Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby bgd » 30 Apr 2013, 03:11

If you like rice, people here say brown rice is OK, not constipating (I never tried). You are on track now, you got rid of the build up, now just be careful not to constipate again. I'd say it's impossible, if you go mainly vegetarian. There might be some hard stool in your bowels, but next it should be fine. Don't forget plenty of water when you are on fibers. Keep on taking paraffin oil, it makes stool slippery.
Same here, pain subsides 8h after the BM. But I take it you could sleep through the night? Then it's not so bad after all.
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Savaici » 30 Apr 2013, 08:02

Hi there again, Kristy
Here is a link to all the posts on anal dilation, which includes the one that I periodically update myself, which is called Self Dilation. jr2, who is a moderator, also practices this:
http://anal-fissure.org/search?search_keywords=self+dilation

I am very strict with my diet
. VERY. I never take chances, EVER as chances lead to pain. My diet is very ordinary and very boring, but I can eat most anything that is fairly mushy. It is what works for me and I have found that that is the best for me. I lost about 25kg at the beginning of all this over two years ago, and have put on about 8kg over the past six months. I weighed a little more than I should when I started to lose weight, but it was not my intention to diet....I was happy with what I weighed.
I started to take vitamins about 8 months ago, and this has made an incredible difference for me. I take something called SmartyPants Vitamins for adults, which are like fruit pastiles and have been like manna from heaven for me!
First thing, a glass of hot water, followed by a poop...I use my Sitz bath afterwards until I feel clean and comfortable. I always clean with dampened Johnson and Johnson gauze pads. Always. And I never ever wipe, only dab. Then I go back to bed for a bit.
Breakfast: a scone, with organic honey. A tiny amount of coffee mixed with hot milk watered down with water. & 3 vitamins for afters. I have my breakfast in my car down by our local river (I have terrible internet access, so I go to get that when I have breakfast...). Back home after about 2 hours.
When I get home, I eat two Metamucil biscuits, cinnamon flavour. With this I drink 2 glasses of hot water and go to the loo again, with the same routine as earlier in the day.
I am a long standing vegetarian. My main meal is about 2.30 in the afternoon. It always has potatoes in it, and other veggies for me. I bake or boil 1 large spud, which I cut up and mix with veggie (I first started with organic baby vegetables, mixing this over mashed potato - this is all I felt I could take after months of constant pain...and it worked. Started with baby carrot...it worked for me.).
With my potato I have low fat cream cheese, carrots, mix veggies of whatever I fancy, but mushy. I don't eat beans or anything like that. I make sure there is lots of organic stock mixed with it all. AND I EAT VERY LIGHT AS THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT WORKS FOR ME. MODERATION!!! With the meal, I always add about 2 & a 1/2 tablespoons of organic olive oil.
After my meal, I have a few organic gummies (not sure what you call them, but they are like Fruit Gums) which have vitamin C in them. Just soft sweeties that I suck. Again, for me, all is in moderation. I drink another glass of hot water after my drunch (my word for a mixture of lunch and dinner...!).
During the rest of the day I might have the odd taste of something. Never more than a mouthful of whatever my hubby might be eating, (and I chew everything very very well) and never meat. He loves curry...I don't touch it, but I prepare the spices (with a great Indian cookery book that I bought in Sydney many years ago when I lived there :) )
In the evening, I usually have an American biscuit, with butter that has olive oil mixed in with it. Then...wait for it...I have a piece of cheese cake! Just about every evening. Just the cheese part, no crust. To top this all off, I have the last three of my SmartPants vitamins. And a couple of glasses of water. Sometimes I will have a little treat of whatever ever I fancy. Very very small. Not chocolate, my stomach won't cope with it.
I take a third of a cap measure of Milk of Magnesia every night. And I drink a glass of water with that, and another glass when I clean my teeth in the evening.
About an hour before sleeptime, I take 0.5mg of Lorazepam. This relaxes me and about a half an hour after that, I do my dilation.
I always make sure that I drink at least 8 glasses of water - about 64oz (sorry, not sure in metric measure), and that I get enough fibre. About 18oz of fibre for me
In general - though there are still occasions - I no longer have spasms. When I did, they were awful. I do still have to rest on my sofa for part of the day, but nothing like earlier on. If you look up my user name, you can look back over my posts to see what I went through from 2011.
That about covers this!
All the best. If you would like more info about the dilation, send me a private message.
Any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Image
Sav
Last edited by Savaici on 01 May 2013, 07:42, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Kristy38 » 01 May 2013, 06:36

Thanks Sav and bgd for the advice. Sav, its great that you have given me a complete breakdown of what you do. I appreciate and I think I will give it a shot.
Right at this moment, I am in an immense amount of pain. I can't shift my stool, and when I try, even with the use of the Diltiazem ointment, diazempam and painkillers, I'm sobbing on the toilet as its so painful. So, I have no choice I think but to present to the ER tonight. I can't take it, and the amount of pain I'm in is just too much to bear. I have having to go back, but I'd rather that than try and cope with this.
Over the last two days I have gone vegetarian, been eating soft foods like yoghurt and soup, and I've been taking laxatives.. so by rights everything should be working. But its not.
I'll keep you posted.
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby bgd » 01 May 2013, 14:25

Yeah, I had the same frustration when I started my diet, it didn't work from the first shot. As I said, hopefully it's just some older stool that has built up in your system. Let's hope that the next BM would be softer. For now go to the ER if you're feeling that bad.
Where is your pain coming from? Bowels or rectum?
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Kristy38 » 02 May 2013, 21:47

Hi bgd,
The pain was mostly from the rectum, but in the bowels as well.
I had an evacuation at the ER yesterday, back home now, and am loaded up with laxatives and am sticking to a vegetarian/soft-ish food diet, and making my meals smaller as well. Desperate to get on top of this.
I was hoping to see my surgeon/CRS when I was at the hospital, but he is on holidays. I wanted to talk to him about a possible longer term solution, but I will have to book into his rooms to see him.
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Miss K » 04 May 2013, 21:33

Hi Kristy, sorry to hear about what sounds like an absolutely terrible few months! Hope you manage to figure out a routine that works for you hon, it may just take a hell of a lot of patience and trial and error.
I'm also in Australia so was having trouble finding local alternatives to the US/UK products. The main one that most doctors seem to recommend here is Rectogesic, which for me has made a bit of a difference in getting blood flowing to the area and bringing down the inflammation/spasms a little. I usually use the cream and then lay on the couch on my side (my fissures at a really annoying 3 o'clock position) with a warm wheat bag for an hour or so. This seems to ease some pressure without having to get in a bath (which I find just chaffs my butt). My pain was also for many hours after a BM and this seemed to cut the pressure/pain time down to about 2 hours.
Guess the main thing is working out a toilet technique that's right for your body. Have you tried squatting instead of sitting? You might find with squatting everything opens much more easily. I got a couple of those stools that help little kids get onto the loo (like $5 each at Target) and squatting down over the toilet seems to make it all a bit easier. It might put slightly less pressure on the fissure to start a healing process.
Have you talked to your dr too about maybe getting an MRI or some sort of internal imaging done just to make sure there's no blockage somewhere higher up?
Good luck with the diet, yeah I think less is more in terms of food portioning and constipation, just little amounts of soft food for a while.
Also maybe something like meditation or breathing exercises might help to relax the tense muscles in the area. I read an article the other day that said 95% of fissure sufferers reported some sort of emotional distress around the time it flared up, so I think there's also a strong link there between stress and pain.
I really hope you find some relief soon!
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Kristy38 » 05 May 2013, 02:06

Hi Miss K,
Thanks for your message! Whereabouts in Australia are you?
I am using Rectogesic too, as well as the Diltiazem ointment. Rectogesic is good, although sometimes it gives me headaches, which apparently is a common side effect.
You sound just like me! After I have a BM, I use the cream, take some painkillers and Diazepam, and lie on the couch on my side with a wheat bag. It usually takes me a lot of hours to get over it. I have a BM last night at 11pm, and it took until about 4.30pm for the pain to subside enough for me to be able to go to sleep. My sleep patterns are all over the place now because of this! I also have baths too, which helps a bit, and I guess makes sure the area is clean.
I put my feet up on a step, which is what my doctors told me to do, which does help when things are soft enough, but nothing helps if the BMs are harder to pass.
I have had two MRI's now... that's how my fistula was diagnosed, and I have a drain in that to help clear the abscess, but I have a large fissure as well as that. So double trouble for me! It's very painful and very frustrating.
I was thinking about taking up meditation actually. I agree with the emotional distress... its awful!
I'm going to call my specialist tomorrow, because I am at the point where I am considering a temporary colostomy, as I can't function day-to-day when this has been ongoing for so long. With no signs of easing just yet!
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby bgd » 05 May 2013, 02:18

Hi!
Did the diet help soften the stools eventually?
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Kristy38 » 05 May 2013, 02:20

Hi bgd,
I am still on the veggie diet, and the stools are slightly softer so far, but at the same time I have increased my laxative intake, so I'm not sure if its the food or the laxatives!
And I'm not prepared to take the chance of decreasing the laxatives just yet after having a bad week this week.
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Re: Fissure, Fistula & Coeliac Sufferer

Postby Miss K » 05 May 2013, 03:48

Gosh you poor thing to have to deal with both at the same time! Good on for persisting with your home treatments though hon, must be just unbelievably frustrating for you as it sounds like you're doing everything right!
The other thing you could eat food wise if you need extra fibre but not wheat could be Quinoa? It's a super light grain, much lighter than rice too, and you just cook it the same way. I make a big lot at once and just add it to veggie soups or salad, or eat with my baked fish and veggies at night. Also maybe breads/pastas with lighter flours could help like buckwheat, kamut or spelt once you start needing more than just the veggies?
Yes I have to say, I've also thought about a colostomy before. But saw a video about it on you tube that someone posted and it looked as though there's a number of possible complications involved as there are in our condition unfortunately, it looked quite difficult to manage. But if it means not pooping for a couple of months while you heal maybe you could get yr doctor to consider it, have heard about people doing it to fix this before.
I'm in Central Australia which is about as useful as bat poop at the moment lol. There's no specialists at all here just general surgeons and I just don't trust a generalist playing around in such a sensitive area. So me and my GP have a deadline for the creams to do their work (end of May) and then a CRS referral in Adelaide to talk about surgery. I can't afford too much time off work to let it heal on its own unfortunately, it's incredibly expensive living here and been over two months now.
Where are you, did you say Melbs? God missing big smoggy Melbourne, am thinking of moving back soon love it. Are you working, have you been able to have time out from work through all this?
Yeah I find meditation so valuable. I usually find a point in the day though when it's moderately painful as I haven't got the focus yet to ignore it when it's at it's worst. But I also notice that when I'm doing something I really enjoy ie coffee with friends in a comfy seat, watching my AFL team win the pain isn't as bad. I mean it's still there but my mind is not, so that's why I think meditating helps. It also just makes you feel stronger and more centred to help manage the pain.
Up to a point I imagine anyway, it sounds like there's been times when that's just not been possible for you with going through so much :( Hope very much you will have your own little bio in the successes stories section really really soon! Best of luck with your appointment tomorrow :)
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