Anal Fissure

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Bob - 29 Mar 2005 18:17 GMT

Haven't seen this topic discussed, but I have an annoying anal fissure that
appeared about two months after my Jan 04 brachyotherapy. My regular doctor
tried to treat it, but without success, so he sent me to a proctologist.
The proctologist has done a pretty good job of relieving most of the
discomfort (and indeed pain), but so far hasn't cured it completely. He
thinks it is a result of the radiation, which destroyed some anal tissue,
and says this is relatively common. I still have no regrets that I opted
for seeds, but neither the oncologist or urologist mentioned this as a
possible side effect (actually a rear effect). Has anyone else experienced
this problem? If so, what did you do about it?

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Larry Sabo - 30 Mar 2005 21:33 GMT

>[snip] Has anyone else experienced
>this problem? If so, what did you do about it?

Some helpful info at http://www.boardsailor.com/jack/af/.

I developed anal fissures after passing a hard stool during EBRT. Went
to a general surgeon thinking I had hemorrhoids and he detected the
fissures. He said 80% of the time, they can be cured by 1) drinking 10
glasses of water a day, 2) having hot sit-baths in the morning and
evening and after every BM, and 3) eating psyllium to keep stools
softened. Instead of so many sit-baths, I took to sitting on a small
heating pad while on the computer and that seemed to accelerate the
healing process. No longer have the problem, but am careful not to
allow myself to get constipated.

Cheers,
Larry

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Gut-Buster - 31 Mar 2005 04:10 GMT

> Haven't seen this topic discussed, but I have an annoying anal fissure
> that appeared about two months after my Jan 04 brachyotherapy. My regular
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> mentioned this as a possible side effect (actually a rear effect). Has
> anyone else experienced this problem? If so, what did you do about it?

Note that once you get them, they CAN/WILL go away but at times they will
always come back. Those times include great stress on your bowels, emotional
stress, too much acid in your system and so on.

However, to answer your question, two things I do that help - 1) If possible
a bath just after a crap. Helps to wash the area as the longer it is left
unattended, the more chance of things getting in to keep it uncomfortable
for longer. 2) I get Anusol cream and apply it. It deadens the area fairly
quickly and over the course of a few days even when you have it bad, the
cream does tend to protect and allow and promote healing.

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Bob - 31 Mar 2005 15:36 GMT

> Note that once you get them, they CAN/WILL go away but at times they will
> always come back. Those times include great stress on your bowels,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> the area fairly quickly and over the course of a few days even when you
> have it bad, the cream does tend to protect and allow and promote healing.

I've had my fissure for a year now; the first nine months I was following
advise of my regular doctor; he gave me suppositories and told me to take
sitz baths. This did nothing, so he sent me to a proctologist. He's the
one who said it was probably due to the radiation damage. He put my on
Anusol and it helped a lot, probably 75% better, but not cured after three
months. So three weeks ago he additionally put me on a nitroglycerin cream
that has to be made up specially by the pharmacy at the UC San Francisco
Medical Center. I haven't seen much improvement so far, but the doctor says
it can take a while. He also said that it may never be cured completely,
though it has now reached the annoying, rather than painful, stage. Surgery
is also an option, but I'd like to avoid that!

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Gut-Buster - 01 Apr 2005 14:03 GMT

>> Note that once you get them, they CAN/WILL go away but at times they will
>> always come back. Those times include great stress on your bowels,
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> completely, though it has now reached the annoying, rather than painful,
> stage. Surgery is also an option, but I'd like to avoid that!

Before I started bathing after every crap where possible AND got myself on
Losec, I used to walk around feeling like I had cut glass shards in my anus
after a crap. You may get your acid levels checked and get YOURSELF on
Losec, too. Depends on if your body acid is keeping the problem there. If
you have excess acid, Losec is a life saver.

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