hardest thing to write

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hardest thing to write

Postby havefaith » 26 Dec 2013, 16:15

Hello all,
for the last few months ive read a lot of posts on this site, but havent had the guts to register and post because i feel like a fraction of who i used to be.

I am a 29 year old male who was in school for massage therapy, all of 2013 until September i worked in construction. I was lean, fit, and very active despite chronic pain in my neck and back. In September 2013, i was diagnosed with genital herpes, and that is where my battle with fissures began. After my first outbreak, everything seemed OK, however i had been experiencing cases of diarrhea/constipation from the medication that i am on. I had a second outbreak shortly after, however, was not aware that transfer of the disease from penis to anus was possible even while using clean hands. So my second outbreak, i had some lesious around my anus, which consequently made my anus a lot tighter as well as painful sores.

Here is where i met my new "friend" mr. fissure. I dont quite know how it happened, but somehow in mid september i felt a SLIGHT little pain, honestly felt like nothing, i put some bactroban on it and said forget about it. However, pain got worse and worse so bad that all i would do after a bowel movement is lay in bed scared for the next one. My father had to come and give me food as all i was doing was drinking water, prune juice, eating very little and drinking a lot of metamucil. This led to my blood sugar getting extremely low and me having a seizure if my dad hadnt come and given me some quick sugar, i dont know what would have happened. Finally i went to the emergency room and guess what, they said they found NOTHING upon doing an anoscopy. So i went back a second time and was lucky enough to have a CRS examine me, he said it was an anal fissure and that i should book an appt to see how it heals in 3 weeks.

I went to see this CRS and he prescribed nifeipene 0.2% mixed with lidocaine 1.5%, to be used 30 minutes before a bowel movement (i only know about 2 minutes before and sometimes if i apply it , i lose my urge). I felt like i was injuring myself more using my gloved finger to apply the cream. However it did feel like it had gotten much better over the past few months.

Since i still had pain and had been referred to a GI, he wanted to do a colonoscopy on december 19 2013. The procedure ended up hurting the fissure more, and i believe the right side got scraped a bit as well, not to mention the laxative cocktail in preparation for the procedure left me constipated after. He confirmed that it was indeed a fissure though and no other problems were found. He showed me a way to apply the cream with my finger, and instructed me to work my way up to 3 rounded tablespoons of metamucil which is 45g a day of soluble fiber.

As of today, i feel like the worlds biggest baby. I have no blood in my stools (thank god), but i am totally debilitated by this fissure. I have the worlds best family, the worlds best girlfriend and friends, and i feel useless to all of them. I try so hard to do things with them, i went from a guy who could lift a tonne of weight to a guy who can barely carry a heavy bag of groceries. I have lost 10+ pounds from lack of eating. I know i havent suffered half as much as some of you have on this site, but i do feel that i have suffered emotionally and physically.

I really want to avoid surgery, however, what bothers me is that this situation is turning chronic and I have read that chronic fissures are harder to heal.

Today, on december 26 2013 feel like i am yet again on the mend, however, i find that if i dont have 2-3 softer bowel movements in a day, that i am constipated to a degree and prepare for the worst. Here is my daily regime and some things which i have found helped me a bit, I will update regularly as to how I am doing.

-I wake up and usually pass a bm, use my PROCTOFOAM which my gp prescribed.

-then Hemp oatmeal with some fruit usually pears and a dried prune or 2
take my meds

-then some salmon ( i found the oils really help), small salad and if i can stomach itsome of my flax 50% soluble 50% insoluble fiber
-as well as sodium docusate 100mg

-in the afternoon i will have some warm broth (NOT the PACKAGED KIND my butcher has it made fresh)
I will usually have a bowel movement at between 4-7 pm reapply proctofoam and try to use nifed before i do, applied with a Q tip gently.

-Evening i will usually have greek food which consists of grilled bell peppers and onions with olive oil, a little bit of rice and a touch of taziki sauce.

-then i take my meds and sodium docusate 100mg one hour later


SUPPLEMENTATION.

-300 mg magnesium citrate per day
-1500 mg vitamin c
-vitamin d3 drops 1000 iu
-virgin coconut oil 1 tsp per day
- 6-8 prunes spread throughout the day
-acidophilus digestive bacteria at meals
-heating pad that if i am able to sit, i sit on at low heat to encourage bloodflow
- 200 mg of colace spread 10 hours a part as indicated above.
-hemp oil when i can remember it

MY MEDICATIONS

gabapentin 600 mg first dose, 1800mg before bed
zopiclone 7.5 mg before bed
medical marijuana 1-2 grams per day
famicyclovir (famvir) an antiviral drug 125mg morning and night
proctofoam - morning and night and after bm's
nifedipene- before bms

I would love any feedback or helpful advice as i really dont want to have to go for surgery. I would love to share in your experiences as well! Thanks for listening.



Have faith.
I have faith in you always, i love you like my own son or daughter, when you hurt, i hurt. Let us all be each others guiding light, and heal without anxiety :) Much love to all.
havefaith
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Re: hardest thing to write

Postby Poo-ologist » 27 Dec 2013, 01:51

Hi have faith,
:wel: Sorry to hear of your suffering but like I was told, you are definitely in the right place!
Although people’s experiences can be varied & each of our body’s can react to things differently, somehow it feels as though we all share a common bond, lol! Sad to admit but I have found comfort in just knowing that I am not alone.
I totally understand your feeling of despair & when you say that you feel as though you are a fraction of what you once were. Relentless pain certainly has a way of breaking even the strongest of people! It is ok... just as your user name suggests, have faith as things will improve, they have to! I try & look at life in a way that in every experience we encounter there is a lesson to be learnt. Take from it & grow as an individual. You will get through this no matter how hard it may seem.
Sounds like you are on the right track with all you are doing for yourself so hang in there! One thing I have learnt is that for me at least it’s going to take some time. Be patient & continue looking after yourself.
Try to keep you BM’s as soft as possible as this helps most with the pain. In regards to the Metamucil my CRS & Gastroenterologist & GP suggested I lay off of it as it was bulking my BM’s up & this increased my pain on both passing them & the pain afterwards. Instead I try getting as much veggies in as possible & am on 1 sachet of Movicol a day instead. Whilst on Metamucil my BM’s were like expander foam from the can stretching the anus & creating insane pain! Just thought it may be worth the mention.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
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Re: hardest thing to write

Postby owmybum » 27 Dec 2013, 05:18

Hi have faith and welcome!,

I second poo-ologist....... Movicol is a fantastic stool softener (also called mirilax in us) no bulking, just retains water in the stool to keep it soft.

I would also look into buying a sitz bath. You can just fill it with warm water and pop it onto the toilet to sit in to give your pelvic muscles a chance to relax when you are in pain. I have found mine invaluable. I bought it off amazon.
Another tip is to put a blob of Vaseline onto your anus just before a BM to protect and lubricate the fissure. It seems to help.

I can totally relate to the misery and anxiety of having a fissure.... It really does take it's toll both mentally and physically. You are in the right place for lots of comfort and support!!!

:wel:

OMB x
fissure after hem banding and tag removal feb 11
Pelvic floor therapy
Diltiazem
Botox June 13
Nitro
Internal flap July 14
EUA and polyps removed Nov 14
Diagnosed with neuropathy Jan 15
Diagnosed with HS EDS type 3 (causes poor wound healing )
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Re: hardest thing to write

Postby havefaith » 27 Dec 2013, 12:54

Thanks for your warm welcome poo-ologist and omb! in your experience is movicol/miralax (im in canada) habit forming? will i ever be able to quit it once i start using it? or slowly wean off of it eventually?

-do you use it every day?
-how does it make your stools?

OMB: I DO have a sitz bath which i forgot to mention, and i do use it after bm's to try to relax the sphincter. I think i scuffed myself on the opposite side with a q tip because now its a bit spasmy there. I will however try the blob of vaseline! ANYTIME that i am sitting, its usually on a heating pad :)

AND DULY NOTED ABOUT THE METAMUCIL!! will NOT BE doing 45 g per day of that EVER..

The one thing i hate about fissures is that just when you think its healed, just when you feel you have that chance, it comes back, or you feel spasms on the other side.. its a test that makes us mentally tough.

I welcome anyone elses advice or remedies that worked for you, im here a humble student, to learn... I want my life back!
I have faith in you always, i love you like my own son or daughter, when you hurt, i hurt. Let us all be each others guiding light, and heal without anxiety :) Much love to all.
havefaith
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Re: hardest thing to write

Postby Poo-ologist » 27 Dec 2013, 14:20

I have been on the Movicol now for approximately 4 months so far. It was a bit of experimentation at the beginning but I now feel as though I’ve roughly worked out the correct dose for me. Obviously it also depends on what you’re eating & how much water you’re consuming with it too.
Initially I started on one sachet a day but being on a low carb / high protein diet it didn’t seem to make too much of a dent. There were days when I felt as though I couldn’t empty my bowels totally & would get back logged for the following day so at times like these I would up the dose to two sachets per day. My best advice is listening to your body.
I’m happy with about 2-3 good evacuations per day, anything more or less starts the unbearable pains up again.
As OMB mentioned Movicol helps your stools retain water content & they slide out easier without the expansion that Metamucil creates.
My stools are at a level 4 on the Bristol Stool chart by using 1 sachet a day. This is just bearable for me. Since increasing my non starchy veg intake I’ve found that one sachet does the trick.
Have a look at the Bristol Stool chart & work out what stool consistency works best for you as we are all different.
All of the Drs I have seen have told me that it isn’t habit forming & is in a classification of its own in regards to laxatives. I’m just taking their word for it. I have certainly found some relief by switching to it & whilst it’s making my pain bearable I will continue to take it until I feel normal again.
I require further investigation as too all the elements that may be causing my pain, so I’m doing whatever needs to be done to get me through.
Good luck with it!
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