What this experience covers
This is a composite. It is drawn from many anonymised accounts of people who used dilators for a chronic fissure, not from one person’s story. The details are blended so no individual can be identified.
Everyone here had a fissure that would not heal with the usual measures. Most had tried softening their stools, warm baths and one or more prescribed ointments for months. Some had already had Botox. They were tired, worried about surgery and looking for something else.
This page describes what they report. It is not a how-to. Dilating carries real risks, and it should only be done if a clinician has recommended it and shown you what to do.
The pattern
How it comes up
People describe arriving at dilators by different routes. Some were offered them by a colorectal surgeon or a pelvic floor physiotherapist as an option before surgery. Others read about them online late at night and went looking for more. A few were told by a doctor that their muscle was “very tight” and wondered if stretching might be the answer.
The ones who seem to have had the steadiest experience are those who had a clinician involved from the start. That person examined them, agreed it was worth trying and explained what to use and how to pace it.
The fear
Almost everyone describes dread. The idea of putting something into an area that already hurts every day feels absurd at first. People describe weeks of reading, buying things and then not using them. Embarrassment comes up a lot, particularly about where to get suitable dilators. Some had to ask their GP or clinic directly, which felt mortifying but meant getting the right kind.
The first weeks
For people whose experience went well, the first attempts were uncomfortable rather than painful, and the build-up of fear was worse than the reality. Progress was slow. Some felt little change for weeks.
For others, the early weeks went badly. People describe soreness that lasted for hours, bleeding, or a fresh tear. Several say they had moved too fast, or started while the fissure was very raw. Some of those people stopped and went back to their clinician.
What people report helped
- Having a clinician or physiotherapist set the plan and check in
- Going much more slowly than they expected to
- Keeping stools soft throughout, because stretching did not replace that
- Treating it as one part of care alongside other treatment, not a fix on its own
What people report made it worse
- Starting without any medical guidance
- Pushing ahead when it hurt
- Using products not designed for anal use
- Stopping suddenly, then becoming constipated again
Mixed outcomes
Results vary a lot. Some people describe their spasms easing over months, bowel movements becoming less frightening, and eventually healing. Some found spasm relief but the fissure itself stayed open. Others felt no difference after a couple of months and stopped. A few describe a scare with new leakage. In the accounts where it was checked, people were told it was not lasting damage, but it frightened them enough to stop. If this happens to you, stop dilating and contact your clinician the same day rather than waiting to see.
A recurring theme is time. Those who felt it worked usually talk in months, not weeks.
Moving on to surgery anyway
A meaningful number of people went on to Botox or surgery after trying dilators. Many say they don’t regret trying first. It helped them feel they had done everything they could, and made the decision to go ahead feel clearer. A few wish they had not spent so long on it before asking for a referral.
What comes next
If a dilator has been suggested to you, the most useful next step is a conversation with the clinician who suggested it. Ask what to use, how to pace it, when to stop and what should make you call them.
If nobody has suggested it, and you are thinking about it because nothing else has worked, take that to your GP or colorectal team. Say what you have tried and for how long. A chronic fissure that is not healing is a good reason to ask about referral and other options, including Botox and surgery.
When to seek care
Stop and get assessed if you have heavy or persistent bleeding, pain that is getting worse, sharp pain or fresh bleeding during or after dilating, fever, swelling or discharge, or any new leakage of stool or wind. Get urgent help if bleeding is heavy, you feel faint, or you have fever with severe pain. Some changes need a doctor’s assessment even if they seem minor: narrower stools, bleeding that happens without pain, a change in bowel habit lasting more than a few weeks, or unexplained weight loss. Don’t put them down to the fissure without a check.