New fissure problem, I think...please read - Bowel Disorders Message Board

jbar47 · 12-24-2006, 08:47 PM

I had a bad fissure at the beginning of the year. I had a sphincterotomy in late March, but never achieved full healing. The surgeon said it was healing, but I was still getting occasional soreness and blood on the stool. In Sept. they did a colonoscopy and found a had a case of Proctitis. They gave me Canasa suppositories and a referral to a Gastro. This Gastro basically did nothing but tell me to keep doing the suppositories. Well, since then I've had two times where things have gotten pretty bad. I have terrible pain when I go, and often I don't actually go very much, but my whole lower body tenses up to the point that my legs and buttocks are sore for a while after. Recently, there's been a great deal of blood.

I was seeing mild improvement around Thanksgiving and thought things were getting better. But then I saw another Gastro for a 2nd opinion. His assistant did a digital exam and sincwe then its been very bloody and painful.

I am tired of the rectal surgeon pushing me off onto a Gastro, and I'm tired of the Gastro telling me they think it's another fissure, only to have the surgeon say it's not. Mind you, the Gastro will not address a fissure - you need a surgeon for that. I've been through a year of complete Hell over this, and have contemplated some terrible solutions.

Can anyone tell me who they would see if they were in my shoes - the Gastro or the surgeon? Again, I think it's another fissure. Also, I can't use the suppositories they gave me because it's oo painful to insert them right now. I really think I'm entitled to some answers by some doctor. A human has to have BMs, and it's not humane to know how much I am in pain and nobody wants to do anything.

Also, do you guys think it's appropriate for me to refuse another digital exam unless they sedate me? The last couple times I had one I yelled so loud that people in the waiting rom heard me.

lodgen · 12-25-2006, 10:36 AM

on the 7 of this month i had three hem removed,lateral sym,fissuremontery,
i was bleeding everyday four days ago i had to have emergency repair because one of my stitches came apart and i was hemmorging,its been a nightmare,all i can tell you is that i had one of the best colorectal surgen
tell me that bleeding and pain from these operation can take a long time
to go away,it depends on the amount and damage and repair was needed,
i had three different thing done and he told me it will take a long time to heal
and expect bads days for a while.my stools are soft and i do not strain but
i bleed and have pain its all cut up down there and you use it every day its
a hard place to heal. if you had a symomentery like to said , maybe the fissure was not repair i had a flap put over mine, or it could be scar tissue
on it that was not removed. find another colorectal doctor for another
opinion .stick with broth and veg soups and shakes with fruit and yoga rt or
protien shakes,and take olive oil . you must have free flowing bm no mater
if you bleed , if not it gets worst.

Jenny1207 · 12-25-2006, 01:01 PM

if i were you, i would go back to the surgeon. i just had a sphincterotomy myself on december 13th, almost 2 weeks ago. things are going great right now. basically no pain and i haven't seen any blood since the day after the surgery. i hope it stays this good and i don't end up getting another one down the road. are you taking fiber supplements? i would encourage that, to keep you regular... it's not good to not be going very much. i go everyday. since i've had the surgery, i've been doing sitz baths everyday... i don't wanna be too graphic or sounds gross... but a nurse that was helping me at the hospital suggested going to the bathroom while doing the sitz bath helps a whole lot... and she is right. i didn't mean to go, but being in the hot water, plus just having the surgery done combined, kinda made me go. but it was so painfree and you can also just pour it out and start over. she suggested it so i tried it. it helped me very much. i would suggest sitz baths for you as well. but i really recommend getting back to that surgeon, it's most likely another fissure if you are having that same pain again. doctors are ridiculous these days... i'm sorry for what you're going through. i hope it all works out. take care!

2good2bthru · 12-25-2006, 08:49 PM

I had a hemmoidectomy in July, followed by anal abcess surgery in late July from infection. He failed to find anal fissure so had to go back in and do a third surgery in early August, and I am still having problems now. I have to shower after every bm to get the residual out. I have a hand held shower sprayer so it helps. I thought things were getting better, but I am torn up again. I am seeing the dr. again Jan 4th and I hope he has answers. All I have had up to now is disappointment. I don't know what the answer is to your question, but I do share in your pain. Good luck.

ericollin · 12-26-2006, 09:41 AM

I would recommend finding a new colorectal surgeon if I were you. If a doctor is not listening to you and helping you with the amount of pain you are in, it is time to find a new one. Are there any teaching hospitals near you? They seem to have some of the best doctors/surgeons around.

I am suffering from a fissure right now and it is a LOT of pain. So I can sympathize with you. My present surgeon says that if I am not healed when I see him next week that we are going to talk about surgery. I really do not want to do another rectal surgery (had a hemorrhoidectomy in Sept.) so I have been looking into alternatives. I talked with another person who had a really bad fissure and she healed hers with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). It is not cheap and it is very time-consuming but her fissure (which she says was one of the worst that her doctor had ever seen) was healed with 3 months of this treatment. Sometimes medical insurance covers this and sometimes not. When I called a HBOT place near me, the woman on the phone claims that they have healed a lot of people with fissures. This was good to hear!

Hang in there! WE WILL GET BETTER!!!
ericollin