chron's....fissures...

[cinmin1985]

Hi! I'm 23 yrs old and have had chron's disease for about 8 yrs now. just within the last month have had an anal fissure. anyways my doc put me on analpram and a antibiotic (and a sitz bath). from what i read online people with chron's get these more often... so since i have one now will i possibly get another along the lines somewhere?? how long does it usually take to heal??? and what do you do for pain? I'm just sick and tired of having painful bowel movements!

[UCMcPain]

Those Setons worked magic on me.  Anal fistula is a terrible thing. But, the only thing to work for me is the Seton.  Now, it is nearly 5 years and I am Symptom free, but I have crohns in other areas of small bowel that requires frequent hospital visits.  Sometimes, feel very down, but since I am on pred...it has been a life-saver and I feel highly normal and it lifts my spirit.

[cinmin1985]

No its not to much information. I do know what you mean though about not trying to push...and realxing is hard too, cause of the pain! but it hurts less if I relax. they have me on analpram, sitz baths, and flagyl.(yuck)! It feels like it is getting better though, less pain when I have a BM. but anyways congrats on the pregnancy! I hope everything goes well for you!.thankyou!

[Hank0303]

I've had two fissures, and one fo them was there for almost 12 years!  It first showed up when I was 17.  The docs tried the usual: cipro, flagyl, remicade.  Nothing worked.  So, then the surgeries started.  They would basically hollow it out and I would have this gaping wound that would have to be packed twice a day and cleaned.  It was terrible.  The pain for me was just to sit down, and the drainage was a nightmare.  When the second one showed up on the right side around age 25, I knew something had to be done.  I finally found a great surgeon at UAB (Birmingham).  He put "cutting setons" in both of them.  It is like this rubber band that is not connected at one end.  Instead, it hangs out of your skin and is sutured together.  Every two weeks or so, I would have to go back and have them pull on them and put new sutures in.  It was painful, but SO worth it!  It is a long and slow and painful process.  The rubber band wraps around your muscle internally so that as it makes its way through the muscle, the muscle has time to heal back together on the other side.  It's easier for me to explain in person!  Eventually, the entire thing (still sutured together) falls out.  Mine fell out on one side a few weeks later but it was long, not sutured together, so they realized it had broken and they had to go back in and put it back in.  I have FINALLY been fissure free since I was 28 (now 30).  I don't even know how to act.  It was just such a part of my life for so long.  I never could see a future without one.  A lot of doctors told me that they could not do anything for me without giving me a colostomy.  I'm so thankful to have found one that knew differently!  They keep me on meds to try and prevent them from returning (except that I am pregnant right now).  I try my best to not have to push when I have a BM.  That may be TMI, but I really believe that is where a lot of the problem comes from.  Places inside you tear, infection begins to build and it has nowhere to go.  Just my theory.  I'm not by any means suggesting that you ask for surgery, but don't let it take over your life.  If the meds and the sitz baths don't clear things up in a year, take the next step!

[cinmin1985]

Well when I was 15 all that I really remember was a ton of abdominal pain and nausea from it all. It hurt so bad that my lower back hurt, tons of of loose stools. My stomach would hurt before i had to have a bowel movement and then once I passed the bowel movement the pain subsided. I was in and out of the hospital and had every test done in the book ( I think). the last time I was in the hospital was when the 6mp that i was on shut my immune system down,i was on the cancer floor,and they did surgery .. I dont remember alot from it all though, everything today seems just to blend together when i think about it. I do remember that i did get remicade infusions before all of that happened.do any foods affect her any?? dairy and spicy foods bother me. i dont know if this helped any. but good luck and let me know how it goes!!!

[shannon284]

Hi. I was just wondering what your symptoms were when you were 15? My 15 year old daughter has been having some problems since April and we are trying to get her diagnosed. I have asked her GI doc if it could be Crohn's and I will be requesting a colonoscopy at the next appointment. Her whole life has been taken over by this illness. Please let me know how you found out that it was Crohn's. Thank you.

[cinmin1985]

sorry i had a type-o... crohn's....not chron's....