lbp35,

the Diltiazem has helped for sure, especially with the bleeding. I only get blood maybe 10% of the time now. The problem is, I still have the spasms, and if I slack off on my diet, I'll get burning. The spasms and cramping make it feel like I have to go to the bathroom all the time -it's really annoying.

I'm also worried about working out, since the last time I did that (about 3 weeks ago), I woke up in major pain.

So I'm looking for addition treatment options. I know surgery is a possibility, but I hear that Botox can work well.

Interestingly enough, I got my first fissure when I was 21. I'm now 34, so this problem has been with me a long, long time. It's just never been this bad before. Poor diet and major stress caused this to get a lot worse. I think my sphincter muscle is just too tight.

Did the botox work for you?

chiggins,

Yes the botox helped but the diltizem had already started the healing process. When I went in, she checked it & said it was almost healed & the botox should do it. It did. :) I haven't had problems since. Just find a good doctor who has used it before. She also said they would try botox twice before surgery. Do you have alot of pain? I was just wondering because you have had this for a long time. Maybe if this fails you should consider surgery. I mean, I was terrified because I had already had a very painful hemmorhoid surgery that was a disaster.But from people I have read about here and on other boards, they say this surgery is a walk in the park compared to a hemmorhoidectomy.It is something to consider if you have alot of pain. When I asked my doc about incontinence from surgery, she said she only had one person that it happened to and is was not permanent.I just feel bad because you have suffered for so long.Mine only lasted about 3 months. It was hard to heal though. I do think the diltiazem and the botox did it for me though along with fiber and warm baths. I never had this problem before the hemmorhoid surgery, I think that is why I got it. What did your doctor suggest if the diltizem doesn't work? Please keep me updated.I will try to help anyway I can. There is a fissure web page all about people and how they healed their fissures themselves and also about people who had surgery. I will try to think of it. Good luck!

I'm actually not in that much pain at all. SInce taking the Diltiazem and watching what I eat, the pain and bleeding is down a lot. But the spasms are still a problem, and the fissure is still there, since I can feel it rip a bit when I have a BM.

It's been about 3 months since the start of symptoms, maybe a little less. One problem is that I didn't take it seriously when it first started, and I didn't do anything about it. This allowed it to get really bad.

Did you have a lot of problems with spasms and cramping?

My doctor basically said surgery is the next step, if the Diltiazem doesn't work, but I might want to try Botox before that. You are lucky you found a great doctor!

Y'all are life-savers.

I've made up my mind to have the surgery (depending on what my surgeon says). I've been through way too much misery with this. I have 2 fissures, and I've tried everything at this point. the Diltiazem helped, but the spasms keep the things from healing. I'm to the point where I'm spasming about 50% of the time. I went to a party of the weekend and had 3-4 glasses of wine. The next day was brutal! Bleeding, burning, etc.

The one fissure I've had for at least 5 years. A skin tag developed, and I could feel it. But I thought it was a hemmroid. It would bleed from time to time, but then wouldn't bother me for a few months. Then it would act up again. Finally, it got so inflamed and irritated, that it now refuses to heal.

The posters here, especially WATCHOUT have given me the guts to just go get it taken care of. I'd like to feel like a human being this Christmas! I'd also like to start working out again.

I looked into the Botox. the only problem with that, is that there is a high re-occurance rate of a fissure within 6 months of treatment. some doctors say it can cause a lot of problems, and don't recommend it. But I will ask about it when I see my surgeon.