Anyone with peri-anal skin tags

I have a skin tag in that area but my doctor knew right away that's what it was. Before I went to the doc though, I was pretty sure that it was a hemorrhoid as well but I was also worried it could be something else. Turned out to be a skin tag and it's gotten so small now that I don't even notice it. The doctor that diagnosed it though was a Crohns specialist. I'd get it checked out by someone who is more knowledgeable on Crohns disease.

I have 'em too and my first gastro didn't know what it was and made me go to a dermotologist.  My gastro now knew EXACTLY what it was.

Claudia

Post Edited (Smrtgrl96x) : 11/22/2007 10:58:38 AM (GMT-7)

You can have both hemmies and skin tags together but regardless that GI would have mentioned both, that's why it's important you see a colo-rectom surgeon, mind you with my experiances they can be idiots too.

skeptical did you check out the pics in the link I posted above?

:)

I don't know why she mentioned rectal cancer and thrombosed hemmorrhoid together as they are not related. A thrombosed hemmorhoid looks awful and is very painful but it is not life threatening.

PB, I took a look at that link several times and I agree with tinglebell, they are awful looking. After the first time, I got a mirror and a penlight and checked again. My concern doesn't look as bad as that picture. I had asked my gyn NP at one time what that fleshy blob was and she said it was an "old hemmorrhoid" Well, that was several years ago and I have more than a fleshy blob. If I don't have perianal CD then they should put a picture of me next to that one and label it "don't confuse these with this situation" I'm seeing an Ob-Gyn next month for a check up so I will ask her for her opinion. it was the last Ob-Gyn I saw (the NP retired and since my OB-Gyn of 20 years died I've had a rough time finding a replacement) who told me not to accept that the lump I had was a lipoma, go see a surgeon. I followed his advice and it wasn't a lipoma, it was a cyst.

Oh pb4 I am so sorry. Those pictures were really something. It's hard to imagine them as much worse than that picture. Can they ever shrink? Do you always have pain from them?

hey potatoqwn :)

They used to shrink up yrs ago before I actuall got sick with crohns (it's where my CD actually started, with these perianal crohns skin tags but docs kept saying they were just hemmies) unfortunately after the birth of my first child they flared really bad and I was sent in for an emergency hemheroidectomy on them (they banded them) but soon after it was discovered they were NOT hemmies but instead crohns anal skin tags and they got even worse when I ended up with fissures all over them (I had to fill the tub with water to poop because that pain was soooooooo excrutiating)...they'll never shrink back down again because of them being banded when they shouldn't have (when I was a teen that's when they first appeared but absolutely no other symptoms, at that time in my life they would come and go on their own which is why I guess they were "tagged" as being hemmies and not what they actually were)...live and learn the hard way I guess, crohns is a very sneaky and ugly disease as we all know.

:)

pb4
I have read when you have written about these before, but until seeing the photos, I really had no idea how serious they were. They should rename them because people most likely think of those little skin tags that people get.
I too have learned from your story. Wow! This disease is something, huh?

This was my first symptom of Crohn's. For years, I've had what I thought was a very large external hemorrhoid. My gynecologist assumed that's what it was as well and tried a couple of times to refer me to a surgeon to have it removed. When I finally went, the surgeon took one look and said "That's not a hemorrhoid, it's chronic fissure with a very large, very wide-based skin tag. And by the way, have you ever had any symptoms of Crohn's? Because the only skin tags I've ever seen that look like that have been in Crohn's patients." I was completely skeptical, since I had never and still have not been sick with the typical GI symptoms. Yet this skin tag is what led me down the path to eventual Crohn's diagnosis. It was that obvious to my surgeon, who was familiar with the various presentations of Crohn's, but my gynecologist and primary care doctor had no clue.

I had type 1 Elephant rectal tags. There were two mainly. I had them starting at 20 years old. Believing they were common hemmeroids from pregnancy. As I got older they grew quickly. At 23 years old they reached a very embarrassing size. I was scared they were cancerous (of course upon diagnosis-yes I waited that long out of fear- that they were rectal tags).
I asked a few doctors about removing them. I got the same answer. It's too painful, could worsen my Crohn's disease, and a variety of other disheartening answers. After my divorce a few years ago I didn't want to date. The idea of intimacy was/is frightening.
This past January 2014 (32 yrs old) I had my transverse colon removed due to a stricture. The colo-rectal surgeon was amazing! Initially he was also going to remove the tags but due to "sterile" reasons he didn't. I was sad as that meant another surgery later.
The removal of my transverse colon went smoothly as did recovery. I will not lie. The pain. Excruciating. Worse than my labor during pregnancy. I was on a pain pump and was allowed .4mg/ 7 mins and I used it three days straight religiously. At home I was on morphine and percs.
So yesterday March 11, 2014 at 10am I went into surgery. Originally the anesthesiologist said they do a local (numb the rectum) and just some iv med to make woozy like twilight. Due to my resistance to meds I was terrified. Begged not to be awake for this stressful and embarrassing surgery. He said he'd also do a spinal block. I was still scared. Bless my surgeons and anesthesiologists heart. While he did the spinal he did completely sedate me with propophyl (sp?).
I woke numb and still under the spinal. As it wore off I still was very numb from lidocaine and the local. Driving home it steadily wore off. I felt mild discomfort. Like how a bleeding hemmeroids feel.
Today I feel no pain! Although I'm still on pain meds. But I doubt that's the only thing keeping the pain at bay. I can't explain how it feels completely normal. But I havnt actually explored the area I'm scared. I know having a BM will prob be horrible (even before it was never easy for me). The surgeon said this would be hellacious pain. I'm waiting for it to come but still. Nothing. I do have a gauze inside my rectum that has lidocaine and will come out with first BM but I'm sure that's wore off by this time.
I have 2% lido cream I can use and plan to soon as I feel a BM approaching. I'll post more as I recover. I pray the pain stays away it would be a miracle. I also pray the results are good and I can let go of some of the self-consciousness.

Thank you Aka1908. I'm happy to report the surgery went great! Somehow I made it with only mild discomfort. Prior to my first BM is used colace twice daily, Miralax twice daily. Which made BM's during healing very bearable.
Today my surgery has healed 3/4 of the way with no sign that there was ever Elephant tags present. I'm so satisfied and can't begin to say how this surgery impacts my life in a positive way. I wish anyone considering this type of surgery well. There's a lot to consider but I have no regrets.

I have them too, one pretty decent size. My doctors always knew what they were right away, and none of them ever suggested removing them. My rectal fistula surgery took a year to heal up all the way, so I try to avoid surgery there if I can! Besides if they can come back, I'm not sure what the point would be? I mean if they hurt then absolutely, or get so big they need to be removed.

I guess if you're nervous about what it is it would be good to get a second opinion. My money is on a skin tag though, we are notorious for those things!

I had several tags prior to my ostomy surgery. They were awful, I asked several doctors about removing them since I thought they were hemmies for a long time. I was told that removal would prob not be successful and could make them worse since they were tags and not hemmies. I lived with them until my surgery when they were removed along with my rectum/anus. So glad.