One thing I didn't like about the docusate was/is the artificial colors in it which I try to avoid. My doc had me discontinue that when I started with the Movicol.

I tried Movicol and it really didn't help! It seemed to pass through very hard at the time of evacuation. Not pleasant.
On a positive note though, (a VERY positive note), I think the reign supreme of constipation might finally be coming to a close.
After battling some 5 weeks with chronic constipation, and passing stools that were EXCEEDINGLY painful to pass, despite a diet that was rich in wholegrains, wholewheat products and rich in vegetables, I think a painstaking dedication to the Ispaghula/Psyllium might now be helping alot.
I took the advice of my doctor and I thought 'there's nothing left to lose'. I've worked myself up to 7 sachets of Fybogel per day currently. He said that up to 8 would be fine.
Over the last 3 days I've experienced MUCH relief and the BM I had today was astounding, so much so that I wanted to phone my friends and relatives to tell them. I didn't feel any pain from the fissure site whatsoever!! Without being too graphic, it was very long, loose enough so that my tight butt could shape it rather than fight it and I feel very empty.
I never thought something as simple as that could bring so much elation to me!
-Brendan

congrats brendan!
keep up the good work and BMs and just be mindful to stick to your regimen. sometimes the slightest deviation around now will easily get you back to where you were.
just do this enough so that you can make sure you are finally healed and then you can slowly evolve your diet back to a normal diet - keeping a good amount of fiber in along with it.

Brendan,
Glad to hear you are better. Having your digestive system work better makes one very happy!! How much psyllium are you taking? I think it is helping me also.

Well each sachet of Fybogel is equivalent to 3.5g of Psyllium husk. So at the moment 7 of those in a day.
I am going to the states in 4 weeks time and I've already got my order in for some Metamucil while I am there. It seems that this stuff is dosed in tea/tablespoons (not sure which). Given that 1 'dose' of Fybogel here in the UK is 3.5g, how many tea/tablespoons must I have to match my dosage here in the UK..Anybody know anything about this?
Thanks for the good words guys! I'm casting out all my positive energy for you lot too. Fissures are the spawn of the devil himself!
-Brendan

Hey Brendan,
Looking at my Metamucil jar--one teaspoon is 3.4 g, and recommended dosage is 3 x's daily. You are really taking a lot of psyllium!! I have to increase psyllium slowly as my Miralax works on my digestive also, and I have IBS, and too much fiber causes me to not feel so well. Thanks for sharing. That is the way we can all continue to learn from each other.

Well when the doctor presented me with this idea I thought it a little strange, given that the standard 'dosage' for Fybogel here in the UK is 2x3.5g sachets, as recommended by the manufacturer.
When the doctor suggested I seriously, but gradually, increase my dosage I said "so more than 2 or 3 doses a day is okay?", and he said he's had previous and concurrent hemmy and fissure sufferers take up to 8 doses a day in order to get the stool as loose as possible without being liquid.
It was my last option. I wasn't able to control the constipation despite my best efforts and more-over it was getting me down and as we all know - with a fissure there is little margin of error. The more times you pass a painful stool that is reactivating the wound and not allowing healing, the worse you feel and it can inhibit your ability to pass a BM on psychological level. It was forming a very vicious cycle.
It's day number 4 now on the highest dosage and I've had 2 very, VERY successful BM's and I can feel the third one isn't too far behind :). If this works, day in, day out, then I will thank the lord for the systematic success of this product and will continue to keep it at this level until I can safely say the fissure has gone.
I will subsequently reduce the Psyllium to about 3 a day over time.
Oh by the way, with this increased level of Psyllium, I am drinking (to be on the safe side) some 3.5L of water every day, which is about 14 x 250ml glasses (8oz size in the US?).
I hope everyone else is making good progress! I'm thinking of you all.
-Brendan

So once again, today I since my last post I have gone twice, with the first being of great fissure healing consistency, and the second even better than that! First class!!
I really hope this will help solve my woes. I'm still taking the sitz baths.
Fingers crossed!
-Brendan

just keep up what you are doing.
also keep your stress levels down.
you don't necessarily want to change a thing.
if you can go a week like this, it would be definitely a sign to keep your regimen for you.

What is Fybogel ???