by tiredjay » 17 Jun 2013, 15:51
While I have been a member of this forum (and frequent lurker) for quite some time, I haven’t posted much. Let me first start by saying that I am 6 weeks post-house advancement flap and curious as to how much longer it should take for me to be “normal” again. Although 99% of the pain from surgery is gone, I still have pain at the incision site where my CRS sutured the flap onto my anus. I still have that sharp pain there where the incision site is when going to the bathroom (my bms are soft and pencil thin) and I’m getting a little concerned that it isn’t going to heal. What makes this all worse is that I this intense burning pain which I discovered is an allergic contact dermitis from Cottenelle wipes that I have been using (I found out that this is actually quite common because the wipes contain a chemical that can cause a severe allergic reaction in certain people). Anyway, I guess I want to know how long it takes for these advancement flaps to heal and if I should be getting worried at this point. I thought this would be a wonder-fix, but it seems like the healing process is taking forever.
Here’s my story for a little background:
I’m a 26 year old gay male with a monogamous committed partner of almost 4 years. I first had my fissure in Nov of 2011 after having a rough bm. While it initially healed by itself within 2 weeks, I kept retearing every 3 weeks or so. I went to my GP in March of 2012 and was prescribed Nifedipine. I was stupid and didn’t fill the prescription until May of 2012 as I felt like I had healed. After trying the Nifedipine without much success I went to my first CRS in June of 2012, who advised me that things looked like they were healing and to keep using the Nifedipine. They also did an anoscope and told me I was not a candidate for surgery because my pressure was normal/low. I returned to the CRS in August as I kept retearing. During that visit they thought I had anal warts (which I informed them was nearly impossible), and they took a biopsy then and there just to be safe. After 2 weeks of healing time, they informed me that they made a mistake and no anal warts (thankfully). In November I went back to the CRS because of re-tears and an intense burning pain (which I just learned was an allergic reaction to the wipes I was learning at the time). The CRS told me that there was basically nothing they could do for me and that “some people just have to learn how to deal with anal fissures.” I was devastated.
I eventually went to another CRS and have had an incredible experience with him. He has actually spent time with me and was willing to listen to what my concerns/goals were with treatment. He suggested Botox, which I had at the beginning of January 2013. Unfortunately I kept re-tearing with the Botox and did not really have much control of flatulence (luckily my lack of control was never at an inopportune time and the little dignity I have left was spared). The next talk I had with this CRS was surgery. I had concerns with LIS because of the anoscope indicating low pressure and my lack of control with Botox. My CRS said that the anoscope is actually not a good indicator of continence after LIS but he shared my concern about the lack of flatulence control so he agreed to do a house-advancement flap. I had my flap done on May 7th, 2013 and have been in the healing process ever since. The healing has been somewhat uneventful aside from two sutures at the top of the wound coming out 2 weeks after surgery. I had an emergency appointment and my CRS said everything looked fine and was healing nicely. Anyway, I’m terrified that this surgery isn’t the end. I haven’t been able to be intimate with my partner for a year and a half and this whole thing has been taking over my life. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel or am I just being impatient at the moment? Thanks