^ Sounds like a plan, I tried to rush things when I first got my fissure too but quickly learned the hard way (literally) that it wasn't a good idea. Definitely err on the side of caution with it. Glad to hear it's providing some relief!

Ya Tuesday is the start of the season and hopefully Bynum and Gasol is good to play.I'm going to give beer a shot tomorrow for the UFC party.My fissure still feels a little tender but I barely felt it this whole week so I figured it's definately safe to have a couple bottles or I'm thinking of buying a 22 ouncer of Budlight.Wish I can drink ale but I feel bloated as it is with all the fiber .I'll let ya know how it goes Sunday :)

NeuropathicGuy wrote:Hey William,
...is the docusate sodium softening your stool sufficiently? If not you might consider a great stool softener called Miralax. Docusate sodium never did much for me but Miralax softens things right up!

It seems to help, especially the first couple of days of use. However, it could just be my high fiber and water intake. I'm almost out of it, so I think I'll try Miralax next. It sounds like people on this forum have had a lot of success with it.

although using miralax and other OTC softeners, remedies can help in the short term, it is in my opinion not the way to deal with this situation long term.
although it was horrible for me to endure what i did for close to four years, and by then i was ready to do LIS, i opted to turn to macrobiotics to see if i could just clean the body and help me change course.
i never over those four years on miralax, citrucel, fibersure, etc. and i didn't do much of the other OTC stuff. never got into the nitro, analpram, etc. either despite having horrific bleeding and pain.
i did dabble in other things like squatting and really focusing on breathing techinques while crapping and those helped. but in the end, my body needed something else and for me, macrobiotic approach helped.
i am about two years after that colonoscopy and i am fissure free now. i have a hemmy/pile though that keeps me company and reminds me of the worst days i had but it's totally a world of a difference.
**
i am not putting down miralax or any other OTCs or meds that offer short term solutions, but realize that the body was not meant to operate ingesting these for the rest of its life.
everyone is different.
everyone will have a different solution.
i just wanted to heighten another alternative with macrobiotics - a way of eating and being. nothing needed by a doctor - but definitely having a macro counselor put you on the right track would not hurt. look into meetup.com for any macro groups near you.
good luck.

happyass wrote:although using miralax and other OTC softeners, remedies can help in the short term, it is in my opinion not the way to deal with this situation long term.
although it was horrible for me to endure what i did for close to four years, and by then i was ready to do LIS, i opted to turn to macrobiotics to see if i could just clean the body and help me change course.
i never over those four years on miralax, citrucel, fibersure, etc. and i didn't do much of the other OTC stuff. never got into the nitro, analpram, etc. either despite having horrific bleeding and pain.
i did dabble in other things like squatting and really focusing on breathing techinques while crapping and those helped. but in the end, my body needed something else and for me, macrobiotic approach helped.
i am about two years after that colonoscopy and i am fissure free now. i have a hemmy/pile though that keeps me company and reminds me of the worst days i had but it's totally a world of a difference.
**
i am not putting down miralax or any other OTCs or meds that offer short term solutions, but realize that the body was not meant to operate ingesting these for the rest of its life.
everyone is different.
everyone will have a different solution.
i just wanted to heighten another alternative with macrobiotics - a way of eating and being. nothing needed by a doctor - but definitely having a macro counselor put you on the right track would not hurt. look into meetup.com for any macro groups near you.
good luck.

I've heard that pregnant women are sometimes told to go to the bathroom japanese style, squatting. It's almost as if humans weren't meant to go BM while sitting down. Do you have any tips on different ways of sitting while doing a BM?

One of my docs told me that our body's anatomy lends itself well to squatting that puts less pressure on the rectum.

so how does one mimic this position whilst using 21st century toilets?

I think there is a thread which shows a device that can be placed on top of the toilet.

I've had a bit of a setback since starting the diltiazem and reducing the analpram. Yesterday I had the worst pain and bleeding that I've had in weeks.
One concern that I have is that I'm not applying the diltiazem correctly. I had been applying the analpram with the applicator nozzle, so the medicine definitely went where I wanted it to. With the diltiazem, I'm using finger cots (the doctor said to put it on a piece of toilet paper and stick it up there, but that seems like it would be rough). I've been worried the whole time that I'm doing damage; plus, I'm not sure how far to go up there.

I used a mini applicator with diltiazem that had come with a Rx for anusol ointment some time ago. I was told by one CRS that the diltiazem (or any other ointment) has to get it in at least 1 cm upwards. Good luck. I am not familiar with analpram. Is that a pain med???