by FDP » 13 Jan 2014, 17:34
Hi, sorry I haven't posted in a while, yes I am happy to say I have been busy getting better! I think I can finally share tips on what I have done/am doing to try and stay better:
1. BOTOX
I had botox injections about a month ago and it has done wonders to eliminate the pain. if you can, i highly reccommend doing it. I live in Australia and have private health insurance. I ended up being $1500 out of pocket but it was worth every cent and would do it again if I had to. Surgery was painless and it took about 4 days for the spasms pain to be entirely gone after a BM. you can still feel a little pain if your stool passes the fissure but its a walk in the park and laughable compared to the horrifying nightmare it used to be.
2. STRICT DIET
Here is what I have been typically eating. it may not seem like a lot but its important to graze rather than have any large meals. i was starving for the first couple of days but my stomach must have shrunk because its enough now.
breakfast - 4 prunes with half a cup of low fat custard
mid-morning snack - 2 cruskitts with peanut butter and honey and/or an 'up n go' (liquid cereal drink)
lunch - 3 cruskitts with avocado and fetta or ricotta & sun dried tomatoes
afternoon snack - mango and a sneaky piece of milk chocolate
dinner - sweet potato and pumpkin mash with baby spinach and 2 baby beetroots. 2-3 times per week I also have a little (handful) chicken or fish.
dessert - ice cream
No matter how hungry you are just stick to this diet for at least 2 months, then slowly start introducing other foods but have them together with other soft foods like sweet potato mash or avocado.
Also very important, drink 2-3 litres of water a day. carry a 1 litre drink bottle with you wherever you go and keep it filled. fill before you go to bed and have it handy for the night feeds.
Foods to stay away from for at least 6 months to a year:
Bread
Hard cheese
Pizza
Anything processed
Foods high in saturated fat
3. MEDICATION
I've been using Rectogesic twice a day for about 8 weeks now. I think it does work but only if you have a good diet. One of the ingredients is lanolin so you can use Lasinoh breastfeeding nipple cream instead if you are worried about the side affects.
Magnesium tablets also helped a bit with the pain before I had the botox. So did Nurofen Zavance.
I also used Coloxyl Green for stool softeners before bed but found after following the above diet I didn't need them anymore.
If you are travelling or it looks like you might miss the days BM, dont hesitate, take a laxative like Normacol or Movicol. You really don't want to have a hard stool and undo all the good work you've done.
SWEDISH BITTERS - MIRACLE CURE?
I hope Im not jinxing myself for saying this but I have also discovered that Swedish Bitters is a bit of a miracle cure. About a week ago I had a bad re-tear from caving and eating pizza (NEVER AGAIN!!). So bad I was soaking up 4 tissues of blood. So I put a little bit of Swedish bitters onto a cotton ball and then right after a BM, stuck the cotton ball on my butt, pressing hard enough for it to sting. I then left it in between my cheeks for about half an hour. The sting went away after a couple mins. Next day - No bleeding! It has been a week now and I only once bled a pindrop of blood after a BM but repeated the process above and it was gone again the very next day!! Now I don't know what the pain involved would be if I didn't have the botox so please use with caution!
4. WHEN GOING TO THE TOILET
When you go, try only go once a day but if you feel the urge, go right away. Holding it in will only make it worse.
Try let it 'fall' out REALLY SLOWLY rather than straining.
Use baby wipes or flushable wipes soaked in witch hazel. Aldi sells flushable wipes for $3.
5. ENJOY EACH MOMENT WHEN NOT IN PAIN
try not to fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself after having a bad BM. Tell yourself that negativity and depression will prolong your condition so make an effort to surround yourself in things that make you happy. Know that fissures heal overnight so live by the motto, "tomorrow is another day and it could very well be a day with no pain."
Im not saying Im completely cured but im finding that im having more good days than bad which is better than having more bad days than good :)