I am SO glad I found this forum! My fissure story started in January when I found myself in horrible pain. I felt like I was going broken glass everytime I used the toilet. Then there was blood. There is Colon cancer in my family - my mother is a 12 year survivor and my Dad died in 1990. So I was petrified beyond belief. I had a colonoscopy (my first) 11 years ago when I was 37 and it was clean. So I went to see my mother's CRS and he found a fissure and prescribed Nifedipine ointment, 3x daily and scheduled a scope for 4/15. The fissure began to heal and I was doing really well with the ointment, Metamucil, and stool softeners. 2 weeks ago, the pain returned and I called the doctor. They canceled the scope and I need to continue the ointment and see him again on 4/18 and we will go from there.
I want to have this scope done to rule out anything further, but the prep scares me - the thought of being in severe pain and not being able to stop it. But the fear of having colon cancer is a big incentive to get the scope done. I have too many additional symptoms and that is pushing me to get this done.
Dee

Dee,
Firstly, welcome! As far as having a scope, others here have gone through the prep and have had a scope while having an AF. I can think of Fiss in particular. But I'm kind of like you are right now. Although my fissure has healed, I'm due for another colonoscopy because of my age, but dread the prep, especially since in my case, I think I will need a "two day prep" as I didn't get completely "cleaned out" after my last attempt at "cleansing" prior to a barium enema a few years ago.
I don't have a family history of colon cancer, and right now I am merely doing the fecal occult screening yearly. One of my GI docs told me there is usually no pain with cancer if that is any consolation to you. Maybe you could first try to heal your fissure and then wait a bit b/4 having a scope? I'm sure your doc knows best. Good luck!

I am hoping to be able to wait a little bit before doing this! Thanks!!!

Welcome Dee! I'm so sorry you are going through this - having a fissure is bad enough without facing a colonoscopy on top of it. I really hope that you are healed enough to have it done fairly soon, since it sounds like you are anxious to get it done. I'm new here myself, but I've been lurking for a while and I think I recall, as Cheryl says, that there have been others here who have had similar experiences. I'm sure you'll here from these other folks soon and they can give you lots of support and advice. Meanwhile you've got my support and sympathy.
Hope

Thank you SO much!!! :D

I was scheduled for colonoscopy in January, when CRS saw fissure still not healed, he cancelled it, said the prep could irritate the fissure but he did say the scope itself would b painless due to sedation. I think we r all so irritated down there anyway, what's one more probe especially if it gives u peace of mind. Good luck I hope u heal quickly and that your problem is nothing more than a fissure. Although fissures r a pain in the ass, they won't kill you!

Thank you! I can't believe just how painful it can be. It hurts to cough, sneeze, sit....yikes!
I am really hoping that this is nothing more than an AF!
Dee

Hi Dee- Welcome to the forum! I have found this site to be so helpful and am sure it will be for you as well. I am one of the ones who did have a colonoscopy with the fissure. Mine had been around once before but healed pretty easily after about 6 weeks. Then in April of 2010, it came back. I used the Nifedipine for 6 weeks and at the end of that time, my family Dr. wanted me to have a colonoscopy to rule out anything else and to hopefully have someone get a better look at things while I was sedated. This was in June. I put the colonoscopy off until August because I was scared to death and couldn't imagine the prep and all . I had a colonoscopy in 2001, so I would have been due for the 10 year recheck in the fall of 2011 anyway. So I finally went ahead and scheduled it. I have to tell you that for me, it all went surprisingly easily. The prep wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. A good book for the bathroom (even though I had sworn off reading in there- for a period of time during that prep it just doesn't make sense to leave!), vaseline, A and D ointment, Cottenelle wipes, and the bathtub all made that a lot easier! And the colonoscopy did not make my fissure worse (which was my greatest fear)- if anything (and I have no idea why) it seemed to get a little better after that. It was a relief to know nothing else was wrong because I am also a worrier and can imagine all sorts of things going on. What you describe sounds like classic anal fissure so I would try not to worry yourself too much about colon cancer. But I would encourage you to go ahead and get it done if that is what your Dr. recommends. I think that putting mine off is just two months where I was hoping and wishing that things were going to get better, but in the end I really needed to have the surgery done. I also had botox twice and had LIS and a skin tag removal 7 1/2 weeks ago. This week has been pretty normal feeling, other than some occasional mild irritation where the skin tag was. But I have been fissure and incision pain free with BMs for several weeks now!
Good luck with everything and hope this helped some.
Bambi

You write so beautifully, Bambi, and give lots of information! Thanks for that. And welcome deedee62! You have come to the right place. Such a good and helpful lot here!!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I have been doing a lot of reading and finding some good diet suggestions that I hope will help!