Terrified

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Terrified

Postby Jerseygirl810 » 05 Apr 2013, 10:15

Hi,
I'm 25 years old and had never even heard of an anal fissure until December when I was told I had one. My gastroenterologist keeps giving me creams and acting like it's no big deal, but the pain is horrible, as I'm sure you all know. I had a bout of colitis at Christmas time which led to this wonderful thing.
It's been months and nothing seems to be helping and now my Dr. is saying my next option is botox injections? I'm so scared to get them, does anyone know if they help?
I just feel helpless. I don't know anything about anal fissures except what I've read online...and I don't know what to do. I tried cutting out dairy, and eating more fiber, but with every bm I just end up in pain again, and it lasts all day. And it seems everything about diet online is what "NOT to eat". I'd like to know what I SHOULD eat, besides fruits and fiber.
I'm also terrified of getting pregnant. My husband and I have been discussing having children, but I just can't even imaging going through labor or anything with this pain that's already there. I've never had kids, but I've heard horror stories, and I'm honestly just scared to do anything. :(
Does anyone have any advice!? I feel lost.
Thanks..
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Re: Terrified

Postby Savaici » 05 Apr 2013, 11:58

Dear Jerseygirl,
Image
So sorry that you are in pain, but we know exactly how you feel Image .
You do not want to eat too much fiber, or you will just aggravate things further by having big stools. A woman needs about 30-35g of fibre a day, and there is a good link on here showing that info and the latest on low fiber: http://anal-fissure.org/t4808-low-fiber-diet-latest-information-mayo-clinic
There are also some good bits of info posted by members on the link before you actually look at the Mayo Clinic site.
You need to drink water – at least 62ozs a day. That is about eight average sized glasses. Very important.
I would recommend buying a Sitz bath, if you do not already have one. This you can fill with warm water and it helps to soak after a bowel movement, to stop the pain of spasms (this is all our big bug bear on here – the spasms of the uncontrollable inner sphincter). I have found, after much experimenting, that the bath on the loo helps. Any questions on it, feel free to ask.
Cleaning: dab with wet loo paper (the softest and best you can get), never rub. Clean as best you can, as residue can irritate and cause itching. Don’t use soap. I use Vaseline, a less than pea-amount after all is dry. Nothing else. I am sensitive and really learnt through trial and error. I finish off the cleaning (again dabbing) with damp Johnson and Johnson gauze pads. I have had this mess for over two years now, so believe me I have been there, tried it all and bought the T-shirts.
Did your doctor not suggest using nitro? Here is another link on here, with info about nitro that you might like to wade through: http://anal-fissure.org/search?search_keywords=nitro
There are, of course, links here to info about botox. A few have had success (there is one story on the Success Stories here) , quite a few have not. Of course there may be many who have had botox, and been very happy with it and never even thought to come here (there are statistics on the internet that 50%-80% heal with botox) but a lot of people on here have voiced their sentiments about it.
There are so many different stories on here. Mine is just one. After trial and error, I have resorted to self-dilation to loosen the sphincter, without having surgery. Many others have had surgery, and after their recovery period gone on to fissure-free life far from here!
Hopefully, others will come with their suggestions. We are here for you.
All the very best. Image
Sav
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Re: Terrified

Postby Guest » 05 Apr 2013, 15:30

Say it with me..."keep your stools soft". This is now your NO. 1 priority.
So unfortunately you have come into our hell, of which it is very possible to climb out of. We all are hoping for your success beating your assassins, called fissures.
I had off and on fissures for several years until I beat mine, because I was lax, so please, do not lax off of trying to defeat this in anyway possible.
You must be very pro-active in your approach, else your fissure will take a vacation on you only to come back even worse.
For the most part the changes that you make must be continued for life or you risk the ever recurring fissures.
So what exactly caused your fissures...............That's the
$1000 toilet bowl question we all wonder. Only after very many trials and error did I find my cause in my diet.
It could be multiple things that you have neglected, and not just in your diet. Stress can play a role, not enough exercise, holding your bm too long, pushing too hard on the toilet.
As it is still fresh in your mind, try to pinpoint what could have brought on your first fissure........i.e. did you recently start eating something different, did you recently change jobs and is it a bit more stressful, did you start taking anything that might make your stools hard.
Brainstorm, which is what this forum is all about. Like a snowflake everyones fissure is different. While some things will work good on others your fissure may "laugh" at it.
Safely experiment, if one cream doesn't ease the burning, keep trying. same with the diet. if adding water does not seem to help, continue doing that and try stepping up the.....Insoluble fiber.
This is the fiber that acts as a broom or mop to make sure your bm will not linger to just be harder for the next time.
Its tricky trying to figure out just how much of this or that you need to keep your stools just right, but trust us, you may well have to, so keep experimenting.
There may be a food or two that you know will keep you lose and that's good for you. Find those foods, they are your best friends now.
Many of us like your doctor will "pooh pooh" (pun intended) are last fissure when they go away for weeks or even months.
Do not make this mistake as fissure will always try and get the last laugh. So stay pro-active long after you think your fissures are gone.
HTH
Last edited by Guest on 06 Apr 2013, 09:24, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: typo
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Re: Terrified

Postby Jerseygirl810 » 19 Apr 2013, 19:05

Hey! Thank you guys, I appreciate the advice. The pain comes in "bouts" now... Seems like it's getting better and everything's great, then the next day I can't sit, and well... yea, it's all back.
I've been drinking more water and taking a stool softner every day. It seems to help. I'm a little concerned about taking the stool softener daily, especially since I'm on the second bottle, but the Dr. seems to think it's harmless, so hey, whatever.
I haven't gotten a sitz bath yet, I was honestly feeling silly getting one at such a young age (I picture it being for my grandfather), but if it'll help the pain I'll try it. I'm getting over the embarrassment factor of all of this, that's for sure. I finally told a couple friends, and now it doesn't seem so weird...
The Dr.'s have me using Nitro cream, the headaches were hell, but I preferred them to the fissure pain, and now they seem to have stopped (the headaches I mean) so that's good.
They're looking into my insurance to see if it'll cover the botox treatment. If so, I'm going for it... I figure it's worth a shot! If I get it, I'll update as to how it worked.
Thanks again for the encouragement. It was def. needed! I know it could be worse, but the days the pain is at it's worst...ugh, it's just bad! So yes.... Image
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Re: Terrified

Postby ravians » 19 Apr 2013, 22:42

I have two fissures can u imagine. n suffering from it since last year. I have tried every thing but it's right keep ur stools soft. I m trying apples three times a day. it is a gud n natural stool softener. it will keep ur health up n ur fissure down. will share much more things that I tried. may b it Will of any help for you. by the way y u r not opting for LIS
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Re: Terrified

Postby Ever the Optimist » 20 Apr 2013, 03:21

Hi Ravians,
I can truly empathise with you about becoming pregnant with a fissure but you are 25 and have plenty of time yet to work on that fissure and get youself back to a place where you feel better, more comfortable and more confident that you can deal with the aspect of being pregnant.
I'm 40 with a daughter but we would so love a sibling and had been trying prior to the fissure (I was in my late 30's then) For me (sadly) time is more of an issue! Last year totally disrupted all plans of trying as I had various anal issues to contend with. Now I'm feeling so much better, we are trying again - I do have a chronic fissure and I know I would have to be particularly careful if I were to become pregnant and I would never ever consider a natural birth again at this stage but it's not going to stop us. I guess I'm just one of those people that when I really want something, nothing is going to stop me! (fissure or no fissure!) I do remember the helplessness and depression I felt though in getting that fissure and feeling at the time there was no way I could go through pregnancy.
My advice to you would be one thing at a time - deal with the fissure (No - It is highly unlikely that you will not be offered LIS if you are contemplating having a family) and get back to feeling better before you try. Chances are the stress of the fissure will probably hinder (although not necessarily) your chances of becoming pregnant anyway at this stage and once you reach a better place and as you and your body become relaxed, you will be in a better position to conceive more naturally anyway.
You have plenty of time yet to work on all these issues and yes, there are hundreds of women out there with fissures very successfully having children!!! x
Chronic Fissure diagnosed December 2011
Healed by Diltiazem around Feb 2013
Anal Fistula followed burst abscess in June 2012
2 internal troublesome piles remain & suspected, but undiagnosed, ongoing Levator Ani type symptoms & flare-ups
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Re: Terrified

Postby Ever the Optimist » 20 Apr 2013, 03:21

So Sorry!!!! This was to JERSEY GIRL xxx
Chronic Fissure diagnosed December 2011
Healed by Diltiazem around Feb 2013
Anal Fistula followed burst abscess in June 2012
2 internal troublesome piles remain & suspected, but undiagnosed, ongoing Levator Ani type symptoms & flare-ups
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Re: Terrified

Postby bgd » 20 Apr 2013, 05:03

To answer the original question, I'd say botox worked for me, although I'm far from healed. I mean it did what it's suppose to do, paralyze the muscle and stop/ease the spasm, which for me was causing 99.9% of the pain. I only felt pain when the muscle was squeezing on the fissure and now that the spasm is gone, the pain is gone too. Yes, I still have discomfort and swelling after BM and feel like laying down for a couple of hours, but it's nothing compared to the hellish agony I went through just till couple of days ago, screaming and crying on the floor for up to 12-14 hours. Except now that I went over board with fruits and vegetables and got a severe watery diarrhea, which set me back a little, erasing all the healing I've accomplished after botox kicked in. So I'm in pain again from the frequent BMs I had last night, but still bearable, more like a discomfort.
Just to specify, they use Dysport here in Romania, rather than botox. The difference, I understand, is that Dysport spreads more than botox, so it's more suitable for larger muscles. While botox acts more precisely so it's better on smaller muscles, like facial muscles, where you don't wanna paralyze large areas. My doctor says he never met those X% for whom Dysport didn't work, although he was aware of the bad statistics. He said it worked for every patient, although for some it kicked in as late as 3 weeks after injection, usually 7-10 days. For me it was around 10 days I started feeling my muscle loose, although I had my BM on day 12 only, spasm free.
So again, you have to set your expectations right when it comes to botox. It stops the spasm and gives your life back, actual AF healing is another thing. That's our body's job, depending on how well we take care of it using proper diet and local ointments. I'm using a herbal ointment mix, I also ordered my Manuka Honey already, some posters speak high of it. Worst case I'm just gonna eat it :) I'm also curious about Tinactin, the "miracle" cream, but don't wanna go there yet, sounds a bit scary, I'll leave it as a last resort. But worth reading the posts for sure.
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Re: Terrified

Postby J-Fissure » 20 Apr 2013, 08:32

Image
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale
What is a soft stool? Well for me its a type 4. I've been having type 3 all my life, but I've been able to change this to type 4 simply by adding Miralax before bedtime. (With no other diet change.) You'll have to see what works for you!
Other than that... use vaseline before your BM.
J
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