Hi all,
I am a 27-year-old female that has had a chronic fissure for 4 months. One important thing to know about me is that I'm plant-based, so I have a very high-fiber diet.
I developed my first anal fissure in January of 2019 which last for 4 weeks and was healed using nitroglycerin ointment. Fast-forward a year later, and the same fissure reopened. I recently moved, so I found a CRS in my area to have the fissure checked. He prescribed me nifedipine which did nothing to alleviate the pain. After 6 weeks of no change, I went back to see the CRS and he wanted to schedule me for botox and LIS, which I declined because I've heard of the side effects of the procedure and wanted to do more research. I asked the doctor to prescribe me Rectiv for the time being and he did. This gave me more relief than the nifedipine but did not heal it completely.
I made an appointment to get a second opinion with a new CRS in the area at the beginning of April. What's crazy was at the time of the appointment, I had been a week pain-free but still wanted to be checked. The new CRS gently examined me and said the fissure seemed to be healing and to continue doing whatever I was doing to heal it. After the appointment, I had an additional week without pain, then after one stool with a hard tip, the fissure reopened. I entered back into the cycle of pain (but with very little blood) for another 3 weeks. Last week, I had no pain for about 6 days then reopened the fissure again last Friday. I have no idea how it opened considering the stool was as soft as can be (however it was not diarrhea).
In terms of what I've been doing at home, I've been taking sitz baths 2-4 times a day (I even purchased a sitz bath that has a hose to gently clean the area after a BM). I have also been using the Rectiv 2x a day, along with coconut oil, olive oil and aloe to attempt to soothe the area. I drink plenty of water as well. My fiance` is also an acupuncturist and had been treating me with acupuncture in the area as well. I've tried anal massages by putting on a finger condom, applying coconut oil to my pointer finger and gently massaging inside the anus. I bought a squatty potty for optimal BM positioning and even dowloaded a mindfulness meditation app to get my emotions and stress from this under control.
I take 2 colace a day, along with 1 magnesium citrate supplement and 17mg of miralax. Also, because I am vegan, I have a naturally high-fiber diet, as I consume plenty of veggies and legumes a day. I've wondered if maybe I'm consuming too much fiber and that's making my stools dense. I've played around with this for the past few weeks but have not seen a change (lowering my fiber intake, counting how many grams of fiber I eat a day, etc.).
I'm at the end of my rope here. The throbbing after BMs can be debilitating. I'm constantly in a state of depression and I feel horrible venting to my fiance` and mom who have been supportive, but also feel helpless. I'm terrified to get LIS, as I've heard horror stories about the side effects. I also plan on having children in the next few years. I'm also getting married in 5 months, and the thought of not being able to dance or stand for more than 10 minutes at my own wedding causes me severe stress and depression.
I'm so sorry for the novel, but any at-home remedies or advice is appreciated and welcomed. It's comforting to know there is a community of support here, and I look forward to talking with you all soon.