Hi all,
I've been having issues for many years and i'm still unsure as to what is going on. I've had 3 different surgeons/doctors treating me all of which have failed to help.
It started when i was 18. One week i started noticing discharge when i was out and about, this resulted in itchiness. After 6 months of continuous problems i built up the courage to visit the doctor. He told me it was a pilonidal cyst and referred me to a private hospital (lucky me eh? ). The surgeon there confirmed it was a pilonidal cyst and i went under the knife and got it removed. Painful surgery out of the way, 6 months later i was fully healed but still getting discharge.
I went back and he told me it was fully healed and he thought i may have got a hemorrhoid from the surgery. I got referred to another hospital and the expert there confirmed it was infact a hermorrhoid. I tried clearing it up naturally but after 12-months it grew worse and so had to go under the knife again for a hemeroidectomy. That was a painful experience that i hope never to go through again!
6-months post surgery and i was still getting discharge. I went back to the surgeon and he told me the surgery has resulted in me getting an anal fissure. He says there's a small tear which is resulting in the discharge. He originally prescribed me rectoge..??? (some kind of cream that gave me incredible headaches). Because of this he then prescribed me Anoheal which doesn't give you headaches (Why he didn't prescribe this on the first occasion i don't know ).
Anyway, i've gone through 3 tubes of Anoheal and i'm still getting discharge. I don't have any pain through this, the only symptom is discharge as i've said.
Do i have an anal fissure? Is it just coincidence that all 3 of my 'problems' have caused the same symptom?
I was quite an active guy before all this happened and now 7 years down the road i can't walk for more than a mile before i have this irratation/itchiness. It's driving me mad and stopping me doing things i want to do.
Can anyone help? My doctor has now said because i'm still having issues he will refer me to have surgery to inject botox and repair the fissure.. I don't want to go through another procedure if it's just going to cause another problem in 6-months time..
ANY advice is hugely appreciated. I don't like moaning about it to anyone because, let's be honest, there's illnesses out there much much worse than what i'm going through, but it's really starting to get me down in life and i don't know what to do to get it sorted
Thanks all,

Hi Hifty - welcome here! Sorry you've been suffering for so long... and EVERYONE here understands! So, moan away.
Maybe someone else will be able to give you better information, or else some searching here will help - but to me, when you say you have discharge, then it might indicate something other than a fissure... you might look at some posts here on fistulas or other such lovely problems. The usual "discharge" of a fissure is blood, but other color discharge would indicate and infection or drainage, and that sounds like another problem that your doctor should deal with differently than with rectogesic or anoheal. However, if you had infection, you would probably know it as you would have a fever, etc...
I only know as much as I've read here, so I hope others will chime in, and that you can read more, and possibly even find yourself a new doctor. Have you seen a colo-rectal surgeon (CRS)? I was shocked when my GP referred me to a surgeon, but CRS are the docs most familiar with these problems and can diagnose them best, so if your doc wants to send you to a surgeon, then make that appointment as soon as you can!
It really stinks to have this limit your activity - many here often say they "want their life back", and that these issues aren't life-threatening but they are life-changing. I think the key for you is going to be to see a good CRS who can correctly diagnose and treat your problem... the discharge issue sounds suspicious, and it doesn't sound like it's been treated properly yet - in my humble opinion.

Thanks for your reply Bumbutt - it's much appreciated.
The reason i initially had my doubts was because i've never really experienced pain with it whereas that seems to be the main symptom of an AF. Before i had my surgery, i had a colonoscopy to check whether i had any issues further up but all came back ok.
My surgeon i'm dealing with currently is a specialist in Laparoscopic and Colorectal Surgery. He seems to make a lot of sense when i'm talking to him but that said, i don't want to go through another procedure if what i have is nothing to do with an AF.
He tells me the reason for the discharge is simply because mucus builds up around the fissure and when i walk/run etc it seeps out. Not nice to think about, but have you known in your experience on here for anyone to have the same symptoms?
I think i'll look into going down a different route and see whether there are any other specialists in the area i can talk to.
Thanks again for your reply, makes me feel alot better talking to people who are going through similar issues to me.

Hey Hifty, welcome.
Sounds like you've been through a lot, unfortunately. But your doctor seems like the right type to treat this. You say the discharge is your main concern...can the doctor actually see your fissure with the scope? It would be nice if they could pinpoint where it's coming from.
For what it's worth, I have not ever had discharge (other than bleeding), but I've seen it mentioned by others in posts here. When I joined I did a lot of reading of old posts, and found it reassuring to see that others had experienced the same things I was. So maybe do a little searching and digging through old posts, if you have the time.
And yes, looking for a second opinion is always a good idea, if you're not satisfied with the care you're getting.
Best of luck!