I have also been looking into aloe, after having a nasty reaction to Dr Wheatgrass, which I did not realise had alcohol in it...
I have been looking on both iherb.com (where I get all my vitamins) and on amazon. I am in the US (though I'm English).

HI all..
Did any of you ever try vitamine E oil? Someone told me it heals really well. I am afraid to use it on the area.. but it does seem like it may be soothing.. and vitamine E is supposed to be good for healing cuts and scars.
Just wondering..............

my crs recommended vit e oil

Hey Beachgirl,
Is the Vitamin E oil come tube, or bottle or do you break open a gelatin capsule of it?
-woi

Well after reading another post about aloe healing a fissure, I went and bought an aloe plant.
I must also note that the only person aloe seems to be making a long term difference for is dwarf. Perhaps because she is the only one who uses it consistently???
So anyways, desperate as I am, I take a piece of the leaf and use a potato peeler to scrape off the hard outside. Then I try to insert... but it is like trying to stick jello up your butt!! It's not going to happen. By the time I give up I am a bit more sore, but I am thoroughly coated in aloe.
And then the pain just ..... goes away
(this was the closest emoticon I could get to that 'Ahhhh' feeling of relief).
I did not get the same amount of relief from the store bought gel, and I worried about the preservatives.
BUT, after 3 days of this, i find that the aloe is causing irritation to the skin on the outside. So I plan to be more cautious. I think I will just squeeze it onto my little finger and apply it just to the needed area.
It is a small plant, and I only have a north facing window for it...
I'll post again if a miracle happens. ; )
-Tanya

Aloe sounds like it's worth a try; did any of you guys use aloe along with other creams? I'm currently on nitro cream and wondered whether both can be used at the same time? Could they be applied at different times of the day I wonder?
JT

I haven't use aloe in conjunction with nitro, but i used lanolin in conjunction with nifedipine and i swear that was when I turned a corner. I am still struggling, but I am better than I was 6 weeks ago when I started the lanolin.
I would apply the nifedipine as usual (after BMs and at night), and then apply the lanolin an hour or so later. With the nifedipine I didn't have to apply it so much to the fissure itself for it to work. So the AF would get more just the lanolin.
-Tanya

Thanks Tanya; off to Holland & Barrett this week (thanks Davo) to get some gel. Definitely worth a try. I'll post after a week or 2 of trying this just in case anyone is interested in the results. (I'm certainly interested!)
JT

JT,
I wouldn't expect a miracle from it.
Perhaps the bottled gel is better than the 'straight from the living plant' gel. I think I need to take a day or two break from it, as I am definitely irritated back there and feel better since I washed off any traces left. I even had a bit of blood while dabbing gently, and I hadn't had blood in over 2 weeks. :(
Although I am never sure if blood is a good sign or not???
-Tanya

I know what you mean about the blood; I had no blood for a while then it came back the day after my 2nd CRS visit. I'm sure they can "poke" about too much. It lasted for another week and again no sign! Although for me, there is no relation to the blood and pain level! Some family member said to me that it must be good to get the pain as it means you are healing and the pain is the bodies reaction. Yeah, thanks for that; I'd rather not have this red hot poker up my butt! I even wonder sometimes does the CRS "really" knows what we go through with the pain. I mean, have they had a fissure before and experienced it?
JT