New and desperate

My name is Jackie and can't believe I've found this site! I never knew how common a fissure can be as I had never heard of it before and no one else I know had either. I'm 29 and have a two year old daughter and husband who are suffering as much as me. I started experiencing pain after Xmas and after three visits to the doctor ( without an examination I might add) and being told I just had piles I finally got referred to the surgeons, after weeks of agony I saw then and was given Diltiazem (after using GTN which never worked and made me ill) . I used the Diltiazem fir three weeks religiously aswell as drinking Slippery Elm and improving my diet ( this is twice as hard as I am Anorexic aswell and have been since I was 13) but last week u was admitted to hospital as the pain was worse, I was given an exploratory op and also a shot of Botox, I thought after that it would all be over but now nearly a week later I am still in agony after the toilet and as I'm on so much Tramadol I'm struggling to go too .
I don't know what else to do, I drink at lease 5 cups of slippery elm, 3 sachets of Fybogel, 1 sachet of Movical, I take Aloe Vera juice 3 tbsp a day, Acidophilus probiotics 2 caps, vitamin E and vitamin C , I have Activia prune yogurt every night but I do struggle with my food due to the anorexia , I no longer drink coffee which I used to drink constantly or fizzy diet drinks which I also used to drink all the time. I suffer tummy pains and bloating every day but j put that down to the years of starving as that was there long before the fissure.
So there it is, that's me, I hope this place helps as I also suffer depression and am litteraly losing the will to live .

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jackie,

Could you try an anti-depressant and reduce some of your many supplements and try taking more Movicol if your stools are still too firm. Don't get discouraged. Many here have healed and you can too. The mental attitude is equally important to your healing.

Welcome Jackie !
I am sorry to read about your pain and also the anorexia ! It is a concern that you are not getting the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to heal, food is your medicine ! Have you had any help for the anorexia ?
I had botox for my fissure and that first week or so I was sore due to the EVA and the shots but I did find relief straight off, you sound like you are in so much pain
Botox can be hit and miss , most here it’s a miss, Did your CRS mention LIS atall ?
I would thinking about coming off the fybogel this can make BMS bulky and if you do not take enough water bms can be slow moving and can cause pain for the fissure..
Movicol is a godsend I take it too, maybe you could up the dose of this instead of using the fybogel ? Just a suggestion..

Hi Jackie and welcome!

Sounds like you have a bad case of AF attitude, which is not a good thing to have to tote around. we can all relate here to the feelings of despair and dread in thinking this thing will ruin our lives forever, but in all likelihood, it won't.
Feel free to come here and rant or just get things off you chest, and do read through the threads and I am sure you will find tidbits of information that can really help you cope with both the pain and frustration.

Remember, there are still options including surgery and be vigilant with your diet and don't forget the hot baths daily!

welcome Jackie.We can all understand here how you feel.
Dont lose hope yet.I feel you should have a healthy diet first.Its better to stop so many supplements and stick to one.even stress can worsen your fissure.Tramadol must be causing the constipation.
Do keep your options open.

Welcome

I too would suggest reducing all the stuff you take and maybe stick with Movicol, but do it slowly.

What are you eating? Have BMs always been a problem?

Eat soft food, sea food, avocado, smoothies, take oils, etc. if you have constipation.

If you have stomach pain you should try to eat food that can calm down your stomach. Boiled rice, for example and other stuff you know is good for your stomach...

Good luck!

Corsi

I spent 20 mins writing a reply then lost it! Aghh
Thank you all for your encouragement
I have taken your advice Corsi and Tabby and have stopped the Fybogel, will stick to Movical and Slippery Elm. My diet consists of those drinks then:
Breakfast: half small bowl of Jordans Natural Muesli with milk
Lunch: either a White bread or granary bread sandwich with chicken or ham
Tea: eg; portion of cheese omellette and mixed veg
Supper: two slice toast and peanut butter ( granary), 1 activia yogurt and an Ensure drink supplement from doc
this has been really hard for me to achieve and I manage to take that every day, same. There is never any changes or any extras, I have my anorexia to thank for that. It's also difficult for me to alter my diet too much as I have an agreement with my husband that this is the plan and if I try to change things he suspects it's to try and reduce my calories ( I am not to be trusted as far as food goes).
Kim you are right about the attitude, I am so used to being negative all the time I struggle alot with being positive
Tabby what is a CRS and also a LIS? I'm guessing the CRS is maybe the surgeon and I know the LiS is an op but what does it stand for?

Thanks again folks xxxxx

Well, Jackie, it is good that you are open and up-front about your anorexia and food problems. Diet is a crucial thing in trying to treat an AF. I am glad you drink an ensure each night, I do the same just for the little extra nutritional edge it provides.

Do you eat a cheese omelet everyday? Has constipation ever been a problem with you? When you got your AF around Christmas, did you have any diarrhea, constipation or recall having a hard, large "cutting" stool? (and perhaps seeing a little blood?)

Can you describe your pain, when does it occur, how intense and how long does it last? Do you get the clenching spasms after a BM?

CRS stands for Colo-rectal surgeon, most likely the surgeon who recommended the nefedipine and did your procedure. LIS is short for the sphinctertomy, the surgical cut that can be performed on your internal sphincter to relax it, which will allow for increased blood flow to the site of your fissure and allow your fissure to heal.

Peachy724 wrote:
My diet consists of those drinks then:
Breakfast: half small bowl of Jordans Natural Muesli with milk
Lunch: either a White bread or granary bread sandwich with chicken or ham
Tea: eg; portion of cheese omellette and mixed veg
Supper: two slice toast and peanut butter ( granary), 1 activia yogurt and an Ensure drink supplement from doc

You seem to have a healthy diet...
Are you constipated? (you said you had problems going). What is the problem, the beginning of the BM?

I see you start with fibre and milk in the morning, milk may clog you up, but you know what's best for you. I understand that you need milk for the nutrition and calories, but could you move it to another meal if it clogs you up?

Cheese can also constipate.

Fibre can cause problems too if you take too much in one meal...at least I get problems then.

More than 2 eggs per day may also cause that slow moving feeling.

Have you tried avocado, it is high in fibre and the healthy fat. What about fruit like plums, cherry, nectarine, strawberry, etc.

Again, you know what is best for you so be be careful to change things too quickly.

To me it's best to spread my fiber intake throughout the day.

Corsi

Jackie,

I agree with Corsi--spread your fiber throughout the day. We like Scots here!! Good luck!

Kim you asked about the pain, well like others it starts after a BM but not always, sometimes it just starts when it feels like it. Sometimes the pain is throbbing sometimes it is just constant stinging and it lasts for about 12 hours, some days I'm lucky and it only lasts for 4-5 hours, ocassionally it wakes me early morning at bout 4 and then that's me !
Also Kim I don't have cheese omelette every day, I'd never get away with that! Hehe tonight I'm making toad in the hole with veg. I have always had tummy/ constipation bother since I started my eating problems so for about 17 years I guess but never had this before and when the AF started I can't recall any particular difficult time, not even sure when the pain started. And I think I'm pretty sure I get the spasms but maybe not much since the Botox .
Corsi, the difficult thing about all the fruit is as it is low calorie I would need to eat alot of it to make up my daily calories which is very difficult for me, I know I am my own worst enemy at times. Do you think that as my BMI is only 15.8 I am preventing the fissure from healing quickly? Would weight gain speed up the process?

Forgot to add thanks Cheryl it's nice to be liked hehe xx

Yes, I would go easy on the cheese!

It's possible that being drastically underweight can affect your AF healing rate, but more likely it is how tight your anal region is. Since it does appear you have spasms ( you said the pain can start at any time and also the botox seems to have helped -- and the spasms is what the botox is most likely to help with ) then you may be a candidate for LIS surgery if the botox treatment(s) don't work.

We have several boardies who have had the botox, maybe they will ring in here and give you their take on how well it helped them.

I will have to research to find out how below-average your BMI is; most of us get pretty darned skinny while having an AF!

Jackie,

I wear the Scottish flag and Scottish emblem when I golf!!

I drank Ensure about a year ago to gain weight when I got too thin because of the AF. I am no longer underweight and it is difficult for me to believe that I was trying to GAIN weight a year ago. Maybe try an A/D to help your mood.

xx

Your diet does sound Ok Jackie but your BMI is well under, that’s makes you very underweight unless you are very petite ??
I do understand your anorexia I had similar issues in my teenage years, I think now that is probley the cause of my IBS and maybe even fissures !
That’s why I say food is your medicine now ! For me being seriously underweight and ill frightened me, now I would never ever miss a meal or such !
Please take care of your body ..

Hang in there with the botox, I found it sometimes made bowel movements a little slow moving , I think because the muscle is paralysed, so very good idea to cut out the fybogel ! I would also ditch white breads, pasta, rice, switch to wholewheat.
I hope the botox helps you