Patient 36

Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 19:05:48 -0800
To: jackfaf6.arc.nasa.gov

My story is a little different than those I've read here, so I thought perhaps you might wish to post it. Approximately three years ago I began getting a recurring hemorrhoid. Each year it would reappear and each time it would take longer to heal. Last year, the pain never did go away but outward signs of it were gone (save for a skin tag).

A few months ago I took a fiorinal tablet, a mild narcotic that had never bothered me before, and it caused a hard enough stool to create a fissure. At the time I was struggling to control my constipation and large, hard stools happened now and then which kept the fissure from healing. I was taking quite a bit of soluble fiber but it was no longer solving the problem.

I was seeing two different colo-rectal surgeons at the time and they both were recommending surgery. Call me a coward, but I just didn't see the point in slicing my anus in half just to cure a tear; it seemed like something Theodorik of York, Medieval Barber would do. So I opted for the modern, clean, pain-free miracle treatment of botox. About this time, I also began taking miralax.

Now, please understand that I have made bad decisions in the past, but I've never made one THIS bad before. I arrived at the nuerologist's office for the shots and discovered that there are four of them and the doctor had never heard of a little trick called topical anesthetic. Those four shots really hurt. I'm not a drinker, but I was craving a shot of scotch when I got out of there. Good thing I wasn't driving myself home.

The next day I felt great but was still careful and did not overdo anything. The following day however, I felt a little discomfort and upon checking with my finger, noticed a large, hard mass on the left side of the rectum. The next morning I awoke in pain and felt an enormous swelling with pain on my entire left side. Of course, it was saturday and my doctor was unavailable. The urgent care facility told me I had a thrombosed external hemorrhoid so I told them to drain it. The doctor was not a surgeon and did his best but it really hurt and he had something jabbed into my fissure the whole time. By the time he finished I was fighting back tears.

A few days later I got in to see my surgeon who's first look prompted him to say, "Ouch". I now officially had a hemorrhoid along the entire left side of my rectum, a smaller hemorrhoid on the right, and a large fissure at the back. His second comment was, "yeah, the injections can cause bleeding which caused the hemorrhoids". No one bothered to mention that before I went to have it done. No one.

I figure if I'm lucky and can avoid surgery, maybe I'll be healed up in a few months. Believe me, I will never let anyone come near me with a needle again.

"Just let things heal on their own" is my new motto.

Also see Patient 29's account and the Botulinum Toxin treatment part of the medical pages.