Hi all,
I have a week to go till I see a CRS for the first time.
I have gleened so much information from you all over the past few weeks.
I have management over the pain sometimes but not others.
I wish I could get my BM's more regular and softer. I seems like I have had my life turned upside down and completely focused around management of this AF. Drinking lots of water, changed my diet, upped fibre content, and softeners. Using Witch Hazel soaked wipes and sitz baths for hygiene and pain relief. Try to get Nurafen (Ibrufren) tabs into me half and hour before BM. Cut out all travel for the time being as that big time upsets my gut. Found the Rectogesic at the Pharmacy few days ago and am using that three times a day which is helping most of the time. The throbbing headaches from it seem paltry in comparison to the pain from AF.
Seems I have become a student of pain identification they are all a little different and I am beginning to recognise each one how to avoid them.
1) The pain of the wound of the AF.
2) The pain from the Sphincter spasming.
3) The burning post BM pain.
4) The pain of pressure from a descending stool.
5) The throbbing from the rectogesic.
6) Oh and the itch..cant be described as a pain I guess.
Would never have imagined that one tiny wound could cause this much mayhem. Good news is I went to the Dentist for the first time in 10yrs. My previous fear of the pain from the dentists drill has been put in perspective as "nothing"compared to AF. Go through root canal and 2 fillings without a problem. Anyway, unless the CRS has a very good argument for surgery I would like to continue to try to heal medically for a little while longer. Is there anything that I need to ask the CRS. Thanks. Pia.

Hi PIA!
It sounds like you are on all the right track when it comes to dealing with fissures. The diet and/or stool softener part is always the trickiest to figure out as everyone's digestion is so different. It just takes a lot of experimenting to see what works for you. You might consider a food diary that charts what you eat, the outcome in stool consistency, and the dosages of any softeners you are taking.
Since you have only just started the Rectogesic, unless the CRS is a really aggressive type when it comes to surgery, he/she will probably suggest you continue with the conservative measures for a minimum of six weeks or so to see how you do with that.
We all understand how fissures turn life upside down. They are hard to heal, and it can often feel like your own body is working against you. This is a great forum for finding lots of helpful tips, advice, resources, and support.
I wish you speedy healing!
Oh, and congratulations on the dental work! That's great news!

Wow..three pain free days. Feels like I am in heaven. No tooth aches either. Thumping headaches from the recto cream are easy to take for the good results I am getting with less spincter spasm. Have had a few BMs that are firmer than I would l like but they have been pain free- during and after. Even managed a horse ride today (my passion). I know there is a chance of a setback but fingers crossed if I stick to the program. My family is happy to see the smile on my face. I feel so sorry that my affliction affects them all so.

Hi Pia, nice to see you feeling good and enjoying what you like, but take it easy for littler bit so you heal nice and for good.

Thanks Marg, I am hearing you. Not a great night pressing pain came on in the evening. Hours after easy BM and just resting...can't work out why that happens. So took couple of pain meds, another bath, rectogesic, drank more water, heat pad and lay upside down on recliner rocker with my legs elevated. Sleep came in the early hours. Grateful to have all older posts on this site to pass the time. Think I am going to have to repaint the mouldy ceiling in the bathroom with all this time I spend looking at it while in the bath

Trust me Pia I know how it feels to be better a few days and even weeks but then it comes back, to remind us that things are not really as we thing they are.
Like you I am taking the task of redoing my living room, as for now that will take away mind from my butt.
It does get tiresome when all you have in your mind is how your next bowel movement will be after.
I just had a pretty good one but then one hour later I am having discomfort and irritation in the area, even with all the care I took before and after.
I will be back on the gastro doctor in Feb. I depending how things are going with my fissures I will make a decision on what the next step will be.

Just out from first visit with CRS. It appears "Dr Pia" was correct in her diagnosis. I have a very large, nasty AF. He called it impressive, I told him he needs to get out more. He was pessimistic about my ability to get symptom free with diet and topical meds but is acceptable for me to try. He wants to see me in 4 weeks and if no improvement go for under anaesthetic for investigation and botox injections. He was unable to shed any light why I have very little bleeding despite the size of the AF. His comment was every patient presents differently and responds differently. He feels rectogesic is only successful in 30 % of patients he sees. Now I am two hours away from home waiting for the pain from the exam to pass before I try to sit to drive. If this condition is as prevalent as he says perhaps there is a market for warm baths at service stations and drive throughs

Hope things calmed down enough for you to get home "dr pia" lol
It's great that you have such a good sense of humour about your situation.
OMB xxx

Pia, I always believe that we "know better" as most of the time we are the ones feeling "symptoms" and feeling miserable.
Most doctors just look at us like we are crazy it happens to me before.
And at the end we can look back and said "we told you so" we are not crazy at all.
I hope you get things to calm down, the last time I saw the doctor I felt like you too, it took two days to stop the felling that my butt was been reaped wide open after a "gentle" examination.
But then again this is life in the fissure business.
I was offered to be examinated under anesthesia but I decline and told the doctor that if I was going to be under anesthesia It was to get the whole thing fix and I was not ready yet.

PIA
I hope things have settled down a bit for you since your doctor visit, and am glad to hear you made it to the doctor to be looked at. So sorry to hear you have an "impressive" fissure. I can tell you that even my deepest fissures that have gone all the way down to the muscle (according to one CRS I saw) have never had more than a tiny speck of bleeding.
marg6043... I'm laughing so hard ... Some days with these fissures if I was offered to be "exterminated under anesthesia" by the doctor, I would take him up on the offer!