Hi all,
I'm a 58 year old guy who is now on my second go around (or maybe a recurrance of first) with an anal fissure. It was getting difficult to make a bowel movement and finally got to the point that I was flat afraid to go. I nearly ripped the handle off our shower door as I watched my legs tremble uncontrollably. A visit to the local immediate care netted me a bunch of Anucort-HC 25MG suppositories and some Norco 10-325MG pain pills. The pain pills have made taking a dump barely bearable, but it took me a number of attempts to figure out how to keep the suppositories inside. Once I learned how to use them, I've had a bit more comfort, but still nowhere near normal.
Since the trip to immediate care, I've seen my primary care physician, and he prescribed 2% Nitro-BID ointment plus Meloxicam 7.5MG tabs as an anti-inflamatory. I also still have some 2% Lidocaine Hydrochloride Jelly from a previous go around this past year.
The Nitro came as just a tube of ointment with a bunch of paper "applicator sheets" which appear to be meant to rub the ointment on my chest. I do have some finger cots but am not sure how much of this stuff to use. Also not sure if it will conflict with either the suppositories or the Lidocaine. Also, after reading the blurb sheet which came with the Nitro, I'm a bit paranoid about using it.
Thankfully I have found this resource. This is not fun, especially as I'm also dealing with a sciatic nerve issue plus some as yet not fully determined neurological-psych issues. I cannot remember the last time I experienced any pain quite this bad.
When I take a dump, it feels like someone is jamming a railroad spike up my butt, and for hours thereafter, it feels like my sphincter is coated in ground up glass.
I'm hoping to find advice and encouragement from others here who've been through this before.
Rob

Stop!! They gave u wrong nitro! It's suppose to be 0.2 not 2!! N it goes on ur anus not ur chest Rasmith! Pls don't use it n it does not come in tube - it's compounded . Pls ck with ur doc asap. I just got diagnosed last mth n I'm undergoing chemotherapy too :(. God bless u n give u relief soon

AGREE - DO NOT USE THAT NITRO! (unless it is the 0.2%)

I got the 2% nitro as well, either I didn't have a compounding pharmacy around here or gastroenterologists don't know what they're doing when they prescribe meds. I used it and it did not kill me, however YMMV..:) It also didn't heal the fissure, but I got some pain relief from using it. The headaches were weird, but they went away after I'd been using it awhile. One thing you could do is mix it with some Vaseline to cut the strength. Of course that isn't going to be very accurate as far as dosing goes, but it will help.
Of course if it's not too difficult you could just try to get some .2% strength made up for you. That was difficult for me so I just went ahead and used the 2%. Use it sparingly, take some ibuprofen to ward off headache, and lay down afterwards because you might get dizzy-- if you choose to use it.
Hope you feel better soon!

I know not to use it on my chest, that's just what the standard warning sheets said. The reason I mentioned that was because it DIDN'T come with any kind of applicator other than those paper sheets. I have read of others having a syringe of some sort for application.
Since I've gotten mixed replies about using the 2% strength, I will definitely call my doc before using it. In the meantime, should I continue to use the Anucort suppositories that have been providing at least some relief?
Like others here, at times I wish that I would just not wake up from sleeping due to the intensity of the pain. I've read of some suffering through this for years, and that is just not a pleasant prospect.
I had just started getting back into bicycling, both to lose weight and to provide some sort of transportation, and of course, the pain does not allow me to ride.
Thanks for the advice and warnings.

rasmith, I had been jogging before my second bout with my AF. So, for the past almost-3-months, I haven't done anything.
I've been using the nitro ointment, too - but I think my prescription is the right mix and dosage. It helps as well as anything else, IMO. I haven't tried any suppositories, though.
Hang in there. We're all trying to.

I spoke with the nurse at my doctor's office about the nitro, and she said that I had the correct version. Now I'm really scared.

rasmith, try not to panic! (I panic enough for all of us.)
It takes quite awhile for AFs to heal. I've been working on mine for about 3 months, and I'm still in discomfort. Honestly, I've been in a 3-month fog of a nightmare!
I got an AF 3 1/2 yrs. ago, and it came back last October (almost 3 mths. ago) - and I'll tell ya, I've never been in so much pain in my life! I was ready to go to ER, and I had the chills (no fever - just chills from the sheer pain). I've had a couple of high spikes like that, and it's a tough deal to go through.
Keep the nitro on - at least, try it for awhile. Change your diet - add supplements (magnesium is supposed to help) - pray (if you're a praying person) - and just try to get through the misery.
I keep having meltdowns, too. Part of my struggle is with my emotions about all of this. I know exactly how you feel.