During this entire process (over a year of constant irritation) I have not had one single drop of blood. Doctors diagnosed me as having anal fissures, but no blood during bowel movements. Is this possible?

Is irritation just being itchy or is it pain? Many people have just anal skin tag rather than fissure and so are misdiagnosed. Anal skin tag may be itchy without pain and it does not bleed.

I am having LIS in a month - yet I only bled once or twice about 5 months ago!! I don't even have an open fissure really - the area is just still really sensitive and the muscle won't stop spasming. I have lots of pain - so I would say yes it is possible to have a fissure without bleeding.

When no blood is present it can indicate the fissure is no longer acute but chronic. Not enough blood flow is getting to the area anymore and that's part of why the fissure won't heal.

jdirect wrote:Is irritation just being itchy or is it pain? Many people have just anal skin tag rather than fissure and so are misdiagnosed. Anal skin tag may be itchy without pain and it does not bleed.

Is there any solution for the skin tag? I have felt it and I definitely think this is what is going on. I wouldn't say it's itchy, not painful either, just a constant feeling is the best way I can describe it.

suzyljank wrote:When no blood is present it can indicate the fissure is no longer acute but chronic. Not enough blood flow is getting to the area anymore and that's part of why the fissure won't heal.

Thanks for the help Suzy. I guess my fissure has always been chronic, I will work on blood flow but I definitely feel I have a skin tag or sentinel pile? Not sure if they are the same thing but I can feel something small that feels almost like a scab or scar. When I took a photo it appeared to be a white bubble looking thing on my skin. Maybe it's a tag causing the irritation?

BTW this sentinel pile or scar whatever it is is incredibly small. Less than 1/10 the size of a grain on rice. I have seen people on here talk about skin tags that are the size of a pea, that isn't this. It's hard to find and I usually find it when I am applying my ointment.

Skin tags form to protect the injury or fissure. Most CRS will not remove skin tags unless it's absolutely necessary because more can form at the same site or they can fail to heal. I've had LIS and double advancement flaps and my CRS did not remove the skin tags that we outside the flap area. When you heal they tend to shrink and become just extra skin.

suzyljank wrote:Skin tags form to protect the injury or fissure. Most CRS will not remove skin tags unless it's absolutely necessary because more can form at the same site or they can fail to heal. I've had LIS and double advancement flaps and my CRS did not remove the skin tags that we outside the flap area. When you heal they tend to shrink and become just extra skin.

Thank you Suzy for all the help.

My CRS says he can't see any fissures anymore and everything is healed.. yet I still feel a "prickly" uncomfortable sensation constantly in that area. He says no hemmeroids either. This is the best CRS Doctor in my state (CO). At this point I don't know where to go or what to do to heal. I have noticed slight improvement over the last year, but I'm ready for this to be done. What else could possibly be going on? I have no pain at all while passing bowel movements, no blood.

I had double advancement flaps done almost 4 years ago because my LIS failed and I developed anal stenosis. It took a full 2 years from the date of my surgery to feel better and still sometimes things will hurt. If I have to go and haven't yet I'll get that pushing sensation on my surgical site and it's not pleasant but usually is short lived. After surgery it takes a long time for things to quiet down. Remember there are lots of nerves in the area. Also the muscles in that area affect each other too.