Hi, I'm new here. I have been having severe anal pain for about 4 months now. It started after a bout of constipation which caused hemorrhoids and an anal fissure. Over the months the pain worsened exponentially and my surgeon recommended a hemorroidectomy, which I had one month ago. Since surgery the pain has gotten even worse, lasting up to 6 hours following a bowel movement. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced and it is exhausting. My doctor diagnosed me as having internal sphincter hypertonia. He now wants to perform an internal sphincterotomy to relieve the pressure, however, after reading the possible complications I am trying alternative methods first. I am currently using a Nifedipine 0.2% cream and it seems to be working a little. It has been two weeks since I began the treatment and although I still have pain, it has lessened and only lasts about 1-3 hours now. Sometimes I remember what it was like to live without the pain but those memories are quickly fading and are now replaced by anxiety and worry, dreading each and every bowel movement. The thought of using the restroom terrifies me so I limit my food intake to once a day. As a result, I have lost 37 pounds in just over 3 months. I know this is not healthy and I miss food. lol.
I am beyond ready to resume the life I had before the pain and I am (not so patiently) waiting for that day.