Hi- I am new to this forum, but unfortunately not to my fissure. I have had this one since late March (I had the first one about a year before, but it thankfully went away after about 6 weeks with just taking Colace and using A and D and sitz baths). Here is my question and my issue:
I have tried lots of things to keep my stools soft and for the most part they are. Constipation is not something I ever had problems with until the last year or two and I think is a result of my thyroid meds being hard to get adjusted, needing to go on a diuretic for blood pressure, and menopausal changes.
I have tried Metamucil, Citrucel, and Mirolax over the last months. Mirilax makes me feel odd- I am not sure how other to describe it. I eventually went to just taking a tsp a night and I would have a very soft stool and then about 4-5 more over the next day. Metamucil seemed to irritate my system as well and I eventually thought the same with Citrucel. So right now I am:
Taking 400 mg of magnesium at bedtime along with one Colace (or generic)
Drinking about 100 ounces of water a day.
Eating at least 5 , often raw, fruits and veggies a day.
Some days I eat a high fiber cereal for breakfast or whole wheat bread with peanut butter.
Occasionally I have a harder bm (just the first part), but most days I have fairly soft, yet formed bowel movements. These can still be irritating, but I think anything touching me at all is irritating on those days. My problem is I continue to have a lot of gassiness and that irritating feeling like I might have to go again at any time. On a good day, I go 3 times. Saturday, I went 6 times and no matter how soft , that is exhausting and irritating.
I am scheduled to have botox in a week and the CRS said I should avoid anything with a laxative effect, but it was "my job" to keep my stools soft. I now feel very confused about how best to do that. Any thoughts? I plan to try not taking magnesium tonight and see how tomorrow is. Then the next day, take it and not the Colace. I kindof think my body isn't handling all the fiber all that well- in the past, I tended to react that way and often had loose stools and took immodium before going out to eat, etc... Certainly that is not an option!
You all are all amazing. I have to confess I have not been as diligent in avoid certain foods. It seems like I should have lost weight by my improved eating habits, but have not. Probably because I still am eating some of the other things you all have phased out.

Bambi,
I recently tried my new formulation recipe:
1 cup applesauce
1 cup oat fiber
1/4 cup prune juice
Now take 3 T and 1 t nightly of that food mixture which is good for me and have been able to reduce my Miralax amount. Taking a Benefiber supplement also helped me. I still do that also and am getting ready to try a new fiber supplement that I recently purchased. Drinking grape juice (especially with fiber) or prune juice can also be helpful.

Bambi,
are you having complete bm's when you go? Before I had Lis, I would have tiny incomplete bm's through out the day.
I believe the muscle was in spasm and just wouldn't let me empty. Also the hard tip bm's could be just the muscle being in spasm also, kind of like freaking out before it relaxes or it could be that that is the part of the bm that's in the colon the longest and dries out and gets harder
I also developed my fissure in March and just recently got LIS. It just seemed like no matter how hard I tried with the diet , baths and ointments, it wasn't enough. Since LIS, everything that I had did before has worked wonderfully now that the surgery has been done.
Good luck with your supplements and diet, I hope it works! But I know from experience that you can do everything right and it still impossible
Hopefully you will be like Cheryl and heal naturally!!

And with the help of my psychiatrist and an A/D!!

:) Honestly Cheryl, I'm not sure if I could have stayed calm enough right after my LIS to heal if they hadn't prescribed me a little valium. I think it helped me relax emotionally as well as the spasms, until I could calm down on my own,LOL

Cheryl and Dawn- You make me laugh and not feel so bad about the emotional wreck I seem to have become! Dawn- you are right that I am having these little spurts of bm throughout the day, accompanied by quite a bit of gass. That is what makes me think that something I am taking in my mad search for softness is actually irritating my system. I forgot to mention that I also take 1 Tbs of flax oil at night. I had not really thought of myself as having the "spasms" that people describe- I have more of the hurt with bowel movements or when it starts to get better, burning afterwards. But you are probably right. It helps to hear that you had the LIS surgery and found it helpful. I think I mentioned that I finally went to the CRS and to my surprise he suggested we try botox first. So I am having that done a week from tomorrow- he ways he has never had anyone have trouble from that and I hope I don't. I scares me to think of doing anything!!
But Saturday was such a bad day- I was trying to enjoy a day out with my wonderful husband and it was all just so exhausting and I hurt by the end of the day and ended up crying my eyes out. He ended up giving me one of his Ativans that he takes when we fly...The valium actually sounds pretty nice!

Hey Bambi,
I hope you have good results with the botox!! AND your not alone, my fissure made me crazy! LOL...
I couldn't think of anything but my fissure all day and night for 8 months
But I would bet anything that you are having spasms like I did. I rarely had a complete bm and when I'd go, it felt like I needed to go again an hour later and then only a little would come. As for the gas, I think it's all the fiber and supplements. Everyone complains of this who has started the high fiber. :roll:
The valium is prescribed to help with the spasms. I had them temporarily after LIS and it really helped in more ways than one,lol
Hopefully botox will do the trick for you but if you happen to have to have LIS, It is nothing like I imagined and sounds so much worse than what it is

Thank you so much Dawn. Your encouragement really helps. How long ago did you have your surgery? And how long did it take to recover?

I had it 3 weeks ago. The first week I was sore but not really in pain. The second week I felt the swelling if I walked too much but wasn't in pain. I went shopping all day with my daughter and I started driving again over the weekend. I know the fissure doesn't heal for 6 weeks or more after the surgery, but I have not felt the fissure since my surgery. I've kept my diet good and take miralax and baths 3 xs a day at a minimum and all has been going well.
If you have time, read SmallChange's posts on his surgery. He and I have had really good experiences. I want to add I also had a skin tag removed and my fissure cauterized, so just lis alone could take less time

ps.. if you haven't read some of the older post in considering surgery or already had it( Gizmo, Cheryl, Annie, etc...) There are many people who have had really good experiences...