I've never had a Seton in before but it does sound like you might an an anal fissure. I have one too because it feels just as you described. Antibiotics won't help with that though. To get some relief from mine, I take a warm sitz bath after I poop. 

Hello, Canlafre.

What kind of pain is it?  If it feels like you are pooping sharp razor blades or pieces of glass, that is a fissure. It will also feel like your bum is on fire, especially in and around the anal area. Sometimes small amount of blood spots on toilet paper because fissures can bleed. After my reversal when I suffered these, my surgeon told me to sit in a sitz bath of very warm water, as warm (or as hot) as tolerable for at least 15 minutes or until the water cools. Warm water brings blood circulation to that area and helps heal internal cuts. If you have a sitz tub -- it's a small plastic tub that fits perfectly over the open toilet seat, with an opening at the back for displaced water to flow out as you sit down -- you can easily refill it with hot water using the handy tube and refill bag. Drugstores sell sitz baths. Around $15. Amazon, too. Or just fill your tub with very warm water and relax in it. Good luck.

It feels like I am being cut in half by a hot knife. The worst feeling!

Would the seton placement surgery have caused this?

I am sorry that I don't know anything about seton placement. Another member might know and hopefully respond soon. I hope you hear from your doctor soon and get scheduled for your MRI.

If they stretched the anus too much to enable the seton placement they could have caused a fissure.  In addition to the sitz baths fissures can be treated with nitroglycerin, nifedipine or diltiazem applied to the trouble spot.

Another possibility is seton-related pain being felt at another spot. Do you know if it's intended as a cutting seton or a draining seton? Most folks here have had draining setons, which are uncomfortable enough, but cutting setons are intentionally tight, and hard to put up with. 

I have had one fizzure and it was as horrible as you say.

One  thing that really made things worse was the acid in my stool. I used Questran for this. It is a powder, kind of like Metameucil, that you dissolve and drink. It binds the acid in the stool. My fizzure finally began healing when I used the Questran. It is kind of a pain to take because it also binds to your meds so you need to take it seperately from them. It also tastes kinda gross. The benefits, though, are so worth it.

Good luck.

I'm really sorry to hear that you're suffering this way.

i have a fissure deep in rectum and have been using sheriproct suppositories along with rectogel nitroglycerin ointment. Long slow process but after 4 weeks there is some improvement . My spasm/ feeling of contraction are most severe in early morning and as evening progresses. GP advised it can take upwards of 6 weeks to heal - I live in the U.K. 

I also get some relief from using a sitz bath/portable bidet bought for around £15 from Amazon as well as a large "squeezy" bottle with curved hose which I fill with warm water and use while at work- more discreet than taking bidet into staff toilets!

as a side note, the nitroglycerin can cause bad headaches. I have found drinking Pepsi Max really helps. It's the caffine which acts with the active drug to help ease headaches. Any other caffeinated drink should do the same. 

I also sit or lie on a hot water bottle when pain is bad as I feel the heat to be very soothing.

i hope the info you are getting on this forum helps you some. All the best. Take care

Hey Canlafre, 

Read this: https://www.j-pouch.org/topic/m...d-advice-experiences

Any similarities?

P

Hi Canlafre

Yes, it sure sounds like you have a fissure. As to whether the seton placement is causing / has caused the pain, that could depend on what kind of seton you have. A fissure will no doubt result in pain, especially after a bowel movement, but a seton could add to that pain. Generally, setons are rather uncomfortable contraptions. I am presently on my third draining seton (I had an anal fissure, which led to an abscess, which in turn led to me having a complex fistula), my first seton was too loose and fell out, my second was too tight and I literally couldn't walk and was taking morphine for the pain, which felt like cheese wire cutting through my butt cheek (eventually I got an emergency appointment and my surgeon loosened it for me, but it eventually came undone and fell out). My third seton is still in and seems to be working ok but does give me much discomfort (not to mention the horrible smell). However, a draining seton is quite different to a cutting seton, which would typically result in far greater pain.

As someone else mentioned, the nitroglycerin paste that is used to treat fissures can result in really bad headaches, as it did for me. With my first fissure I had to stop taking it due to the extent of these headaches (I literally couldn't function and the headaches were simply too much to bear). When I developed a second fissure I flatly refused to use the paste again.

A Sitz bath is a great idea and is very beneficial in keeping the area clean following a bowel movement. I would certainly recommend purchasing one. As already mentioned by someone else, a hot water bottle is also a great addition in offering some pain relief.

I really hope you manage to find some relief and I hope that your problems are soon solved. Take care.

Martin

Hi Martin

just a quick message. It was me that mentioned the GTN (nitroglycirin cream) as you say the headaches are horrific. If you are prescribed it again I suggest drinking a caffeine laced drink - I used Pepsi Max - it really helped. My GP also suggested that having a few "puffs"  of a salbutamol inhaler had similar results though he could not say why, obviously this is only appropriate if you have asthma and use an inhaler! Therefore I'd stick with the Pepsi or any other high caffeine drinks. 

Hope this info helps anyone who has experienced these headaches as traditional paracetamol and other otc meds do not seem to help.

good luck and kind regards

sylvia x

Hi Sylvia

Many thanks for your message, it's very much appreciated. However, it's unlikely I'll be prescribed GTN paste again, and it's doubtful I'd adopt the caffeine thing if I was as I suffer from migraines, caffeine being my main trigger (not had any caffeine in my diet for over 15 years now).

However, I am sure your recommendation will help other people out there, and any help would be greatly appreciated I am sure as the headaches are indeed terrible, and as you say, traditional painkillers do not seem to touch the pain.

Kind regards

Martin x

canlafre posted:

I have been having horrible pain ever since my seton placement surgery. It's not where the seton is. It's mainly in the anus area. I have been calling the doc and they say it's normal. I disagree. I should not be in tears and unable to walk. Went to see the doc last week.  She has no idea what is wrong says things look fine. I started crying. She gave me cipro and flagyl to take in case it's an infection. 

Agh. What could it be. I feel like I'm being cut in half. I'm waiting to call the doc again when they open. They are an hour and half away from me too. 

So they now believe it's an anal fissure. I have never had one. Never had pain like this till the seton was put in. Could the seton have caused this? Waiting for an mre to be scheduled. Not sure I can work on these pills they gave me. Has anyone had experiences like this?

How do I get my   Anus  inside to stop hunting,I  add a stoma reversal 

Botox works well for fissures

winter wish posted:

Botox works well for fissures

Yes botox successfully rid me of my first fissure 15 years ago, but unfortunately failed with my most recent one.  

I keep having pain at the top of seton. And the fissure that keep "cleaning out keeps causing issues. Agh

I hope your pain has settled. I just wanted to add to my original post, I was being treated for anal fissures though my GP couldn't see or feel any. I'd had a fissure in the past and this felt different. I requested an outpatient appointment to see my surgeon - I live in Scotland btw, an emergency referral led to an 8 week wait! However that's besides the point, I had a really good discussion with the surgeon who appeared to know exactly what I was describing- he has suggested that in actual fact I have been suffering from Proctalgia Fugax all along. He gave me some info and the symptoms are exactly the same as mine. Please google it for more info. Unfortunately there is no cure and symptoms can only be "managed" but I do feel a bit better knowing that there is a reason for the god awful pain. I just wanted to post about it as perhaps others are suffering the same and do not realise that it's  an actual condition. 

All the best to you x