Awful fissure! Please chime in!

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

R

rose*flo

Joined
Apr 3, 2015
Messages
32
Hi, I posted this in fistula section as well but only got one reply. Wanted to see if anyone else has experienced anything like this. Also have added on another question.

I have a large fissure. I also have Crohns. I know Crohns fissures are more complex than fissure in healthy person. I don't have any other Crohns symptoms besides a fistula I've had for 10 years. I believe I developed fissure after a colonoscopy a few months ago. It has been basically debilitating as there is severe pain all day. The only time it feels a little better is when I'm sleeping. I have been using 2 prescription ointments for over a month now plus baths and heating pads. My colorectal surgeon said surgery will only make it worse and she thinks Humira will help, but my GI said my CRS will have to deal with the fissure. What other options do I have? I am literally laying down much of the day because of the pain of sitting or standing

*has anyone had a fissure heal from a course of prednisone? My CRS thinks it's my Crohns causing it and if I can get that under control it will help. But, I can't start Humira right away so was wondering if pred would help.
 
Hi,
Sorry, I just saw your post. I'm afraid I don't have any answers. Its been a long time since I had one.
 
Sorry rose*flo, I have never had the fun of having a fissure (My Crohns is further up the GI tract.) Predinsone, however, has a reputation of healing everything in site, so I would think it would help heal your fissure. But it is a drug that carries long term risks, which is why they make you taper off of it immediately.

I hope things go well for you.
 
Sorry, but Pred didn't heal my fissures at all. It did help the Crohn's symptoms which in turn helps heal the fissures so in a roundabout way pred helps....

I'm on Humira and supposed to be in remission, bloods are good etc, but still have to be very careful with what I eat and still have fissures.
I find the only thing that really helps is getting the frequency down, assuming you have D, and softening the stool so it doesn't irritate. Gas also makes things worse. I use Psyllium for this and for the most part it works well.
 
CRS do not like to operate ''mechanical issues'' if disease is not well under control for quite some time. the fact that you still have a an ongoing fistula is not suspicious of disease activity? Humira or remicade could maybe help it close?

last year I had hemmorhoids and I used to apply a mixture of essential oils mixed in coconut oil. unfortunately i dont remember exactly the posology and I have mixed bottles in my cabinet now. maybe pepermint, Patchouli and lavander. It made kind of a numbing effect. that was prolly the peperrmint. I wonder if essential oils could help a fissure. I'd go in a health food store and talk to a naturopath inside or the person in charge of natural products. they could give you some ideas... if the fissure is cut open, be careful though not to burn yourself with the oils, so anything you try, test it first with very very small amount!

I could also suggest to you the use of a portable bidet instead of wiping after a BM. : http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brondell-CleanSpa-Luxury-Hand-Held-Bidet-in-Silver-CSL-40/203927020
I had a friend install this one on my toilet last year, and i am super happy about it! i dont use toilet paper anymore!
 
Thanks for the replies! I saw my CRS today and she said there's just not much she can do for me. She gave me lidocaine and cortisone cream. I am going to GI tomorrow and will ask about trying prednisone. My CD is active right now but I have also had reoccurring cdiff so I don't know if I can even try prednisone or get on Humira :-( I am allergic to Remicade. Normally I don't have D with my Crohns. I have been having it lately but I think it's the cdiff. I feel like the doctors are contradicting each other. This is so hard. I've had a fissure before but this pain is WAY worse than before. I feel like I have a knife jabbing me in the rear 24/7.
 
Forgot to mention that the surgeon was opposed to doing anything about it because of issues healing but he would do botox. This stops your sphincter muscle from spasming which keeps the fissure active. The botox will wear off after a few months so no harm done if it doesn't work and if it does work the fissure has a chance to heal.

I've had mine, one and off, for at least 10 years now but they only hurt (a lot!) during and for a few minutes after d, but not so much the time between. Are you sure the on-going pain is definitely a fissure?

No idea if you can have pred with cdif, but quite possibly not. Did the CRS not mention botox as an option? I don't dare to do that until the d is under control a little more but if that doesn't heal the fissure then I'll definitely look into it some more.
 
rose, they are just horrible those fissures, especially if you have bloody crohns and need to be on the loo a lot….just awful! I had one, it lasted a year.
the best thing for me was using rectogesic wipes to wipe my bum, instead of rectogesic cream…those wipes really helped. The rectogesic wipes i found did not give me a headache, whereas the cream did (inside 5 minutes of applying, which in itself is quite remarkable)!
Aside from rectogesic wipes, the best thing for a fissure is healthy stools….so, do your best to get as regular as you can ---> whatever that may be for you…..for me it was plenty of fibre, avoiding sugar, coffee etc….
Have you shown your fissure to a 'proctologist?
You want to get surgery out of your mind….it is a very poor option, as we need to look after our rear end, with crohns….if you get surgery now, might cause problems later on as you get older.
try and do healthy poos and get some rectogesic wipes and damn well makes sure everyone in your circle knows that you are off….you know? it is bloody horrible having a fissure. take time out and try and heal it.
good luck
from australia
 
I completely understand your pain! I've tried the OTC ointments, the cortisone creams, and mine just seems to be getting worse. I have both internal and external fissures AND haemorrhoids. Mine started after a really bad day of D. Ever since, I've had D or just extremely frequent BMs. Reading some of these replies like avoiding certain things has helped me rethink.

I'm actually undiagnosed so I have no IBD medications. It'll be interesting to see if these help you - I think I need to change my plan of action.
 
So I started prednisone 3 days ago and pentasa about 6 days ago and so far I am being cautiously optimistic. I definitely am feeling less pain! I am still in pain but it hasn't been debilitating for the past 3 days. I am starting either humira or Entyvio within a month. I will post an update
 
@rose*flo - Definitely keep me updated! I am extremely curious to know if this helps you. I have an appointment tomorrow with my GP, so hopefully they'll find me something else that may help without sending me elsewhere.
 
Kellehbeans, so I am now at 40 mg of prednisone (after a week of 60) and stopped the pentasa. It was giving me AWFUL cramping! My rectal pain has diminished. I still have the fissure but I can't even really feel it even when I have BM. This relief is coming after months of severe severe pain! I wish I could just stay on the prednisone but i know I can't. Have appt with GI tomorrow
 
Oh no, I am really sorry to hear that. How are you doing on the prednisolone?

I am now on it too, but only 5mg. I can't comment on my pain because I have only passed really pitiful stools... and oily yellow discharge. Requested a call back from a doctor because I am in a lot of pain this morning. :(

Good luck with your GI, let me know how it goes!
 
When I was diagnosed with crohn's I was in the hospital for 3 weeks with a fissure. Having a fissure, especially whilst having diarrhea, is the worst thing in the world and so I feel your pain.

Basically went without sleeping for 3 weeks because of the pain and couldn't move, and when I had to move it was awful, and when I had to poop it was excruciating, and when I had to get an anal exam to see if I had an abscess it felt like I was going to die.

Anyway at the end of the 3 weeks I was finally diagnosed with crohn's, and they gave me infliximab/remicade. Within a few hours I was feeling good again, and within a day or two the fissure was gone and I could live my life again.

Not sure if this helps you, but at least for me medication did it.
 
My 27 yr old son was diagnosed with Crohn's at 11 yrs. He has had an anal fissure. We found that putting honey( Manuka is the best) on it made it much less painful and helped it heal. I would have posted this sooner, but I just joined the group. Sounds gross, but it worked for him.
 
Glad you are finding some relief, prednisone can work wonders, short term. Did they tell you to take 250-500mg of calcium as well? and for some time after as the pred leaches the calcium from your body. Witch Hazel on cotton pads or tp to wipe is the go to in my bathroom. Wet, cool and comfortable wipe. I had been doing this for years not knowing I had fistulas, many apparently from the scaring, who looks? GI said keep up whatever you are doing, it works. Honey is anti fungal/bacterial as well. Some on the forum swear by vicks vapor rub. Enjoy your relief, I can appreciate going for long periods of time in pain, even one day without is joyous.
 
Oh, I feel for you! I have both vaginal and anal fissures and fistulas. Nothing's been working, and I finally talked my GI to give me antibiotics. We hit it hard: 500mg twice a day of Flagyl and Cipro for two weeks. It worked to take the edge off, and healed some of the abscesses. I've been off the antibiotics now for a month, and I can feel them getting active again, so I'm thinking that for the next little while at least, I'll be staying on antibiotics.

Sitz baths have also helped just to give it some relief. I do the baths for 10 minutes about 3 times a day.

Good luck!

Kismet
 
I am so sorry to hear that you have a fissure. I had a small one 2 years ago and it was literally THE WORST pain I have ever experienced, because like you said, the only time you get relief is when you're sleeping. I remember crying when driving home from work because driving was so painful. People with desk jobs have actually had to quit their job because they had a fissure. NONE of my doctors could do anything for me. I only had it for 2 months and then it turned into a fistula with a massive abscess and I had to get surgery.....twice....recovering from those surgeries was awful but STILL better than the fissure.

My fissure was caused by chronic diarrhea (at the time I didn't know how harsh diarrhea is on your butt). I still have diarrhea every day but I always spray myself with water "down there" to clean myself instead of wiping with toilet paper. I'm glad to hear you're finally getting some relief.

There is also a massive website, the Anal Fissure Support Forum (I'm not allowed to paste the site yet because I'm new here); you will hear a lot of different ideas on how to treat fissures. The most extreme ideas I've heard are people who've quit eating for several days so they wouldn't have a bowel movement, or people who've gotten a temporary colostomy bag. But you can easily see how the situation really does make you desperate.....hang in there!
 
OMG! I posted for the first time today about the most terrible pain I've ever experienced. Now I have just read about it from all of you and you have described exactly what I have been going through! I had no idea and thought I was the only person in the world with this "pain." I asked my GI to please check for this when he did a colonoscopy four days ago. He saw nothing. He even called in a surgeon and the surgeon didn't see any signs of a fissure. I'm so frustrated and am taking narcotics to ease the pain. It's that unbearable, but you already know that. I'm going to the surgeon in a week to let him see what he can find. I've had constant diarrhea for over a year now, have taken flagyl and cipro, and am on Humira every two weeks and Apriso x 4caps am. I thank you so much for sharing your experiences and wish you the best life has to offer.
 
Thanks again for all they replies! I am taking note of all the tips. So sorry there are so many sufferers of this! So my GI put me on Entocort and I am still taking prednisone. I am at 40mg of pred and have an appt next week to start further taper. I am praying the pain won't return with a vengeance! If it does, I am going to have to try Humira or Enryvio. I'm positive this is more of rectal inflammation making the fissure feel like the worst thing on earth! I think this because the pain diminished shortly after starting the pred. I've had 3 GI's and a colorectal surgeon and no one has talked about suppositories. Wonder why?
 
I'm overwhelmed by your responses and genuine concern. Canadian Runner, thanks for your comments on the diarrhea. Even though I'm "in remission," I still have diarrhea constantly. It is so painful. Sometimes it feels like my whole bottom is just going to drop out. Who knows, maybe there are hemorrhoids too. I just know there are times it feels like someone has poured lye on the site. I found a bidet commode top that I'm thinking about getting. No more toilet paper!!! I use the wet wipes all the time. And Sitz baths are fantastic. I put Epson salts in mine. So soothing. One time I had an injection to remove a lesion on the outside anal opening. Never in my life have I wanted to hit a doctor so badly. I all but passed out. Fortunately they were prepared. lol. Oh the journey....
 
My fissure is the reason I was actually investigated for Crohn's. I've had it for around 18 months now by my reckoning. First was put on a cream which is supposed to relax the muscle (sorry I can't remember the name), and a stool softener. Helped for a bit but then I had a bad BM and felt it tear open again - most crushing disappointment ever!! My doctor has done 2 Botox injections on me now and I thought that had finally done the trick.
It had gotten to the point where I had accidents as I think the muscle was so weakened - I'm guessing when it's torn you just can't control it as well? Mortifying. Anyway the pain and bleeding had gone and I thought all was finally better for a few months, but I had an urgent need to go to the loo a couple of weeks ago on my walk home and lost my struggle to hold it in which really shocked me. Starting to feel sore after I've had a BM now but there's no bleeding. Yesterday I had a skin tag removed and the doc has told me the fissure is still there so I'm feeling a bit hopeless today. He said I should try the cream again.
I feel for you all, the pain at its worst is awful! I do advise asking about Botox injections if you can as I do think it's gone a way to helping me.

Can I ask has anyone else with a chronic fissure suffered incontinence like me?
 

Similar threads

D
What's the story with Flagyl
Replies
2
Views
1K
Pangolin
Pangolin
L
Isolated Perianal Crohn’s - new here
Replies
1
Views
587
MrWheat
M
S
Chronic Fissure and now more than one
Replies
11
Views
2K
my little penguin
my little penguin
A
Fistula and Abscess 😡
Replies
6
Views
1K
bmulherin
bmulherin
D
Waiting for Results
Replies
4
Views
946
DC23
D

Latest posts

Back
Top