Hi SS & Rio,
Thank you both for the welcome! :) I too feel terrible for everyone that is suffering from such pain & wish there was no need to have such a forum!
SS, I apologise if I wasn't clear enough in my post but I do believe I still have a fissure or something as the pain is still there but not always as intense as it initially was. It has its moments.
It was only the GP who managed to do an internal digit investigation from which he said he felt granulation associated with a fissure attempting to heal back in February of this year. My Gastroenterologist did perform a flexible sigmoidoscopy (scope) in August & he said that he couldn't see a fissure only some internal haemorrhoids that really shouldn’t be causing me such pain & that is why he was perplexed & referred me on to the Colorectal Surgeon. The Colorectal Surgeon unfortunately was unable to investigate the area at the time of my appointment due to my intense pain but diagnosed my problem as a fissure just from my history & the kind of pain I had described to him. This is why I'm slightly confused as to what is really going on down there & causing this horrible pain. So far it feels as though everyone is just taking a stab in the dark & I don’t feel as though I have a definite diagnosis as yet. One said yes, one said no, the other says yes!
Rio, I really do appreciate any thoughts, experience & support that others have to offer, thank you!
I’m sorry to hear of your struggles also! L In answer to your question in regards to being gluten free, I’m not completely gluten free. I do allow myself one slice of toast in the morning or a small bowl of cereal a day but never on its own & make sure I have some form of protein to help balance it out.
My GP tried me on a Gluten free diet for a few months many years ago & it didn’t seem to make any difference at that time. Perhaps I should give it another go? The extremely painful periods with heavy bleeding started from day one with me from my first period at the age of 11. I was quite a thin & extremely active child so for me I don’t believe the weight had too much impact on it as it hurt like mad both thin & podgy.
So do you believe the MRI scanning is successful with diagnosing a fissure? I did ask my GP about it & she informed me that it wasn’t an accurate form of testing for it.
Rio you also asked about my pain. Well I’ve experienced so many different types of pain sensations during this ordeal so I’ll try my best to describe them.
Initially from about 2011 before any other pain had started my bottom didn’t feel quite right. It felt as though from the anus & approximately 2 inches up into the rectum felt numb as if though it had no sensation in it what so ever. It felt as though I could feel faecal matter build up above that 2 inches yet not pass through that area on the way out. Then later an itching, burning pain had begun with the occasional stabbing with a sharp knife sensation. This continued on & off throughout that year. Next I had started to always feel like my insides were going to fall out & that my entire pelvic area was constantly under pressure. I’ve always suffered from terrible wind from the IBS yet my anus often felt so tight & difficult to pass it. Somewhat like a knot in a balloon with all the wind building up behind it.
Next I had blood intertwined in my stools a couple of times & had the 3 day faecal testing done in which no blood was found.
Then along came the blood in the toilet bowl episode after passing the hard BM early this year & from that time on the pain sensations were varied. There was burning, itching, aching, stabbing, throbbing, tightening & I literally felt as though I had a mass of something the size of a grapefruit wedged up my behind! The pressure pain was insane! Felt as though I was going to explode! The pain radiated into my abdomen & through the groin area half way down my legs & at times all the way into my feet! During this time I also found it difficult at times to pass urine. The pressure on the tailbone region was so intense that I swore it would break through the skin! At that time I was sent for a pelvic ultrasound to rule out the presence of any cysts.
The pain occurred 24/7 & intensified for 3 weeks of a month; the week prior to menses the week of menses & the week following menses. The only time I felt relief was when I was asleep. After 9 months of this I was completely worn & broken, completely helpless & hopeless. :’( I had to leave work as I had nothing left to give. It definitely hurt more after periods of standing, or sitting & applying pressure on the bottom area & best when lying down.
The pain could start upon opening my eyes but mostly it started anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes after my first morning BM, intensified with each & everyone there after & lasted until I fell asleep.
I had begun to feel slightly better for a couple of weeks in early November & was hopeful that the nightmare may be nearing its end so I decided to have a pedicure to pep myself up & then before I could say no the nail assistant turned on the massage chair which gave me a sudden jolt up the backside, I jumped so high from the striking pain I narrowly missed taking the poor pedicurists teeth out! So it had all started back up again.
I currently still experience all of the above mentioned pain sensations but perhaps not as constantly & not as intensely as before. I do however always feel as though I have a seed or something sharp embedded on the back wall of the rectum & a burning sensation through into the back of my vaginal wall.
Sorry for my ramble but I hope this brings you a clearer idea as to what I’m feeling.
Big hugs back!