Steff: Welcome to the board: I am a bit older than you but I can relate to the problems you are having. First I would ask myself whether I was allergic to some of the high fiber stuff I was taking, then I would change my diet to include sweet potato, some olive oil, some belgian endive, and mung bean sprouts. Also I would consider taking some B complex and some Vitamin A (about 5,000 to l0,000U per day for one month then every other day) The B complex will help to relax you and the Vitamin A will help all of your skin and epithelial tissues to heal. I am very happy that you were able to share your problems with us and hope you will soon be more comfortable and be able to relax a bit with our support. We really do help each other on this board. I was just dg'd with IBS C one month ago.
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Hello everyone...I am SO glad to have come across this board. Reading your posts is like reading what's been happening to me for the past 15 years of my life. (I am 30 now.)I have a problem that I have never seen addressed on any IBS/gastro board, so please bear with me. This is very embarrassing to write about, and I know it will sound kind of silly but I really need help (I finally got up the guts to make an appt. with a GI doc, scheduled for Feb. 23, but I am hoping someone can offer opinions or advice before that as well.)I suffer from the "C" type of IBS, and I literally OBSESS over how much fiber I am eating on a daily basis. It has really affected my lifestyle. I am literally afraid to eat foods that are not 'high fiber' or could even remotely or possibly cause constipation/hard stools. (My problem isn't so much constipation in not being able to go,it's more the very hard stool problem..)Anyway, the fiber obsession doesn't stem so much from the IBS symptoms, although high fiber does help them too..but because for the past 13 years I have suffered from frequent anal fissures. They heal up, I'm OK for a couple days, and then it tears again...and for a week or so I am in excrutiating pain, and the bleeding scares me. I have seen numerous doctors who can see the fissure, but they don't do anything to help me!! I eat the diet they recommend, I do EVERYTHING possible to avoid the fissure tearing, but it always does. It has developed to the point over the last few years that I am petrified to have a BM, and when I need to I shake, feel sick, pretty much feel like I am having a panic attack. I know this all sounds stupid, I might not even post this message..but I can't live like this anymore. Anyway, I take psyllium fiber 2x a day, a stool softener in the evenings, eat high fiber foods, a lot of water, and prune juice in the mornings. Even soft stools result in the fissure tearing. I feel like the BM is 'too big' to come out, then I panic, and invariably the fissure tears. Gosh, this is so strange to be telling this to people I don't know...but it feels good to finally talk about it. Thank you for reading this post. If anyone can tell me if they've ever dealt with a fissure problem, and what they did to help it, I'd be so very, very grateful. Hopefully this next GI doc can help me. I also have stage 4 endometriosis which is painful in itself, and have IBS from both the anxiety I've got (I've always been an extremely nervous person), and also due to the endometrial implants on my colon/bowel.Thank you all again for any help you can give. I hope you are feeling well today, and that soon there will be a cure for this IBS stuff. It's so good to have found a place to talk to people that understand. Steff
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I agree with Belle. Check your diet really carefully. Try some eliminations to see if anything helps.I've had the fissures myself. I have a small one right now. I've also had a pretty painful one, and I had it removed. Believe me, you've got to want to get rid of it pretty badly to have a fissurectomy!!! Talk to your doc about it. The first thing he/she'll probably do is put you on Anusol HC. If it works for you, then that's it. You shove those little greasy things up your tush for the rest of you life, but you have a better quality of life. If they don't work, then email me, and I'll try to tell you more about the recovery from a fissurectomy, if you have any interest.Now, as to the endometriosis: this might be your lucky year. I saw on TV last night that there is a new experimental procedure that one of the LA (I believe) docs is doing to get rid of this horrible disease. He does an irrigation of the womb/uterus (not the vagina) with water that is heated to 180 degrees F. Sounds horrid, but the patient interviewed said she had cramps the next day, but that was all. No more endo, and no more periods. They showed scope pictures of before and after. The after pics didn't have any hemorrhages, and the walls of the uterus looked much more healthy. I don't know what stage 4 is, though, so maybe this doesn't apply to you.bestbob
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Hello and Welcome:You never have to feel weird about anything you post on this board because somewhere someone has already done it. Be Careful with the endometosis: I had that real bad to and ended up having my whole colon taken out. Due to laxitive, softeners and endometriosis thats when the constipation started, never had a problem till then I would highly highly recommend finding a dr. who understands endomet. and I also had it on my colon, So find the right Dr. if you have to see everyone in the field your insurance has. They miss diagnosed my constipation for 5 yrs. and the end result was not good. And so I share that not to scare you but to make sure you read up!!!! Get to the right Dr. and that is sometimes long process, but we will be here to support you thur the whole thing come hell and high water. PROMISEGood luck, prayers for you Dawn
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Thank you all so much for responding to my post. It almost made me cry to read how understanding and caring you are. It is so good to find you all.I am definetely going to try your suggestions. Musem, I will probably be emailing you to ask about the fissurectomy...thank you for offering to tell me about it. By the way, how long (generally) does it take a fissure to heal? Mine seem to be taking longer each time...this time I'm on week 2 of a lot of pain. Sigh.. Belfor, thanks for the advice on the diet and vitamins. I am beginning with all that now. I Will let you know what happens.And Dawn, I'm sorry you had to go through what you did regarding the endometriosis. It is such an awful disease to have... I hope, at least, your endometriosis pain has lessened now so you do not have that to deal with as well as the IBS. Thank you for your kind post.Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts. I will be visiting this board regularly, and I hope I will be able to help you all sometime, too. I know I sound repetitive, but it is just such a relief to have found this board.
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It's so hard to deal with all this alone.Hope you are all feeling well todayStephanie
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When you talk about fissures, do you mean hemmorhoids? I've never heard of fissures being "removed". I know that when I have the C and strain a lot, I have some bleeding and the hemmorhoid problem. My husband had surgery for this. He had the prolapsed kind-the worst ones! The only way to treat was to have a hemmorhoidectomy. He tells me that he's never felt pain like it, and his BM have not been the same since. The muscles get all messed up. Anyway, surgery only in extreme cases is the rule unless you are prepared for complications inlcuding anal stricture. Hope this helps.
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I had an extremely painful fissure that wasn't responding to meds. I told the doc that I had had enough. I had had a hemorrhoidectomy several years before, so I knew what I was getting into. I also had some hemorrhoids in there that needed to come out. The pain is excrutiating, and lasts for 2 or 3 weeks. It's really bad when you have a BM, but better afterward. They give you percocet or percodan for the pain, but it's not enough. If you plan on having any anal/rectal surgery, be SURE you are not having a problem with constipation! I was, and it made the recovery even worse. Also, ask the doctor if he has left any stuffing inside you. Mine did, and didn't tell me. I had a hell of a time passing it. If I had known (it was exposed) I could have just taken it out.Now for the other side. This surgery was definitely worth it for me! The pain, bleeding, and infections from the fissure were just too much. I traded years of pain and suffering for just 3 weeks of intense pain. It was a great deal in my opinion, and I'd do it again.I've got a bleeding fissure again, but it seems to be getting better. I really don't want to go through the recovery again.bestbob
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