Posts by vividharbor93

Hey everyone, finally jumping into the fray here... I've been lurking for ages, reading your posts and looking for advice, but now I figured it’s time to share my own story. I’ve been battling hemorrhoids for at least five or six years now. In the beginning, it wasn't a total nightmare; I could manage by using various creams and ointments and just pushing through. But as time went on—especially after I had my baby—the pain became much more frequent and way more intense. I basically endured this hell for nearly two years straight. I tried everything: suppositories, pills, changing my whole diet, God knows how many different creams... but eventually, the pain just became unbearable. There were nights where I couldn't sleep at all, and honestly, I was even crying from the discomfort. This past summer, I finally worked up the nerve to go see a doctor. He suggested a banding procedure before things got too far gone. I was terrified, obviously, so I told him I needed to think about it and do some research first. Eventually, I decided to pull the trigger. The plan was three sessions, spaced a month apart. After the first one, I actually felt some relief, and the second one helped even more. However, I didn't go back for the third session until two months later because the pain had flared up again. At first, I was convinced the pain was coming from that third site because I hadn't gotten it done on schedule, but my doctor told me that wasn't it. It turns out the internal issue wasn't lining up with the external area, which was inflamed, painful, and swollen. So, that wasn't the culprit. The doctor mentioned it might be an anal fissure, so he gave me some Lidocaine gel and told me to check back in a week if the pain didn't subside. Of course, being as stubborn as I am, I kept telling myself it would just pass. I waited, and I waited, and I suffered through these excruciating pains that were actually worse than the hemorrhoids. My mind was racing—I started wondering if the banding was botched or if the whole procedure was useless. I didn't know what to think. I spent so much time reading your discussions here that I actually started questioning if it was a fissure. Once I realized I had almost every symptom, I decided to head back to the doctor after two months of pure misery. I saw him yesterday, and he confirmed my suspicions immediately. He asked if I wanted to deal with it right then and there, and I said yes, because I simply couldn't take the pain anymore. He performed a fissure dilation, and the whole thing was over in twenty minutes. You don't really feel the actual procedure since they use local anesthesia, though the needle prick hurts a bit. They gave me some painkillers and anesthetic gauze... To be honest, I thought once the local numbing wore off, I’d be dying from the pain, but guys, I can't believe it—it doesn't hurt nearly as much as what I was dealing with before. Sure, I'm on medication, but I was on medication before, too. My only massive fear right now is that I haven't had my first bowel movement yet. I'm genuinely scared of how that's going to go. And yeah, it’s not like there’s zero pain, but as long as I'm lying down, I feel okay. The moment I stand up, it starts hurting again, so I've just been stuck in bed all day. Anyway, I hope sharing this helps someone else out there. If you have any advice, please, please let me know. Sorry for any typos; I'm typing this on my phone because sitting at a computer is just too painful right now. Hang in there!