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Who has non-healing fissures?

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Posted 6/19/2013 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
Fissures are really giving me hard times. The perianal abscess was declared to be have resolved. Unfortunately, starting Friday, pain started throbbing again as if the abscess were still there. I was screaming out of pain. So, I saw the surgeon and he told me that the fissure was open but it was clear; there was no pus. He prescribed two IM antibiotic injections and told me to call him after 2 days. Pain subsided when I was on the antibiotic. Yesterday, pain returned. I called the surgeon again and he told me to repeat the injections again for only one more time and put the compounding. I have had antibiotics for 3 weeks 1g/12 hrs and now these injections. The GP told me that this is enough. My fissures are never healing. Is this normal?
Any replies are highly appreciated.
Posted 6/20/2013 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
Unless a fissure shows signs of being infected, then I think prescribing antibiotics is way over the top. My fissures were dealt with by using a lidocaine ointment several times a day prior to the time I usually had a BM. I also had specially compounded steroid based ointments to apply to the fissures. It took a while but they eventually healed. We had a member quite a while back that only had fissures as a symptom of his Crohn's. Everything that was tried failed. Finally the GI put him on Remicade and it healed the fissures.

It may take several trials of different things to deal with your issues.
Posted 6/20/2013 9:54 AM (GMT 0)
Ides, thank you very much. Well, I have been applying lidocaine and the GTN compounding for several years without any avail. I was told I can't have a fissurecotomy (sp). This is what I was told. I have to see a new colorectal surgeon next week. Hopefully, he can figure out what is wrong with me.
Posted 7/3/2013 4:52 AM (GMT 0)
I presently have a fissure and it's been hanging around for a couple of months. It does heal but the wrong wipe of toilet paper, aggravates it, and the burn, itch and pain start all over. I've learned to blot more, and wipe less, and that is a help. Sitz baths are good as well. When it is active, I seem to experience more spasms and then more diarrhea. Don't know if that is connected or if it's the crohn's being active?
Posted 7/3/2013 7:46 AM (GMT 0)
I had mine for well over a year. Felt like I was pooping glass every time I went to the bathroom. Very painful those things. They ended up fixing it when they went in and did the surgery on my fistula. They were right next to each other.
Posted 7/3/2013 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
This is from The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno, page 597:
Evidence of zinc deficiency occurs in approximately forty-five percent of Crohn’s disease patients and in similar numbers with ulcerative colitis…many of the complications of the disease may be a direct result of zinc deficiency: poor healing of fissures and fistulas, skin lesions, retinal dysfunction, …

Everyone knows how Crohn’s can impair absorption of vitamin B12, that is why so many here regularly take B12 shots. But Crohn’s can also cause deficiency of other nutrients especially folic acid and zinc. You can test for blood levels of folic acid. Another way to determine a deficiency of biotin and folic acid is if you hair is falling out. But I don't believe there is a test for zinc deficiency.

So maybe it is a good idea to take a multivitamin that has generous amounts of zinc. Hopefully it may help with slow healing abscesses and fistulas. Just a thought. I don't think it could hurt.
Posted 7/3/2013 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
I think you can do a blood test for zinc.....my GI ran a ton of tests, and called and told me to start taking zinc (just an OTC of it)
Posted 7/3/2013 2:48 PM (GMT 0)

minnietoty said...
Fissures are really giving me hard times. The perianal abscess was declared to be have resolved. Unfortunately, starting Friday, pain started throbbing again as if the abscess were still there. I was screaming out of pain. So, I saw the surgeon and he told me that the fissure was open but it was clear; there was no pus. He prescribed two IM antibiotic injections and told me to call him after 2 days. Pain subsided when I was on the antibiotic. Yesterday, pain returned. I called the surgeon again and he told me to repeat the injections again for only one more time and put the compounding. I have had antibiotics for 3 weeks 1g/12 hrs and now these injections. The GP told me that this is enough. My fissures are never healing. Is this normal?
Any replies are highly appreciated.

 

Hi, I had a rectal fistula and the only way for  it to completely be healed is to have a temporary colostomy for three years.

 

Posted 7/3/2013 2:50 PM (GMT 0)

sad  innietoty said...
Fissures are really giving me hard times. The perianal abscess was declared to be have resolved. Unfortunately, starting Friday, pain started throbbing again as if the abscess were still there. I was screaming out of pain. So, I saw the surgeon and he told me that the fissure was open but it was clear; there was no pus. He prescribed two IM antibiotic injections and told me to call him after 2 days. Pain subsided when I was on the antibiotic. Yesterday, pain returned. I called the surgeon again and he told me to repeat the injections again for only one more time and put the compounding. I have had antibiotics for 3 weeks 1g/12 hrs and now these injections. The GP told me that this is enough. My fissures are never healing. Is this normal?
Any replies are highly appreciated.

Posted 7/3/2013 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
I had a temporary Colosotmy for three years to heal my Rectal Fistual. It s been since 1996 and have no had no issues since with them.
Posted 7/3/2013 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
I have had a fissure with tunneling for a about 1 1/2 years. I am seeing a homeopathy doctor who has been working with me for about a year to get this thing to heal up. The tunneling is completely gone & the fissure has decreased in size! I feel we are on the right path with the remedy that I am on now. I had a slight flare up with it last week….pain, swelling & some drainage but think it was because of sitting on a hard chair for several hours a couple of days. Next time will take my cushion. It is a slow process to let your body heal but I didn't want surgery.
Posted 7/5/2013 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Dear all, thank you very much. I really appreciate it. I stopped taking the multivitamin when my stomach started hurting two weeks ago. I'll start to take it ASAP.
Posted 7/11/2013 11:51 AM (GMT 0)
my fissures are constant and everywhere down there... but fortunately most of them don't actually split my skin most of the time. they're more the sort that's kinda like extremely pruned skin that hardened up, but didn't dry out. proto-fissures? i dunno what my particular brand of awful is called.

anyway, they're still extremely uncomfortable, so I use Calmoseptine. it's supposed to help promote healing and whatnot, and it definitely helps with friction from walking around, that sort of thing. and i find that showering more frequently helps somewhat. but i don't know how much any of this will help with chronically open fissures. it says right on the label that it's OK for wounds, though, so it can't hurt to try.
Posted 7/11/2013 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
Bane, thank you very much. Do you know what's the generic name of the cream you mentioned as I'm not a US resident. My fissures are open all the time and I don't know whether the dull pain I'm suffering from is caused by the fissures or the abscess.
Posted 7/12/2013 5:26 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor prescribed a compounded cream containing flagyl and it healed my fissure. 
Posted 7/12/2013 10:58 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know if it has a generic name. It's just a menthol/zinc oxide ointment. It's not a prescription or anything, most pharmacies just don't keep it in stock. If you ask them about it, they can order some.

Their web site says it's available in Canada, Australia, and the Philippines, as well as the U.S.. If you can't find a local substitute in other countries, I'm sure you can have it shipped wherever you are. I can't imagine anyone banning it, lol.
Posted 7/12/2013 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
Ep49 and Bane, thank you very much.
@ Ep49. I'm really amazed at my surgeons. I see a lot of surgeons to find a treatment for my non-healing fissures and no one of them prescribed this ointment. They always tell me that I need metronidazole but I can't tolerate it either orally or rectally coz of vomiting and so refuse to take it. I'm just wondering why don't they include it in a compounding as your doctor did.
@ Bane. I'll look into it. I'll tell the surgeon about it the next time I see him and ask if he can include these (menthol/zinc oxide) in a compounding.
Posted 7/13/2013 2:01 AM (GMT 0)

BabeintheWoods said...
This is from The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno, page 597:
Evidence of zinc deficiency occurs in approximately forty-five percent of Crohn’s disease patients and in similar numbers with ulcerative colitis…many of the complications of the disease may be a direct result of zinc deficiency: poor healing of fissures and fistulas, skin lesions, retinal dysfunction, …

Everyone knows how Crohn’s can impair absorption of vitamin B12, that is why so many here regularly take B12 shots. But Crohn’s can also cause deficiency of other nutrients especially folic acid and zinc. You can test for blood levels of folic acid. Another way to determine a deficiency of biotin and folic acid is if you hair is falling out. But I don't believe there is a test for zinc deficiency.

So maybe it is a good idea to take a multivitamin that has generous amounts of zinc. Hopefully it may help with slow healing abscesses and fistulas. Just a thought. I don't think it could hurt.

 

I don't know if there is a blood test for zinc deficiency, but I once sent in a hair sample and the results showed very low levels of zinc, not to mention elevated levels of mercury. 

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