Hi and sorry for bothering.
I'm relatively new around here and I have the same old problem: an anal fissure which doesn't want to let itself healed. I'm not an English speaker and I apologize for any language mistakes, which I'm sure it would be plenty. I'm struggling with my AF for about 7 months and living the nightmare of my life. I don't know what to do anymore, I've reduced my diet to oatmeal, boiled vegetables and veggie soup, after struggling with lactulose for six months I've finally found Miralax or the version here is Forlax, I've got my hands on Rectogesic and start using it.....but it only takes a very little harder stool and I'm back to square one. Yesterday I came back from my CRS and started crying and wishing for dead: I had a bit of pain with a larger stool but after the anoscopy increased tremendously. I tried once Botox and I'm about to try it again but my main problem is that I cannot trust anymore the doctors in this country. When I asked them for LIS (a CRS and a gastroentherologist) , they only told me about anal incontinence and how I'm going to live the rest of my life with leaking gas and/or feces. How can I trust them to cut me when I only hear from them about incontinence?
Please, if you know, could you tell me about some clinics or doctors in London (I would prefer) or anywhere else in Europe because here one is left to die or to suffer. I cannot take it anymore, I really cannot, my work suffered because of this and soon enough they would start to fire people, I kind of ...let's say , put myself in perilous situations, I don't know what to do anymore. I have some savings and I can only pray to be enough for a consultation/surgery abroad.
Forgive me for being so melodramatic but this small tear in my anus has almost destroyed me. Not even a cancer threat didn't frighten me so much. Nobody seems to understand me, my family least of all and the worst part of all is that my faith in God, which survived persecutions and derision, is seriously shaking. Please, if you know a good CRS in UK, let me know!

Hey there, I think your english is fine, so don't worry about that:) I am from the US but we do have some boardie's who are from the UK who have had LIS. Hopefully they will come on and be able to answer your questions.
I am sorry you are suffering and we are here and understand where you are coming from.

Guest01 wrote:my main problem is that I cannot trust anymore the doctors in this country. When I asked them for LIS (a CRS and a gastroentherologist) , they only told me about anal incontinence and how I'm going to live the rest of my life with leaking gas and/or feces. How can I trust them to cut me when I only hear from them about incontinence?

My GI was concerned about the risk of incontinence with surgery, but my CRS (who did my surgery) pretty much discounted it. She takes a conservative approach (small cut on right side). The doctor she worked under in the past made a long incision on both sides, which was overkill and led to much higher risk. I hope you can find a CRS that takes the conservative approach, as it sounds like your current one probably doesn't.

Guest01 wrote:Forgive me for being so melodramatic but this small tear in my anus has almost destroyed me. Not even a cancer threat didn't frighten me so much. Nobody seems to understand me, my family least of all and the worst part of all is that my faith in God, which survived persecutions and derision, is seriously shaking.

Anyone who's had a fissure knows exactly what you're going through. Fissures are both debilitating and embarrassing, and other people don't understand how they affect us. They may not be life-threatening, but they prevent you from actually living.

I agree, just for a small tear (which most people only have) the pain can be horrific and debilitating and can leave you frightened and unsure, nobody understands unless they actually have a fissure, no amount of telling them it hurts will convince them it's agonizing!!
It's a living (burning) hell!!

Thank you all for your kindness and support. I decided to try to find here another CRS since the one I'm currently seeing told me he cannot advise me to do the LIS under no circumstance. Unfortunately, there is a catch and everybody knows it. You know, it's a private clinic, one of those claiming they're going to fix you WITHOUT surgery and actually going for surgery would be bad for business. He wants me to do the Botox until the Doomsday or something. The surgery would be for free, in the public health system. Well, I suppose it's all about the same old thing: money.
Anyway...I'll wait for a while to see whether the Botox has any result or not. Not to mention, it hurt tremendously while he did it to me, with little to none anesthetic.

if this doesn't work, I'm thinking to change the country too, not only the doctor. Again, thank you from all my heart and consider yourself blessed for living in countries where sick people are actually treated like human beings.

I'm so sorry:( I hope the botox gives you some relief.
It's not fair what people have to go through just to get medical care.

Hi again.
I apologize for not answering for so long to all the kind replies left for me but my butt pain became beyond frustrating. As expected, it's going to be LIS after all, even if my new CRS told me that "it's not so bad". Maybe, but surely isn't getting better either. Local treatment gives me all kind of itches, rashes and stuff like that, Botox didn't work (I wouldn't advice anyone to waste the money on it when a skin tag or some scar tissue is already there) so I'm going to have the LIS. I have a kind of embarrasing question but the days when I was saying that I'll never show my butt to a doctor are long gone. So, if I may ask, because the CRS told me the area in question should be completely hairless for the surgery, what did you use for that purpose? Did you do it yourself or the nurses did it for you? In the past months I got some horrible rashes on my behind, so I'm a bit wary of what I should use. The doctor told me that he would advice me against shaving and to rather use a cream. What would you say?
Thank you again for your patience and understanding and again, my apologies for not answering for so long but on top of all, I had to get sick with a flu, complicated with a pneumonia, which lead me to take a very strong antibiotic. You can imagine the results. And my fissure was enjoying a few days of peace and quiet... :(

I am so glad to see that you found a CRS you can feel good about. Your English is excellent!
I live in the US- I recently had LIS and a skin tag removed (about 2 1/2 weeks ago). I am still recovering, of course, but feel good about the decision. I had two rounds of Botox- it did seem to help some but never got me completely over the fissure.
I wondered if someone would do any hair removal "down there" before the surgery as it was never mentioned to me. Actually, my CRS did not remove any hair that I can tell. I think I would let them do it- I would NOT put any kind of cream that is for hair removal there- that sounds terrible! Those are pretty caustic from my little experience with them and caused a pretty hasty rash. Unless this is a specific cream they are telling you about that is different from the things you buy over the counter. But I would definitely let the nurses do it because they probably have some way that is less irritating I would hope!
Bambi
P.S. Good luck and keep up the good thoughts. I will keep you in my prayers.

Hi,
When is your LIS? Mine is in a couple of weeks. Maybe we can go "under the knife" together! I feel so bad for you!
Fissures definitely ruin your life even though technically they aren't serious or life threatening. It's a horrible, terrible thing to have to go through.
And, your English is great! I've seen far worse from lifelong English speakers (not exaggerating).
Best of luck with your surgery!
P.S. I forgot to say, I think Bambi is right about the hair removal creams....they are nasty! If you have sensitive skin, stay away from the creams.

Thank you very much for the feed-back!
Thank you for your prayers, Bambi (I'm definitely going to need them) and I'll pray to see you fully recovered as well. I also thank you for the tip regarding creams and I shall do that (I do not fancy showing up for the surgery with an already itching and burning bottom) and I'll let them do their job. Actually, the CRS told me more about "trimming" rather than shaving or other stuff. Nevertheless it was sooo embarrasing. :oops:
Alpine, I don't know yet when it's going to be. I must wait for a week or so to recover from my lung infection and after that, for my period to pass. In a three or four weeks, hopefully. I wish you the best of lucks with your own LIS and afterwards a quick recovery and a normal life, meaning being able to enjoy a fresh coffee without thinking about how it's going to "dry" your guts. "sigh"
By the way, my doctor told me that two or three days after the LIS I would be able to go back to work and in a month time I should be fine. Well, a little optimistic, I'd say, but lucky us, we have knowledge from other's experience. :) I'm a bit afraid of the surgery but the sad truth is that I cannot go on like this and whatever else I would do (ointments, botox ) I would get only temporarily relief. Surgery is actually our best chance to have back our lives.
Thank you again!