My fissures are making lots of progress and I am healing. My sentinel pile even seems to be gradually reducing. But at it's height, and mostly now, it looks like a small hand reaching out and covering my anus. At one point I couldn't even see the hole to put suppositories in anymore. It was bigger than the whole anus area. It looked like I had an anus growing out of my pile.
I've read up on them quite a bit and I understand how they form, but I've never seen one form like that in anything I've read. Anyone else's reach out and mask their anus in a self defeating attempt to protect it from the rest of the world when the real issues are within?

Hi Anonymon,
I find this really interesting because I have a couple of skin flaps/ sentinel piles on the exterior of my anal opening and although not as large as you describe yours, they occupy a fair area where they are located, to the point I can always feel them and have to manouvre a little to actually locate my anal opening (exactly like you in times of inserting suppositories etc.) I have never known really what these are and how they came about since they are positioned on totally the opposite side to the fissure. In fact my fissure is not visible as it is more internal and I can't even determine whether I have a sentinel pile from it. I've been advised I have an internal hem in that area and I've no idea if this is related to the fissure or not. I'd like some clarification on that from my CRS because it could be the hem is actually the sentinel pile protecting the fissure.....
These external bumps are definitely not external hems and pretty sure they are not sentinel piles but they sound pretty much like the one you describe. They don't bother me at all but haven't really shrunk that much and I don't think they are ever going to disappear either. Be interesting to hear about others sentinel piles and bumps too! :)

I have internal fissures as well, and I'm uncertain of the location of my sentinel in relation to the fissures (it's just a lot of pain, and I can't see in with the pile after the second fissure formed and conjured it up). I also had/have internal hems. I apparently had internal hems for years, they just never bothered me in the slightest. I used suppositories to help with them, and I take it they're gone or tiny, but stopped after that because I read hydrocortisone over time can thin the skin and hinder healing if used for too long.
Mine formed after my second fissure formed and I had all day spasms. I had thought it may have been from using too warm a rinse on the area after a poop, but it seems more likely to have coincided with the spasms length and severity. I'm thinking to the diverted and cut off blood flow from the spasms caused it to erupt out of my outer anal area like a heated volcano mound under water near a sea vent.

Anonymon, you are not alone that is how my sentinel pile is, so big that cover my anal opening, but my doctor say that he will not remove it because is just skin.
Still since my fissure is better the skin flap has gotten a lot smaller.
Interestingly that it was from where most of my pain and soreness came from when my fissure was fresh, to the point that I could not even touch it because it was soo swollen.
Thankfully is all good now.

LOL Anonymon, love that volcanic explosion! That's a perfect summary of my bumps!!
Yes....really interesting since you seem to have something similar to me (not knowing the location etc. of that original sentinel pile), which makes me wonder now if historically I've had fissures before, which have been less troublesome but nonetheless produced these? I've had a couple of external hems in the past but pretty certain these would not have caused these fleshy exterior mounds. I'm really interested to ask my CRS more questions now about these although as stated, nothing external bothers me - it's all the internal stuff that has caused me the pain......
Yes, Marge, my CRS advised that they don't even touch sentinel piles unless they are really causing issues. Apparantly, it's a more painful procedure than dealing with the fissure itself. :)

I have lumps and bumps too. My biggest lump is to the side, at 11 o'clock, where as my fissure is supposed to be at 6 o'clock.
My lumps get very painful at times, so I fear they may be external hems.
I had skin tags removed about two years ago, although they weren't bothering me, they just did it. It didn't take long for it all to grow back!! I just think some people have anatomy that way inclined!!!
OMB x