# Anxiety Disorders > Hypochondria (Health Anxiety) >  >  Hoping it's just Anal Fissures - But scared to death

## RRaider95

I'm a 45-year-old male who has had issues with cracking and pain and bleeding off and on for probably 20+ years. A year ago, I had a thrombosed hemmy, and got a lovely clot removed from it that I thought was going to make everything right. Not so much. By December I was having bleeding and burning pain after a movement. I was referred to a surgeon, and he felt around and said I had two fissures-12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. He prescribed Nitro-Bid, and had me come back a month later. After a month, things were noticeably better, and he cleared me and said every time things act up, just resume the nitro and the baths. Ever since then, if I try to increase my fiber or reduce my Miralax, I re-tear. So, I've just been going along merrily living my life taking Miralax everyday.

About three weeks ago, I started having bad pain around my anus, into my scrotum. I figured it was just a muscle strain or nerve damage from years of problems down there. Monday, I put a glove on, felt in the anus, and there is a spot just inside that hurts to the touch like you wouldn't believe. It's definitely the source of all my radiating pain.

It really startled me, and I have managed to convince myself that I have colon cancer of some sort. My grandfather had colon cancer, and a friend in my hometown is currently dying of the disease. I already suffer from panic attacks and HA, so anything with my health gets me worked up pretty quickly.

I went in to see my GP today, and he said that it's clearly the fissure(s) acting up again. He didn't look, but he had felt around in there digitally back in December, and said there was nothing but a fissure at work there. He prescribed Rectiv, and said I should be feeling better in a few weeks. He also told me I'm healthier now than I've been in several years.

Is this something that's ever going to get better? Has anyone else ever been scared to death by something similar? I've even put long-term plans on hold, not sure if I'll be around. The burning is there night and day right now, and I worry what I'm going to do if it never heals. It hasn't bled since December, so that's good.

Thanks for hearing me out. I just needed to share, and hopefully you guys can provide some kind words to make me feel less crazy.  It's nothing to worry about, right?

Thanks!

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## Cuchculan

Case of trusting in your doctor. Let us see if what he gave you works. It will be hard to take your mind off of it. We all have to use the bathroom a few times each day. So you may still feel some pain. That is just the soft spot. Try and keep that in mind. Hard as it might be to do so. Just because others have had something, that does not mean you have to get the same thing. 

As for similar scares? I was coughing blood up once about two years back. You can imagine what my mind was thinking. We jump to the worst case scenario. That is the human mind for you. I went to a hospital. Had a lot of tests done. They could find no reason for the blood at all. Said it might be a tear in the lining that was doing it. I was put on some medication and it simply cleared up. Not had anything like it since that one time. My mind was all over the place. What if it was this, what if it was that? That is how we tend to react as humans. You are not alone with the initial worrying. 

Just take what the doctor gave you. Give it some time. See how things go. If it doesn't clear up don't be afraid to go back to the doctor. Wishing you all the best with things. We are always here for you.

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## Otherside

As Cuchculan said, it's a case of whether you trust your doctor or not. The decision is yours. You can ask for a second opinion, whether for the case of reassurance or for whatever reason. Perfectly reasonable.

From experience with having said bleeding...when they think something is wrong, they will send you off to have the tests done in a heartbeat. If there is even a small possibility, they will send you to have the colonoscopy/biopsy done. As Cuchculan said, my advise  take what you have been prescribed and see if the symptoms improve. If not, then return to the GP and you can decide what to do from then on.

I also agree with Cuchculan that we probably all do have a tendency to panic about our health on here. I've lost count of the number of times I've diagnosed myself with a condition based off of what I have read on Google or the such. I had headaches in my teenage years and convinced myself that I had a brain tumour, thanks to Google. It turned out that I was suffering from migraines.

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## InvisibleGuy

I agree with what's been said so far. Ultimately, I have to either trust my GP, or find another one that I can trust. Which is tough for me because I have latrophobia....a fear of doctors.

My biggest health problems are with my stomach. Nausea, vomiting, all of it. I've had pretty much every test and procedure you could name....upper GI, lower GI, ultrasounds, MRIs, EKGs. Over and over again. They never can seem to find anything, other than "you just have a nervous stomach and it's anxiety related". It has helped me personally to see more than one doctor and get more than one opinion, so that's something you might want to consider.

One of the worst things I've found is trying to self diagnose, especially through the internet. A lot of us do it of course but they say not to, for the simple reason that you'll likely end up thinking you have things that you don't have. Doctors diagnose by asking about symptoms of course but they take a lot of other things into consideration also before they diagnose. If you look on the internet you're likely just going by symptoms alone, and it's easy imo to jump to conclusions.

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## kevinjoseph

I feel your pain, literally, Raid.  I have recurring fissures in the anal and perianal area bc of all the wear and tear on it from severe Crohn's Disease, my surgeon said.  I am not trying to say you have Crohn's Disease, just that I understand the pain.

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## RRaider95

Thanks for the responses. 

I've started using the Rectiv, and it appears to be working.  The spot is getting better, and doesn't hurt to the touch.  I just now have this general overall burning in the rectum half of the time.  Does that ever go away?

Like I said, I've been battling issues down there for awhile, and it feels like it retears every month or so.  I guess it's just something I'll learn to live with the rest of my life?  Is that how this works?  And each time I have to convince myself it's "normal"?

As far as this bout goes, I'm no longer thinking I'm dying tomorrow.  I'm a little shaken, still, from all the anxiety earlier in the week, but I am hoping I am on the mend.

Thanks again to everyone!

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