Did notice the sea helping me too much.
But I did notice salt in the sitzbath does make a difference.

i will definitely bring the yeast thing up with the GI dr. i've been doing some research about it online and it seems like a possibility.
the scar tissue is a knot under the skin on one side, and then a patch of skin (almost like a skin tag) on the other side of the anus. the scar tissue (assuming that's what it is) gets harder and more painful after a BM. by the end of the evening it settles down to being just tender to the touch. it's exactly where the wound after fissurectomy was so i'm sure it is scar tissue from the healing of that. it's pinkish in color. even though the derm. said not to use vitamin e i still am b/c it feel soothing. i just use less now and mix it with A&D.
the recta-gel is definitely soothing. it has lidocaine in it so it numbs the area. today i put it around the anal canal with my finger and it seemed even more soothing. right inside the anal canal i can feel a rough area, which i assume is the inflammation.
i'm sooo scared to have anyone else examine me. my CRS uses the tiniest anuscope i've ever seen and even that is painful. i'm hoping the GI guy can examine me w/o causing pain or at least just talk to me and set up a sigmoidoscopy or something. the appt's on the 20th, i wish it was sooner!!
lecia - i actually have 2 cats and my mom has 5, so now that i'm living at home we have a totaly of 7 cats! that definitely makes me happy and keeps me busy. i love pets :)
corsi - i live in southern california, so i'm just minutes from the beach. i haven't gone in the ocean in over a year though. i used to surf and go to the beach everyday but these problems have made me too depressed and scared to do anything like that. also, i alternate between blow dryer and soft towel after showering...

oh and jen - i don't know what the CRS means by the scar tissue acting up. i guess just causing pain and hardening. but in my case, if it's a keloid, it won't go away on it's own. arghhhhh!

Aww, Juney, Butt problems are NOT forever! Believe in your healing, it can go as long way in recovering!

I think so Kim !
I hope your check up brings you something postive to hold onto Juney :luckyeyes:

I wonder if a cortisone shot would be worth considering. I know I have thought about it. I have a knot like you do but my husband is thinking it is muscle tissue that has bunched up from spasming and won't relax from all the repeated injuries. We are also thinking about botox. I just don't know where to go. My CRS doesn't do it, doesn't think too much of it. And seriously, I have been to almost every practice in the lower SE. But my point is that we have to keep searching.
Since you life in Cali, you might have more options in terms of alternative treatments like accupuncture for pain?

lecia - cortisone is definitely something i've thought about recently. i've had several shots in other scars on my body and the cortisone has made those scars so much more tolerable and less painful. i've talked to both my CRS and dermatologist about it, but neither have any experience with coritsone shots in that area. go figure! i think i'd wait awhile anyway just to make sure the area settles down on it's own....and also to make sure it really is just scar tissue down there.
can you see someone else for botox? there's got to be someone in the extended area that does it??? are you still having hemmorhoid issues? what is your pain like everyday now?? where does it hurt, etc? repeated surgeries like you and i have both had down there cannot be good. i'm sure that's why we continue to have so many tissue problems, etc

I think there are more tools for us to heal but the problem is, as you have noticed, is that many doctors are unfamiliar with them and not comfortable going outside of their standard of care. I have asked about cortisone shot in a hemorrhoid or to be put on blood thinners but they just look at me like I am crazy. Then I am like, okay, how about a colostomy then?

I have asked every CRS that I know if they know of another CRS that does it but to no avail. I am going to Colorado this summer and maybe the CRS that I see out there might do it. I think the repeated surgeries were bad but necessary but I also have an underlying autoimmune problem that makes healing difficult. That is why I just wonder if they have looked at doing bloodwork to see if you have general inflammation going on too. I actually have some good days now, Juney. Starting about 2 months ago or so I noticed I would have a day here or there where the pain wasn't so much on a conscious level. I had 2 four day stretches recently where the pain was very manageable. The pain is mostly at the surgical site or next to the anus where the pudendal nerve runs in. Things are still precarious but knock on wood, having a good day or days helps me to put things into perspective when I have a bad day because I know that a good day is finally possible. So if it can happen to me (and I am probably the worst case scenario on here in terms of length of anal problems), it can happen for you too.

You might also asked if you have overdeveloped yeast in your stool too. That can also cause more burning when you poop.

Lecia,
Would Jacksonville, Florida, be an option for you??????
Cheryl

thanks for all the advice and ideas lecia! regarding your autoimmune disorder, do you have a problem healing other wounds on your body (like normal cuts and scrapes)? which surgical site are you experiencing pain at, is it inside or outside?
does your pain begin with BM and taper off during the day? i find that by the time i go to bed i feel pretty normal and then right after i go to the bathroom in the morning the cycle starts up again. it's sensitive and raw all day and especially painful when i stand up after sitting.
i'm glad to hear you have some good days now, for awhile there it seemed like everyday was so horrible for you. i hope one day you can find complete relief too!