It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

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It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby wildwildwest » 15 Feb 2013, 01:38

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
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby owmybum » 15 Feb 2013, 03:48

Hi wild... And welcome to the forum!!
I would go back to the dr and ask to be referred to a proper crs ... They will be able to take a proper look and tell you exactly what is going on down there. They will also be able to sort out a proper treatment plan for you.
In the mean time, keep up with the sitz baths, lots of water and good diet, and maybe try a stool softener such as mirilax.
OMB xx
fissure after hem banding and tag removal feb 11
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Botox June 13
Nitro
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EUA and polyps removed Nov 14
Diagnosed with neuropathy Jan 15
Diagnosed with HS EDS type 3 (causes poor wound healing )
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby marg6043 » 16 Feb 2013, 13:41

wildwildwest, sorry to hear you are having problems with a fissure. Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy, I had my first one while having my fissure problems, you are under anesthesia and numb.
Will not feel anything, during the colonoscopy the doctor will be able to look better inside and tell you exactly what is going on.
Then you can take it from there with the proper diagnostic and get a good CRS.
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby wildwildwest » 16 Feb 2013, 17:01

marg6043 wrote:wildwildwest, sorry to hear you are having problems with a fissure. Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy, I had my first one while having my fissure problems, you are under anesthesia and numb.
Will not feel anything, during the colonoscopy the doctor will be able to look better inside and tell you exactly what is going on.
Then you can take it from there with the proper diagnostic and get a good CRS.

Thanks marg6043, I'm not afraid of the colonoscopy procedure, but rather what will happen before (having to drink all that stuff), during (waking up) and after. But it sounds as if there is no alternative, so I will try to grin and bear it. It's about time someone actually takes a look... even though it may be a "bigger" look than I wanted. Be careful what you wish for...
And thanks to owmybum too.
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby marg6043 » 16 Feb 2013, 17:19

Oh, yes, I forgot about that part of it, see when I had my colonoscopy I had no clue that my pain in the bum was a fissure I believed to be hems, my regular doctor gave me anusol to treat the hems that kind of took away some of the edge from the fissure, so when the side effects of the drink took effect I didn't got that irritated.
I understand now why you may feel apprehensive and I don't blame you, actually my fissure came from problems with chronic diarrhea no constipation so I know how irritating it can be. Image
Just make sure you lubricate the area gently after drinking the stuff and take sitz bath during that time.
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby wildwildwest » 16 Feb 2013, 17:31

marg6043 wrote:Oh, yes, I forgot about that part of it, see when I had my colonoscopy I had no clue that my pain in the bum was a fissure I believed to be hems, my regular doctor gave me anusol to treat the hems that kind of took away some of the edge from the fissure, so when the side effects of the drink took effect I didn't got that irritated.
I understand now why you may feel apprehensive and I don't blame you, actually my fissure came from problems with chronic diarrhea no constipation so I know how irritating it can be. Image
Just make sure you lubricate the area gently after drinking the stuff and take sitz bath during that time.

My initial episode of AF (2 years ago) also came from extended diarrhea; I was in the hospital being treated for diastolic heart failure and all of the drugs caused the diarrhea. I have never understood how diarrhea can cause a tear... Thanks...
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby marg6043 » 16 Feb 2013, 18:24

Wildwildwest, I kind of know how mine happen, see, in July 2011 I had emergency gallbladder surgery, while some people feel good after this, in my case, I, from day two developed chronic diarrhea, so bad that I lost 17 pound in less than two months, as I could not hold anything in my stomach, due to the over production of biles, the biles are very irritation as they are actually acids, when you get diarrhea, do to some stomach problems no always you go down to having nothing but biles, but when that happen you know that it burns, well I was to the point that burning was all I was feeling.
Taking into consideration that my years of what I believed was hems was not (since the birth of my first child in the 80s) I treated the burning and inflammation of what I believed to be hems with hem creams, this actually if you don't have hems will decrease the flow of blood to the anal area that will reduce the inflammationo of a hem, but when you have fissures it actually will stop the fissure from the necessary blood supply in order to heal, that is why nitro creams are prescribed so they increase the blood flow to the area of the fissure.
So actually I was creating the fissure and no allowing the irritated area to heal.
Sometimes we get to put one and one together and figure out that this fissures have a reason for been there and more often than not we know how it happens.
It was no hems what I was experiencing once in a while for almost 30 years, the colonoscopy confirmed that I only had one small hem internal and of no consequence.
The things we learn after so many years of misdiagnosted, I had not clue what a fissure was until last year. Now I suffer with what doctors call IBS related to gallbladder removal, so I have to control my BMs and try to keep them soft and not watery, some people here goes to the painful experience of doing the opposite.
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby wildwildwest » 16 Feb 2013, 19:11

Ah, I think the answer is in your answer. Keeping the BMs not too hard, not too soft, but just right. It is or will become our life-long goal! What a pain in the a--! For several weeks before this latest "episode" I would vacillate between watery to very hard.
Don't know why anyone with an AF with try to do the opposite, as in "not soft.
One final thing: I used the nitro-glycerin cream/ointment in my first episode (2 years ago) without abandon. I had no side-effects, and had both the cream and the ointment prescribed. (The ointment being a petroleum jelly base). I would use the nitro ointment just before and after a BM; the rest of the time I would use the cream (not as greasy).
But for some reason, this go-round (AF episode) within 20-30 seconds of using either the Nitro cream or ointment, I get an immediate throbbing headache. So it's now like I have to choose: which would I rather endure, a butt-ache or a head-ache? Image
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby marg6043 » 16 Feb 2013, 22:09

Yes the headaches, after using the cream for 4 months the headaches actually went away, but in beginning I even got dizzy, it did work but after a while I had to stop do to an allergic reaction of itching and rash.
Now 8 months later I can say is healing very slowly, no pain just discomfort and some irritation if I don't follow what I call my "toilet routine".
but beside that my colorectal doctor was very nice and allowed me another 4 months to see if the fissure goes away completely before deciding to have surgery.
I can tell that the pain will never be the same as in the beginning when it was fresh, now I can actually control the fissure and doesn't control me.
But if for some reason as we all have set back the fissure decided to become troublesome again I will get surgery no doubt about it, for now I pretty much can do anything as I used to before it became a pain in the butt. I am one of those people that can not be still and a fissure is not going to put me down or stop me from doing my zumba exercises:D
Sometimes fissures do not go away completely they just get better and we forget about them and after a while they can comeback angrier than before, even with surgery they can comeback, not as bad as before but is been cases in which they do re open again, so even surgery for some is not a garantee just a promise.
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Re: It's back! (Or at least the pain is)

Postby Jessjess » 16 Feb 2013, 22:26

Hello Wild! Sorry to hear you are having problems. Why did the doctor suggest a colonoscopy? This seems to be a "go to" response when doctors don't know what else to do! Instead of getting the colonoscopy now, see a colorectal surgeon first. If you are not having any intestinal problems like cramping, unresolved constipation, or dark blood in the stool, then I don't see the point of a colonoscopy. If a specialist like a surgeon recommends it, then I would do it. Otherwise, a surgeon can check for hemorrhoid/fissures very easily with an office visit and a visual exam.
I had a colonoscopy due to intestinal cramping that was finally diagnosed by a gastroenterologist and FAPS (Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome). The prep work was NO FUN, but I was under anesthesia for the procedure and it was a 2 day (prep/procedure) party!
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