Hello everyone,
I'm an early-twenties male who recently moved to NYC and have been dealing with an AF for some time. My stubbornness can no longer compete with my need to seek some help and advice. Some background:
- I had constipation issues during my teen years, and was prescribed laxatives by a doctor for some time, but was more regular in college and did not require any more medication.
- One year ago I visited a developing country for two weeks and came down with dysentery and indigestion, at times causing me to have diarrhea upwards of six times a day. It was not fun, to say the least. At several points, I was not sure whether I had actually had gotten to the bucket in time (no power or flush :/ ). I was prescribed an antibiotic, pedialyte, and a few other medications that were temporary and were not fully explained to me due to the language barrier.
- When I returned, I got better and then immediately resumed a typically unhealthy American diet (pasta, meat, etc) and was greeted with instant constipation. One week after my return, I felt an odd itching during a difficult BM. I thought nothing of it, but it became worse over the course of days, usually after I had a BM. Finally one day I was walking down the sidewalk when the itch became unbearable. I scratched fairly vigorously, way past the point of caring how I looked, and when I got home to investigate there was blood on the toilet paper.
- A walk-in clinic (had no insurance at the time) doctor took a look/feel and diagnosed a "minor" anal fissure. He prescribed diltiazem ointment to be used 2x per day with proper hygiene, soaking baths, etc. This combination helped, but my problem has recurred almost every other week for the last ten months. I stopped eating meat and have since eaten primarily whole grains, nuts, yogurt, quinoa, beans, spinach, and other healthier foods. My fiber intake is upwards of 20g on most days (sometimes much higher). I use wet wipes or my hand with water (obviously wash my hands after) to clean after BMs, and often shower/bathe after.
- I have mostly soft bowel movements, which I actually can't stand; they do not "pinch off" cleanly and no matter how well I clean I will have an absolutely unbearable itch and burn whenever I move an inch. If I return to the bathroom to clean more, there is always more stool around the rectum where I had cleaned.
- Sometimes I go a week with normal-consistency, clean BMs with little to no itch and requiring no cleanup. Then (this often correlates with minor anxiety or a simple change in my routine like vacation, etc.) I will have a BM that feels hot, too soft, and does not have a clear "end". When I wipe and see stool on the wipe, this means that I am in for days of itching and burning, and holding-back of BMs when I am running around at work (can't deal with the itch afterward is I go at work).
This was a very long post, and even I am not sure what I'm asking here. I'm really at a loss. Do I go straight to a CRS? Is this even possible? I have just started applying petroleum jelly before BMs but can already feel that it is not helping much with messy BMs. I haven't seen blood since I swore off toilet paper and started only sporadically using wet wipes (About a month ago), but I just had a whole vacation ruined and feel like "crap".
Ugh. Sorry if this was too long, and thanks for your time.