Hi,
I had 4 injections of Dysport (variant of Botox) into my internal anal sphincter under a general anaesthetic yesterday. I came home in the evening with paracetamol for pain relief. It's not going too bad but I've been up all night with stabbing pains in my bottom. I seem to be passing more gas and hope this is a sign that my sphincter muscle is relaxing (trapped gas / anal pressure has been causing me agony). I had a salt bath at 4am to remove bits of old dressing, and for pain. In retrospect, I wish that I had not added the salt as I think it's causing a stinging sensation. No BMs yet, and I'm not looking forward to going to the loo, though I have been taking stool softeners.
Rewind 17 years ago to my first anal fissure. It began after the birth of my daughter, which was a stressful time. I'd also undergone major surgeries on my spine around this time and painkillers caused constipation.
My first fissure surgery was 16 years ago. It is classed as barbaric today. Basically, the surgeon stretched my sphincter. The rubber band analogy serves to describe this procedure. If a rubber band is over stretched it goes slack, as did my sphincter, but it gave me instant relief over many years.
The fissure came back 9 months ago after just one episode of constipation. I had to catch a train for an early start so missed my BMs. A haemorrhoid developed that made my sphincter tight and my bum tore open very dramatically.
Recently, my biggest worry has been my amount of pain (I'm a 16 stone male with a high pain threshold but it has made me cry). The pain from my fissure has been very severe and I was worried it had devolved into something more sinister (the pain tends to defer into my buttocks and abdomen and gets me the sensation that I need to urinate more often - at times). Anyhow my CRS assured me that he had done an examination and that all I have is a very nasty fissure. This is a massive relief! I see him again in 3 months and he is prepared to do a LIS if I don't heal.
I've felt quite isolated by my pain. It's been difficult to plan my days as many times have been spent in the bath tub to calm things down. I'm also disabled due to my spinal issues which cause sciatica in my legs (another story). I want to say though that the operations on my spine and subsequent pain is nothing compared to the pain in my bottom, it has been much worse.
On this final note, I think that there should be much more awareness raised around the pain management of fissures. They can be so debilitating in terms of family life, employment and wellbeing. The last thing we need is for them to become an hidden condition.
That's me folks. Wishing you all a pain free life from the comfort of my sofa :)