Hello everyone. So glad to see there is a forum for this horrible condition. I have had IBS since i was very young and just recently figured out that I can't eat gluten. I also have had mostly diarrhea but occasionally I do have a bit of constipation which is when I have a whole cycle of pain and irritation. I also have bouts of hemorrhoids. I was having such a hard time with what I thought were hemorrhoids when I decided to look in the mirror and see what it looked like down there I saw a horrible looking growth and made an appointment for the doctor. I also was having a discharge of some kind, it kind of looked like mucous but I was concerned that it was pus.
The doctor said it was mucous, and that he didn't know what the lump was and referred me to a surgeon to do a biopsy... I was so freaked out that I insisted on getting a rx for antibiotics which he gave me. But I have a medication phobia and since I never took this particular antibiotic before I haven't take it yet. I did a search on this board and don't see much comment about mucous and discharge.
Does no one else have any mucous discharge with their fissures? I did an in depth image search and my lump looks just like a sentinel tag. Combine that with the fact that my symptoms match exactly the description for fissures, and that the dr. said he saw a "cut" down there, I am pretty sure that is what I have.
Plus, my appt is next week and they want me to do 2 fleet enemas before the exam. I don't know if I can do that, especially with the pain!!

Hi Butthurt,
I'm so sorry you are here because it means you are suffering so much, but so glad you found this forum, which is so awesome for support and information. I haven't personally experienced mucus discharge with my fissures but I think I recall reading that some folks here have had that.
Have you been referred to a CRS for your fissure problem? If you are having anal problems like fissures/hemorrhoids, it is the general consensus among those of us who have been to all sorts of doctors that a colorectal surgeon is really the best doctor to see since they are the ones who see these problems most and understand them the best. What doctor told you to do the Fleet's enemas? I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that either without seeing a colorectal specialist first to see what he/she had to say.
Browse around the forums a bit. There is a lot of great information here from a wide range of people with a lot of fissure experience and a lot of doctor experience.
Wishing you all the best in your healing!

Thanks, jr2. The doctor I went to was a substitute for my regular doctor. But I was so concerned seeing that lump that I was afraid to wait until my doctor came back from vacation. He referred me to a general surgeon to do a biopsy. I only received a letter in the mail telling me of the appointment date and how to "prep" for the appointment. I don't really even know what they plan on doing.
I have been doing baths several times a day, and stopped using prep h suppositories because I think they made it worse (they helped at first). I know I have spasms too, because I have felt them. I didn't realize that I have had several anal fissures over the years, these sensations are not new. I just panicked when I saw that lump. I should have done an image search first before I panicked so much.

Well, it's probably not a bad idea to back pedal a bit and ask for a referral to a colorectal surgeon instead. There really isn't any reason to jump right into a biopsy when an experienced colorectal surgeon can take one look and be able to tell if it needs attention or not. A general surgeon may or may not be able to do that for you. And it seems like a potentially unnecessary procedure that will just put you through more pain than you're already suffering. Sentinel tags are so common with anorectal problems that it makes more sense to address them with a specialist who deals with them all the time who can plot out the best treatment plan for you rather than begin down a course of cutting that isn't really treating anything but will cause you more pain to have to recover from.

I took your advice and emailed my regular dr. He said that since I am better that it is ok to postpone the procedure. He said sigmoidoscopy-I guess that is what the other dr. ordered.
I am having less mucous now... it is now mostly after a bm and mixed a bit with some left over stool. I am taking lots of baths and keeping the area as clean as possible. The only thing that is bothering me now, because the pain is much reduced, is that I noticed some blood on the tissue when I went to urinate. Every time I go in the bathroom I am dabbing to check for mucous... this is the first time there was bright spots of blood randomly. I had a bm earlier in the day but this was many hours later.
The dr. said I should come in a couple of weeks to follow up. I think I need to schedule right away and have him refer me to a specialist for a consult. This is so nerve wracking because I have a lot of anxiety that it could be something worse.

Yes, and don't underestimate the effect of the anxiety you are having. Anxiety will only add to these problems you're having. If you can get a referral to a colorectal surgeon as soon as possible you will start feeling a lot better about things. It makes a big difference to see someone who has literally seen it all when it comes to problems in the anus and rectum.
Also, be careful about doing too much checking for mucus or blood during the day as you can irritate things more that way.
Keep us posted!

hey butthurt im happy i found this i been leaking for days and thought it was the cream but i guess it must be some kind of mucous or something this really sux gonna make another doc appointment this week how is it going are u still getting the discharge?

Hi Torture
I still have mucous but it is not as much as it was. I went to the doctor over a week ago where I was finally diagnosed with a fissure. I told her about the mucous and she didn't seem concerned, she said it was from the irritation. Since she had a good look down there I am assuming that there is nothing to worry about. I don't have any symptoms of infection so at this point I am not going to worry about it. In searching the web before I found this message board, I found a lot of references to fissures causing mucous. That is why I was a bit surprised that it wasn't mentioned very much on here.

I forgot to mention that I also have IBS, I am not sure if that is a contributing factor or not.

just came from doctor he says my mucous is because i have a hemorroid on top of a fissure told me to relax on the whipping just dab and gave me the nitro cream and told me to eat veggies fruit and all that boring stuff this mucous is so friggin annoying every 10 mins im whiping