Evening everyone..
Well where do i start???
14 years ago i had a very traumatic birth, involving kelland forceps, episiostimy (sorry spelling) and a happy baby who is now a strapping lad of 14.
On my six week check when asked about general problems etc i mentioned that my "scar" was really sore ( i was cut quite bad) the pain focased towards my back end (?) i was told that it was just the cut and it would heel, blah blah blah, but i knew then that it was just a normal cut, after research and lots of bad experiences, i realised that perhaps (in fact i know!) that the pain was inside me and may have happened through childbirth and/or tear cut... i dont know! anyway! what i DO know is that on and off for the same amount of years i have suffered horrendously! (god my spelling is bad tonight! must be because of the constant spasms!)
At the beginning i didnt think it was an anal fissure... hadnt ever heard of one, just thought it was piles.. common perception... i went to my doctor not long after giving birth and he examined me and confirmed that it was... more cream and pain killers etc
I paid private to have it looked at and yes he confirmed it and suggested surgery. being young and breast feeding my first thoughts were.. "i havent got time"
Even on the day of my wedding..4 months later i was in absolute agony, it was a miracle to get through one bm without fainting. I used to sit on the toilet sobbing with the agony and my husband bless him would come in kneel on the floor in front of me and just hold me. Now thats devotion! lol
Well over the years i have just excepted it, dealt with it (not always so well) and just bloody well got on with it! (such a martyr!)
In june this year while we were on holiday, it hit its all time high, and we had to leave early because i couldnt do anything, i just sat and cried and felt like there was a permanent knife up there prodding me everytime i dared to be distracted!!
I got better (still had pain 2 or 3 times a week but that is nothing to having it every day!)
well the last two weeks have been soooo bad, i am so depressed snappy and generally miserable, it is taking over my life, have had all the creams gels and suppositeries none to man, have just been given some instillagel today to use (anyone used this? i am quite nervous about it dont know why)
anyway would just like to thank this forum which i have sat reading all night and finally feel like i am not alone! I am dreading the morning and you all know why!!!
all day at work today was constant pain. my keyboard at work has never been typed at so hard!
Ok thats me done! Doctor has suggested surgery but as you all must know we have all had enough pain in that end and surgery just says to me (more painnnnnnnnn!)
thanks for this forum i really really appreciate somewhere to share my own personal madness!
Lucyx

Hey Lucy.
Wow, 14 years. I had had enough after 5 months and I opted for the surgery. I too tried the suppositories and creams but to no avail. If you have had it that long, you are definitely chronic and the chances of healing without surgery are pretty small.
Read through some of the posts here. There are a lot of good stories of people who have had good results with surgery. I am one of them. I had the surgery 4 weeks ago and I have not had any problems since. The surgery and recovery for me did not compare to the pain I was experiencing from my AF. Some people have had complications with the surgery but not many of them will tell you that they regret the decision. The before and after lives of LIS are typically like night and day.
Good luck and welcome.

Hey Lucy, 14 years of suffering with this thing is enough to make the strongest of person give up, I agree with SC, you'll definitely be chronic by now and the chances of healing will be greatly diminished, there will be too much scar tissue around the fissure for it to heal without surgery IMHO, you need to see a CRS for a proper examination under anaesthesia, meanwhile, you will need to eat a strict diet of high fibre foods with plenty of water and a good stool softener (Movicol/Miralax) which will help with passing BM's by making them softer.
Good Luck, welcome to the board.

Hey Lucy,
I know what it feels like to fear the lis and more pain when you are already in pain, but I just want you to know that has not been my experience at all. My bms the morning before I had surgery was very painful and my bms the day after the surgery was nothing at all like fissure pain. I am 2 days post op and feel much, much better than before surgery. I am positive that this is a common outcome after the surgery and these aren't going to be the people who commonly post on these forums...The majority heal and never post.... Don't be afraid to get your life back, you have suffered too long.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.