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Anyone have anal tags and are considering removing them?

So Ive had 1 anal skin tag for about 10 yrs. Recently, however it started to GROW! I also noticed another smaller tag. They never really bothered me. When I first met my husband I told him not to judge me and informed him that I had a "tail" (I told him right from the start and showed it to him) Although, it didn't bother me... I did this so that I was the one that told him about it and that he didn't stumble upon the sight of it one day. I can only imagine if he had discovered it on his own he probably would have never felt comfortable talking to me about it for fear of "hurting my feelings." Who knows it could have become a turn off for him. The simple fact that I was upfront with him and the way I referred to it as my "tail" he said was "cute."Anyway, here I am 6 yrs later. We are married and he has helped me to create 3 beautiful children. He has been there through many things including a total hysterectomy after our 3rd son was born. All have taken our relationship to a whole new level. Before it never bothered me. Only about 8 months ago did I even address it with my GYN. He said it was a skin tag which are typically benign and not to mess with it unless it starts to become bothersome. He performed a rectal exam and said he "was satisfied with the results" whatever that means. Anyway, like I said it started to grow, it became very itchy, it would bleed when I wiped, it was hard to get a "clean" wipe because (sorry I know this is gross) but fecal matter would sometimes remain under the flap of the tag. I had to be extra careful to wipe extremely well! I didn't seek to remove my "tail" for cosmetic purposes. It was simply because it did start to become quite bothersome! My husband likes to "Google" things. He found that some home remedies for removal of skin tags are tying off the tag at the base. But first he said lets try saturating a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar and putting a band aide to secure it in place. We did it in the evening and the internet said it should fall off by the morning. Well, it did not fall off. So then he said lets try tying it off, the strangulation of the tag will cease blood flow to it and the tag will die and fall off. Naturally, I was hesitant. However, removing something like this is considering a surgery even though it is really just a minor procedure. My insurance co-pay for a "surgery" is 300 dollars. We know because my husband is about to have his 4th surgery in two months. We are struggling financially due to medical bills. So my husband says "trust me!" I allowed him to tie the "tags" off with dental floss of all things. This was awful! I would NEVER RECOMMEND this at all! So then I sought the advise of a medical professional because it had been 4 days and it had not falling off and I was in pain. He recommended untying it and having surgery to remove it. For some reason I had to first have a consult with the surgeon before the surgery was actually scheduled. So I had to wait for the consult. Now guess what, I couldn't get the dental floss untied (my husband tied it too tight!) So my husband says lets tie another piece of dental floss around it, I think it is working! It will fall off, the first piece of string just wasn't tight enough. He then convinces me to tie another one on (despite the fact that the doctor JUST recommended to cut the initial string off) I know, I know... by this point you are shaking your head asking what is WRONG WITH THIS GIRL!? (my story is too long, it will continue in the thread body)
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Avatar universal
STORY CONTINUES...So he ties a second string. (he does this in the morning before he is about to leave for work) He tied it SO TIGHT, and it was SOOOO FREAKING PAINFUL! I am left alone barely able to walk, can't stand upright and I also have to care for our three sons ages 4,3, and 2. All I could do is just lay on the couch, I read books to them and watched movies with them. I was saturating a pad with blood, taking multiple baths just to temporarily relieve the pain. So the day of the consult comes, and the surgeon states that he is thankful that I was HONEST, but he can not include what "really" happened in my chart notes because my husband could be charged with a criminal offense for treating me medically when he is not a doctor. The consult was basically to determine whether or not he could perform the surgery in his office with a local anesthetic or if he had to perform it in a surgery center with general anesthesia. When he looked at the area, he cut off the two strings which was SO PAINFUL! Based on this he said he wanted me to be as comfortable as possible and since I have already endured so much trauma to the area he preferred me to have the surgery with general anesthesia. That was FINE BY ME. I just wanted it to be GONE! I had to wait 4 more days for the actual surgery. After the surgery, I was in alot of discomfort. I was given Norco for the pain and told to take sitz baths 2-3 times daily to relieve the pain. So I was taking the pain medication and it didn't occur to me until it was too late that I should be also taking some sort of stool softener since pain medications cause constipation. I know this from experience from when I have my Total Hysterectomy which is a horrific story in itself. So anyway, I started taking a stool softener and I was sitting on the toilet in absolute horrible pain. So my husband gives me a oral laxative. None of these things helped the situation, only made the situation worse. I was suffering from fecal impaction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_impaction I know this because it happened after my hysterectomy. My anal sphincter was stuck in the "push" position. It wasn't anything I could control. It was an involuntary muscle contraction. I was bleeding, my husband was trying to help me the best he could. He kept telling me to calm down and relax. Before when I suffered from this, the only thing I could do is manually remove the fecal matter. My husband was against this because he didn't want me to mess up the stitches from the surgery. So he ran to the store to get an enema. I know this is all "way too much information" and what happens next is a bit graphic. Please bear with me!So he returns with the enema. I bend over and he helps me by inserting it. Because the compacted fecal matter is right there blocking the enema from being inserted, this was unsuccessful! He could only put a little of the enema liquid inside and there was no place else for it to go so it started spraying out and was shooting watery fecal matter all over the place. So horrific, so embarrassing. There was nothing I could do, as a last resort I had to place my finger inside my anus and manually break up the fecal matter and pull it out bit by bit. I had to do this three separate times. I would have some relieve, then I would shower. Then more impacted fecal matter would be trying to exit and I would have to manually remove it again, then I would shower. By the third time of doing this, I was severely raw, bleeding, and it was just miserable. This all began with me going upstairs to lay down in my bed and read a book at 7 p.m. I went to urinate before laying down, and suddenly I was stricken with this horrible need to have a bowel movement. So what began at 7 p.m. didn't finally end until 2 a.m.The fecal impaction occurred 1 day after surgery. Now I am 5 days post-op. I called the surgeon the day after I experienced this horrific tale. I told him what happened and he advised me to never manually remove fecal matter again as I could really damage the area down there. He told me to drink magnesium citrate to regulate my bowel movements. He told me to see him in a week which would have been this Monday the 1st of July. Unfortunately, I could not schedule my post-op on this day. My husband is undergoing a surgery this day. So I scheduled on Wednesday which is five days from now. My first reaction toward the surgeon was a little bit of frustration. I felt he was insensitive. I told him it was a last resort and it was the only thing I could do! After hanging the phone up, I took a step back and tried to see through his perspective. I can totally understand, here I am this patient that likes to "take matters into her own hands" I treated my anal skin tags by tying them off, then I treated my fecal impaction by manually removing the stool. I can totally understand that he probably has a poor perception of me. I get it and I don't take it personally.This has been miserable. It has been the worst, I would even say it is worse then child birth and my abdominal hysterectomy. I am terrified to poop! The pain when I have a bowel movement is EXCRUCIATING!! I am bleeding, I am severely swollen, I feel as if things are messed up further like possibly a hemorrhoid or prolapsed rectum. I sit on the toilet and all I can do is just try and convince my mind that what I am feeling is only temporary and it is not that bad. Immediately after I have a bowel movement I have to go take a bath. I can barely walk, I can't bend over, I sleep with an ice pack in my underwear. My husband found out how to separate the acetaminophen from the hydrocodone in the Norco so that I can take it for pain relief without the worry of having more constipation. Today when I had a bowel movement, it was the worst one yet. There was this pulling/pinching sensation on my vagina that came along with the burning of my anus. I seriously don't even want to eat! I don't want to have to poop 1 more time until I have completely healed. These past two weeks have been just terrible!!To anyone who stumbles upon this thread seeking to deal with their anal tags. I strongly advise you to not attempt to treat them with "home remedies." Also, if you want them gone for merely "cosmetic reasons" I suggest you think twice. They aren't that big of a deal. They don't define you, they don't make you abnormal, they don't make you ugly, and they certainly should not make you insecure. I would only consider removing them if you were concerned that they could possibly be malignant. If someone finds them to be a "turn off" then I feel sorry for these people! I saw a man who was vulnerable enough to post photos of his anal skin tags in a blog and their were people who commented were very cruel to him. I really feel sorry for people who have nothing better to do then to put people down. I am thankful for this man's photos and to all of the people who were comfortable enough to share their stories. It really helps people when concerning a difficult medical situation such as this because typically things like this are just not discussed because of SHAME! I hope my story can provide help to whoever reads it.
Thank you for your time.  (sorry for the long length and gross details)
Helpful - 1
1 Comments
You are a strong woman. I feel for you, and hope I never have to go through anything like that. I'm at the early stage - identifying what is thought to be "faecal impaction" that showed up on X-Rays taken for what I called a "pinched nerve" in my spine

I know you won't be offended if I remind you of the story of the constipated mathematician.
He worked it out with a pencil.
Avatar universal
I have anal skin tag. First time I felt it yesterday but It's growing rapidly . Today I feel much pain .What will I do? Please help me, Thank you
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Anal Tag removal is the most horrific pain i have ever felt. The local anesthesia are shots injected into your anal area which are by no means painless. The shots alone are enough to make you want to stop and reconsider going on with the procedure. But I wanted to have a fresh clean feeling after wiping from a bowl movement as well as wanting to feel better about myself. Today is the 3rd day after my procedure and I'm seriously regretting it. Having a bowl movement is an extremely painful chore. I do sits baths frequently. The Dr was kind but the pain is unbareable. I can not take any pain pills worth anything do to being allergic to codeine so I eat ibuprofen like it's going out of style and it helps some. Moral of the story.... deal with it unless it is painful and HAS to be removed.
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1 Comments
I used castor oil , often making a paste with baking soda that helps it go much faster. Yes it is difficult to treat anal tags without irritating near skin. But I was successful. I tried tea tea oil which did dry up some but gave up because the oil has to strong a smell to use before going out or sleeping with a partner, even just for sleep, as smell is overwhelming. We gave up the tea tree oil as  unless you can be totally alone for a month, the smell is an issue. ... however it was working. Most give up because of smell.
However castor oil has no smell. I bought 2 travel leak proof squeeze bottles, one for purse and one for home. I filled with castor oil. After each toilet visit I used a bottle of water to squirt and clean, (loved bidets when I worked in Europe - so civilized - wish they were common in US).
Then I dabbed on a drop or two of castor oil. If you make a paste in your palm with baking soda you can make it go faster, but it is more irritating.
When I got too irritated, I backed off the extra baking soda boost for a day or two ...then re started it . No matter what, I at least used the squeeze water botttle wash and the 2 drops of castor oil.
I 2 weeks I notices significant shrinkage. What I though was one BIG tag changed to 4 separate  ones with different base connections. Then it got interesting. The smaller ones started to dry up and fall off, then the larger one took a couple of weeks longer.
Yes castor oil alone or with baking soda paste boost works. But it is not painless.... there is irritation you have to manage. Don't give up... just give it a rest when surrounding skin is just too painful.. then resume.. but don't wait too long to loose the progress.
in 3-6 weeks, if you follow this plan, you may resolve your tags without embarrassing doctors or expensive and painful medical procedures.  
sounds like TMI but if my experience helps anyone reading this .. great to share.
Best Wishes
563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
These can be a cysts, skin tags or HPV wart. Warts are small painless growth on skin caused by Human Papilloma Virus and can be cauliflower shaped.
I would suggest a dermatologist’s consultation to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment options for skin tags include removing with scissors, freezing (using liquid nitrogen), and burning (using medical electric cautery at the physician's office). You should consult a dermatologist to find out which treatment is the best one for you.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.



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