Patient 60

Subject: GTN is working so far
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:52:29 +0000
To: jack1faf6.arc.nasa.gov

Hello.

I have been reading your web page on and off for about eight or nine months and I finally thought that it was time to contribute my experiences with a fissure. (Please do not include my name). THis website is full of wonderful advice and it has really made me feel as if I am not alone.

I am a 23 year old female and I am a full time student plus part time worker. I don't have time for a fissure. I felt the pain of my first AF last october. Since then I have changed my diet to include lots of water, fruit, fibre, you know the drill. This did not help. My doctor (the first one) I went to gave me a prescription to use for two months so I thought this should help. After using it for two months I felt no different and the pain was actually worse. I did not want to go to the doctor again since she made me feel horrible and did not want to listen to what I wanted (and needed) to say. To make a long story short I suffered until late March on my own. Finally I decided to go to a different doctor. I showed him the first prescription and guess what....that prescription had NOTHING to do with treating a fissure. It was an antifungal cream which would help keep the area clean which was something I did not have a problem with.

The second doctor gave me a cortizone cream. This time I attempted to be a proactive patient and researched for information on this cream before using it. Sure enough this cream has been used by doctors to treat fissures. I used this cream for two weeks the first time...it helped but as soon as I went off of it the fissure was back. BY this time I had slowly crawled into June and my doctor referred me to a general surgeon.

My appointment was made and waitlists can be pretty long to see a specialist so it was late June when I finally saw the surgeon. (I called the office and practically begged to get in earlier than the July date that they had given me). This surgeon was very understanding and gave me some advice:

• continue with a high fiber high water low sugar and junk food diet
• eat green apples
• 3 bean salads
• and some more water.
• She also prescribed GTN (or NTG) 0.2%. (MORE ABOUT THIS IN A BIT)

(Note: During my wait time to see the surgeon I had also gone to see a nautropathic doctor. I went to see him only once but right away he helped me with a couple of things. I found out I was lactose intolerant. Most people get diarrhea but I was getting constipated from it. He also got me to buy some Calendula Tea and deglycerized licorice (DGL) (all from a Natural food store). I learned that my problem was a long term one...I don't really remember a time when I was regular; I have always been constipated and as we all know constipation = to fissure. Once I addressed the cause of my constipation I could address and figure out the problem of the fissure).

It is now the second week of July and I have been drinking Calendula Tea and eating a DGL tablet 20 minutes before each meal to help digest my food better. I have been using GTN for 2 weeks as well and I no longer have pain going to the bathroom. Not only is the fissure painless right now but I am also much much more regular (I go once each morning)

In summary here is what I think has helped me heal my fissure:

• High fibre diet (including lots of green veggies, green apples, raspberries, whole wheat only (no white bread, pasta, anything), beans, and fruit).
• Freshly gound flaxseed in some yogurt in the morning - flaxseed is full of fibre if it is ground and used right away.
• Very little meat
• Very little junk food (I actually went off of it completely for 5 months)
• Lots of water
• Bathtub soaks (even if its for 15 minutes) whenever you have time....it helps your body feel better and it also removes stress
• Calendula Tea and DGL tablets - these help your stomach digest food better. I would make sure to ask a doctor about using either of these remedies because they were given to me by a nautropath who knew my medical history.
• GTN - The GTN did not seem to be working right away because there was bleeding BUT i did notice that the contractions and spasms I was getting before completely disappeared. The doctor told me I did not need to be un-constipated for the GTN to work BUT in order to make my self feel better

I have continued on with my quest to achieve regularity without pain because I do not want a fissure again. I think that recognizing and addressing the CAUSE of the fissure (constipation) will help me more than just using antibiotics to fix a fissure. I think that curing the fissure but not consitpation is going to equal to another fissure. After about 4 or 5 days I had a painless trip to the bathroom and I have been pain free for about 1 1/2 weeks. I had a hard BM a couple of days ago but there was no bleeding so I am hoping that the fissure is disappearing.

I hope this helps atleast one person out there. The key to healing your fissure is figuring out how to stay away from constipation. The GTN has worked so far and I hope to God that it heals the fissure completely. The GTN cream did not even give me a slight headache (no dizziness either). With a balanced diet and lots of water I think the GTN cream can help achieve a long term fissure free life. Or atleast I hope.