Anal Fissure – Seattle doctor reference requested
Posted by admin on 3/02/09 • Categorized as Hemorrhoids
I have received this request – can anyone provide a reference?
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I’ve been dealing with anal fissures on-and-off for 7 years. Writing this down helps me
feel less alone and embarrassed about this debilitating condition.
When the condition started I didn’t know what was wrong. I went to three doctors, one
who was a colon-rectal specialist, and even had a mini-colonoscopy, which I now realize
probably made the condition worse. After all that, the doctors kept telling me that they
couldn’t figure out why I was so uncomfortable. Needless to say, I’m extremely angry at
these doctors for practically dismissing the agony I was in. I was young, embarrassed and
naive, so I didn’t pursue the issue further and tried to figure out how to live with the
extremely uncomfortable symptoms.
I’ve had long periods of time in the last 7 years without suffering from the symptoms. But
the fissures are back with a vengeance. I gave birth 9 weeks ago. During the pregnancy I
had horrible morning sickness. The only thing that helped to reduce the nausea was a
medication that made me constipated. Anyway, by the end of the pregnancy I had anal
fissures and the vaginal birth only made things worse. During the pregnancy, I kept
complaining to my OB about pain and spotting during BM’s. She told me it was
hemorrhoids and there was nothing I could do.
I was finally diagnosed 2 weeks ago as suffering from anal fissures. While I was grateful to
finally know what was causing my symptoms, I’m extremely concerned that I may never
recover from the fissures. I’ve been using the nitroglycerin ointment for about 1.5 weeks.
There is some improvement but I doubt that the ointment will heal everything. The doctor
said that if I didn’t see a significant improvement after using the ointment for 2 weeks,
then I’d need surgery to get rid of the fissures.
The idea of a surgery that could leave me flatulent or incontinent is absolutely terrifying.
I’m going to get a second opinion in a couple of days. I live in Seattle. Does anyone have
recommendations for doctors, acupuncturists or naturopathic doctors that can help with
this condition?
