I'm writing in the hopes that someone out there has maybe heard of this, because I am going through it and there is really nothing online that is helpful.
I had a small fissure in May of last year with a skin tag. Had no idea what it was and probably waited too long to get to a doc about it. When I did, I went to a proctologist/CRS here in the states who was a DO, NOT an MD, nor board certified. Big mistake. He basically put me on 2.5% hydrocortizone cream for 8 months. It took forever, but in December, all I had left was a little remnant of the skin tag, which I can totally live with. Great. Life was back to normal.
Now it gets weird. Around mid-January I developed these paper cut type of tears in the perineal area near the anus, but not touching the anus. They were really not painful, but confusing. I used some of the Hydrocortizone cream on them and although 2 of the 4 tears went away (they were only about 1/8" each), 2 of them seemed to worsen and move closer to the anus...remember this is all happening on the front of the hole, on the perineum side, opposite the tailbone side.
I saw my GP and he said to just take a warm soak each night and put A&D ointment on it. My BM's have always been perfect so I was not having any issues with hard stools or straining, etc. I did this for weeks with absolutely no change. I decided then to see a board certified colon/rectal surgeon about this. I live in a large city and he has been practicing for nearly 30 years, so I was not going to see some slouch by any means. I told him my whole story and he listened very closely and took notes. Then he went on to examine me. I thought possibly yeast was a culprit from things I have read, but he said he saw no indication of yeast or a fungal infection. He also said I had a small (about 1/8") tear on the backside of my anus, but it was over 1/4" away from the hole! He said he really never saw anything quite like this but was going to treat them as he would fissures. Also said he will not even consider any surgery for this matter. I got a prescription of a gel that is 2% Diltiazem and 2% Lidocane to use twice a day. He said to give it a month and if things were not better to come back. I'm on day 24 of this and in that time the rear fissure went away, then re-appeared for no reason that I can tell. The front tears which at first were looking about 3/8" long have receded a bunch but by the hole, it is still red and itches when I do not have the gel on it.
I have no pain with my BM's...just maybe a slight itch. The front tears do bleed ever so slightly even though I clean myself very gently with hypoallergenic wipes. Other than that, I was instructed to only clean the area with water in the shower and at night before applying the gel to just dab with a lukewarm wet washcloth and dry by patting gently and air drying. I have been doing everything, but it seems like after the initial healing (which took about 12 days) that I am now at a standstill.
Does anyone have a clue about this? By using ointment alone, should I expect a longer healing period? I am so confused, frustrated, depressed, and truly feel like nobody else has experienced this. I'm able to function, but this mess for some reason is always on my mind! I want it healed or at least to know that things are going to be ok with it when I give it enough time. Any words would be helpful. I'm sorry this was so long and I appreciate your time in reading if you made it this far.