is in an area where the muscle reacts to pain by constantly contracting. The pain comes from it being contracted. It is not a muscle contraction that you can control consciously, unfortunately. It's quite a vicious circle, the more pain, the more you contract, the more it hurts. Being contracted permanently is what gives an AF its characteristic constant pain. It also makes it difficult to heal as the AF is caused, in the first place, by straining when you have a BM, and we all know how hard it is to relax during a BM if you are in pain! So the secret to healing is Relaxing, as others have pointed out. As the muscle is unable to relax by sheer will power, you must do all you can to help it relax. That's where the ointments come into the picture. So, whichever ointment works for you, use them, as prescribed, as long as they are the kind that relaxes the sphincter. Beware as there are many that are only for numbing the pain, those are not as effective. The stool softeners are another crucial thing. I started by not taking enough and that was a big mistake. Take as many as you need to keep the stool soft, but remember to drink a lot of liquids as stools softeners need water to work. Avoid alcohol though. Also, avoid eating anything that will make your stool hard, like bananas, rice, honey, chocolate, coffee, any stimulating drink, even tea. Fiber should be present in your bread, for me the important thing is eating whole grain cereal in the morning. If you do that, I advise adding a soup spoonful of powdered linseed and another of previously soaked chia seeds, as they have a characteristic that will help soften your stool - they have a sort of gel that forms around it. Having cereal every morning, a full bowl, has been crucial for me. It has helped make my BM become more regular and less often. The cereal take about a day to be digested, so the next morning I always have a BM, soft, still a bit painful, but not the excruciating pain I felt in the beginning.
Avoid overdosing on stool softeners as stools that are too soft (like, almost liquid) isn't good either, it irritates your bowels and can actually be as bad as hard stools for your AF

As for your other problem, the UTI, I also have some advice. In the past I suffered with that too. I had them one after the other, and was taking antibiotics for them, which didn't work. In my country doctors tend to prescribe antibiotics without doing a bacterial culture to figure out if the bug causing your UTI has any resistance to antibiotics.That is a big problem as then if you take an antibiotic that the bug has resistance to, the antibiotic does not work, and the bug gets stronger. I learnt this through painful experience ( I once had 5 UTI in a row!) I know how uncomfortable UTIs are, and how taxing they can be. After years of having them, I finally got rid of them three years ago by actually stopping taking antibiotics for them! It sounds crazy but that is just how it was. I was desperate and looked for solutions in natural alternatives, I went into a shop and an assistant recommended that I use cranberry pills. The ones I used have 400mg of cranberry and vitamin C. I will not say the brand as I imagine it is not welcome ( free publicity) but it's an American brand, and it's organic in origin. In the 60 pills jar it says to take one a day but I followed the shop assistants advice and took two for a week, and then one a day for a month. It worked! The UTI s have gone! Now I take one a day for a couple of days whenever I feel the symptoms, and I have been clear of UTIs since then. It's not a miraculous cure, it's just respecting your body. Antibiotics really are not good for your gut, and very often they get rid of too many of the good germs to actually make their use worthwhile. Cranberry has a substance that drags the bug in your bladder out with the pee. But you must not use it with sugar as any sugar will stop the effect of the cranberry. That's why sugary cranberry drinks will not work. It has to be the cranberry powder on its own. Well, this is what has worked for me. I hope I have helped. Btw if you have already started on the antibiotics do not stop them before you have taken the full course recommended by the doctor as if you do the bug can develop resistance to the antibiotic. Also, when taking antibiotics, it's a good idea to take probiotics to help the gut recover. Antibiotics tend to affect negatively all the gut germs so you have to replenish with some good ones. For that, ask for advice in a shop where you find the probiotics, they usually know best.

I hope some of this helps. Stay strong

I feel the same way