Hi, After browsing this board almost on a daily basis I thought now maybe the time to post my first thread and tell you a little about my experiences to date. Firstly please be aware that I am UK based as the names of medications available will differ from country to country but I am sure equivalents will be available elsewhere.
I am a 37 year male and have over the course of the past year have suffered from haemorrhoids of differing pain levels which were often made worse after straining too much during bowel movements (BM). On a few occasions I had a spot of blood but it was mainly the pain which I would treat with over the counter treatments such as Anusol ointment – I don’t actually think the ointment actually made a difference but It made me feel that I was taking something for it which helped me feel better in myself.
Anyway about 10 weeks ago I developed a spot of constipation which was probably due to my diet back then consisting of processed foods with very little fibre. This made the haemorrhoids worse until on one day I was severely constipated and I strained so hard my eyes nearly popped out (Big mistake!).
The pain got worse and I started filling my diet with fibre, fruit, water, laxatives and anything else that would improve digestion but this gave me stomach cramps & stitches and the pain in my backside was getting worse. I gave up on the Anusol and tried Preparation H ointment & wipes which made no difference, I then tried Germaloids ointment which provided some temporary cooling for about 5 minutes before the pain started again and finally Anusol HC+ which gave me the most immense burning sensation so I had to immediately jump in the bath and wash the stuff off!
So I went to the docs and said I know I have haemorrhoids so no need to inspect it but I am also getting stomach cramps and pain – I had to provide a urine test (which proved clear) and take IBS tablets (but I finally found out that the pain was due to the sudden high fibre diet change). So as the doctor had never made an examination and I had the IBS tablets I continued to suffer for the next two weeks. The stomach cramps seemed to be my main worry at the time so I went back to the doctors who sent me to my local hospital for a number of blood tests covering every possible stomach and bowel nasty – my results came back perfect – I was in perfect health.
The following morning I went to the bathroom (this was 4 weeks ago now) and I strained quite bad again – the toilet looked like some sort of crime scene. Blood everywhere, I felt no pain but I was absolutely petrified so went straight to the emergency doctor who insisted on an inspection which resulting in me being diagnosed with an acute anal fissure (at last I finally knew what was wrong and could work on the healing process).
BM’s now started to hurt like hell, almost like passing large shreds of glass and bringing a few drops of blood with them each time but what hurt more (if not worse) was the pain I felt for the following 4 or 5 hours after the BM. I could hardly walk, the pain was immense, I turned into the most horrible and miserable person you could ever meet. I would take sick days at the drop of a hat, on the days I did go to work my colleagues said I looked like I was about to die, I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t stand up and I literally felt like my life was over (a bit extreme I know!!)
The doctor first prescribed me with Lidocain gel (which is also available over the counter in chemists) – the instruction was to apply it before the BM and this will numb all the pain both during and after BM. I used this for about a week and it made no difference whatsoever!
So two weeks ago I went back the docs – now at this stage I have to say I have made a slight improvement in the fact that BM are no longer painful, just the following 4-5 hours after the BM. The doctor carried out a further examination and said that the tear has improved and is only external now hence all the problems with walking and sitting, etc. As the Lidocaine did not work she prescribed me an ointment known as Proctosedyl which provides a steroid to improve the tear and pain relief. Proctosedyl actually contains Hydrocortisone (the same stuff that is in Anusol HC+ which gave me the immense burning sensation). So I endured another day off work with a severe burning sensation and immediately stopped using the ointment. I called the doctor and she told me that I am going to have to continue without medication for two weeks until my next examination!!!!
Which brings me to last Friday – my last visit to the docs. After my latest examination I am informed that it is still slowly improving (but the pain most certainly isn’t!!). What I can say is that I do have a sympathetic doctor who seems to actually give a damn and is completely understanding of my condition. She desperately wants the condition to heal itself without the involvement of surgery and offered me the option of hospital but begged me to try and let it heal naturally. She did also reluctantly prescribe me with 0.4% GTN but told me to try my best to not use it unless I am absolutely desperate (I have yet to try it).
This morning my pain factor on a scale of 0-10 is probably around 6.5 (with 10 being the worst) – I would like to use the GTN but am trying to avoid it if I can (I have read about the headache side effects). To be honest surgery does not worry me, I would do whatever is necessary just to get my life back but I would like it to heal itself if I could. What does worry me is the 10 hour flight that I am due to take next week – the thought of it alone makes me want to be sick!
Anyway I would like to offer a few tips to other suffers which have helped me over the past few weeks:
1. Do not feel anxious about the fissure. Although it is horribly painful, it is not a dangerous condition
2. Never avoid going to the bathroom – The more you put it off the larger the eventual BM meaning more pain and a longer healing time
3. Use cotton wool with warm water rather than toilet paper after each BM (doctor recommended)
4. Avoid constipation – this is very important. Keep your faeces soft by eating lots of bran cereals, fruit, brown bread, and vegetables. I also took Ducoease stool softeners and Fybogel fibre drinks too
5. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day
6. Take as many warm baths as possible as this helps relieve the pain – I would always take a 30 minute warm bath following a BM wherever possible.
7. If you can exercise in any way possible without affecting the fissure then do so
8. Take paracetamol if the pain becomes unbearable
9. Finally (and this is one of the most important ones for me) – confide in someone close. I text my girlfriend everyday telling her how I am feeling (on a scale of 0-10) – She is caring and understanding and to even just text somebody to tell them how you are feeling can make the world of difference.
So if you are still reading the chances are you are probably suffering something similar to me. The long road to recovery can seem very lonely at times and the pain can be unbearable but try and be positive and be patient – you can beat this little b*stard so don’t let it get you down!!!!

hi davo, ur agony is not unfamiliar at all. We all have been there or is still going through it. Myself, i have came out from the suicidal (yes, i'm not joking), very depressed days of my like due to this anal fissure. I'm totally clueless how this little scratch down there can totally handicapped my life. I couldn't walk, sit, stand without pain. Going to toilet is like bringing myself to go through death, and yes, because of the pain, i couldn't complete my bowels, so i have MORE bowels in the day, which is completely HELL.
But thank God, while i was sitting down in the shower, asking God to either heal me or take me home, he brought me through these 5 months of pain to finally almost healed my fissure (as diagnosed by my CRS). There's no more pain before or after BM, except sometimes some mild pain/sting from my prolapsed piles/hemms during BM now. I think i can live with that, cos piles will never go away once you have them. It's part of you, and it acts as a cushion at the anus to keep stools in. BUT i do still need to take care, like how i take care of my fissure, else my piles can act up.
If you like to know some tips for reference to heal without surgery, read "my success story". Do a search and u'll find the thread. Let me know if you have any questions.