Hello everyone!
Sorry, this is a bit of long but wanted to get my whole story out and the remedies that have helped me get better.
I've just come across this board and would like to introduce myself and also post some things that have helped me heal my fissure and those that seem to have hindered my healing. I'm a 31 year old mother of one who developed a fissure with the birth of my (large!) baby. I believe my fissure was exacerbated by the fact that I was also breastfeeding which led to dehydration, constipation and ultimately a dire situation in my bottom.
By the time my daughter was a month old, I was in so much pain that I finally bit the bullet, swallowed my pride, and went to the walk-in clinic and was so fortunate to be seen by a doctor who was very sympathetic to my situation.
The doctor diagnosed me with a fissure that also appeared to be ulcerated which explained why I was in pain *all the time*--standing was painful, sitting, lying down--the throbbing in my bottom just never ceased. I was crying all the time and was barely able to look after my newborn daughter. I developed a huge fear of going to the bathroom and ate the minimum I could while still trying to take in enough calories to produce the milk to feed my baby.
The doctor at the walk-in clinic prescribed 'Proctosedyl' and I went on my happy way thinking I'd be cured overnight...Ah, to be young and naive! As it goes, the Proctosedyl helped a bit and I was no longer in constant pain, it seems I'd healed enough that my pain was mostly around bowel movements--about an hour afterwards. I combined the medication with taking hot sitz baths (with a plastic sitz basin that fits on the toilet) with sea salt added to it. This seemed to help a lot, though I wasn't completely better.
At this time I also changed my diet to include a lot more fruits and veggies and olive oil to help soften my stool. With all this my fissure was manageable and I was hardly noticing it any more.
My daughter was 11 months old when I was diagnosed with low-grade ovarian cancer and required surgery to remove the tumour. Unfortunately, this also spelled the return of my fissure--no one warned me just how constipating the morphine that I was required to have after the surgery was going to be! My fissure was back with a vengeance.
This time, however, I decided to take a more natural approach. I made myself a mixture of manuka honey, olive oil, vitamin E oil and a few drops of basil oil and applied this religiously after each bowel movement and every morning and night before bed. I don't remember the exact time frame, but I believe it was 2-3 weeks and my fissure seemed gone for good. Even without watching my diet I had no more pain and I all but forgot about the fissure.
About 1.5 years later though, after being bitten by a stray cat and put on heavy antibiotics (very constipating!) my fissure was back and worse than ever. I was back to crying daily. Then I remembered my manuka honey cure from before and tried it out--it seems that this time, because I was on antibiotics and my good bacteria had been all but destroyed, I developed a fungal infection *down there*, which, to say the least, is one of the most unpleasant things I've ever experienced. I found myself having to go back to the walk-in clinic and this time the doctor wasn't nearly so sympathetic. She prescribed an anti-fungal for the infection and Diliatazem (sp?) for the fissure. I don't know if I'm allergic to the Diliatazem, but it caused me severe pain to the point where I was ready to give up and ask for surgery (though I'm terrified of that prospect). I could barely function doing minimal tasks at home as the pain and discomfort were always with me.
It was then that I realized I had to do something different. I'd read about people having success with Key E Suppositories and was keen to try them, however, I could find no one that would ship them to Canada (or suppliers here). So I decided to make my own suppositories. I realised that I would need a suppository mold and after some thinking came up with the idea to make one out of food-grade silicone from the art supply store.
I knew that coconut oil was soothing for the skin and it stays solid in the fridge so would be an ideal base for the suppositories. I melted the coconut oil in a stainless steel bowl over some steam from the kettle, added vitamin E oil and a few drops of sweet basil oil and mixed it all around. Then I poured this into my suppository mold and placed it carefully in the fridge. After about 10 minutes I had solid suppositories. The relief from these things is amazing--the oils are so soothing and the fact that they are cold helps alot too. I now use them morning and night and after each bowel movement. I sometimes alternate them with AnuZinc Suppositories now, which are also healing.
My other absolute must-never-miss, is 1/2 cup - 1 cup of prune juice last thing at night before bedtime--the prune juice is absolutely wonderful for keeping stools soft and passable.
I don't know if this will work forever (especially if I have another baby or require another surgery), but it has worked wonders for me and I've been pain free for months and I'll continue to use it just as a preventative measure.
I hope this helps someone out there who is suffering. I empathize so much with anyone who has suffered this dreadful condition.
xx