I always wonder how people get their fissures, I got mine over six years ago through a time of real stress when I simply stopped eating and then ate erratically. This caused severe constipation and then eventually the fissure began.
How did you get yours

I got mine through a bout of severe diarrhea in late May of this year (2006). It took almost two months to find out that it was a fissure, I thought it was a hemerroid and, indeed, by the time i finally went to the doctor in early August, I had developed an external thrombosed hemorhoid that disguised the fissure. A second trip to the surgeon in late August finally diagnosed the problem, though i have not opted for the surgery, yet!
Hugh

Hi Hugh :D
its interesting you say that the haemorroid disguised the fissure! I have spoken with a number of people that were sure their fissure had re-occurred only for their Dr to tell them it was a haemorroid.. later down the track they find out it was a fissure! How frustrating!!
I also unfortunately ended up with haemorroids in the end - i guess from all the straining :roll: Somehow since the fissurectomy and LIS the haeomoroids are 'apparently' not there... so says my GP.. lets hope she's right!

Cheryl,
Well, I probably "mislead" my doctor, as I was sure I had a hemorrhoid so that's what I asked him to check for.
I believe that what actually happened was I *sat* on my fissure(thinking it was a hemorrhoid) while it was tender, during a long trip I was forced to take, and this resulted in a thrombosed "hemorrhoid" -- *something*was now presenting itself externally...which my surgeon removed. But two days later, the exact symptomolgy returned...ah, you and I both know these symptoms too well. So I go back to my surgeon, explaining how nothing has changed...that's when he thinks "fissure" and has me lie on the OR table a week later, only to awaken to the news that I had a fissure.
Now, that was the end of August, so I spent three months before finding out, at long last, what the problem actually was. AF. Only then did I change my diet and begin the path towards understanding how to manage the thing. So I've been "healing" only for the past two months (Sept & Oct) The nefedipine doesn't seem to be the final solution. But in my case, having a "hemorrhoid" mindset, initially, set my healing back dramatically!

Well atleast you now know what you've got and you can take the necessary steps to manage it! Indeed you are fortunate to be acting on it so early... I sat on mine for a long time, before i got a diagnosis.. unfortunately my constant delays in getting it looked at or fixed were probably the reason i suffered soooo badly in the end :roll:
What changes in diet have you made? Are there any particualar foods you find make BM's easy.. obviously my fissure is gone (i think??), but I still have to be ever so careful with food at this early stage.. i think i may even have to for a long time to come yet.
What is nefedipine? Is that a cream? My Dr at the start got me to use Rectogesic which is a Glyceryl trinitrate ointment which was supposed to heal my fissure and relax the spasms.. unfortunately i suffered too many side effects from the ointment and discontinued use.. probably one of the main reasons i never really healed.

Nefedipine 2% is a calcium channel-blocker blood pressure med. Yes, for AF, it is compounded into a cream (usually with lidocaine) and applied "to affected area" 2 - 3 times a day. I started on this in mid September -- I could feel a big difference in the tightness, in fact, before the NF cream, my passing gas sounded like those playing cards kids put on their bicycle tires for noise -- loud and frapping. Immediately this was better and the pain level decreased. But it is not completely healing me (so far, and it's been close to two months now) but has really helped.
I *had* started a high fiber fruit and veggy diet at the same time I started the NF cream. But lately I have backslide a bit but really can't tell much difference (except for those two mushy BMs I had this past few days). I need to get back with the diet program! Lots of water.
I've always taken loads of various supplements and this has not changed, but I have added l-glutamine and zinc. Once or twice a day I apply some vitamin K cream "to affected area." I drink 8-12 ounces of pomegranate juice every day. I have a normal "southern-style" lunch and usually just eat a brocolli/romaine salad and have some cantalope every evening. yes, raw veggies almost every night....
I was already skinny but now I wire-thin, 150 lbs at almost six-foot high!!
And today i've been pain free -- so far!
Take Care,
Hugh

ithurtstosit wrote:I was already skinny but now I wire-thin, 150 lbs at almost six-foot high!!

:shock: Holy Goly I'm like 45kg's / 100lbs and just over 5ft :lol!: we'd look funny standing next to each other!!
Make sure you keep up your good fats Don't want you to fade away!

I got my fissure after having my appendix out. The hospital put me on strong pain killers and they constipated me. I did not have a BM for 3 days, when I finally did have one I suspect thats when I got the tear. Then sometimes I would avoid BM's for the pain was so bad, now I realise that was a bit silly :roll:

Well, it would only be silly if you knew the mechanics of "crapping" like a physician, or something. If you were like me, you really weren't a feces expert (yet). This past summer, my strategy for dealing with days I could not afford to suffer was just not to go the bathroom until the event(s) were over. BAD decision. I know better now, too.

I don't know how or when I got mine, although I'm sure my eating habits were involved. Sure, I knew the way I was eating wasn't healthy in general, but if I had known that I was setting myself up for getting af's, I would have changed my ways much sooner :shock:
take care,
Sara