gastroenterologist? I was just thinking since a CRS is a surgeon, maybe they only think of cures on a "surgical basis" and a gastro would consider other options.
Has anyone here been successfully treated by a gastro?
Thanks,
Jennie

The first Surgeon said, yes you have a fissure let's set a sugery date. The Gastro said let's try treatment first. My fissure healed in a few weeks (now have an abscess/fistula with surgery planned for those). I would either try a Gastro or another CRS and see if you can't get it healed before trying surgery.

jennie,
here are my thoughts......
1. you already went to one CRS and got his opinion. however, you were not really well informed with other options yourself and possibly were not comfortable in requesting for other options despite the CRS's opinion.
a fissure is a non-life threatening issue and really i think it is individual on how much pain one can tolerate until they are either self-healed or agree to proceed with surgery.
2. now that you are getting caught up with other fissure sufferers here, you are seeing that many have followed different paths and have been given other options from their doctors, whether it be a general practitioner, CRS, ob/gyn, gastro, etc.......
****
i definitely think you have options. surgery is one of them. but that would be one extreme as doing nothing would be the other extreme.
if you feel comfortable in going back to the CRS and if you liked that doctor, demand for another plan of action despite his/her reservations. if this is what you really want to do, do it. i think you have a higher chance of healing when you are in agreement with what your mind/body is telling you what to do rather than forcing a procedure you are not ready for.
on that note, why not get a second opinion. when you see another CRS, which i really think would probably be the best person to follow up with - my general practitioner gave me a referal to my CRS and that is how i met him - and now that you are more informed about choices, definitely have a discussion that is more suited to your plan of action together with the surgery as a third or fourth choice to make if the first two or three don't work.

Thanks to both of you for responding. This is definitely the direction I am heading in.
You are right...I was not well informed myself of other options until I found you guys! LOL! Actually, I had no idea what a fissure was and, I was in shock when surgery was suggested!
Thanks again,
Jennie

Ouch! wrote:The first Surgeon said, yes you have a fissure let's set a sugery date. The Gastro said let's try treatment first. My fissure healed in a few weeks (now have an abscess/fistula with surgery planned for those). I would either try a Gastro or another CRS and see if you can't get it healed before trying surgery.

Wow! This gives me even more hope and determination.
How long did you suffer with your fissure? Was it chronic or acute?
Thanks,
Jennie

I assume my fissue was acute since it healed within 2 months. At least I think it's healed no pain from the fissure or blood for a couple weeks. It was about 3-4 weeks from the time I started the program my Gastro put me on, but about 8 weeks total from the start of symptoms. However it looks like I have a second small fissure that I think is related to developing an abscess/fistula. I can barely tell the second one is there compared to the agony of the first.

Ouch, just keep up your regimen now more than ever...we don't want any setbacks!!!

Hi Ouch,

You may conside asking for a fistula plug. I don't want to scare you, but my fissure was almost healed last Dec, but it abscessed and I had to get surgery. for the surgery they opened the abscess, which meant they made a cut about an inch long and down to the muscle--worse than my fissure ever was! I am just about healed from that, but it took 6 mos (had my surgery in Feb.)

Moral of the story (in my opinion)--see if they will give you a plug. If that doesn't work, you're no worse off than you are now.

just stay away from goggling that fistula plug operation procedure.....it looks very scary.

it does look scary, but have you googled fistulotomy? EEEEK!