Hi all,
Well today's been a bad pain day and through the tears in my desperate attempt to find some advice I stumbled on this forum. I was told I had an AF just before Christmas, was advised on starting a high fibre diet and to drink plenty of water and prescribed Rectogesic. I never used the Rectogesic and had a month or so pain free (guess it might have been healing?) and thought all was well, however in the past few weeks its been as bad as ever. Booked another appointment with my GP next week. Although the dr diagnosed me only 3.5 mths ago this is a problem I've had for many years, but foolishly was always too embarrassed to go to the dr about it. At first I suffered the symptoms I have now once a year maybe, then it was a couple of times a year, then every couple of months until last year when I was in pain more often than I was pain free and that's what finally drove me to seek professional help. If only I'd gone sooner! I seem to go in cycles of denial - whenever I'm pain free I stupidly think "phew! its over!" I've read a few posts in various threads on this board and its good to know in a way that other people understand just how painful an AF is - too scared to poop sometimes! I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy...

Welcome, but sorry you are here too.
It does eventually get better though, once you come out of denial and start taking it seriously. So glad you are seeing a doctor. The next trick is to get your GP to refer you to a proctologist, or whatever the UK equivalent of a colorectal surgeon is.
Are your BMs consistently soft like toothpaste?
You should use the rectogesic. Use a q-tip if it is too painful to use your finger.
Don't let up on diet changes or the rectogesic when you feel healed.
It takes the skin months to get stronger.
Lots of good info on this forum. It's helped me immensely!
-Tanya

Thanks Tanya :) This forum does seem to be a wealth of info and I'm feeling like I'm ready and more informed to take this on properly. My BM's aren't regular and are not the same consistency any given day so that's what I'm trying to focus on achieving right now. I'm taking fybogel twice a day and after reading some other members experiences plan on adding prune juice and magnesium to my routine. Gave the rectogesic a go this morning... Kind of! Just hurt way to much to actually insert anything there!! But will persevere. My diet and eating pattern is the struggle, I don't know how many other shift workers are on the forum, but I work a fortnightly rotation of days and nights since past September and think (though I have suffered from constipation most my life) that's what really did me in. As soon as my eating habits go nocturnal I'm stuffed so to speak! But I know in the end that I have to get a proper grip of things if I stand a chance of healing. Am planning to ask my GP for a referral, though I'm not sure here in the Uk what grounds I have to request for one, other than the level of pain scares me. Though he's a GP he also is a specialist in the ass area as at our GP practise he does the minor surgeries for hemmies etc.

Have you tried movicol?
Some CRSs say it is safe to use long term.
The US version is Miralax and here in Canada it is called restoralax. Anyways, I haven't tried this myself as I have no constipation issues, but I would not hesitate to if I did.
Hope you are having better luck with the rectogesic! Even if you can only get a bit on/in, it should slowly start to help and then you can apply it better as you start to feel better.
Hope things are improving!
-Tanya