Hello all,
I'm sorry if this is repetitive to the regulars here, but I need help!
I'm in excruciating pain, not just after bm's now, but all day. I can't sit up, can barely walk to the bathroom. I have kids who are 3 and 5 and now I've had to hire a sitter because I can't take care of them.
My colo rectal surgeon says I have a fissure. She seems to think it will heal on its own with just eating 30 grams of fiber a day, or preferably 40. Ugh. This I think is what's causing me the double edged sword I was reading about here and causing big stools that are horrific. I told her yesterday that I'm in horrible pain and she says I have to just work through it. I've been taking 2000mg of Tylenol a day and it's just barely taking the edge off. She says I can have surgery but that will cause this pain too and there's the risk of the post-op infection, etc.
I can't live this way. There has to be something for the pain???? Or is this perhaps not in her realm of things, she says she specializes in colon cancer. She has never mentioned Botox or anything else. She did rx a hydrocortisone cream which doesn't work at all. And also a stretching tube, akkkk!
Anyone.......anyone at all...........
and thank you!!!!

I am soooo sorry you have a fissure. And with kids i have an 8 month old and thats bad enough let alone 2 kids that are on the go!
read some posts from other about diets and stool softeners it may help. also are you taking baths that helped me with my spasms when my fissure was at its worst.
I have seen 2 crs and both said that in there cases botox is not really a long term solution. but if you have only had your fissure a few weeks it may heal on its own, give it a go. I use rectogesic and it helps me but everyone is different.
there are other board members that have had the surgery and have been in pain but have had great results. I am having surgery in 2 days, i have had my fissure for 8 months and i just want to get on with my life.
If there is anything else just ask and if i cant help i am sure someone else will help out

Thank you new mum! Sorry to hear you are among us too, good for you having surgery! 8 months is waaay too long.
What is rectogesic? Is that topical for pain? Why on earth hasn't my md suggested that?!?!? She wants me to bulk up my stools and that's what causing all this. I was just about healed I think when she insisted on the bulking up. I've never had bulky ones before, she says I need to stretch out. Ugh. That just seems counterproductive to me.
I am doing high fiber and lots of water. I can't really sitz bath with my kids here, they'll be at each other's throats before I even have a chance to get in the tub. I'm trying them this weekend though, but it sure doesn't feel good sitting on the hard tub either! Last night, I gave up on the fiber and "stretching" and hoping for a better day today. But what do I expect after all this misery??? - close to a miracle.
Do you or anyone know what is considered a chronic fissure? After what point in time? And how on earth does anyone go to work this way???
edited to say: now I see rectogesic is nitro in the U.S. I wonder if it's contraindicated for those already on high blood pressure medication? (I am)
All the best to you for your surgery!

Hey Cagirl,
Rectogesic is applied inside the anus, it works by releasing a chemical called nitric oxide, which is a chemical also made naturally by the body. Nitric oxide relaxes (dilates) blood vessels, it also relaxes the internal sphincter muscle in the anus, this improves the blood supply to the anus, which relieves the pain and helps the fissure to heal.
Most of us here have tried Rectogesic/Nitro, it works for some with acute fissures, but if you have a chronic fissure then the chances of healing are quite slim, and often surgery is the only (and best)
option.
An acute fissure will (or should) heal within 6 weeks, if after 6 weeks it hasn't healed then it's considered chronic, I had a chronic fissure for 2 years before opting for surgery because I'd exhausted all the other options, some folks on here have had fissures for years and years before seeking proper help when they could of probably healed them with a good diet so don't delay in getting yourself the proper help etc.
Good Luck

Hey Cagirl,
I found out the hard way that fiber supplements bulked up the stool too much! I just quit taking them early on when I developed my fissure and started eating 20-25 grams of fiber a day along with a stool softener.
The hot baths really are essential in healing a fissure. I would lay down and not set on my bottom while in the bath. You need 20 minutes 3x's a day.
There are many foods that you should avoid also that can cause more damage to your fissure, as you may already know...
Like Steve stated above after 6 weeks a fissure becomes chronic and is much harder to heal...
I also had my fissure for 8 months and just recently had LIS. I feel like If I had known in the early stages about the diet and what stool softeners to take and been prescribed the diltiazem before I had my fissure for nearly 6 months, I may have had a better shot at healing without surgery.
I have no idea how people work w/ them either. I stayed at home and was in a hot bath or on the heating pad so much that it actually left burn marks on my rear. They are just now fading after not using it a month.