:D
I just remembered about 2 or 3 of us were all at the same stage and i couldn't remember who!!
Did you keep your daily pain scores for the last ten weeks? If you did it may be a good idea to compare so we can see the progress on both GTN/NIF over the period.
Davo

I haven't been keeping a pain score. But I write stuff on my calendar to kind of keep track of symptoms. I tend to fluctuate in time with my menstruation unfortunately. At least you don't have that to contend with! :)
I'm hoping knowing this now will give me a chance to prepare for it this month. IE, more prune juice and less on my todo list for a week.
Everyone seems to have ups and downs as they heal and I don't know if there's a pattern. Interesting idea. I wonder if your pattern might be monthly too?
-Tanya

Interesting concept, like going through a cycle. I'll have to start looking for patterns.

Hi,
Yeah everyday for the last ten weeks I have documented exactly what I ate, how much water I drank, the medication taken and what the pain score was.
If I have any slip ups or see ant positive signs I recap and see what changes I made in the previous few days. The pain score also shows me if my condition is improving. For every slip up I have had I can see the reasons why (except one)
Everyone should try it!!!
Davo

Hope you heal up good Davo! Retears suck and plague you emotionally. The creams help but if it's chronic the chance of it coming back are good. The best thing I've done is get on Konsyl which is a fiber supplement and it works great in conjunction with miralax. If you're concerned about food intake supplement with it. Good luck!

Were your slip ups diet related? Not enough fiber or something you ate? If you don't mind my asking...
-Tanya

Tim - my father had a chronic fissure 15 years ago - he had to get a temporary colostomy bag whilst it healed - once it healed the bag was removed and he has not suffered since. According to my CRS 1 in 3 have a re-tear but he said if you allow it to heal sufficiently you have a much better chance of not re-tearing.
Hi WOI, my first slip up was thinking alcohol wouldn't hurt me - it was news years eve and I got a little drunk!! The alcohol dehydrated me and caused a hard dry stool the following morning. (by the way I can drink two glasses of wine without any problems). My second slip up was due to eating a high fibre cereal bar - the bar was actually full of nuts and I never thought anything of it - naturally nuts come out sharp and so that caused some pain. My recent re-tear was completely unexplainable (my CRS said this can happen) - the day before I drank about 12 glasses of water, ate soup, porridge and fruit and took all my medication.
If its off interest I can post my 10 week GTN pain score journey next week and explain reasons for bad days. It may be good for other GTN users to see the timescale it takes to get results
Davo

Thanks Davo.
Doesn't it just \"yangtze fluid\" you off when it is unexplainable!
But what can you do?
I was just reading that stress can slow down healing 40%. But hey, what could be more stressful than an AF?
It's a catch 22.
I need to be more positive.
To do that, I need a second opinion. (or self dilation or chinese medicine...)
-Tanya

Hi WOI,
Patience is the key as well as a strict diet regime.
Its a horrible condition but I keep telling myself it's just a small tear and it's not life threatening - you have to try and live your life as normal as you can. Unfortunately there is no magic cure and time is the best healer. One day I hope we are all back on here telling others of our success :-D
I will keep updating so you know of my progress since you are at a similar stage to me. Please keep me updated with your progress too
Davo

Pardon my 'French' earlier,
Just having a bad day. You are absolutely right, patience is the key.
I'll keep you updated too. I even think our next appointments are close together. Mine's Feb. 29. But I am asking my GP for another referral when I see her on the 15th.
My current CRS is just too depressing.
-Tanya