Hi

My fissure seems to be healing ever so slowly, about a year after its first appearance. Ive finally found a good regimen consisting of diet, stool softener, good hygiene and rectogesic (nitro cream). This week I have an appointment with an CRS at my hospital, and I have been put up for a rectoscopy.

So basically I'll be getting tubes stuck up my bottom for the doctor to examine me. However, I am considering passing on the actual examination. This is because I've had one before just as my fissure seemed to be improving, and the examination made things much worse, set me back. It seemed to rip it open. Now that I'm back on a good track, I don't want to mess things up again by having an examination that basically will just confirm what the doctor found last time (a regular fissure).

What is your opinion, am I being over-careful or does such examinations carry risk of trauma/re-tear?

The answer is...it depends. I know its not the sort of reply you want...

Basically if you are in good hands and let the doc know that your last experience was not good and caused trauma you should be ok. If you are with an inexperienced doc then you may want to reconsider -- unless you know the person doing the exam why not simply wait for the actual date and decide how comfortable you feel with the person on the spot.

I had two anoscopies done at various points in my healing and assumed I would be in trouble with the poking and prodding and long plastic tubes up there...but can report that neither time did i experience any issues. That is not to say that it is always ok -- i was comfortable moving ahead with it because i knew that the examining physicians were top notch.
Good luck with the procedure (and your decision)