I am new to this forum and experiencing what seems to be my first (very awful and painful) fissure.
The pain started about a month ago maybe a bit more, but was tolerable before that. It took me a while to realize I was not just being a big baby with a hemorrhoid (because I had never experienced either hemorrhoids or a fissure). I know I have been lucky..
Gosh, I now feel so deeply for everyone on this forum and in the world feeling this awful pain! And most of the time for much longer than I have!!
Anyways. After having the GP diagnose me with internal and external hemorrhoids and trying every cream and treatment imaginable and finding zero relief. I thought, there has to be something else going on here and I made it to the Gastro. She listened to me in within 2 seconds said "you have a fissure". She wasn't even going to look at it. She just said, your next option is to go to a surgeon.
I had her look just to put my mind at ease and she said she could see from the outside, that yes I have a fissure but said only a surgeon could look further with numbing the area because of pain. Turns out the surgeon doesn't have an available appointment until the end of February! I think it would ease my mind that I am not infected or to know how bad it is if someone could at least look before then but on I go..
After trying every home treatment, sitz baths 2 times a day, 3 times a day with various things epsom salt, lavender, etc. Using coconut oil (this brought the most relief but is short lived about 30 mins to an hour and then raging pain), Dr. wheatgrass, vitamin E suppositories, even hydrocortisone suppositories which I promptly stopped after a couple days reading they will only thin things out.. I finally asked for the Nitroglycerin.
My question, now that I am finally getting to it is.. I am using Rectiv. with great relief! The only problem is that it only lasts for a couple hours sometimes. Over the weekend I kept reapplying in little amounts and found the same relief but after talking to the doctor today she says "only use it every 12 hours" no more than twice a day.
This is .4% nitro! I know its a lot to reapply. Should I not be doing this? Even if I am in pain is it still possible that waiting it out using it twice a day could help in the long run? Or has anyone else applied more during the day? Has it been safe? I do not get dizzy or headaches. I have been lucky with that too.
Any suggestions on pain relief or healing would be appreciated of course but I really want to hear if anyone has used it more or if I would only be hurting myself..
I am usually a very sensitive person (to medications) so naturally I was and still am wary or anything, especially anything going on my bum! But its so nice to finally have relief!
Sorry for the long post but I suppose it happens with first time sufferers.. Thank you ahead of time for any advice and thoughts!! So appreciate the time you took to read my long post!