Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

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Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby snowdog » 19 May 2013, 12:49

Hello fellow fissure sufferers. I'm new to the board but not new to having a fissure, unfortunately. I'll go through my story briefly just to give you all a rundown.
I had a fissure about two years ago. I had no idea what they even were, and was treating it as a hemorrhoid for weeks before going to see a CRS. I didn't really have any pain, just some blood on the paper after BM's. Anyway, it turns out that I had a very bad CRS who decided the best treatment was hydrocortizone cream 3x/day. Before seeing him, I was treating it with all the typical hemorrhoid meds, which I later learned were the worst thing since they constricted everything and reduced blood flow - and I needed to be relaxing the area and increasing blood flow! The fissure was small and not deep, though...thank God. His method of healing it was unfortunately not what I suppose is considered the best. I ended up using the cream for almost a year! I grew a sentinel tag and the whole bit. After about a year, it was finally healed, though. I left it alone and the tiny tag is not even a concern or bother. Actually it is barely noticeable. So that's my old fissure story. Now to the new stuff.
Last week out of seemingly nowhere, after what seemed to be a normal BM, blood. No pain, but enough blood to make me wonder what was going on. I rigged up a way to get a good look at things and sure enough there was a small (about 1/4" at the most) little red fissure...partly outside the opening and partly inside. I immediately got an appointment with one of the top CRS's in the city. I told him the story about my first fissure and he knew of the doc I saw and confirmed the guy does not know what he is doing. He also confirmed that I have a "very small fissure". I asked what he would do if it was his rear end and he said "Oh, nothing. Maybe soak it once a day." This fissure causes me NO pain whatsoever, by the way. He then asked if I wanted some diltiazem/lidocaine gel for it. I knew by now that this was one of the real pathways to try and get it healed - at least better than hydrocortizone cream for many many months! I said yes right away.
So here I am. Probably not the worst case on the board (and I feel for all of you who have the "broken glass" fissures, etc.!!) but I wanted to do a proper introduction and tell my story thus far. I have severe anxiety which actually has me on disability and I have been told that people with high stress/anxiety levels are much more prone to fissures, by the way - and this one did hit in a very high anxiety time. Maybe coincidence, maybe something to it - I'm not sure.
Right now I'm simply using the ointment/gel twice a day as directed - after bm and showering in the mornings and after a warm soak in the evenings. I'm a fiberaholic so my BM's are really good even though I have no pain anyway. (I still stress over them each morning, though - almost anticipating pain and blood...probably not good.) I wipe gently with high quality paper wetted down with some warm water, and once clean, dab with dry TP. I have not seen blood since beginning the diltiazem! It does have a bit of sting to it for a few seconds when first applying it, though. I am sure that the fissure is not healed by any means and the sting is the medicine hitting the fissure. Hopefully I'm right about that.
So, it is the beginning of a new fissure journey for me. Hopefully, it will not be a long one, but I have looked at the group before when going through my first one and this seems like a great community so I figured I'd join in and be a "real" member as well as be able to interact with all of you good people.
Thanks for reading! Sorry if it got lengthy!
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby owmybum » 20 May 2013, 03:08

Hi Snowdog, and welcome to the board!
I'm sure anxiety has a lot to do with fissure flare ups. I can suffer from anxiety, and I find that I always aggrivate my fissure from being so subconsciously tense. I try to keep myself calm by deep breathing and relaxation when I can.
I hope the diltiazem works well for you... I did really well on that for a while, but developed an intolerance to it unfortunatly.
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fissure after hem banding and tag removal feb 11
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Botox June 13
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Diagnosed with neuropathy Jan 15
Diagnosed with HS EDS type 3 (causes poor wound healing )
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby marg6043 » 22 May 2013, 19:10

snowdog, hi there, sorry to hear about your fissure, but that is why most of us has found this forums.
You are not alone when it comes to anxiety and fissures, I am very familiar with the pain and discomfort of expectations that anxiety can bring, I have my fair share of anxiety related emergency room visits.
But with the proper care, a routine that you can stay with and a good diet you can heal or live with the fissure and still have a normal life.
Is plenty of information here that will help you in you road to recovery or at least a more comfortable and pleasant life with fissure.
I wish you the best.
Last edited by marg6043 on 31 May 2013, 12:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby Pam C » 31 May 2013, 04:04

I had external fissures for 4 months. I tried oral antibiotics, two kinds, then worm medicine because I itched so much. Next I used neosporin and other topicals including prep H. I then found a tube of Butt Paste laying around and I tried it. Within 3 days there was DRAMATIC improvement. I had made a doctor's appointment at that time and stopped using the Butt Paste so she could at least see what was wrong in case I had cancer or something. She said it was the Zinc in the Butt Paste and to keep using it. She gave me samples of other stuff, but I continued with the BP and now I'm complelely healed.
I wipe the most of the waste off with toilet paper, but for the clean, cleaning I use Huggies and just kind of pat rather than rub real hard. (Those I don't flush but they generally aren't really dirty so I fold them and put them in the waste basket). Hope this helps someone. I was terribly miserable for FOUR months! I kept thinking, "Where did this come from? I'm 58 years old and never had anything like this!" If I ever do again, I'm grabbing the Butt Paste. It can be found at Walgreens or maybe even Wal-Mart in the diaper section, I imagine. We had had this a long time. My husband used it for chaffing. I also had some places on me that looked like I'd gotten burned or gaulded. It all cleared up. Praise God! Pam
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby snowdog » 31 May 2013, 11:46

Hi again, everyone and thanks for the replies! I'm 2 weeks and 2 days into this and as of the last couple of days, I am very happy to report all has been excellent!
As I mentioned in my initial post, I have a very "fissure friendly diet" so my morning bm's are very easy and have been since my last fissure. I really believe this one was caused by stress and that I'd bet that many fissures are caused by stress and anxiety - creating a tightening down there and resulting in tearing. Of course I'm sure there are plenty that are simply tears because the stool was too large. Anyway..
So my simple routine other than my already established diet was the diltiazem/lido ointment 2x/day. Once after my morning shower and once in the evening close to bedtime. Before the 2nd application, I soak in a very warm tub for 15-20 min. When wet, I just pat the area dry and then let it air out for a few minutes. You can gently touch with a clean dry hand to make sure there is no moisture. I've been using a pea sized amount of the gel (or my best guess since it is in a container, not tube) and after a deep breath to relax, insert the finger just one knuckle and gently rub around in there for a few seconds, then while pulling out, make sure I rub some into the fissure itself as well as all around the hole. The medicine is made to soak in after a while, so it does not feel wet or greasy down there after probably a half hour at the most. I stopped any weight lifting and walk for 30 minutes a day at a modest pace. I try not to sit much, but rather sort of lie down where my butt is not taking pressure - bending the knees is the easiest way. I also spend 20 or more minutes a day doing relaxation/guided meditation, focusing on relaxing that whole area.
For the last few days I have experienced no sting from soap in the shower, and no sting from the medicine. I'm not going to spread it open or try and peek at it, but it seems to be coming along nicely.
Just wanted to throw an update out there. Hopefully if anyone is down and doubting (like I naturally am - as well as have huge anxiety issues) - things do get better. Yes, my fissure is not as bad as they can get, but it is still a fissure and we all know those are no fun.
All of this got me curious as to how long, wide, and deep everyone's fissures are. I read somewhere that they are normally between 1- 1.5 cm long, 2-3mm deep, and I think a few millimeters wide. I didn't take a ruler to mine, but it was slightly over 1/4" long and deep enough that you could tell it was a split - maybe 2mm?
Anyway, just my 2 cents. I'm sure I'll update again. Just trying to give everyone some hope. I'm keeping with the routine at least through this tub of ointment, and might get the refill depending on time and how things feel. Maybe I'll go to every other day for a while. Who knows. This is my second fissure and my first healed, but took close to a year because I had a bad doc who was doing things all wrong. Totally different this time around. Now to gain back the 4 pounds I lost from stress!
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby snowdog » 23 Jun 2013, 13:08

SETBACK.
I have no idea why, but today I experienced stinging from the soap in the shower as well as stinging when applying the ointment! I haven't changed a thing and it has been weeks since I had any stinging or irritation like this. This is really a rough blow since I thought the thing was closed up and mending well after just past the 2 week point on the ointment. I just passed the 5 week point. Talk about having a good day go bad. :(  After checking it out, it looks smaller than before - maybe 1/8" long and just like a paper cut. I'm praying it'll heal quick but this is just so discouraging when I thought things were going well.
Sorry to vent, but that is unfortunately my update. I hope everyone who reads this is only seeing improvements each day with theirs!
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby Savaici » 23 Jun 2013, 18:16

Sorry about your setback. I am an absolute stickler for cleanliness, but I never use soap. My routine is dabbing with Cottonelle loo paper damp, then I use Johnson & Johnson sterile gauze pad, wet, which I also dab until clean. I also use a Sitz bath. In the shower, again I use no soap, just water. If I ever do use something to wash down there, it is something gentle and as close to organic as I can get.
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby owmybum » 24 Jun 2013, 05:08

So sorry to hear of your set back. I hope it's not as bad as you think, and things get back to healing really soon!
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fissure after hem banding and tag removal feb 11
Pelvic floor therapy
Diltiazem
Botox June 13
Nitro
Internal flap July 14
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: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby snowdog » 24 Jun 2013, 11:54

Thanks you guys for the kind words of encouragement. I'm doing what I can and grateful that I have the diltiazem/lidocaine to use, but I also have a terrible habit of catastrophic thinking and for some reason this setback has me really down in the dumps and depressed beyond belief. I guess having an anxiety disorder is not the best thing, either. It's just so hard. I feel so alone with this. There are so few "real" people I can talk with about the issue...thank God for this board!
EDIT: I just went ahead and showered without using soap on my rear (I'm a stickler for cleanliness as well, so I think I used about 10 gallons of water from the shower - nice and warm and found a good technique is to *gently* pull your cheeks apart with one hand and let the water collect in the other like a cup and this gives you the ability to splash it up onto the area very well and not have to go through any contortions to make it all happen). So the cleaning went easy enough. As my usual routine, I patted the area dry and then let it air dry for a while after that. Time for the dilt/lido... I was able to apply it as always and there was NO sting or burning whatsoever! My mood has gone from "awful" to "not too bad". I'd suggest this to everyone using any cream or ointment for sure. Thanks so much for that tip!
Last edited by snowdog on 24 Jun 2013, 13:05, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Had an important addition and didn't want to make a new entry in the thread.
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Re: Another new guy in town. Ain't it great?

Postby torninhell » 26 Jun 2013, 09:43

Everyone gets setbacks sometimes. Don't let it get you too down in the dumps, the body doesn't benefit from stress and it can only make your problem worse! I noticed that myself, that when stressed or under a lot of pressure I would have worse pain, etc.
I wish I could help you more/give you better advice but that is all I have for now. :(
Good luck and I hope you continue healing and suffer no more setbacks!
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