Hey Guys,

Been lurking on this site for a while and decided I would sign up and share my story and hopefully get some more helpful information out there.

This may be very long and unorganized, hard to keep my thoughts straight at this point.

I am a 25 year old male living in Los Angeles.

(Note, that since January, I have been consuming plenty of fiber (20-30 grams) and water.)

Since January 2013 I have been suffering with what my PCP thought was a Hemorrhoid. I was given a Rx topical cortisone cream which I applied for about 6 weeks. This did nothing really. At about March, I started having gas, abdominal pain, bloating, etc. I went to my PCP and he ran a stool test which came back positive for Giardia and Entamoeba Histolytica, which are two different stomach parasites. I was treated with Flagyl for 10 tens, three times a day. My stomach continued to hurt. I was tested two weeks after treatment and came back clean. Then two weeks after that and clean again. Stomach still in pain and still is till this day with the above symptoms. I was then referred to a Gastro doctor who tested my blood for signs of inflammation. He tested TSH, C-Reactive Protein and Sedimentation rate, which all came back normal. Now I am still waiting to make an appointment for a breath test for digestive issues. I bring this all up because even though I have a constant bowl movement, the fact that I always am bloated, gassy, always floating stools, etc can't be making the fissure any better. They have to be connected.

Back to the fissure.

My PCP then referred me to General Surgeon for the Hemorrhoid, not sure why this guy but I went with it. He diagnosed my bottom as a Hemorrhoid and then prescribed me cortisone suppositories for 6-weeks. This did nothing. I went back with some research and found that some patients responded to a 2% nitroglycerin ointment. He prescribed me that and I did that for about one/two months, with no results. I was then transferred to a CRS (About a 6 weeks ago). He took a look and guess what, it was a fissure, not a Hemorrhoid.

So this guy prescribed me Diltiazem 2%. I have been on this for six weeks. Twice a day.

Now this is where I am at: The last six weeks has been generally alright. I don't have issues sitting down much, there is no real pain, just a little...feeling down there, that reminds me every day I still have something. Every now and then I would check my bottom out in a mirror to see whats going on. There was always, what felt like a little bump in the lining of the anus. Well, over the last six weeks, this bump seems to have disappeared but as of five days ago I started getting itchy in a different spot. Now when looking in the mirror, there is a red area with a bump at the top of my anus, I can feel it every day in the bath. It started itching like crazy at night. I can't see it too well, but it is above the anus and there doesn't seem to be a cut extending to the opening. The feeling is almost like I got bit by a bug.

Maybe this is a reaction to the diltiazem ointment? Or maybe the Prep-H Wipes? Or maybe my body is just giving me the finger and having a fissure party at my expense. Or maybe it is a fungal infection?

I just ordered a standing desk for work. I have been sitting on a super soft pillow making sure I get up and move around every hour or so. I exercise in the least three times a week (no heavy lifting) I have also tried the ACV route. (A cup in the bath at night and a shot in the morning, but this got very expensive, very fast)

Since March/April this has been my daily routine.

Bowl Movement, using the squatty potty, once a day, every morning, between 8-10.
Light shower, warm water, low pressure shower head to clean my bottom, sometimes with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.
Use Prep-H wipes instead of toilet paper.
Sitz bath with Epson Salt every night before bed.
Vitamins in the morning: Multi, HemCare, E, Flax Seed, Probiotic.
A glass of water, pretty much every hour.
Glass of Metamucil every day, sometimes twice a day if I feel I didn't eat enough fruits/veggies.

As of last week, I started mixing Chia seeds in a juice for breakfast, cutting out all bread and eating veggies with a chicken breast, all organic cooked with coconut oil.

I also started to apply organic Extra Virgin Coconut oil twice a day an hour after the diltiazem ointment.

It is now September 20th and I am completely loosing my mind. With this and the stomach pain it has completely taken over my life. Not to mention the doctors appointments and how difficult it is to see them sometimes. (I am HMO Blue Cross, so you other HMO people know how much a pain in the ass an authorization and/or referral is.)

I even had my first acupuncture appointment this morning! On top of that, I am seeing an apparently amazing homeopathic doctor on Monday morning in Santa Monica. I am taking every step, making every appointment, following every route to the point of obnoxious.

I am moving to Berlin come December 29th for work and will have a lapse in my insurance until my German health cover starts in April which is already scary enough!

So there you have it. Sorry for the disconnected thoughts.

I wish I could of wrote something more positive but it has been a struggle and I am trying to keep my head high.

So if anybody has any suggestions, life changes, methods, anything I have missed, please feel free to share.

Cheers.

It sounds as though you are doing nearly everything already!
Have you tried a heat pad or hot water bottle (just very warm, not hot)? The heat relaxes the anal sphincter, and increases blood flow to the anus. That part of the anus gets little blood supply which is why it's prone to fissure, and why it takes a long time to heal. (of course the daily trauma of BM is a huge factor also).
So increasing the blood supply is important for healing. The diltiazem does that by relaxing the anal sphincter and relaxing the local blood vessels, increasing blood flow. A heat pad does the same thing, with the benefit that you can use it for hours. I am still sitting on a hot water bottle as much as I can when I'm at home. At my worst, I was taking it to work!

Could your new itchy lump be a hemorrhoid? I've got one that I think is similar - more painful than itchy, but still, an annoying lump. The other thing it could be is your sentinel tag, inflamed perhaps. Hopefully as your fissure heals the sentinel tag will get smaller.

I'm sorry you are having such a rough time with your stomach problems. I know what you mean when you say it has taken over your life. 2 months ago I was saying the same thing. I'm doing so much better now, and hopefully with the diltiazem you will see an improvement too.

I can't imagine dealing with this problem at your young age! It has required such patience (for a much older person like me)!! For me (large chronic AF) it has been extremely painful and downright debilitating. I'm so thankful I could reduce my hours and focus on healing. Taking time for doctors appointments etc. I'm rambling about all this because I hope you can 'take it by the horns' and figure out what you need to do to heal and not let this become a worse problem for you in the long run. You do need to go in (as often as necessary) to find out what you're dealing with specifically. It probably seems burdensome but it is important to do. You are worth it! Your bum is worth it! This is a very difficult type of injury to heal from, but it is possible. Work on lifetstyle/diet changes along with treatment and treat your behind like a Princess. It's great you are out of the closet and seeking help here. The support you can find here is invaluable!!!!!

Thank you both for the replies.

I haven't tried the heat pads, but I just ordered one from Amazon and should be here in a couple of days.

I can use it at work since I have a sitting/standing desk, I could also use it at home!

Unfortunately, about five days ago I started developing small red itchy bumps around the anus. I e-mailed my CRS and he advised me to stop using the Diltiazem. I believe I was starting to get a rash from it. I stopped a few days ago and starting to feel better. I am just sticking with the coconut oil now.

I went and saw the nurses at thehomeopathic pharmacy in Santa Monica this morning. They give free consultations, if anyone in Los Angeles on this fourm is interested.

I was perscribed three things:

1.) Astragalus Capsules - x3 daily
2.) Traumeel Pain Releif Oral Drops - Under the tounge
3.) Nitricum Acidum tablets 9C. 5 tablets, once a day, under the tounge.

All these are homeopathic and natural.
She also recommended some lavender in the tub.

I discovered by going out and staying away from Google I actually feel better emotionally as well as physically. By putting my entire focus on research, I feel as if I am making this problem worse.

I am sticking with my diet, water, fiber, fruits, veggies and bathroom habbits.

I am very thankful that I don't really have any issues walking or sitting, just that constant reminder that it is there and it could rip open again at any time. I'll let you guys know how the above treatment goes!

Yes, diltiazem can cause a rash - it did for me. I had to stop using it.
Try nitroglycerine (it gives some people a headache, that didn't happen to me) or nifedipine. Nifedipine is the newest shiniest AF drug. It didn't help me; it may help you. I hope it does.

I do strongly recommend nitro or nifedipine. Add it to your daily ritual, and it should help.

Scientist2516 wrote:Yes, diltiazem can cause a rash - it did for me. I had to stop using it.
Try nitroglycerine (it gives some people a headache, that didn't happen to me) or nifedipine. Nifedipine is the newest shiniest AF drug. It didn't help me; it may help you. I hope it does.

I do strongly recommend nitro or nifedipine. Add it to your daily ritual, and it should help.

I was on Nitro for about a month to a month and a half with no results really.

I have my next appointment with the CRS on the 30th and will bring up the Nifedipine and see what he says.

Scientist2516 wrote:Yes, diltiazem can cause a rash - it did for me. I had to stop using it.
Try nitroglycerine (it gives some people a headache, that didn't happen to me) or nifedipine. Nifedipine is the newest shiniest AF drug. It didn't help me; it may help you. I hope it does.

I do strongly recommend nitro or nifedipine. Add it to your daily ritual, and it should help.

Actually, question for you.

What kind of rash did you present with?

Was it bumps? Red skin? Where? Was it itchy? How long till the rash went away after you stopped using the ointment?

And finally, did you use any other product after you stopped the Diltizaem to get rid of the rash?

Thanks!

The rash was terrible. First just itchy around my anus, then the skin around my anus started seeping a clear liquid, which seemed to spread through the whole genital area and make it all itch. I had to wear a pad to contain the liquid. My buttocks got bright red, my anus became lumpy and swollen. After about 4 days, the rash spread into an itchy spotty red rash over my body, up my torso, down my legs and arms. I stopped the dilt. about 5 days after the itch began, which might seems like a ridiculously long time, and was, but I was on vacation and wasn't 100% sure what was causing it, and couldn't see a doctor. After I stopped the dilt., the itchiness in the genital area eased off within 1- 2 days, but the whole body rash took about a week to go away.

When I got home, I saw a GP about the rash. She told me to take antihistamines - claritin and allegra, one of each, per day. Also to put a lotion called Sarin lotion on the rash on my torso. I don't remember if there was a cream for the genital area, but anyway once I'd stopped the dilt. I didn't need it. But I could have used calmoseptine, as the CR nurse recommended it.

I found 2 or 3 published cases of whole-body rash associated with diltiazem. I was pretty unlucky!