Hi AF forum,

I've searched this whole site far and wide and am very impressed by the thoughtful and compassionate responses given by everyone on the board. I feel like i have searched for this and while there are a lot of posts related to spasms this is one thing (of many) that i haven't been able to figure out.

I can't figure out what is responsible for spasms that last 8 hours after a BM vs the occasional days where there is very little pain except for maybe an hour so after a BM. On the rare days that i have no spasm pain (but only pain from the actual cut) i keep thinking I'm turning a corner and I try to do the exact same thing. I'll eat the same thing and have a virtually identical BM the next day but then I'll have spasms that start about an hour after and last for 6-8 hours. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what causes one type of day versus another. But there must be SOMETHING that causes it.

My question to anyone who reads this, what could cause spasms to be so horrible one day but virtually absent the next day (but then horrible again the following day)?

Thanks very much.

Hi and welcome to the forum Vlotso

Ahh... That is the million dollar question. there never seems to be any rhyme or reason for the extreme fluctuation in pain and spasms.

Sorry I can't answer you......

Sorry, I don't have an answer, but I experienced the same thing when my AF was bad. The fear that created nearly drove me crazy. You never know how it's going to be. I finally started to heal after getting my stool soft with miralax and diet changes. I haven't had bad spasms in over 2 weeks.

Welcome to the Forum,

I've asked this myself many many times!!

I've found that any stool residue left causes spasms for me - so try to have a sitz bath ready after every BM.
Stool consistency can also be an issue so try to keep them soft and smooth with magnesium or stool softeners.

try keeping a food and spasm diary to try to correlate the two?

FF

Hi all,

Firstly I wanted to introduce myself, I am a 24 you male living in London who has suffered with Chronic anal fissures for 4 years.

I would like to start by saying I found great comfort In forums and chat groups like this and at times was my only cushion to know that there were others that had experienced my seemingly endless pain.

As you are all aware the pain from a fissure is one of the worst pains that can be felt. It is uncomfortable, distressing, agonising, embarrassing, relentless and any other excruciatingly unbearing adjective you can think off.

The Condition has ruined jobs, relationships built barriers and limitations to everyday life and pulled me into a downward spiral of despair.

Safe to say anal fissures suck!

So for years I tried all the remedies ditazalm cream, lidocaine, Glycerin NT cream, movicol, Laxido, aloe gel, dulcolax ,dulcoease, enema, anal fissure cream etc.

Trust me these are all temporary and quite unaffective delay methods.

In particularly this thread about spasms was one of the most troubling pains of the condition. The constant paid and shooting spasms caused me to be disabled after epically painful bowel movements this would have a grace period of an hour after going and then kick in like a reverse pain killer.

2 years ago I was offered botox via the NHS, I remember thinking finally something might save me. I waited 3 months and 2 days before the procedure was due received a letter saying the NHS has REJECTED to pay for the botox.

Naturally I was devastated I felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, I felt totally betrayed by our health system especially knowing young girls were openly getting boob jobs etc on the NHS.

This caused me to neglect any efforts I had made over the last 2 years to rectify this problem and instead just scheduled my life around it. I wouldn't go toilet for 4 - 5 days at a time felt constantly I'll, full and sluggish.

I would be in immense pain during and after BM and bleed like you would not imagine.

After recently starting a new job back in August I decided to go back to my doctors and get a REFERRAL TO A PRIVATE HOSPITAL.

They booked me in for a consultation with a consultant named Dr Swift a colorectal surgeon with an amazing track record.

Within 2 weeks I had an MRI to establish no other underlying conditions and 3 weeks after that had LIS treatment on the 03/12/2015.

When I went into surgery I was already at one of the worst stages of the condition and was in extreme pain even just walking.

When I woke up I felt relived the pain was not there as I had been pumped with drugs to kill the pain, later that night I started to feel a lot of discomfort and was in agony again by the next day,

I remember the thought of my first BM after being unthinkable, all I could think is the original pain plus surgery.

I finally went 3 days faster on the 6th .... OUCH ( please bare in mind I was very constipated with all the pain mens and had not been toilet in about 5 days as was bad before surgery. SO the 1st BM was like trying to pass a rugby ball and I was again disabled for a day or so.

I was so upset thinking it hasn't worked and I must be the most unluckiest person in the world. BUT I continued to surf the net and saw it wasn't an instant thing.

I'm now on the 11th day and I am SO SO SO happy to say I have been for the first pain free BM I've had in the last 6 months.

things I would say to anyone else suffering:

DON'T HOLD OFF ON SEEKING HELP
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
ESTABLISH WHAT FOODS CONSTIPATE YOU
USE STOOL SOFTNESS EVERYDAY ( there is a big difference between laxatives and stool softners)
PUSH FOR LIS SURGERY
TRY TO GO TOILET REGULARLY
Amitripityline for SPASMS

My surgery was done at NORTH DOWNS HOSPITAL
CATERHAM
SURREY

DR SWIFT

I OWE THIS MAN MY LIFE AND I OWE YOU LOT MY ADVICE, I KNOW YOUR PAIN KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AND DON'T BE EMBARRASSED TO SEEK HELP, I AM A FIT 24 YEAR OLD LAD WHO IS VERY IMAGE CONSCIOUS AND A TYPICAL MAN'S MAN. HAVING TO ADMIT THIS CONDITION TO PEOPLE WAS SOMETIMES TO HARDEST PART OF THE WHOLE THING.

I'M FINALLY PAIN FREE AND HAVE EVEN DECIDED TO TAKE BACK UP MARTIAL ARTS AS MY NEW FOUND LEASE OF LIFE.

Feel free to ask me anything I've been through it all.

Good luck and may you have a pain free movement soon.

Thank you for such an uplifting post. I'm sure that it will be a source of great information to all who read it. I had the surgery too, after years of suffering, and it was the best thing that I could have done. Not all sufferers need to go the surgical route though, but when things get so bad, sometimes it's the best thing to do.

Chachacha people deserve to know there's light at he end of their tunnel haha I'm glad to be of some help.

And by all means if the fissure is not that bad then please consult to the other posts about topical creams and laxatives. I can only comment on the chronic case I was faced with and just wanted to add if anyone is in fear of going under the knife the pain is incomparable against a bad fissure. It was a 5 minute procedure under general anaesthetic and the recovery is about a week which is only to make sure all is healed. I'm sure chachacha can testify to this.

By all means it is a balance of healthy dieting, fluid concentrations and a general more productive lifestyle.