Hello
I have taken the plunge and have joined this wonderful forum !
Before i begin, can i say i think this forum is amazing , i have followed various posts over the last few months....This forum is a world of information...So thank you :D
I wonder if i would be able to have some advice…...
Here goes.....my story... my anal fissure started one year ago due to a nasty sickness bug :( i have managed with IBS for the last 10 years and would like to think i have this under control, i had various test to rule out anything sinster, i usually suffer my IBS with stress my tummy stresses out then i get constipated !!
So back to my fissure - When this first started i was in pain constantly for 6 months, i have had a fissure before, but it wasn’t as painful as this and was healed with the anoheal cream, I went to my doctor who gave me some more anoheal and put me onto movicol, things got a little better and the pain was halved, very very occasionally i will have some bright red bleeding not allot just a spot or two..Touchwood.... i havent had this for a while !
I find this is worsened when i am due my period
In November the doctor suggested to go and see a specialist, so i went along but the surgeon was less than helpful, he said yes i have a chronic fissure and a fibrous polyp on the fissure, i asked what he could do for me and he said anal dilation or LIS he said the op could be done on xmas eve!!!!!!
I asked if i could heal this fissure myself with perseverance he said yes with this i left pronto refusing the surgery!!!
I then went back to my doctor to talk about the surgery and to have things explained she advised me to give it more healing time and come back in spring time......
So spring time is here and things are alot better, my set backs are usually once a month around my period time, the rest of the time things feel fine, i still take movicol and anoheal cream, I was also using hc anosol for the last year too , I have now realised this can thin the skin, which possibly hasn’t helped the situation !!
Overuse of the cream also gave me a rash too which was horrid and is just stating to clear now, I try to refrain from all creams now and keep the area dry !
I am worried about the fibrous polyp although my doctor says this is not a problem and will not need to be removed, I have read otherwise !
I have tried moving from movicol to regucol - Psyllium- but anything bulky down there sets things off again, I hate taking laxitves and worry they are doing me no good again my doctor says they are OK for long term use, the surgeon said I should be using fyobel/psyllium to work the muscles down there, but I daren’t try any bulk forming again the last time I tried was in January and this did set things off again so back to movicol I went :roll:
I don’t know if I am kidding myself that things are OK, as I say I am not in pain like I was and the fissure does look as if it is healing now but such a long time, When I have a setback it only last the day or so then I am OK again...
I take acidophillis, Vit E and Evening primrose to help, Ooo and i am trying wheat germ oil applied to the fissure daily !
I should add i am 32 with no health problems, i live in the UK
Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated !
Thank you for reading my post.....Sorry it is sooo long !

Welcome, Tabby! You have found the perfect place for help. I'm pretty new here, too, and have a bunch of questions. Everyone is so helpful here and so very caring.
I'd help you if I could, but I'm still trying to figure things out and still asking questions myself. But, I know you'll get lots of great suggestions from all the sweet ladies and gentlemen here.
Julie :-)

Thanks for the welcome Julie !
This forum has a great feel about it , very glad i found it :D

Welcome to the forum Tabby . Sorry you have the same problems that alot of have.
I too am trying to heal without surgery . Some days you feel like you're on top of it and it's working - then the set-backs...
I have found that Nitroglycerine cream has helped me more than anything else so far. I apply it three times per day then coat it with diaper rash cream ( zink oxide) It's a real time consuming ritual but it does seem to be working somewhat.
Another idea is for you to try a botox injection . I did it and it didn't help much - but others have had great results .
It sure beats surgery if it works for you............

Many thanks for the welcome Sorerumpie :)
Sorry you are suffering too....
I thought i was the only one suffering like this !!!
The surgeon did suggest Nitroglycerine cream but i refused it for the side effects of headaches Now i did mention to him about the botox injection but he just looked at me as if i had two heads :roll:
The botox injection does seem to acheive a good results, maybe with it being so expensive the NHS wont entertain it
Saying that i have been using anoheal cream for a year now, one tube cost Ј84 pounds i believe :roll:

all i can say is that it takes a LONG TIME to heal a fissure (even with surgery, in my own experience) so just be patient and keep doing everything you're doing to help the healing process. it sounds like you have things under control. one setback a month for one day sounds pretty darn good!! hopefully in a few months of following your regimen you won't have any setbacks!

as for bulk forming supplements, i can't handle those either. any type of fiber supplement always made my poos way too big and painful. that's usually the first thing drs recommend, but i feel like as long as you are eating a healthy, fiber-filled diet, you shouldn't need the supplement.

as long as you can keep the pain under control and you feel like things are progressing, that should be very encouraging! good luck and welcome to the forum!

Juney...... Many thanks for your reply and the warm welcome
Nobody tells you that a fissure will take so long to heal, the text books say from weeks to months, but the reality is they do take longer...
i found some interesting stats that were posted somewhere on this forum , which all makes common sense really, seeing these stats did make me feel a little better, i am willing to be patient….
I am very lucky i am not experiencing the pain i did initially, but its something that doesn’t leave my mind !! I pray I don’t end up that way in pain again !
I believe the evening primrose is supposed to help with constipation that arises due to menstruation, anything is work a try !!!

Tabby,
Fissures can indeed become chronic and for many of us once we are compromised down there, they can recur, perhaps throughout our lifetime. I know that is not something any AF sufferer wants to hear! I had the LIS surgery over a year ago but I still sometimes rarely see a little blood. But I don't have the pain.
Since your pain has lessened considerably except once a month, yes it is prudent to wait and see, but it is also very important you do everything right in the interim. That includes eating right, keeping your stools soft, avoiding constipation AND severe diarrhea, staying hydrated -- all the things you'd be doing if the pain was worse. Hot soaking baths help. B vitamins, C, and Zinc are good for healing and tissue integrity. And having a positive, cheery attitude/outlook is always a plus!

I understand what you are saying Kim, as i say this isnt the first time. :roll:
i am always on guard and doing all i can to help matters at all times !
In my feeling good state i can say i almost feel 90% "normal" I still feel achey but no pain !
Its just when a setback comes out of nowhere i get disheartened and think that surgeon was right about suggesting surgery and I will never heal !!!
Lately I have had more good days, You are so right about having a postive cheery attitude, and trying not to worry …which I am so guilty of !
Thanks Kim

Hi Tabby,
Welcome to our forum : ). I know that you would rather be somewhere else LOL, but at least here you will find a lot of support and info.
You have to take in consideration that most members here do deviate from the norm and that is why they are here ; ). What you read in the scientific papers is true - most chronic fissures do heal with appropriate treatment within 6-12 weeks.
I had LIS and mine fissure closed completely within 9 week period - I insisted on internal exam to make sure that I am not imagining things. I had it for 5 months and as far as I was told, the longer you have it, the more scar tissue you form and the harder it is for fissure to close properly.
I am really concerned about your polyp since it might be in the way of fissure closing if it is on its site !!! HC suppositories were never proven to help with fissures at all and they can also make you susceptible to infections and fungus. If I were you, I would stick with Nitro, Nefidapine or Dilitazem (sp.??) creams - since they do really help. Side effects are mild and transitory and not all people have them. Botox is expensive, and has more serious risks associated than creams and also low success rate, so I would try creams first.
All the best !