I don't know where to start and feel so down, crying as I am typing. My hell started almost 3 months ago. I am 27 years old and live in the UK. I went to my doctor with different pains which she thought was a cyst, then a water infection, then as the pain moved to my anus she diagmosed an abscess. I took antibiotics and it seemed to clear. 2 days later I was rushed into A&E and was hospitalised for 6 days due to severely swollen labia and infection. They did an exploratory op and found nothing and I came home (left with an open wound) and was slowly getting better. 3 weeks later I was taken to a different hospital with pressure in the perineum, was heaving, and pain in the anus. The womens hospital checked me and said I was fine, my anus was checked and all fine. I had an ultrasound which was clear, followed 2 weeks later by an MRI also clear. It was only when I attended my follow up appointment they looked and found a fissure. For 2 weeks now I have been using rectogesic and the pain has eased alot, also using babywipes, drinking lots of water and eating more fibre. However I now feel like I have something in my anus, and have constant pressure underneath in the perineum area. I cannot sit for longer than half an hour, when I walk it feels like its pulling underneath and there is pressure and when I lie down there is no comfy position. Has anyone else had these symptoms and pressure? I feel so down and at my wits end with what to do, the docs are hoping this pressure is coming from the fissure but I'm not convinced. Thank you for listening, its so good to realise I am not alone :-)

Hey there,
It sounds like you could possibly be having spasms. The muscle gets really tight and you can feel pressure, tightening, etc.
Do you have pain and blood when you have a bm?

I was having pain during bm, but that seems to have eased a bit. Have never had any blood though. Fissure has def been found. Just feels like I'm sitting and something is pushing up against me underneath and pulling and pressure when I walk :)

Hey Sue,
It sounds like spasms for sure. When I had the spasms before LIS, it felt like something trying to push out of me. It would stop me in my tracks when I was walking.
I'm so sorry you are going through this. It is miserable The baths helped a little but nothing really made mine go away until I got the surgery.

Aw thank you. Baths do ease it for a short time but not long. Don't think surgery will be offered to me yet unless I go private, as only had it a short time. I feel like I'm going mad!

Your welcome Sue.
I know where you are coming from. I didn't have to wait on my surgery but I tried to heal mine for 8 months before I decided to get LIS. It takes a toll on your mental health as much as physical. There were many days, I just wanted to die.
Hang in there and don't be afraid to get the surgery if it comes to that. I hate that you guys have to wait so long. I never knew that before joining this forum.

Hi Sue, sorry you are going through the anal-fissure-dance! I have not had surgery either, and have had mine for over a year.
A few suggestions: it is better, in most's opinion on here, and colon and rectal surgeons too, not to use anything on your anus except water. When I have had a BM, I pat a few times, not rub, with my ordinary loo paper. Then I have a slightly thicker loo paper, which I dampen a small folded wad of it and again pat until clean, then dry in the same
way. Then, if I am not using my nifedipine, I gently rub a little Vaseline on. the Vaseline has helped generally to heal the outside for me. When I shower, I never use soap there. Sounds awful, but you will be just as clean with water, and you will have nothing irritating it.
I also get pain in my perineum, and further up in my vulva. Mostly this is when I strain (a NO-NO, but easier to say than do). Some days it is difficult to wee, some days not. Yesterday was a day from hell today is better. No reason to it...
Here is a link on here to reasons NOT to use witch hazel. http://anal-fissure.org/t961-witch-hazel
HappyAss's post is a good one there.
Hope this helps!! Feel better, come back and moan! We have all been through it/are going through it.
Em

Thank you Dawn, it does get you down. Has made me feel really low! I will have surgery if necessary, just trying to heal it myself first (if possible!!).You do have to wait a long time in the UK, NHS is slow but to be fair they've been pretty good with me. Costs alot if you pay for treatment (about Ј150-Ј250 for a consultation - think thats about $300-$450). May be worth it in the end though! Thank you for the info Em, thats really helpful. Felt like I was going mad, and that I was a bit weird to be getting pressure in other places! Especially as the docs said they didn't know what it was. I feel bad for moaning, trying to stay positive. Trying to go back to work part time on Monday so hope I can do it :)

Feel free to moan. It is literally a pain in the arse this that we have got. I am lying on my bed now trying to 'recover' from a BM... Just applied Nifedipine so the spasms are calming down. I don't work, and in that sense am lucky that I can take to my bed like a Victorian novel's heroine. Still, I would work like a Trojan just not to have this pain.
By the way, to see the colon rectal surgeon (CRS) that I saw here, it cost me nearly $200 for the consult and $446 for an anoscopy. I have a deductible of $2500 every year, before the medical insurance kicks in. I had to travel to Boston, about a 1 and a half hour flight as where I live there are no bum specialists...
Anyway, feel for you. Do you get pain in your tailbone area? That is another delight for me.
Em

Sorry you're suffering so much Sue.
To fast-track surgery you could get your doctor to refer you privately, then you would get an appointment with a Consultant CRS, which will be the "top-man!" Then they can refer you back to the NHS for the operation.
At least the private CRSs know what they are talking about and the best route to take.
Best of luck - this is one horrible pain to have to go through!