Hello, I'm in the UK and have had an AF for 8 months now. I think mine resulted from 5 miscarriages and two successful pregnancies (I have two beautiful daughters now so that is a happy ending at least!) and all the hormonal changes you go through plus not heeding the warnings on drinking plenty of fluid especially when breast feeding. Would be interested to know if anyone else has a similar story?
Anyway, on the NHS was treated for hemerroids and when I still had problems I saw a private consultant who diagnosed the AF. He prescribed rectogesic but I didn't use it for ages as I was still breast feeding so tried all the usual - drastic change to diet (lost all my baby weight!), use of stool softeners, drinking loads of fluids - but none of this helped so eventually stopped breast feeding my daughter when she was 14 months old and have been using the rectogesic now for nearly three weeks.
So, going to the loo now is quite bearable (as oposed to wanting to throw up, which is what used to happen) but then the stinging starts and lasts for most of the day. I have to go and clean myself (with cotton wool and warm water) a few times a day as it seems that even the slightest trace of poo is causing the stinging. Has anyone else got this problem? I don't know if I will actually heal to a point where I can go to the loo and then not think about it for another 24 hours or if I just have to live with this stinging sensation for the rest of my life? Any thoughts?
By the way this is the first time I have ever ever joined a forum or discussion group. It has felt good typing this and getting it off my chest so thank you for giving me the oportunity and I am looking forward to hearing from fellow sufferers.

Eliza,
I'm so sorry you're hurting...:(
My story is similiar, I have three daughters and I guess something just didn't go right after having the third one and I developed an AF.
I breastfed her until she was two, so I didn't get real treatment right away either. But my fissure was able to heal up on its own for quite awhile. It's been five years for me, and it has only gotten really bad in the last year or so.
I know what you mean about the stinging and burning, and my recommendation would be Miralax. (I think it's Movicol, where you are). It's the only thing that's kept me from having retears and pain. I'm scheduled to have the LIS surgery next Wednesday anyhow.
I don't think this is something we just have to accept and live with for the rest of our lives. Give the ointment some time, like up to twelve weeks even. Then you can explore other options, like botox and surgery, if the ointment doesn't work for you.
Keep in mind, most of the past members of this board aren't here anymore because they have healed up and moved on with their lives. I think beating this is quite possible, even if our rears may be more delicate than most for the rest of our lives. We may always have to be extra careful about drinking enough water and eating right.
Best wishes!!

Welcome! Alpine just about said it all. All I can add is using a Sitz bath. I only started today (I have that same 'a little bit of poop left' sensation of sheer he'll), and found it is quite a marvel for making the muscle relax there. I have one that fits on the loo, and just filled it with hot water and sat. I have pressed too much, so avoid that at all cost. Lots of info here too, on the different forums.
Once again, welcome. Can seriously say that share your
pain, but this is a wonderful place to do that.
Em

Thank you so much, it really helps to share this thing with others who understand! I have just started to use Dulcoease and already it seems to be helping. For a while I used lactulose solution which did the trick but I got awful wind with it! I need to get a sitz bath but they don't seem to be readily available in the UK. Anyone know where I could get one from?
Alpinestrawberry, I am so sorry to hear yours had come back it must be really frustrating for you. Good luck with the surgery. That option is at the back of my mind but I am going to give the Retrogesic a good try first.
Best wishes.

Hi Eliza,
Try this link, though you might be able to get one at your local chemist. In the US, this is where I got mine - at my local chemist, that is.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddrugstore&field-keywords=Sitz+bath&x=22&y=21

Em

Thanks! Trying Amazon didn't occur to me!!

You're very welcome. I am taking mine with me on my 2 hr flight to see a colorectal surgeon next week! I'll pop my undies in it and put it in my case!

Hello.
Just wanted to say hi. I am from the UK too and chilbirth also caused my fissure. I had a lot of itching form the creams so ended up having botox about 6 weeks ago although think I might be on my way to surgery.
Hope things settle down for you.
x

Hello, i'm from australia, i have had a crazy pain jouney just like all of you, i have 2 sons, 4 ad 8 very beautiful active boys... mine started in october 2010 it was a Hem possibly AF, by december i was in the emergency dept with 4th dergee throbosed internal hemmroid, i felt like a wild snake that was going to kill some one or myself... agony agony.... by febuary i had a internal hemmroid banding precedure done by a genral surgeon [not reccomended]... i waited for the pain to go, i waited andwaited, at least 6 hrs each day i was in terrible pain, no clear advise or care from any of the health proffessionals i saw... in May i saw my local gp and he thought i had an external hem and sliced a cross in to the top and said go home and let it bleed, i ended up putting a nappy on i bled so much for a solid 6 hrs... i went to see him 2 weeks later and he told me it had thrombosed again and that i would need a total anal reconstuction a clover cut to remove all the tags. i was a crying misrabl mess as i walked out of his office blah blah.. and recomended a CRS in sydney... I saw him 6 weeks ago he tried to examine with an anoscope to which i almost kicked the dear old man, so he did a colonoscopy the following week, this showed that i had not just a fissure but a" really nasty" fissue, he also explained to me that when you have a tear in the anal wall it weakens the surrounding tissue so you can have a bulge that seems like a hem on the bottom end of the fissure { which will heal up when the fissure heals]... it also makes you more likely to develop hem's..so i have been using rectogesic religously 3 times a day, and using a product i found online called fissureheal herbal suppositry 3 times a day, i am also taking chiness wormwood to kill any bugs as i am getting a pusie discharge and i have been doing this for 4 weeks and i am on my 5th day of no hard core pain i can keep moving after my morning BM... I have started to feel as though this may not be a life sentence... i truly have empathy for all of you.. i have never written on a blog before .. so this is a bit weird for me especially considering i have become a hermit in a pain hell for the last 9 mths, healing light to you all

Hi, I haven't been on the forum for ages because of Mum duties with two small children! Aus78 it sounds as though you have been going through hell and I really hope things are beginning to get better for you. I know I logged on to this forum in my darkest hour (I had never written on a blog before either) and it really hleped to share the pain and relalise there were others like me out there!
The thing is, I have got so much better! I am not comlpetely cured by any means but going to the loo is not the horror it once was and I have mostly pain free days now. I am still very careful with what I eat and try to only eat modest amounts. I also have a sitz bath (thanks Savaici for pointing me in the right direction) and it is a godsend. I used one and a half tubes of retrogesic before I decided I'd reached a plateau with it and stopped using it and concentrated on diet to keep things improving. I think the retrogestic helped initially though. I guess time is what really is doing it for me. Over the days, weeks, months it really does get better (as long as you watch the diet!)
By the way, I was cheered by your description of the skin tag and why and how that develops and the fact that it should go away once the fissure heals. I really hope it does as I just don't like the thought of it down there and did wonder for a while if it would actually stop the fissure healing.
Good luck!