Greetings!
I am so very happy to have found you folks! It is always comforting to know there are other people who feel your pain! (Not that I want anyone to have this)
I was diagnosed with an AF a couple of years ago. The only docs who actually "viewed" the problem was a couple of guys at an urgent care clinic. They prescribed cortisone cream and lidocaine gel. It helped (a little) but didn't do much else. When I finally got really desperate and went to my regular clinic, the newbie doc assigned to urgent walk-ins didn't have a clue. He went to his boss, a wonderful lady doc who had suffered an AF herself. She prescribed the nitroglycerin cream/ointment. It did take several weeks (felt like years), and after many several expensive compounded jars of nitroglycerin creams, sitz-baths, diet alterations, and much Benefiber, the AF finally healed. Or so I thought.
I stopped taking the Benefiber because they quit making it, or something. Then, several weeks ago, I felt the beginnings of a "new" pain in the anal area, wasn't too bad at first but it felt different than the original AF, more closer to the exterior, and the pain is more of a burning pain, not like the spasm/throb of the original AF. Now, I have a new doctor, who when I complained of this "new" pain she said, "Oh, just get some Prep-H and some Tucks"... Clearly, she knows nothing.
I have yet to have anyone actually "look" to diagnose the AF, other than the docs at the urgent care clinic at the beginning of my first AF episode. I have a referral for a colonoscopy, but the thought of someone putting the equivalent of a garden hose up my butt is very disturbing. Help! I read someone's suggestion (on another post) that having a colonoscopy is not recommended, but what does one do in a situation like this?
Just wanted to introduce myself (you can call me "Wild") and let you folks know how we appreciate you being here.
W. "Wild" West