Hi All,
I am 25 yr old female just diagnosed with multiple anal fissures and a skin tag.
GP visit was literally in and out (if you will excuse the pun) and just didn't get to ask as many questions as I wanted to so really glad I have found this forum! I have found out a fair bit on fissures but not really about skin tags...wondering if the skin tag is should be something I am overly concerned about. Doc says not so suppose I should listen!
Basically have been having bleeding and pain during BM for the last couple of months. Dont know how they first happened as I dont ever remember being constipated...that said though I do sometimes rush my BM's (just impatient and bored on the loo) which I am trying to change (but when it's agony coming out, it's tempting to push and hurry up the vile painful process isn't it?)
So anyway, GP confirms I have a few fissures - she says it is not uncommon to have more than one (which had concernened me)so I feel re-assured there. Prescribed me Rectogesic (Glycerin Trinitrate) which I applied as soon as I got home this morning. I have to say, literally within less than a minute I got a big headache which I still have now (2 hours later). It's bearable at the moment but very unpleasant. I just want to go to bed now.
Does anyone here have any experience of the same thing when using this?
Diet has been naughty of late which I am sure hasn't helped so I am back on the veggies and salad etc now which I am hoping will help.
Not too freaking out about this yet but would like to know if it is likely these headaches will go or likely they will stay and ruin the fun
Cheers and wishing you all a nice pain free day
ww

Hi there i can totally relate to the headache from the rectogesic as it has the same effect on me within a minute of applying it & its so bad sometimes i do have to go & lie down, i find taking paracetamol (or what ever you'd usually take for a headache) does help & to be honest although its not nice i do persevere with the rectogesic cos it relieves my pain after BM. I've been suffering on & off for years started in my first pregnancy but its been really bad for 6 months now my GP was great at first but the rectogesic didnt heal my fissure so iam now under the hospital as well & due to have an examination under anaesethetic next fri so fully assess whats going on & hopefully get something more permanant sorted. There is another cream which is only available on prescription from your GP its called Anoheal or Diltiazem its a drug that works in the same way as rectogesic but doesnt have the headache side effects, i have tried it & whilst i didnt get any headaches i didnt find it so effective for pain relief either. On the skin tags subject i too have quite a large skin tag & my consultant at the hospital commented on it when he examined me the first time but said if it wasnt bothering me it was probably best left alone, it doesnt bother me so i have to agree with him. The pain from my fissure on the other hand can be quite unbearable & sometimes i just sit & cry!! I was advised when i first came across this website to try warm baths &/or sitting on a heat pad, i have taken to sitting on a hot water bottle when the pain is bad which does help me alot so i would recommend that you give it a try. I just found it comforting to know that other people know how you feel & what you are going through.
All the best
Jill

Hi Jill,
Thanks so much for your reply - I am sorry to hear all of the problems you have been having and really hope you get your permanent solution soon. I must say it is nice to know there are people out there who understand though!
The headache seems to be wearing off a little now after some pain killers I must say - I was so surprised at how quickly it arrived! If it just happens like this every time then I can deal with it and it is worth giving it a go for as long as it takes. I just really hope it helps/works.
As with all things tummy/bowel related, I am trying not to stress too much as I know anxiety will just make things worse. I just wonder how the hell it started and why it started in the first place!
Regarding the pain - I do find that the pain for me is only during a BM (and have cried during and do totally understand) but not so much afterwards - only every now and then it is really very sore for a good hour or so after, not always. I will try the hot water bottle next time that happens.
My GP didn't say much but she did say "ah you have a skin tag so thats a sign that is probably a fissure causing the bleed" which made me wonder?! I am not bothered by mine - as far as I know it has always been there (or at least for as long as I can recall).
Have you made much of a change to your diet? I dont know where to start with mine to be honest...there is so much in the diet section here I should plough through.
Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery and thanks again for posting
WW

Headache is huge with this today again!! It is hard to work - I am going to give it a few more days and hope that it lessens in time.
Yeeuuuk

The headaches calm down but not until you get more used to the cream. I had really bad headaches too, I kept still and drank water. Watch out taking too many painkillers the make you stools harder. I had a skin tag, it went away again, don't worry about it. Eat apples and pears to soften your stools and keep calm about the problem. Stress makes it worse. Good luck.

Hi Whatwhat,
If the Recto gets unbearable, ask to try the Dilitizam instead. I had exactly the same issue using Rectogesic and didn't like it. Made me really dizzy and had to lie down after taking it. For me, Dilitizam worked really well and gave me a good few relatively pain-free weeks and I would definately say try it. Unfortunately, I'm now in similar situation to Jill. I've been with this over 6 months and although, the AF is not quite so raw or painful as it was initially, it's still there and bothers me. Also like Jill I am in for a EUA next Wednesday to check on the "progress" of the fissure and a diagnosis of where to go next!..#Good luck Jill!#....
Stress definately makes it all worse, so try some relaxation stuff, exercise and positive thinking techniques and do all you need to do to look after yourself and your diet....You said your fissure#s# are still relatively acute...so I'm thinking as you are in the earlier stages, you have a better opportunity of "nipping things in the bud" maybe?
Good luck with it all xx

Hi Whatwhat,
I hope you are doing ok. I would give the rectogesic a try, you need time to get used to it. If it is still awful, like the others said try Diltiazem. Not tried this myself but others have had success!
Ever the Optimist and Jill, I hope your EUAs go well. I was disgnosed last May but have been suffering since last March (2011). I had an EUA in November and botox which has overall been sort of successful! That may be worth considering if creams haven't worked after 6 weeks whatwhat. I went to see a different CRS who unfortunately said I have now healed too fast (how this has happened after 16 months is beyond me!). So I have another procedure and botox again scheduled.
But I would advise drinking alot of water. I have found that I am able to eat most things but in moderation. I find that coffee has a constipating effect though! You may want to try a laxative to help make stools softer, this is a personal choice though. I have a very small amount of lactulose each day and a docusate sodium every other night (dropping this off a bit if I can). If you are in the early stages there is a chance you may beat this. If you can, try to walk a bit and do some low level exercise, it helps healing. Finally good luck! I think I have rambled a bit but hope some of it helps! :D

Hi Sue,
Thanks for your kind words and support...Sorry to hear you have been suffering with this all for so long and hope that you're not feeling too bad at the moment & having lots of "good" days....
It's my second EUA on Weds...not sure what to expect but hope just to hear the AF is healing (if not fully) and looks OK. Unfortunately I've another issue for them to deal with first, either a fistula or perinidol cyst/ sinus (TBC) so guessing they'll leave the fissure for the time being if it's not too bad and drain the other first. Honestly! Got to laugh....
I'm going to find out more about the BOTOX because I'm really hoping that if this AF is "healable" than maybe Botox would continue to help in assisting the healing....I've had this 6 months with (touch wood), no retears and it's not got worse...so hoping it can only get better!! LIS isn't out of the question, but would be good to explore all options first..
I also take lactulose, which I find really helpful and in addition, olive oil. Really helps things first thing in the morning!....and water! Gosh, don't think I've ever had so much in my life, but it's all good and all become part of my normal daily routine now. Like you, I seem to be able to eat most things in moderation, but have cut out the fizzy drinks, sweet stuff (apart from a bit of chocolate!) and tough meats and am loving the substitution of salads, beans, veggies, fruits...healthy stuff...infact, if it wasn't for this damn fissure, I'd be the healthiest I've been in years!
You're spot on with the exercise though and interestingly, this whole issue started after we relocated and now rely on vehicles to get around...Prior to that I would walk miles daily and am wondering, if my new lifestyle has helped in the development of the fissure....Grrr.....Really do need to get off my butt again and relive my walking days!!
Anyhow, before I continue ramble! Hope all goes well with your next procedure and botox. Keep us all updated please!! x x
:)

Hi all,
I had a day off the Rectogesic on Sat so that I could get my head feeling straight again and back on it this morning but at a lower dose which seems to help as the headaches are lasting a couple of hours rather than the whole day. I am thinking I might try to build myself up over a short while and hope I get used to the stuff. Thanks for the advice though and I know if all else fails I can try the other!
I do seem to be in the early stages and so hope that the diet changes I am making and the gel makes the difference.
Sorry to hear about the other problems you guys are having, but ETOptimist you are right, sometimes you just gotta laugh. It's all so horrible that I have found so far that just telling my close friends/fam and trying to just laugh at it has actually helped. What is crazy is the more people I tell, the more people say "oh yeah I had one of them" or "Oh yeah I get that too"
I am making some big healthier diet changes which can only be a good thing, however the water thing - I drink the stuff till it comes out my ears and always have been that way. My friends laugh because I always carry a big bottle with me wherever I go -I dont know how much more I could drink than I already do!
Tom, yeah all I want to do is stay still and hide under a blanket, it feels like an exertion headache you get if you pound the exercise without water etc. I guess it must be the dilation of blood vessels because of the nitrates. I was honestly so shocked at how immediate the ache was!! Worse things to have though so let's see if I get used to it. I hope so.
I have a half marathon to run in October so now is the time for me to be pushing with the exercise. I hope it helps.
Sorry all to be so thick but what is a EUA?
Do you go under general for botox? What is the score with that - what is it supposed to do?
Wishing you all, all the best xxxxx

EUA is examination under anaesthetic. In the UK you are put under general for botox, but in America think they use local. The botox does the same as the cream really, it relaxes the muscle so you don't get the spasms (which prevent healing). Botox lasts for 2-3 months in which time the hope is it will heal. It's an alternative for surgery really.
ETO - what symptoms have you had to make them think you have a fistula or pilonidal cyst? Over the past few months I have had bad pain on my coccyx. Stinging and the feeling it is being cut open with a knife, with some throbbing and it seems to be by a dimple. But the docs just seem to gloss over it, even though it is extremely painful! Grr, going back on Thursday to bang my head against a brick wall again! I'm beginning to wonder if it's me and I'm a hypochondriac Wouldn't make it up though would I?! I really hope you continue to improve. Botox did sort of work for me, but it was quite a painful experience. Not for others though, think I just had a bad experience. It's worth looking into if the creams aren't working for you, means you don't have to apply cream for a while! Will keep you updated about everything, rang up today about a date and the secretary said she is still waiting to get a date from the CRS :)