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Postby dee » 03 Mar 2010, 15:15

hi...i am amazed i found this after 13 years of dealing with fissures...
i'm looking forward to reading all sorts of good information and ways to deal with this condition...i live in the midwest in the us ...i'm 38 years old, female, and married to the most understanding man in the world...
i just got a referral to a gi specialist this week (i go friday) and i am hoping that she will be able to help me--in the past i have been prescribed rowasa (which was the best thing i ever got), canasa, and some sort of cream which never helped, but gave me massive headaches...
i've been told by various doctors that there is surgery available and by others that there was no surgery available...
i have one or two flare ups per year (usually) and the last one i had put me in bed for 3 weeks straight because of the pain--my current flare up is about a week and i'm taking narcotics, otc pain meds, and sleeping pills...
i'm glad i have a place to get suggestions for things because even though i've been dealing with fissures for 13 years, i've never succeeded in making things better...
bless you for making this website/forum--i am looking forward to learning and commiserating Image
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Re: ouch

Postby StevePain » 03 Mar 2010, 15:45

Hey dee.. Image
You're in the right place for advice and tips etc for dealing with AF and rectal pain, I can't believe you've been suffering for 13 years!! I've never heard of rowasa or canasa, but then again i'm in the UK, you need to get an appointment with a really good CRS and get checked out properly, i'm sure some of the other US boardies will steer you in the right direction, good luck!
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Re: ouch

Postby NeuropathicGuy » 03 Mar 2010, 18:45

Hey Dee,
I think Rowasa and Canasa are used for inflammatory bowel diseases so it stands to reason that they'd put down some general inflammation. I haven't heard of them being used for sphincter spasms or anal fissures though.
The stuff that gave you a headache is probably nitroglycerin. It relaxes the sphincter and promotes blood flow to help the fissure heal. After 13 years I don't know how effective it would be though. But I use it myself and it definitely helps relax the sphincter muscle. The headaches can be crippling at first but go away for most people in a few days; they did for me and now I can use gobs of the stuff without any noticeable side effects.
There are definitely surgical options for fissures. Your GI doc should know about them so hopefully he can fill you in with the correct info and options on Friday :)
BTW 13 years of fissures is a looong time. Has your fissure been visualized before and is it a primary condition or secondary to something else? Just curious because it seems weird that a doc would jump straight to Rowasa and Canasa for a fissure.
I'm on the left coast myself but there are some folks here from the midwest so you're in good company Image
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Re: ouch

Postby dee » 04 Mar 2010, 15:22

i don't even know what visualized means...sorry...
i've been so in the dark about the fissures that i just self-treated most of the time (and with no prescriptions a lot of the times i was just using prep h suppositories...they don't do so well--i'm using those now with some zinc diaper rash on it...)
i am looking forward to a time when i can go to the bathroom without dreading every step and not worry about pain when i'm at work (i sit at a desk...)
do donuts work? the kind you sit on...does it help the pressure at all?
thanks!
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Re: ouch

Postby StevePain » 04 Mar 2010, 15:43

Hi dee, visualized means that they have been viewed and seen (verified) by a CRS presumably, or even a GP. Prep H suppositories won't really help the condition, infact any long term use could thin the skin out and make the fissure worse!
Do you have a reasonable intake of fibre or are you taking stool softeners, a strict diet of wholemeal foods, veg and fibre with plenty of water can ease things considerably, although in your case after 13 years I really wouldn't like to say but it will do no harm to try, this combined with stool softeners is the way forward until you get a proper diagnosis/treatment, also I really wouldn't recommend sitting on a donut ring as this puts added pressure on the rectum.
Hope this helps!
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Re: ouch

Postby Guest » 04 Mar 2010, 15:47

Dee
Hi. Having used a donut for 12 months, I found out (from a doctor plus forums) that they are a definite no and so stopped using it immediately. I think the problem is with the unnatural shape it pushes the bowel into whenever you sit on it and this can be a hindrance to healing. It would be a different story for some types of haemorrhoids where they can be helpful to relieve pressure.
All the best
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Re: ouch

Postby dee » 04 Mar 2010, 16:03

thanks for the info on (not) using donuts...the fissure(s) (i'm not sure how many i have) has/have been seen by more than one doctor--most recently by a regular doctor earlier this week--i have an appointment tomorrow with a gi specialist (not sure if that's the same as a crs in the uk)
as far as my diet is concerned--my husband and i both eat a lot of veggies (we're vegetarian) but we also eat a lot of junk food (including my downfall, chips and creamy dips)--we eat too much dairy and cheese also...
i guess it's time to get serious about what we're eating because nothing tastes so good that it's worth being in this much pain...
thanks for the support
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Re: ouch

Postby StevePain » 04 Mar 2010, 16:14

dee, I suspect that the junk food isn't doing you any favours at all, I know it's hard but giving that up can only help things, I used to be a junk food addict and snacking out regularly caused me to have irregular BM's, (big and hard stools) after changing diet and adding more fibre and water it definitely improved things and made stools easier to pass, stool consistency is the key to keeping the pain to a minimum, big and hard BM's will only make the fissure worse and can even cause more fissures, for me anyway, most dairy products are out of the question especially cheese! I do have an exception though, probiotic yogurts, i've recently found that these don't alter my consistency all that much so are ok, for now anyway!
Best of luck Image
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Re: ouch

Postby dee » 04 Mar 2010, 16:22

i know that junk food sucks...i know i need to stop...
i know that dairy is evil...it's just telling my tastebuds that my butt is more important...
re probiotic yogurt--a couple days ago i bought some activia and i've been eating one each day with a couple teaspoons of fiber powder added to it--i'm hoping this will at least help (surely it can't hurt)...
cheese will be the hardest thing to give up, but honestly i can't handle the pain and discomfort any more and i'm willing to give it up if it will make things better...
thanks again!
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Re: ouch

Postby NeuropathicGuy » 04 Mar 2010, 16:32

Hey Dee,
A GI doc is different from a CRS (i.e., colorectal surgeon, formerly known as a proctologist) but there is a good bit of overlap between their specialties and I've found that both should know something about fissures. Strictly speaking, fissures are more the realm of the CRS but GI docs definitely see them as well.
BTW part of Missouri? I spent most of my childhood in Columbia (parents went to Mizzou) but moved to California about 20 years ago.
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