Extremely painful fissure! Please chime in

[rose*flo]

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

 

[rubberduckie1313]

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

The only things that I have ever been given to help with fissures is nifedipine and lidocaine ointment and hydrocortizone creme. These did seem to help my chronic fissure (this thing has been coming back for years), I just have to make sure I use them as many times as possible a day. The ointment says 5 times daily on top of when you use the restroom. I don't have any other over the counter advice. I will say, if you can get something with lidocaine in it, it helps relieve the pain, while you are using other products to hopefully close it up.

 

[rose*flo]

Thanks for the reply! I am using Diltazam(I think that had lidocaine) and Flagyl ointments each 3x day. It is just excruciating! It has been over a month and not much relief. Anyone else have any other ideas? Can I cross post this on the General discussion board?

 

[MikeinBklyn]

Have you tried warm baths with epsom salts. The area needs to be clean, clean, clean.

Good Luck

 

[mamalana]

I have begun seeing a CRS for tags and multiple large, fissures. He is (fortunately) one of the top CRS's in Houston. His recommendation: keep it clean (sitz bath + epsom salts= OUCH but clean) and dry (not easy when you skin in the area feels more fragile than tissue paper). After bathing, use a hair dryer (coolest setting) to dry the region and then use cornstarch (pure cornstarch baby powder is ok) to keep the area dry during the day. At night, use Analpram cream externally. The baby powder helps with comfort, but honestly, short of reapplying multiple times daily, I have yet to find something to last all day. I go back next week for a large tag removal. He said that the removal plus antibiotics could help the fissures begin to heal as well. Sadly, I have noticed what seems to be a painful, pimple-like addition to the end of a fissure up towards my tailbone. Cold this be the fissure itself or just a random pimple? Never had that before.

 

[MEgal]

I had one (very) large fissure and 3-4 smaller ones last year, and had a similar course where it was taking forever to heal with the diltizem/lidocaine, etc therapy. Finally we tried this rectal steroid suppository and BAM they healed right up...I can't remember if it was a suppository or foam-but both are steroids and in my experience, they worked! Hope you're feeling better

 

[ronroush7]

I am s little confined. You said you have hadf s fistula for ten months but you also say you developed a fissure a few months ago after s colonoscopy? Excuse me for being technical. Have you had a history of fissures over the last ten years and this latest one developed a few months ago?