by Ever the Optimist » 17 May 2013, 12:21
Howtobepositive,
Sav is right in that I think everyone has a natural instinct to push to some degree. When you imagine a woman having a baby, there has to be pushing to get a large living object out of a very small hole! I see it as similar to having a BM in some respects. It is easier said than done but it can be done.
For me personally, I have almost had to retrain my way of thinking when I squat on my toilet seat!....My morning BM is never an issue. The minute I get up, my bowels are ready to open easily with no pushing at all and my first BM is generally very soft, largish (but not huge!) and well-formed. The whole process happens quickly & painlessly usually and everything literally does just "fall out".
I get 2-3 BM's a day depending on what I eat/ how stressed I feel/ my period/ my IBS - Generally almost always 2, the later in the afternoon. This one challenges me more - maybe I am less relaxed than first thing in the morning? but although this is always as soft & well-formed as the first one of the day, I have mixed results as to how this one expels. Sometimes, as easily as my morning BM, other times, I'm there a little longer and I absolutely confess to pushing just a little (only a very shallow and normally just one push - no major pressure at all) and that seems to do the trick. I have just started to learn to push with the muscles of my abdomen and have accomplished this a couple of times, so this is also possible but a totally different technique.
Booty - the IBS does not help, when it flares up. Mine has been back with a vengeance recently - The problem for me is that my bowels seem to be so sensitive when the IBS is bad that I often keep feeling I need to go to the toilet and expel, when actually there is very little or nothing there to expel. Unfortunately, I had the other extreme last night - the urgency to go with explosive consequences, which is also not at all good when dealing with a fissure!!!
Another good tip to help the BM along naturally, is to apply a little pressure at/ massage the base of the tailbone just above the anal opening. I only read this recently on another thread and it is actually a really helpful tip......
Chronic Fissure diagnosed December 2011
Healed by Diltiazem around Feb 2013
Anal Fistula followed burst abscess in June 2012
2 internal troublesome piles remain & suspected, but undiagnosed, ongoing Levator Ani type symptoms & flare-ups