Hey guys :)
to sum up quickly, for 10 years been suffering itchy butt, at first just thought it was a hem, it wasn't all the time so no big deal. 5 or so years ago got a bit more frequent and annoying, only happened after bowel movement. Found showering relieved itching and just thought i wasn't cleaning myself enough. Started using wet wipes also, which helped but didn't get rid of it completely. Discovered that if i wiped 30 mins after a bm it seemed like i had missed a wipe, guessed some diet thing was causing a post bm leak. Found that taking fiber practically cured it.
Now and then it came back when i had a poor diet, lots of sugar, alcohol etc, this xmas it came back. I had cut back on fiber as it has pretty much gone. So started on the fiber again, benfiber, didn't stop the leakage much. Was getting fed up so got an appointment. But 5 days before appointment i decided to change to metamucil. Fantastic, no wipers, no leak. But the day before my app i didn't drink enough water i guess and the morning of the app i had a harder bm which didn't really hurt but i kinda felt stretched. Toilet paper had a speck of blood on it.
Doc found a mild fissure and assumed it's been the cause all along. prescribed steroid cream for 8 weeks. Going to get an app with a crs for second opinion.
Soo, could it be that i just was unlucky in giving myself a mild fissure the morning of the app? and the rest of the time it's diete related? because.. during the 10 years i've never hadany pain, very very infrequently when i've had a harder bm i feel stretched and have a dot of blood for 2 or 3 days, but we're talking once or twice a year.
any opinions would be greatly appreciated :)

I can't really answer your question, but I do know that all the fissures I've had are extremely painful! And the painful spasms last for hours after a BM. :(

Leo,
Fissures aren't always that painful. I myself usually feel more sore than anything.
-Tanya

Thanks for the replies :)
I don't feel anything really, unless the bowel movement is especially hard, but even then it's no pain just kind of feel stretched, and very infrequent.
Baba, sorry to hear that. I've been reading about how the muscle is tighter in people with af, due to it being in spasm, i suppose the constant state of spasm isn't something you can really feel. But the spams you experience are clearly distinguishable right? the only thing i can relate to is when having a bm sometimes the muscle kind contracts before i'm finished and it's hard to get it to relax again. That's not a spasm is it?
Maybe it's a very mild, but recurring af i have.
Thanks

No what you describe is not the spasms I get. My spasms sometimes don't even start till an hour or so after a Bm, and it lasts for hours. You'll know it if you have one - they are so painful it's hard to concentrate on anything else.

Just got back from surgeon, and the fantastic news is that i have no fissure at all, all good down there. It was just a run of the mill fissure from that morning's hard bm that the digestive surgeon saw and assumed was my problem.
The colorectal surgeon thinks my leakage problem is a food intolerance causing my stools to have higher ph,irritating slightly the rectal area causing more mucus production which is what is the leak.
So to now find what i'm intolerant to,i am relieved i don't have a fissure.
I wish all of you the very best in overcoming your fissures :)

That's good news indeed. Do take good care of your diet - you don't want to end up here with the "real thing" :)

Fabulous Leo!
Good to know how food intolerances can work.
Hope it isn't something you will miss too much.
Tanya

It's amazing how things can affect our body.
I did suspect it to be some allergy or intolerance, but when the digestive surgeon said it was a fissure i got worried. I like the colorectal guy more :)
He said it'll be a long road finding what the intolerance is, the normal ones ofcourse are lactose, wheat and gluten, but it could be anything. Seeing as i've had it for sooo many years it must be somethingrun of the mill.
I however hope it's not chocolate haha
Thanks guys, and yeah, i've read alot on here these past couple of days, and i really don't want to the real thing hehe