Just reporting back for some closure. These are my final conclusions:

1. The off-the-shelf protein drink definitely didn't help with my BM. Culprit #1. I will avoid processed food with higher alert in the future.

2. What scared me as "hard stool" in the following days were not necessary really hard in texture. They appear hard since they were more "formed". It's because of this hemmie supplement that I was taking which had psyllium husk in it. They also felt very hard since my anal canal (and sphincter muscles) were still damaged and even the slightest "scraping" made them mad. I took this supplement out and BM has been loose since.

Thank you for sharing this, I agree that psyllium leads to bulky stool, something you want to avoid during recovery from fissures.

Magnesium Citrate works very well but only if:

Take in empty stomach
chase it down with 2 glasses of water

Take about 900 mg if backed up


The other solution if things are really bad...

Go to pharmacy and buy BiPeg Lyte.....it's a colonoscopy prep. It's kind of like a dulcolax, then miralax on steroids plus other stuff. Again, follow the instructions and the key is to stop eating and do all this on an empty stomach.

The BiPeg is actually quite gentle. You will be going multiple times guaranteed.

Use a glycerin suppository!! The one I keep handy is Dulcolax. You have to insert it, and try to lay down for at least half an hour and avoid the bathroom. It should make you wanna go within 15 min but the longer you wait the more time it has to melt in there and will result in a softer stool.

The first push might seem painful but it comes out fairly easy after that.

What it does is draws water into your stool and softens it up. Drinking stool softener or laxatives at that point don’t help, as the issue is the impactation of something that’s already formed. I always keep a box of these handy and take a couple on trips with me just in case!