Hi! I am a mom of four and a chronic anal fissure sufferer while nursing only.
After each kid I have developed a fissure (or several) on the inside only, at 2 weeks post partum.
I am a huge breastfeeding adovocate and suffer through the fissures for 12 months after each child to give them the best start at life.
I have tried many things since my first fissure in 2004.
-nitroglycerin cream
-wheatgrass cream
-diet changes (obviously)
-compounded anal fissure gels
-dilation surgery also including a small cut into my sphincter muscle to try to relax it.
-stool Softners
-estrogen cream (estrace)
-sitz baths
A homeopathic dr has recommended that I try nitricum acidum pellets which I am picking up later this week because they're 35 miles away. He says I am the worst case he's heard of.
My stools are mostly fine. I will have one hard one that will just ruin me for months. After a bowl movement, even when soft, I will have about 8 hours of pain due to my "overactive" sphincter muscle. (Even when the BM wasn't painful) I eat Motrin all day and that hardly eases it.
It is so hard to be a happy person and care for my children (plus my daycare children) when I am in this pain. It has robbed my of my happiness. It ruined my first marriage and is putting strain on my current relationship.
I just want to be able to nurse my babies and not have it cause such tramatic pain. I love breastfeeding my babies. This is all so heartbreaking to me. I constantly find myself asking why me? What did I do to deserve this? It is so hard to deal with. I'm glad to have found this forum. It helps to know that I am not alone.
I guess my main question is how much estrace I should be using daily? My midwife didn't know what to recommend because I am her first case and I found the idea for this treatment on my own and there aren't many studies. So if you have used estrogen cream how much were you prescribed and did it help at all?