help! i'm really struggling

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help! i'm really struggling

Postby electric jaws » 07 Feb 2012, 04:32

been on gtn for three weeks today,apply by putting cling film on my little finger,put ointment on (not quite a inch), twice a day,twelve hours apart,i'm in u.k and the strength is 1.5 gtn thats the only form it comes in here my g.p said
as well as feeling like i have a shard of glass permanently inserted there it feels like burning,inflamed,told g.p this on fri and he gave me lidiocaine,applied as told twice saturday and was in agony felt like i had poured vinegar there,so stopped the lidiocaine,i have tried coconut oil but that also seemed to irritate it,tried paracetomol but they don't seem to help(can't take ibroprophen) so feeling at a right loss and feel a bit of a blubbery mess today,i have had this since beginning of nov,so approx 12 weeks ,how long do you have to suffer before you ask for surgery,or is it best if i give it longer for the gtn,my g.p is nice but he is really youngish and wonder if i should give it a couple more weeks and go to a g.p in the same practice who's more experienced having been there a lot more years, any ideas would be welcome!
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Re: help! i'm really struggling

Postby rasmith3530 » 07 Feb 2012, 11:44

Sorry to hear of your discomfort and negative reaction to treatment. I'm on my second Anal Fissure in little over a years time, and this bout has been much worse than the first.
I was originally misdiagnosed and given a treatment that is counter to what works for AFs. My GP prescribed 2% Nitro, and my CRS moved me to a more common 0.3% formula. That had to be custom formulated by my local pharmacy BTW. He has me applying it four times per day.
I didn't get as bad a reaction to lidocaine as you report, but it also did not provide the numbing feeling which I had assumed it would, having much experience with novacaine from dental work.
I got some great advice and picked up a number of good tips from reading the posts of there here on this site. It has been a Godsend to me. A couple things that have helped me some include, limiting diet, and by this I mean both eating less and eating more carefully. Remember, the less you put in, the less you have to quite painfully let out! Stay away from red meat, uncooked veggies and anything with whole seeds (such as my favorite multi-grain bread). I had already been using soluble fiber, in the form of Metamucil, due to Type 2 Diabetes, but one of the miracle elixers I learned of here is called MiraLAX. It is a stool softener, and most that have used it had to find their own personal comfort level. With an AF, diarrhea can be as bad as constipation. I've experienced both, and neither are any fun.
As bad as a bowl movement is, what can be even worse is the spasms that come afterwards. This is the burning, crunching pain that comes on anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour after your movement and can last for hours thereafter. That is when you start asking why they only shoot horses to put them out of their misery. It's when you begin to think that self-immolation may be a realistic pain relief! I have read that some folks have had decent luck with a cream called Dr. Wheatgrass to relieve this, but I have as yet no personal experience to share. You will wonder at times where that merciful God went and what you did that was so bad to deserve this.
My first time out lasted about twelve weeks and was cured using the Nitro ointment and some feeble attempts with Lidocaine. It was also far less painful than this last bout. This time around, I've been suffering for a bit over one month now (or so, time gets cloudy when you're having such fun). I have experienced BMs that had my legs trembling so uncontrollably my feet were coming off the ground and I almost fell off the toilet once, I was in such pain. My GP has me on Nucynta ER, an extended release Category 2 narcotic, somewhat akin to Demerol (stronger than Vicodin), and at times it just takes the edge off the excruciating pain I've experienced. I have experienced BMs that were so bloody the blood was streaming down my bum and dripping into the toilet. I hope you are not experiencing anything near this gut-wrenching.
I am former military with a service connected disability. I've also raced both cars and motorcycles, and have had bad encounters with each. I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. All this is to say that I'm no stranger to pain. That said, I have never experienced anything quite so painful in my 58 years as this last AF. I've seriously thought of suicide, just to escape the agony.
I have one good bit of luck, a very good CRS. I found him during my last bout when it was suggested that I should have a Colonoscopy due to my age. He has a good grasp of the intensity of this tear. On our last visit, he said we'd give it two to three weeks longer, and if it weren't greatly improved, begin looking into surgery (LIS). I am still bleeding and in much pain with my BMs as I prepare to see him later today.
I sincerely hope that your experience is nowhere near as intense as what I've lived through these past weeks. From what I've read, LIS has the best success rate for bringing closure to Anal Fissures. You asked how long you should wait and the only answer I can think of is a question. How long do you want to remain in pain?
Good luck and God bless.
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Re: help! i'm really struggling

Postby workingonit » 07 Feb 2012, 13:05

Hey ElectricJ,
Are you only seeing a GP?
You need to see a specialist. Tell your GP to refer you right away. You should be seeing a colon rectal surgeon (CRS).
GPs are only there to put bandaids on and refer people. They are jacks of all trades but masters of none.
Then when you see a crs you can talk seriously about options.
Sorry about the cruddy weather there! That doesn't help either!
rasmith,
good luck at the crs's today! Hope he doesn't make you wait any longer.
-Tanya
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Re: help! i'm really struggling

Postby Sue27uk » 07 Feb 2012, 16:39

Hey Sal, sorry to hear of your suffering. I am in the UK too! If I was you I would go to another GP and get a different opinion, from what I gather waiting times to see a CRS in the UK is long. I only saw one as I was admitted to hospital back in May 2011!! I had to apply cream for 4 months, referred for botox which I had in November and am now waiting on my follow up in May (!). I don't know if you are covered by a private health scheme. I think you need to try the cream for about 12 weeks before they would refer you. In my experience they are really conservative here, and you have to go through cream and a few rounds of botox until you get to LIS stage. It does depend on if you are male or female though, they seem less keen to do LIS on women. I applied the cream for a while and it did irritate which is why the botox was good. I am however back to the cream and irritation - boo! I would go back to the doc and say something, sounds as if you are having a reaction to the cream. I am considering going private now as I have been saving up, sick of waiting! Good luck!! :)
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Re: help! i'm really struggling

Postby Sue27uk » 07 Feb 2012, 16:41

I need to add, the botox has been really good at calming things down! I have alot of reduced pain, just refusing to go away that last bit for me! Only reason I am considering going private is that I want my life back, to live life to the full and enjoy myself again! So if I am to have more botox to finish it off I want it quicker than waiting another 6-8 months! :)
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Re: help! i'm really struggling

Postby rasmith3530 » 07 Feb 2012, 19:35

Electric, hope you are having a better day today.
WOI, I saw the CRS and we've scheduled my LIS for the 27th, so I only have a couple more weeks to have to 'grin and bear it.'
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