If this helps you, I do agree ask your Doctor about a spinal instead of a general anaesthesia.
This is an excellent idea from dent1, I couldn't agree more to have a nurse or support worker with you.
Take care and deep breath to relax more..all the best. 

dent1 wrote:Hi can I ask where in the the UK you are - just the general area?.

Sure, I'm in the South East, I don't think my hospital has a good reputation and I think the doctor is a general surgeon, rather than a specialist CRS. That freaks me out but I don't really have the option of going to another hospital. I'd love to go private but I can't afford it!
Thanks everyone for the responses.

Ah just wondered if it was the same consultant but I guess not.
All colorectal surgery comes under the heading "General surgery".

Yeah, like others I'm so sorry you had such a difficult experience.  My first encounter with a GP was terrible.  She attempted an exam without any ointment when I was in extreme pain with a very large AF.  I almost punched her and swatted at her to get away.  I'm not an aggressive person at all--normally.  She said, "then I suppose you don't want me to examine you with this?"  and held up some sort of scope they use that looked like a large tampon holder!  I nearly went screaming from the room!  She diagnosed a thrombosed hemmie but said she 'couldn't rule out an AF.'  I gladly accepted the ointments and went running to my car.  It took weeks of pain and another major retear until I was willing to call the CRS clinic, which the GP did give me the number to.  I specifically requested pain reliever/ointment and was told this was not allowed and was un-necessary.  The guy did a pretty gentle exam (unlike the first GP) but could only tell me I had a fissure.  He offered ointment (nifedipine/lidocaine combo) and then a follow-up in six weeks with the next step being LIS surgery.  In the meantime a friend told me about a naturopath who really helped him with an AF. This practitioner used a strong pain reliever before the exam (so it IS possible!) and even though his exam was uncomfortable, I felt respected and basically 'safe.'  He gave me detailed information including that I had a large AF and associated pathology.  He prescribed stronger ointment (5% lidocaine and ditilazem) than I got from my GP.  I didn't like his approach to the next step (surgery 'lite' with an unstandardized stretch technique), leaving me in a quandry. I had two follow-up exams, none of them as bad as the first.  So, I guess one suggestion for the readers out there is to get to a specialist (not a GP) and the other is to ask for ointment pre-exam (or use it yourself if you have it).  They partly use pain to localize the AF, but my pain was so intense that was ridiculous.   It is a terrible problem to have and then to have to go in for care (and exams) is really difficult.  There is no excuse for the bad care out there, which you received (and me as well) and yet, I hope you keep going to get the help you need.