Posts by steelangler7

Sophia Brooks50 said:I heard about a pharmacy in downtown Boston near the market and gave them a call. They have it for $20, though they didn't mention anything about cold chain shipping. I might try calling them one more time... they just said they could ship it. I think it has 0.2% nitroglycerin. Did you buy this on your own, or did a doctor recommend it after an exam? Are you based in the city? If so, maybe check that pharmacy... and what did you decide regarding the cream?😕

I had no idea they carried those ointments at that pharmacy in downtown Boston...
That would be wonderful...

🙂

Karen Thompson10 said:Listen, I didn't bring any gifts or extra envelopes, so I was actually blown away by how patient and respectful they were to me. Not everyone is corrupt; I honestly think verbal communication is key, you learn so much more that way.

And look, why not just head over to Mercury in Boston? You don't even need much cash, and you'll get a diagnosis. You don't necessarily have to see my doctor—try seeing Kocman instead; a girl from the forum gave him a glowing review once.
What really struck me was during my time at Mercury (only twice), the patients—mostly older women and a few men—were constantly praising the doctors. That's something I almost never hear in a waiting room...

As for differing medical opinions... they’ll always disagree. Just pick the one you connect with, someone who treats you like a human being rather than just an object.
I can't quite put a name to it, but there's a sense of intuition involved, just a good feeling. I felt safe and in good hands with my doctor. It doesn't matter which one ends up being yours, as long as you find them soon....

Regarding Fact... I wouldn't take it... stick to pastries, fruit, vegetables, grains, and really light meals.... I'm not sure what else to tell you.... 😢

Thanks again for all the info and advice..
Just gotta save up some money... for travel... nothing else left in the budget.. hehehe 🙂

Sophia Brooks50 said:Oh man, that sounds awful. I was just about to order some, and now I'm feeling nauseous. Could you tell me where this happened? Which hospital and which doctor, so people actually know... are you from a big city like Chicago or maybe somewhere near Boston? I spoke to a specialist on the phone once regarding a fissure, and he told me whether or not to use nitroglycerin ointment based on potential complications. I'm usually around the East Coast, but I called him because he works privately. Did he at least give you a Doppler scan? And which one specifically? One guy told me to use basic creams, another suggested Factu or other hemorrhoid treatments. Hemeroprotect helps me a little, but I’d love to get some nitroglycerin... you didn't mention where you bought yours or who recommended it.

I picked up the nitroglycerin in Belgrade... at the Ivancic pharmacy. It's for fisural issues... cost is about $23... because as far as I know, they're the only ones who have it. You can't just order it from them because it has to stay cold during transit. I usually buy a few cans of cold soda... then put the ointment in a bag with the cans. Or freeze a water bottle... honestly, just call the pharmacy. They have a website and everything. If I recall correctly, they make it with 0.4% nitroglycerin... so I ended up taking a stronger version than what was prescribed...
The shelf life for that ointment is only two months...
I was told it's only available in Germany... but they don't manufacture or sell it in pharmacies there anymore. I checked. I'm sure of it.
It isn't available in Canada either. If you're buying in America, pharmacies usually have to order it from overseas... price is roughly $400...

Karen Thompson10 said:steelangler7, this is just terrible. Kudos to the good doctors out there, but this approach is inhumane and downright rude. It's glaringly obvious he treats patients like mere numbers.
I don't even know what to say... I probably would have stormed out of that clinic immediately.
And you're right, you should NEVER go to a doctor you don't trust or who doesn't resonate with you.

I forgot where you're located, but please ask around and see if someone can recommend a solid surgeon. I honestly don't get it—how can a doctor tell a patient to just keep using creams when they KNOW the condition won't resolve itself, especially knowing the patient has been struggling for years? It's disgusting!
His job is to heal, not to send sick people home while arrogantly throwing around medical jargon.

Sorry for going off-topic, but I know how much courage it takes just to walk into a doctor's office and put your health in their hands, only to be met with this... Even my dog gets better care from the vet. 😠

p.s. I'm not sure if this is accurate, but one doctor told me never to use Factu on a fissure (that's what I was applying myself), and both recommended just a simple baby cream and nothing aggressive.

Inhumane is an understatement for what happened today... Looking at others, it seems only those with an envelope or a side gift actually get treated well.. Exceptions exist on both sides, I suppose!!
That's what I heard too.. Factu on a fissure... awful.. then why on earth would he say that..?!?!
... And now what am I supposed to do..?! Especially when their opinions are so conflicting.. One says one thing, another says something else.. A disaster!!
.. Based on everything.. I'll likely have to head toward Boston.
Save up the money and go if nothing else provides a second opinion..
Lucky are those who stumble upon good doctors.... because when you're already miserable.. you shouldn't have to struggle with them too.. The luckiest ones are those who don't have to visit a doctor at all..

Greetings, everyone...
Just finished my checkup...

That’s how it went...
First... I waited three hours just to get to the front of the line...
Another thing... men and women are being brought into the same room together... separated by nothing but a single sheet... So much for those EU standards...
The exam lasted... only about a minute... and I spent maybe three minutes total out in the waiting room...
The doctor wasn't in the mood at all for me to explain what happened, how things stand, or even my current situation...
I've started explaining what happened and how... including everything else... because the doctor didn't tell me anything... he just said, "Fine, let's see how you handle it..." So I said okay... maybe later he'll actually say something useful... Aha... yeah... you can just think about that...
I understand, okay... there was a crowd, but that way of doing things...
The saga continues...
You have hard stools... stool regulation should fix it... that's all there is to it...
I suppose... I haven't even had a bowel movement today or yesterday... because with all this stress and everything else, my entire metabolism and digestion have just completely stalled... and even when there was something to pass, nothing would come out... it just dried up...
..
I barely even managed to get one sentence out to him... because he was in such a massive rush...
I've been struggling with this for three years now...
As for me... if you're asking whether I want to go through with the procedure—the one Karen Thompson10 had—I wouldn't quite put it that way. If I hadn't been reading the forums, or if she hadn't explained it clearly, I wouldn't have understood what he meant at all... No... Avoiding unnecessary complications....."
I honestly don't know what else to do or how to handle this... that's why I'm here, asking for help and guidance... (I mean, seriously... if I actually knew what to do, I wouldn't be asking. Instead of helping, you're just shouting at me and making me feel like an idiot...)
And that's just how it stands...
Stool regulation and... some fat on the test results...

I will find my way out of this situation eventually... I have no desire to deal with these incompetent, arrogant, and conceited people anymore...
And trust those kinds of people with my life... Please... No way...

Sophia Brooks50 said:Hrvoje, I was told you might be the right person to ask for advice. Briefly, what’s the best and least painful way to deal with two shallow anal fissures that have been bothering me for 8 months now? Should I try a nitroglycerin ointment, even though I heard it can cause intense headaches? I'm weighing my options... ointments, anal dilation in Boston, or maybe just the classic surgical procedure at the local hospital where I live... I'm not sure if you're a GP or a surgeon, but people pointed me your way, so please help... thanks in advance

Yes... I can confirm that nitroglycerin definitely causes headaches...
it hit me pretty hard for about 2 weeks... and then later... the headaches stopped...
Another thing is that... the nitroglycerin does help with bowel movements...
It felt like... almost as if the wound was healing... but it doesn't last long... after a while, it just cracks again...
Maybe there was a bit less bleeding... but I'm not sure if that was from the nitroglycerin or not... I can't say for certain...
So, what did you end up deciding on... which method did you go with?
Since we're both going through this same struggle...🤣

Karen Thompson10 said:steelangler7, nobody is going to butcher you at the hospital. The surgeons at the Rijeka University Hospital Center are among the best in the field, and they also perform lateral sphincterotomy when that specific incision is truly necessary.
Reach out to Jason Vaughn482; I've talked to her extensively, she's done a lot of research, and she has data that will be useful to you.
The bottom line is that if your fissure is chronic and you've dealt with it for years, surgery is your only real option... other methods just won't hold, and it'll be back within six months.
It isn't about private clinics or money. Just get it handled at the hospital so you can stop suffering... this isn't how you should be living. 😢

That really isn't living...
And yes... my goal is to get this resolved...
Okay... thanks for the info...

We'll see what happens next week...
In any case... I'll post updates...

Sophia Brooks50 said:Is that fissure still bothering you? Did the chamomile ointment help, or did you end up having surgery?

Hi everyone...
It’s still there, unfortunately...
After my last checkup, I just... lost it...
I was completely overwhelmed. The doctors, the endless appointments...
I needed some time to myself... to clear my head... find my strength... and then start the whole process over again...
In fact, I just went to pick up a referral for Digestive (Abdominal) Surgery yesterday...
I can't afford private specialists or those other high-end procedures right now, so I have to go where I can. I have all my tests ready... heading in next week...
I don't even know what to say...
Just hoping for better news...
I won't let them mess with me if they can't guarantee a full recovery. I don't want anything invasive... I'd rather just leave it as is... until I can save enough to handle this properly...
I've tried Fisuranal with 0.2% nitroglycerin... a bit of chamomile... various other ointments...
The bleeding hasn't stopped... sometimes it's just drops, sometimes nothing, and sometimes... God help me...
I'm dreading the exam next week... I just don't know what to expect...
🙂

Karen Thompson10 said:I feel for you... I'm speechless. Please, just go see another doctor, even if it means going to a hospital, because this is just insane. And regarding the idea that a fissure will just heal on its own... I have nothing to say to that. 🙄
I've seen two different doctors for my own fissure, and when I asked about certain pills or those common herbal ointments, they actually laughed at me. There isn't really any other way out besides surgery or injections. If you don't act, things could get worse... you could end up with a fistula from it.
Look, surgery won't "remove" the fissure per se, but they make a tiny, almost invisible incision above it. It makes bowel movements much easier so you aren't straining, allowing the fissure to slowly heal over four or five weeks... though the relief is immediate.
It’s not just about how much it hurts—though anyone who has been through it knows it's pure agony—it's about the fact that it can worsen as the tear spreads. I really suggest seeing someone else. If you're skeptical, just look it up online; you'll see those herbal creams only work for the first two weeks... after that, they're useless.

I don't know... Another doctor... there's no other way... This is terrible...
I am in so much pain today..
The bleeding and the gas... I haven't dealt with this before...😲 My god, the mess... what even is this??
😲

Hey everyone,
here I am again..

I promised I’d check in after my doctor's appointment. Honestly, I'm just crushed.

The results show...
that 3mm fissure is still there, about 1mm wide, with grade 1 hemorrhoids..
Just keep using some calendula ointment...

So I asked the doctor if surgery was an option because I've just had enough, this has been dragging on forever.. He basically told me "not really... it'll either heal on its own or it won't." Just keep applying the ointment... see you in six months. Have fun, enjoy your baths.. Hahaha hahah ha!!!!!!😠
Of course, since the exam, things have taken a turn for the worse..
That tiny bit of healing actually tore right open..
And today, it was just a bowl full of blood..
Just wonderful..
I'm truly done with all of this..🙂

I might be being a bit much already... but I just have to ask...
Treating hemorrhoids with an IR coagulator...from what I understand, it basically burns the vessels, if I've got that right...
Is that actually a good approach?
Thanks to everyone for being so kind... especially Karen Thompson10🙂
Best...

Karen Thompson10 said:Treating just the fissure without dealing with hemorrhoids would be much cheaper, and if money is the main issue, you should just go to the hospital. The procedure is basically the same whether it's at a hospital or a private clinic. A fissure is handled either through injections or a small incision; there isn't much complexity there.
It’s different with hemorrhoids because there are several different methods. Your priority should be fixing the fissure since all that pain is coming from it, and if you want to deal with the hemorrhoids later, leave them for another time (especially if finances are an issue).
Also, be careful because not all private clinics perform fissure repairs, so check with them first. Regardless, there is no inflammation with a fissure, so there is nothing to wait for...

Exercise... you should just ask the doctor about that directly. There have been others on this forum who had a fissure and couldn't push themselves too hard, which makes sense to me. Just be careful not to make things worse.

Okay.. That's what I'll do.. I was already thinking along those lines..
Ask openly.. put everything on the table.. It's just one of those things.. you think you're doing everything right and staying informed.. I don't know what to say...
Like you said... if it's not working, I'll move on.. If I need to go to New York City to get it sorted out, I will..
I admit my own negligence played a part, I didn't look into it early enough.. or read enough about it.. I just trusted the doctor.. Thinking, since I'm paying for the service, they must be doing it right.. Why bother overthinking it.. but clearly, that approach doesn't work anymore.. It's an embarrassing illness..
I just hope they weren't stalling me if they aren't actually repairing the fissure😠.. because if they aren't.. it won't end well...!!!😠
Sigh.. I see there are many worse cases here, unfortunately..

Karen Thompson10 said:Where are you located? Which doctor are you seeing?
I think it would be best if you read my previous posts, because I’ve described everything in detail there (especially the first ones)... I feel like I’m just repeating myself constantly, and I'm starting to bore myself... 😁

In short... I ended up at the Butterfly Clinic with Dr. Ivanovic (honestly, I'm considering sending them an invoice for the free advertising 😛), and I couldn't be happier. I went in for the DG HAL-RAR method to handle both hemorrhoids and a fissure. The total came to 8 $0.00. At another clinic, the price for the DG HAL-RAR procedure alone was actually higher, and from what I could tell, the doctor didn't even charge me for fixing the fissure...
For comparison, I saw another doctor who wanted to treat the fissure with Botox injections—please don't do that by accident, because the condition just comes back after 6-8 months—and he wanted to do the hemorrhoids via laser, and the price was as much as 22 $0.00.

If you're already heading in for surgery, I'd recommend getting rid of the hemorrhoids at the same time. There are really only two best methods for that: THD and DG HAL-RAR.

You should be able to get the fissure treated at any hospital, so you shouldn't have to pay anything for that part...

Recovery was honestly quite easy for me. Three days after the surgery, it hurt quite a bit (mostly because of the fissure), but after that, it was like I'd never even had the operation...

Honestly, I find it unbelievable that your doctor hasn't suggested a permanent fix over the last two years. Those are intense pains. After a month and a half, people were asking me how I even managed to endure it for so long...
Don't wait any longer... it's really not worth it...

And yes, regarding what you wrote about feeling even worse after the exam because it feels like everything is tearing after the doctor performs the anoscopy... that is exactly right. It felt the same way for me. And I'm not sure if you should be exercising or straining yourself, because everything down there "tears" a little bit. That wound needs to heal first...

Ah... New York City.
I go to the Vineyard Clinic... I can't say for sure... everyone there is kind and the doctor is very approachable... and he clearly knew how to solve this his way... I don't know much about how things work there... And yes... surgery was mentioned, but since it's been two years now... it's time for me to change things and take action... Everyone says something different... As for exercise... I've really thrown myself into it now... full on... It's doing my body good, both mentally and physically...
Anyway, a new doctor just started there, so we'll see what he thinks...
It's a lot of money... ugh... I mean, okay... you can't put a price on health... But when you're unemployed, that number hits a little harder...
Thank you again for the advice...
I'll let you know either way... whether things get better or not...
Best regards...

Karen Thompson10 said:Two years?? 😲 Either you have an incredibly high pain tolerance or the last two years have been a total nightmare. How hasn't your doctor suggested surgery yet? Honestly, no topical cream is going to fix this.
Goodness, I was a complete wreck after just a month of dealing with that hell, but two years... my advice is to get it handled. I haven't regretted it for a single second. 😉

It really is a nightmare... and I'm honestly just done with it. My doctor mentioned the inflammation needs to go down... basically, we need to manage things. First, getting my digestion under control, then trying all sorts of creams... nothing worked. I spent six months searching for that last specific ointment... using chamomile in the meantime... just struggling. Yeah... you're right... something has to be done... I can't take any more.
Could you tell me where you went for your surgery, what the cost was, and how long recovery took? Any experiences post-op...
Thank you...

Hi there!
Thanks for the heads-up... Man... I've been dealing with this fissure for a long, long time... Diagnosed about two years ago... It's still there, maybe 5-6mm, pretty shallow... and it really takes its toll on me..
I have an appointment with my doctor next week.. we'll see how it goes..
So, I went out and stocked up on all kinds of fruit.. I've got this mix in mind.. hoping it helps kickstart things... and makes everything a bit easier to pass.. heheheh...
Thanks again...
Every bit of advice helps..👋

Oh right... I forgot to ask... and just a heads up, my internal chemistry is a bit off lately...
I see someone mentioned a certain herbal mountain tea...??
So, here's the deal. I make sure to go every single day, which my doctor says is great... though ideally, it would be twice a day... The issue is that sometimes things get quite hard. I tried this herbal tea once (bought from a local herbalist)... I can't recall the name... but it caused me so much trouble, stomach pains... and diarrhea. It completely threw off my routine of going every morning because then nothing would happen for a while. Is there anything I could take to soften things up...? I eat plenty of fruit and grains... I even make myself little porridges, sort of like baby food... hehe... Maybe a tea? But nothing too aggressive. I've tried olive oil... well, sipping it... my doctor told me to take a tablespoon of olive oil on an empty stomach... Ugh, drinking it straight didn't sit well with my stomach. Now I'm going to try mixing that tablespoon into my food instead, following the doctor's advice.
People, help me out...😕
Hi...

Hello to everyone on this forum.
Dealing with hemorrhoids has been my absolute nightmare for the last few years...
I just need to vent to someone, or I’m going to lose it dealing with this enemy that simply won't leave me alone... Today is one of those days where I feel mentally broken because of it all. I've been fighting them for so long. Maybe it sounds pathetic... they are only Grade 1 hemorrhoids... but they have completely drained me. I'm bleeding every other day... sometimes a little, and sometimes... well... you know... It hasn't changed anything about my diet... nothing works... My doctor recently prescribed some nitroglycerin ointment because it's the fissure that's actually torturing me more than the hemorrhoids itself... She finally found it... all the way in New York City (at the Ivanovic pharmacy—Fisuranal)... she practically searched half of Europe... and there she was. So happy, thinking it was the answer... the savior... Yeah... right... I apply it every single day... and yet it feels worse rather than better. Regarding my diet... I try to eat everything listed to soften things up... but honestly... I can't live on just bran. I drink plenty of fluids now, much more than I ever did before... Every night I have to get up because it feels like my bladder might burst... During college... I spent literally 90% of my time either sitting at a desk or in bed... zero percent exercise... so I think this "royal disease" came from all that sitting... Now that I'm unemployed... I try to stay active (running for job interviews and such🙂) as much as possible... I work out three times a week for two or three hours... and still, nothing has changed.... I'm losing my mind... If I can't drive this nuisance away now, while I actually have control over my schedule... what's going to happen when I start working again? Sitting for 10+ hours a day, not being able to clean up and apply ointment every single time after using the bathroom...🙂
I have another check-up next week... And of course... things always get worse after the exam... whatever heals seems to just tear open again because of how they probe... Sigh... it's so hard... is there any hope left...?? It's not just me suffering, my partner is at his wit's end trying to help me... He gets so anxious whenever he hears me screaming from the bathroom... NOOOOOOOOOOOO... and everything else...
😢🙂
Any words of comfort... sigh...