Hi.
I have been diagnosed with AF and internal hemorrohoid. I had lot of pain while defecating. With suppositories and Nitroglycerine, pain is less now
But, my defecation is very slow. Earlier before AF, I used to defecate 2 times a day with no issues. Now even though my defecation is still 2 times a day, it is very less every time. So, whatever I eat gets stay in the body for more than 2-3 days. I dont get appetite at all
I do eat lot of fibre especially prunes atleast 15-20 a day.
Is it normal with AF ?
Iti sdriving me crazy.
Please help me
Thanks
cay656

Hi Cay,
I had a very hard time having a complete bm when I had my fissure. When the internal muscle is in spasm, it can clench tight and not allow a complete bm. I had a horrible time with this before my surgery. I would get the urge several times a day but could barely go whenever I needed to.
I was told by the PA in my CRS's office that I could set there forever but until the (internal sphincter) muscle relaxes, it wasn't going to happen.
A good stool softener may help... I took docusate sodium during my fissure days, but didn't get very good results. I wish I would have tried Miralax/ Movicol! I've had much better results with it since my surgery with recovery.
Hot baths helped a little to help it relax. I would set in the bath for hours trying to get the muscle to relax. Sometimes it worked, but not always. Also the Nitro/ or Diltiazem may help a little before a bm.

Thanks Dawn for your response. I do use Nitro but as you said , it helps very little.
What is the other medicine Diltiazem ? Is it over the counter one?
I have surgery scheduled for Jan 3rd. What to expect after the surgery? Can you please share your experience.
Thanks
CAY

Your Welcome Cay. Diltiazem is prescription. It has to be made in a compound pharmacy. It never did all that much for me either. It does the same thing Nitro does....
I'm all for the surgery! It was the only way my fissure would have ever healed. I regretted waiting eight months to have it!!
I pretty much knew immediately I made the right choice. I was sore for a couple of weeks, like a bruised/ swelling feeling but it gradually got better over those two weeks.
The best advice I can give from my experience is just expect to be sore and swollen. It was better after surgery for me than before as far as the fissure and painful bm's.
Keep whatever routine that has made your bm's soft and regular after surgery that you are doing before. I would up the stool softener just a little while on the pain meds but not too much. You don't want your bm's to be too loose. I only needed the vicodin for two days, then I just took ibuprofen. I stayed off my butt for the full two weeks. Not because I couldn't set on it but I felt since things are swollen, it would help with the healing.
I took 3-4 baths a day early in recovery and rinsed with a removable shower wand after the first few days. In the beginning, it can be almost impossible to keep that area spic and span because it's pretty swollen. I just did the best I could, Lol...
I'm sure I've left something out Cay, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I had a million before my surgery! I really feel surgery is a good choice once a fissure becomes chronic. There's no reason to suffer when it can be taken care of so easily. I'd do it again in a heartbeat before I'd suffer for as long as I did. Nothing about recovery was as bad as my fissure days.
Ps...
JR( another boardie) just had surgery. We both had the same surgeon here in Florida. You may want to follow his threads also.

Thanks Dawn for your detailed response. Hoping to get better soon after the surgery. If I have any specific questions. I will update this forum .
Thanks Once again
Cay