Hi everyone,
I just stumbled upon this forum through an internet search for remedies for my 3+ week old anal fissure. I have so many questions going through my head and it kills me to not have answers when I'm in so much pain and seemingly no end in sight. I just feel very helpless and sad. I've never had an anal fissure, am 30 years old, am a mom to a 3 month old baby boy that I absolutely adore and wish I can spend every waking moment with instead of tending to this stupid fissure.
I've had hemorrhoids all my life but never an anal fissure. Hemorrhoids I can deal with but I didn't realize how utterly painful fissures are until I got them. At first I didn't think much of it, thinking it'd go away the next time I have a BM but after about 4x with the same intense razor-like sharp pain, I then realized it was something a lot more serious that needed my attention so I went to see a gastroenterologist (he just confirmed my suspicions, 1 "medium-sized" fissure and suggested some home treatments I already had read up about and have been practicing already), read everything I could read on the subject matter and am now doing everything I possibly can to heal this thing!! My question for you veterans are... (and I am very appreciative if you can shed some light on this)
1) How long does it take (once you start the home treatments) until you feel a lot less pain during BMs? Right now the pain has not subsided and it is an intense, sharp pain right before a BM since I think it comes from slowly opening the sphincter. Once the stool is on its way out, the pain subsides dramatically. But then I get spasms for hours which the sitz baths have helped a lot but still will last a couple of hours sometimes.
2) How the heck will it ever heal if you have to have a BM daily and each time I feel like it's just re-opening the wound? ): That is what I am most curious about... am I opening the wound back up when I go each time? How would I know??
3) How do you know once it is completely healed??
Thanks so much for your responses. I appreciate any answers I can get at this point. Childbirth is nothing compared to a fissure!! This has got to be the worst thing I've ever had and so I'm just praying it'll heal soon and I can get on with my life!