Woman 7

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 16:57:59
To: jack1faf6.arc.nasa.gov

I found your website a god send when I developed an AF after the birth of my first child this year. I had an agonising 6 week period that culminated in me seeing a surgeon (who found I actually had 2 AF's!), presenting at A&E/urgent doctor appts in agony and being prescribed very high dose of opiate painkillers that were just too strong that I couldn't tolerate them anyway. I was feeling desperate.. but then it suddenly improved due to the following factors:

• topping breast feeding as I just couldn't seem to take in enough replacement fluids & I needed to take various medication - although this was a very sad decision I knew I couldn't cope with the pain anymore and it was practically making it impossible to care for my baby whilst my partner was at work if I had an episode of pain (which could last up to 6 hours).
• TG ointment applied regularly (deciding I needed to use this medication & other strong painkillers to get better also supported by decision to stop breast feeding).
• ubricating my anus with KY jelly prior to going - this seemed to make a big different as it prevented any more trauma to the area.
• aking diet & fluids advice from this page, this didn't offer the dramatic change but is obviously important in terms of future prevention and general well being.
• aking a variety of vitamins & health remedies for constipation.

I think my risk factors were a family history of anal fissures and my own long history of constipation & haemarroids.

Anyhow after using stopping breastfeeding my fissure dramatically improved within days and after about 1 week I no longer had the pain after going to the toilet. Since then I have been fissure free for 6 months and I try to stick to a healthy diet but ensure that I still use the KY jelly before going so I never risk the trauma to that area again.

Not sure whether my story adds anything that isn't already on your website. However, I do believe stopping breast feeding was essential to my recovery at that time. Obviously it was not the answer I wanted and I was incredibly upset to stop BUT I could not continue to function with that level of daily pain so I felt I had no choice.

Thanks for keeping up such a great website!

Karen (UK)