Hello to you all. I would like to say i've stumbled on to this forum after a recent falling with trying to control my Fissures. I've had my Fissures for...well nearly three decades and i'll probably not need to tell you how bad it is. Yes I had it since I was young. I really really liked to eat sunflower seeds then and would have eaten it with shells still attach....if I had a time machine i'd have went back and slapped myself across the head and said stop but alas it's too late for that.
During the time i've got alot of mixed information from doctors so never had been able to keep it under control tell maybe just a year ago in wince i've learn a steady diet of salad kept the BMs smoothed and me just happy and healing. Unfortunately I took that for granted and seemed to have re teared again so i've came here looking for anything I could possibly do to heal myself until I can afford freaking health insurance again(Just got out of the one I was on from having navy parents) so unfortunately I can't get the strong medicines and i'm kinda left to the mercy of the forum goers here for any possible way to keep it in control >_<... I'm currently trying miralax but I'm thinking my body is trying to reject it as it's not as soft as people here have made it seem...plus i'm afraid of dependancy so i'm thnking about weening myself off and using it only for when I eat some I shouldn't or if it seems i'm getting rough down there. I'm also trying benefiber but..I don't know, I can't tell if it's helping.
Sorry for the long post by the way. Just well I hope I can get some help from some friendly faces here.

Hello Mcgee.Wow you've had AF for 3 decades now,I don't know what could keep it under control without medical creams like Nitroglycerine or Nifedipine.For having a fissure that long your most likely going to need surgery to get rid of it.Are you getting enough fiber?You should be getting about 20-30 grams of fiber per day and I would stay away from the salads since they are not digested as easily and at times come out whole during bm's.You should eat steamed or boiled veggies and a bowl of fruits a day.Don't eat apples or bananas because they can harden your stool.With the Miralax maybe you just need to find the right dose for you,as far as I know its the most effective at making your stool really soft.If it doesn't work for you maybe you can try Colace(docusate sodium).As for what I know though I don't think it Miralax causes dependency.Take warm-hot sitz bath 3 times a day and try to put heat down there as much as you can like a heat pad,it may or may not help you heal but it does soothe it down there and promotes blood flow to help it heal.Having AF for 3 decades I don't know if you can get it under control without medical intervention but these methods can help for the time being.Others will chime in and give you more info.Good luck and welcome aboard.

Wow. 3 decades! I've had mine off and on for just over 17 years now. It sounds like you've had some good years though, so that's positive. There is still hope that you can recover again without surgery. I haven't had any surgery and use a lot of self-care methods. A few things that have helped me that I discovered through this board are Calmoseptine ointment and Balneol cleansing gel. The Balneol is great to use after bm's, especially if you can't get right into the bathtub. And the Calmoseptine really seems to calm the itching, irritation, and skin issues that happen from AF. I also have started using Miralax and I take a Dulcolax stool softener. It's been a great combo for me. It takes some trial and error with all of this to see what will work, and frankly, what works one week may not work the next! This is a great place to find out new ideas, get options, and vent if you need to. Welcome!

Well i'll see if I can find anything like those ointments that you mention and as for the salad...I don't know why but it seemed to help me alot more then fiber. I guess I should stop but after that seeming to have helped me recover some well...I'll see. Thanks for the advice guys and thanks for the welcome.

Hey biscuit, even if you don't have health insurance, couldn't you still see a colorectal doctor on your own and see about a prescription for one of the topical ointments like nitroglycerin, nifedipine, or diltiazem? I'd expect that it's probably something you could get done with just one doctor visit. Of course that'll run at least a few hundred bucks, which sucks, and of course none of these is necessarily a magic bullet, but they do help to some extent for many folks and it at least seems better than going it alone, especially if you've had your fissure for 30 years. Anyway just a thought.
I use Miralax too and it does wonders for me, maybe you just need to use a bit more and/or add another stool softener to it like busymom does? I've found that veggie soup that's heavy on broccoli and cauliflower helps make my stools softer and more fissure-friendly too. Good luck, stick around and let us know how it goes!

Biscuitmcgee wrote:Well i'll see if I can find anything like those ointments that you mention and as for the salad...I don't know why but it seemed to help me alot more then fiber. I guess I should stop but after that seeming to have helped me recover some well...I'll see. Thanks for the advice guys and thanks for the welcome.

4 months ago when I ate salad the day before I noticed a flat peice of karrot and some leaves in the toilet after I bm'ed.I was on stool softeners then so I was surprised it didn't get broken down.From then on I stopped eating salads because that can't be good for AF,peices like that can rub on a fissure.It may just be me but from now on my veggies are steamed soft.If your not willing to give it up just be sure to chew it well.

Okay first of have to correct the years. I was thinking decades meant 5 years each not 10. If it lasted for 30 years I think i'd gone nuts by now! *Shudders* Either way. I do chew thoroughly as I heard that it doesn't get Digested well but I'll try to stop taking salads for a bit and just stick to the mush goodness and high fiber foods, though I do have a question. I kept reading about MOM pills but never really heard of it before. Anyone willing to shine some light on this as for some reason I can't find any information on it. To NeuropathicGuy I was considering that but again I was told just a visit like that could cost a nice fund so i'm trying to avoid that. In a month or so I should be finally getting health insurance and the moment I do you best believe i'm going to try and get a doctor appointed to me for this.
As for the Miralax I heard it doesn't make you dependant but I also heard of some forum goers here. *Sorry if I don't remember the names* Stoping and the moment they did there bms started to get harder and harder. That's the kind of thing I want to avoid and kind of want my body to stay regular on more natural means....heh guess i'm just stubborn on those sort of medicines but if I can find a combanation of natural supplements and maybe a low intake on Miralax then i'd be happy. Just have to find a right balence.

Make sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet. My Mayo GI doc told me 20-30 grams daily. Also, try drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day.
All of my docs have assured me that Miralax is safe, but I do think one can become dependent on it. I understand you wanting to try more natural means.
MOM (Milk of Magnesia) also works for some people, but I think Miralax is safer for long term use. Docs even prescribe/suggest Miralax for babies and children. Two children I know of are now taking it.

take a look into macrobiotics biscuit.
if you are female, reading "the hip chick's guide to macrobiotics" may be a good start.
simon brown's "modern day macrobiotics" which came out last year or so.
and the grandfather of them all - 'the macrobiotic way" by michio kushi - a bit outdated but definitely a good background by one of the founders of macrobiotics.

Miralax /Movicol are they the same thing but just named diff or are they differerent, and if so what is the difference,
and if so can movicol then become dependent on.