John Stavrou wrote:Is it common that your AF only hurts when sitting down, particularly the feeling of the sphincter tightness/pressure ?

When I'm on my feet, or lying down in bed - I can't feel any pain or discomfort at all (aside from occasional lingering pain after sitting for a long time). I can run and do (non-seated) work outs in the gym no problem either.

In fact, even when sitting on the toilet with the "opening" under me - nothing. What is quite different to what I've read about most people - passing stools is FINE also, it feels normal, doesn't feel like I'm being torn apart at all.

Sitting in a chair at a desk though (which I do all day for work), or driving, yeah it's damn tight and sore - and annoying. As soon as I stand up, it's such a relief.

Am I unique in this, or this what happens to most of you ? I can't help thinking if I didn't have to sit for long periods day after day that this thing would heal up easily - (I've been sporadically using Rectogesic for a few months, but it doesn't seem to combat the sitting tightness too well).

Chronic fissure sufferer here. My experience has been similar, I usually experience pain when I have been sitting for a while - it can be 10-20 minutes on a hard chair/bench and 1-1.5 hours on a very comfortable couch before the pains build up. It gets better when I stand up or go for a walk. The only exception is when I have been standing for a while (30-45 min.) when I start to feel a pressure like sensation in/around my rectum. Unlike, many people here, my bowel movements are mostly painless (I am on miralax though). I too thought that I have an abnormal kind of fissure, but I guess everyone is different.

Just 'Pain' Tired wrote:You might just try to get accommodations to have a flexible work station for 'low back pain' or 'tailbone pain.' Anyone else tackle this issue at work? Oh, yes, having the right seat and seat cushion is important, too. I think there are other posts about this. Soft seating, foam seating, etc. NOT donuts or seating for tailbone pain ...you need it soft or soft/absent in the middle...not spreading the cheeks kind of seating.

... one day you will be doing better and not suffering this terrible pain. Bless you.

Thanks for the tips and the kind words.

To be honest, I'm not the kind of person that wants to make a fuss or draw attention to myself at work - there's definitely no one else there that has any kind of special arrangement for seating (that I've noticed). Dare I say, I've grown accustomed to the discomfort of it from sitting all day - despite the obvious pain of it. I suppose I have a reasonable pain tolerance. I put up with Wisdom tooth issues for quite a while before taking the plunge to get them removed - and the daily pain was far stronger from that than the AF - but the AF is sort of more annoying.

You're right about the "sperading the cheeks kind of seating" - my car has quite angled/deep bucket seats and I can feel the "pull apart" as soon as I sit down, and the resultant "trying to tear me open" sensation - I've combatted that with a small cushion which levels out the seat and makes some difference.

It's been a few months now on the Rectogesic - which gives relief sometimes, but I don't know if it's working amazingly well - like others here, there's better and worse days - but I don't feel it's curing me. Plus, as I posted elsewhere here it seeps through onto my clothes (and stains) after sitting in one place for a while, so I tend to only use it at bedtime or weekend daytimes when I'm out and about. The specialist suggested Botox as a next step, which I'm not sure about because it's expensive and from what I've read it's not a guaranteed fix either - but I don't want to put up with this forever. Frustrating business this thing !

... and to the poster above - yeah the only time I ever felt painful BM's was right at the start of this, where I literally felt the anus get what felt to be paper-cut, and a couple tiny drops of blood on the paper. A couple days after that, there was sharp pain on BM's too, but since then, for months, no pain/blood during BM at all - if anything BM's sort of feel relieving, but the spasms kick in after it's all finished and then continue for hours (well all day whilst sitting).

I really needed to read something like this tonight! Thanks very much Scientist!

Scientist2516 wrote:I think when you have a fissure, it's normal to be different. Or maybe highly unusual to be the same as everyone else. Or maybe I just need a cup of coffee.

(followed by a pint of water of course).

I recently bought an inflatable donut cushion as it was referred as hemorrhoid cushion and use it in a car. there is definitely less pain, even none at all. I am not sure hot it is affecting spine since when the car turns I feel uncomfortable. I guess in the office chair it should not be a problem.

guest1 wrote:I recently bought an inflatable donut cushion as it was referred as hemorrhoid cushion and use it in a car. there is definitely less pain, even none at all. I am not sure hot it is affecting spine since when the car turns I feel uncomfortable. I guess in the office chair it should not be a problem.

I bought one of those and it makes it worse for me. It actually pulls the cheeks apart and feels like it's stretching/tearing at the fissure. Thanks for the suggestion, but it doesn't agree with me at all.

To John Stavrue
what you are saying it makes sense. I have inflated the cushion just a bit that it will give me a bit raise from a hard car seat. Also I put it in a material bag that I could take it anytime. So there is no obvious hole in a cushion. Probably I should look for better product, let me know if you find one online. thanks

I was reading up on cushions last night (although in a Court of Law I'll admit to nothing less than dining and dancing ALL night long as it was Saturday.) In particular I wound up following a link from this group to this page on coccyx cushions from a group of people who suffer coccyx pain. I hear some people with AF, switch the back of the cushion to the front for comfort. The page shows various choices.

http://www.coccyx.org/coping/cushions.htm

I've had severe pain while sitting before but for me it was worse in the car, but not quite as bad in the office chair. At the time I had a 60 mile each way commute each day and the pain really was bad - used to dread it and was actually quite traumatising in that a few times when I had got home in the evening I felt stressed and completely drained due to putting up with the pain for an hour in the car. The car was a sports car and not easy to get a good driving position in so I couldn't try different positions.

Even when I'm healed (fissure probs in remission until recently), I could sometimes feel a bit of pain if I sat in the same position in the office chair for too long, when not sat correctly. So I always try to sit with butt as far to the back of the chair as possible and I'm fine then.

Even when healed it's healthy to get out of the office chair at least once an hour to stretch the legs, break from typing etc

I have stinging during bm and have hot burning pain when I sit for a long period of time; walking makes it better for me too. I sometimes think how could that be possible but I am glad to hear that others experience same thing.