Hi everyone,
New to this site but wanted to share my experience. Quick bio - lactose intolerant since I can remember being alive. Food and I just never really seemed to truly get along. It hit a critical point in late 2006/early 2007 when I wasn't really leaving the house much (for fear of the dreaded unknown bathroom situation) and eating bland bites of food while taking an immodium gave me about a 10 minute window to get to a toilet. Diagnosis: crohn's.
Had a relapse from doing the ole "I'm feeling better so why not stop taking my meds" in the summer of 2008. Lucky for me all the symptoms returned, with a vengeance, while I was enjoying a lovely vacation with friends overseas. Lesson learned. :ybatty:
Honestly, I never thought that constipation would be an issue for me but alas this disease likes to keep me on my toes. I can't really complain because until lately, I've been able to keep things under control.
Last year, I was diagnosed with a chronic anal fissure. With Nifedipine ointment, Canasa and Calmol, it healed to about 90% but that wasn't enough. I struggled with it for the last 18 months, this past summer, through dehydration and stupidity regarding my diet, the situation got worse. Back to Colorectal Surgeon, back on the ointment but this time it wasn't healing at all. It always makes me laugh that the dr told me I had "the tightest butthole she has seen in 10 years". :ylol2:
I opted to do the Botox Fissurectomy. I am one week out and life despite some emotional moments and hating to take baths has gotten dramatically better. At this point, the pain I am experiencing is mild discomfort. On a pain scale of 1-10, a BM before was anywhere between 7-9, now it's maybe a 1-2. (She also had to remove a skin tag that had recently formed from my butthole being so angry and inflamed constantly.)
Terrified before the procedure but knowing I had to do something, I looked into recovery and tried to find information about this. There was practically none. I hope that someone else can look at this and see that it isn't that scary. I didn't enter into this lightly and always tried more conservative methods first but ultimately ended here. So glad this was an option.
First night was the only night I opted to take the prescribed pain medication. First BM was difficult because I had to use dulcolax, which for me is too harsh. There was a lot of blood but nothing I wasn't expecting. Two Advils afterwards and I was ok. I am taking stool softeners (not too many because the wrath of diarrhea is not pretty) and miralax along with a lot of water (I may float away) and eating oatmeal, soup, a lot of fruits and vegetables and small amounts very lean protein. Some muscle spasms still after BM but honestly, I am on the mend. Side note: I didn't work this week - I'd recommend taking the time to recover.
I know we all get used to the pain but not being in it reminded me there is a life beyond being miserable. I wish I had seen something positive sooner instead of some of the horror stories I read. (The internet can be such a dark place sometimes.)
I hope that this solves the problem and I can continue to manage it. I am sure there will be new things my life partner/disease throws at me but am so grateful for modern medicine (and of course the support of my family, friends and most of all, boyfriend who has to live with the third wheel of our relationship).
My positivity and love goes out to everyone regardless of what they are facing because it can get better even if it seems so incredibly scary at first.
New to this site but wanted to share my experience. Quick bio - lactose intolerant since I can remember being alive. Food and I just never really seemed to truly get along. It hit a critical point in late 2006/early 2007 when I wasn't really leaving the house much (for fear of the dreaded unknown bathroom situation) and eating bland bites of food while taking an immodium gave me about a 10 minute window to get to a toilet. Diagnosis: crohn's.
Had a relapse from doing the ole "I'm feeling better so why not stop taking my meds" in the summer of 2008. Lucky for me all the symptoms returned, with a vengeance, while I was enjoying a lovely vacation with friends overseas. Lesson learned. :ybatty:
Honestly, I never thought that constipation would be an issue for me but alas this disease likes to keep me on my toes. I can't really complain because until lately, I've been able to keep things under control.
Last year, I was diagnosed with a chronic anal fissure. With Nifedipine ointment, Canasa and Calmol, it healed to about 90% but that wasn't enough. I struggled with it for the last 18 months, this past summer, through dehydration and stupidity regarding my diet, the situation got worse. Back to Colorectal Surgeon, back on the ointment but this time it wasn't healing at all. It always makes me laugh that the dr told me I had "the tightest butthole she has seen in 10 years". :ylol2:
I opted to do the Botox Fissurectomy. I am one week out and life despite some emotional moments and hating to take baths has gotten dramatically better. At this point, the pain I am experiencing is mild discomfort. On a pain scale of 1-10, a BM before was anywhere between 7-9, now it's maybe a 1-2. (She also had to remove a skin tag that had recently formed from my butthole being so angry and inflamed constantly.)
Terrified before the procedure but knowing I had to do something, I looked into recovery and tried to find information about this. There was practically none. I hope that someone else can look at this and see that it isn't that scary. I didn't enter into this lightly and always tried more conservative methods first but ultimately ended here. So glad this was an option.
First night was the only night I opted to take the prescribed pain medication. First BM was difficult because I had to use dulcolax, which for me is too harsh. There was a lot of blood but nothing I wasn't expecting. Two Advils afterwards and I was ok. I am taking stool softeners (not too many because the wrath of diarrhea is not pretty) and miralax along with a lot of water (I may float away) and eating oatmeal, soup, a lot of fruits and vegetables and small amounts very lean protein. Some muscle spasms still after BM but honestly, I am on the mend. Side note: I didn't work this week - I'd recommend taking the time to recover.
I know we all get used to the pain but not being in it reminded me there is a life beyond being miserable. I wish I had seen something positive sooner instead of some of the horror stories I read. (The internet can be such a dark place sometimes.)
I hope that this solves the problem and I can continue to manage it. I am sure there will be new things my life partner/disease throws at me but am so grateful for modern medicine (and of course the support of my family, friends and most of all, boyfriend who has to live with the third wheel of our relationship).
My positivity and love goes out to everyone regardless of what they are facing because it can get better even if it seems so incredibly scary at first.
I go in tomorrow and I'm really stressed I've been struggling with mine for a long time and really bad since January it's now August.