Anal Fissures

[jasonD2]

Anyone have any experiences w/ fissures? ive had one for almost 10 years - it actually went away for a while but as soon as my bowels get messed up it gets aggravated. its really bad now.

Last year i had to have surgery for a fistula and now i might have to go back for a 2nd surgery to repair this fissure. I wanted the doc to fix it when i was in surgery last yr but he said he didnt see it.

I take magnesium daily but whenever i eat something different or something i shouldnt it acts up and then i need to double up on the Mg, which gives me the runs all day...not pleasant

any suggestions on treatment aside from surgery?

[mamaw]

Family member had one for over 30 years & tried all kinds of so called cures. Finally had surgery & no problems for the last ten years--- well worth the surgery. The dangers of not surgery is cancer, infection , pain & bleeding. Our family member was very lucky in having it 30 years & no terrible outcomes. The surgery was very easy & not alot of pain. Family member was afraid of surgery too...bleeding daily was so bad ......

[jasonD2]

Fissures do not cause cancer- My doctor told me that

Did your family member have any issues with incontinence after the surgery?

[jasonD2]

See link:

Open Original Shared Link

[burdee]

I had an anal fissure about a year before my hemorhoids required surgery. I treated the fissure with a hydrocortisone ointment. I completely forgot about that fissure after hemorroid surgery. LOL However after surgery I received a 'sitzbath' device which I used to heal the area and prevent future hemorrhoid flareups. If I used that before my hemorrhoids got so bad, I might not have needed surgery. I'd try sitzbath treatment for your fissure before you consider surgery.

I also react to food allergens and intestinal parasites with constipation. So I consume daily magnesium, high dose probiotics, liquids and high fiber foods to prevent constipation and subsequent hemorrhoids.

[SGWhiskers]

I've been wondering where you were. Welcome back. I'm sorry your body is giving you trouble. I hope you get it figured out.

Best wishes,

SGW

[mamaw]

the doctor that mentioned things that could happen without surgery after all other things failed could cause a rectal cancer. Now I'm no doctor but he stated after all that time(30) years that could be a possibilty.. So I guess our family member is glad it is in the past now. also not a pleasant dating subject when a guy is getting on with a special someone & the relationship blossoms. severe bleeding & infection was always a problem....

[buffettbride]

Have you been tested for Crohn's? My best friend has similar symptoms (and worse, actually, to the extreme). There are a lot of non-surgical treatments for Crohn's but surgery (at least in my friend's case) has always been needed for the fissures and fistulas.

[celiacsuz]

Have you been tested for Crohn's? My best friend has similar symptoms (and worse, actually, to the extreme). There are a lot of non-surgical treatments for Crohn's but surgery (at least in my friend's case) has always been needed for the fissures and fistulas.

Hi, I'm new here. I've been reading for a couple of years. This site has been a life saver!

My nephew had the same thing. He has Crohn's.

[jasonD2]

dont have chrones - colonoscopy was clean

[Frances03]

I've had the surgery, about 9 years ago when I was only 29 or 30, and I will tell you the surgery is a piece of CAKE compared to the living hell of having a fissure. I was IMMEDIATELY better after the surgery. I mean immediately. Like I hadn't even gotten up from the bed yet! Also, I had a newborn baby and I refused to be put under for the surgery, so I had it done with a spinal. I was awake for the entire thing. And, it didn't come back in 8 years, until right before my celiac diagnosis when a small one returned after major constipation. That one was cured almost immediately with the ointment (I forget what it's called right now but someone mentioned it in a previous answer to your question). Since then I've been fine. If it ever came back and stayed longer than a week, I'd be right back in there having surgery again, I mean it!!

[Skylark]

I have a male relative who had the surgery. He had no problems afterward and was glad he did it.

[T.H.]

Oh goodness, I feel for you!

I had horrific anal fissure during and after both pregnancies, ugh. Very painful, and they kept opening after every BM, or every time things went crazy like you've mentioned, if BM consistency changed.

This is what helped me - I did a lot of research, tried lots of stuff that didn't work, but it was years ago and I don't have the links anymore I'm afraid. Two things together were what ended up helping me finally.

1. I went for a while eating foods that made my BM's soft - softeners, or prunes, whatever worked. Drank TONS of water, too. That helped a little.

2. The second part is a bit odd, but swear to god it helped unbelievably. A few times I've had fissures or hemorrhoids since then and this always helps.

**Gonna be pretty graphic now, begging pardon in advance.**

When you have a BM, don't actually sit on the toilet. Squat over the toilet, just an inch or so off, it that's the best you can do. You might need to hold on to something at first. I came across this when researchers were talking about how much rarer hemorrhoids and problems like this were in cultures who don't sit down on the toilet. Some people took a look and one of the theories is that it is in part because your muscles act differently when you have to squat vs. sitting completely. Your inner muscles can't relax completely like they do when you sit down completely.

As a result, they compress the feces more when you defecate, and that means that your inner area doesn't expand as much, which means that it's less likely to open up your fissures. Seems to keep more pressure against the hemorrhoids, too, and helps them not puff out as much.

So...waaaay more info. than you wanted, eh?

The fissures did best with something that softened the stool plus the squatting rather than just one or the other, for me, at least. It's hard to get used to not sitting down, I'll admit, but seriously, it helped so much I was shocked.

Don't know if it will work for you - it was mostly anecdotal information other than the one study, but I'd add my anecdotal story to the ones I found at the time. Hope that it might help you!