I haven't been on since I went on vacation. How has everyone been doing? I see we have some new members!! How great:cheer: Welcome to everyone who joined while I was away.

Just to let everyone know, I am doing great, I hope I catch everyone doing the same. I read all of the things you guys say about trying to keep from getting constipated. I have to try to keep from having diarrhea. The whole time I was on the cruise I had to take 2 immodium. I hadn't had any bleeding in weeks and then yesterday and today I have had a bout with diarrhea and now I am bleeding again.

I wonder which is worse on the fissure (before and after surgery) diarrhea or constipation.

Happy Healing to all

Hey Sheri,
I was wondering about you! Glad you had a a nice trip! That should make us hopeful that life will go on after AF and we will get to do some "normal" things again!
I am sure neither constipation or diarrhea is better to have after the surgery-so hard to say which is the lesser of two evils! I hope your bleeding clears up soon and I am sure it is just a temporary thing.
How was swimming? I remember you had asked about getting into the chlorinated pools. Did you notice if it stung at all? I am sure others would be interested to know and me too!
Thanks for checking back in! Hope to hear more about how you are doing!
Lecia

That's a good question, Sheri, one maybe a CRS could answer. I know it was diarhhe that finally caused me to have the bad pain, but I think I already had a fissure before that, it just wasn't painful. The diarrhea just opened it up, I guess!
Hope you enjoyed the cruise, anyway. Traveling always seems to wreck folks' digestive system, doesn't it!

Sheri,
I am so glad that you had a good time on your cruise and got back home safe and sound.
I pray for your good fo;rtune and continued healing.
GOD Bless All!!

I just came back from a vacation and my fissure is still active, so although it was a tinsy bit uncomfortable at times, I am 100% positive now that there is still life with an AF ! Woohoo!
My entire problem was caused by diarhhea, not diarhhea itself, but the medicine I was taking to stop diarhhea. With this, I got chronic constipation that I've had for at least 6-7 months now, so be careful with that. The constipation is what caused my fissure, and I regret taking all of that medicine to plug my system up.
Take care & bless ~~ stay hopeful !

Welcome back, Sunshine!
Glad to hear your trip went well and you could manage even with AF. That is hopeful! Do you have any tips for traveling with AF that you found helpful? How did you maintain your diet while on the road?
Take care
L.

Hey Lecia! Its good to be back here. One tip I definitely have is to purchase some type of 'bum cushion' - mine has a hole in the middle (I actually borrowed it from my grandmom). That helped along the way (remember, it was a 12 hour drive!)
For some reason, the second day I didn't have any metemucil or anything but my BM was still soft. Maybe it was left over from all of the prune juice I had the day before, and I ate two meals that day but both had lots of fibre (we ate at our temple, and the food there is always yummy... There was spinach, veg stirfry, etc. so I got lots of fibre that way, and we also have bread with most meals which helped). I also think it's great to drink lots of water when travelling, that helps.
I've also bought all-bran snacks, they help with the fibre. It's really important to avoid snacking on chips on the way - we actually stopped off somewhere and bought fruit! This was really helpful! I had carrots & grapes, & I definitely feel that snacking on fruit while travelling reallllllly helped me.
It's weird because the second BM I mentioned was really delayed (it was in the evening, and I usually go in the morning) - but was still really soft. My system has been a bit weird since I've returned because I usually have a BM in the morning and now it's coming in the evening, but I'm hoping things will be okay today.

I really enjoyed my trip and swimming was no problem at all. I called the Dr. office before I left to be sure, they just said if I swam in the ocean to rinse all sand off as soon as possible.
I am still having some trouble with incontinence. Remember I had the botox, which is supposed to really relax the internal sphincter muscle for about 3 months. It has been 5 weeks since my surgery. I don't think I would have any problem if I had solid BM's.
I had a horrifying experience in Pizza Hut this past Saturday. I got strangeled on my tea. When I coughed I past gas and some runny stool. I had to find the safest exit and leave ASAP! Glad that I had met my husband and children there so that way I didn't have to ride back with anyone (phew!) I came home and got cleaned up and cried for about 30 minutes. That was the most embarressing moment of my life. Although I don't think anyone knew. My own family didn't even know, they just thougt I passed some gas.
I don't want to discourage anyone from using the botox treatment for the fissure. When and if my movements are solid I have no problem at all. I have been taking immodium and had stopped for awhile because I didn't want to get constipated.
Does anyone have any suggestions or helpful hints. I would really appreciate it.

Sheri

Oh, Sheri! I hate that for you! Hopefully, you're really the only one, other than your family, that knew what happened? I am so sorry. That's a fear we've all had!
I do truely wonder if this is a direct result of the botox. Undoubtedly your sphincter simply can't control/contain any nearby contents if they are loose or not.
I sh*t my pants with loose crap the second or third day after my LIS. I'm really not that ashamed to tell you guys, because it may help with someone's learning experience and it's not like I could help it, nor could you! I thought I simply had gas.
My sphincter was undergoing an immobilization of sorts, too, at that time -- it had just been sliced!
May I suggest cooked leafy greens, green beans, bananas, any fruit or veggie where you can actually look closely and see little fibrous strands. Along with water, this should bulk your stools better than metamucil or fiber pills. And it's natural, what your body expects. All Bran. Whole wheat bread.
Sadly on this forum, we are trying to find ways to "create" perfect stools and often it is a mystery wrapped in the proverbial enigma as to how to do that when you have a fissure!
Kim

Oh Sheri,
That has got to be so frustrating! I know how you feel-and we have all had our moments. I have had to arrange my life in some way or the other around my butt issues for the last 4 years and it has been so humbling and terribly isolating at times. And you have been dealing with loose stools even before botox if I remember correctly.
I am wondering if you might want to try some probiotics. I take acidopholis every day and it seems to help with consistency. You can take it in pill form or by eating yogurt with live cultured l.bacillus.
It has been my mission in most of my 30s to try to find the right quotient for having a "normal" bm. One outside our circle might call it an obsession but this is what has been working for me:
All Bran cereal
No dairy-use soy milk
Psyllium
Acidopholis
Flax/Fish Oil (may not need for you since your stools are loose though)
Stir Fry vegetables-cruciferous vegs are excellent.
I know that calcium supplements can be constipating so I wonder if you take some Viactiv or other supplement if that might slow the tract down a bit so you have more formed stool. Are you taking high doses of Vitamin C? That can cause loose stools.
Don't feel bad-You wouldn't believe some of the things I have gone through trying to recover from my various ailments. I have had such troubling times with my bowels and pain that I have asked several doctors about a colostomy. But I am managing better these days so I am not as desperate but I still cry sometimes wondering if I will ever be "normal" again.
Hugs to you ((Sheri)).
Lecia