This board has helped me a lot, so first off I would like to thank everyone.
Skip to the middle if you just want to hear about what I'm doing this week to heal a fissure I've had for 4 months.
Background:
I'm a 25 year old male who has had minor fissures (bothersome, but would heal in 2-7 days with no major lifestyle changes) for a few years until this most recent episode. For about 4 months I've been dealing with a fissure that just won't heal, and it's really taken it's toll on me. I am 5'10, and was 165 pounds (gym [weightlifting] almost every day, hockey, squash,etc.) prior to this recent fissure.
I am now 135 pounds, and the last 4 months have been hard. Not being able to do things with friends, diet changes, doctor visits, time off work...I want to get back to normal and am feeling confident I can make a lot of progress this week.
First doctor visit (family doctor): Said they were hems, told me to take Miralax to keep the stools soft, and after no improvement I went to a specialist at the hospital (Anorectal) about 2.5 months ago. He also told me to keep my stools soft, and to add metamucil+even more fibre, and that it would heal. I also was prescribed diltiazem to relieve spasms.
Pain was lessened, but it still would not completely heal and was preventing me from doing a lot of things. I went back 2 weeks ago and he said the same things, but advised against using Miralax for a long time. Looking into it myself, it looks like you lose control of the muscle down there by using laxatives and actually can prevent healing.
I felt better once I was off them, but metamucil and fibre only made things worse even with plenty of water. I had stools that were bulky and very sharp (especially at the start of the BM), and would set me back. Things definitely got better after I cut back on the fibre, but ran into a problem I'm still not 100% sure what the cause was. I think my passage got inflamed and it was causing a blockage, where I feel like I would have to go but the stool was impacted. It would take 15-20 minutes and multiple attempts to get out, and it would open the fissure again every time. I would go to the bathroom every 2 days, so maybe this was just general constipation?
I took/ate anti-inflammatories, and also stopped using diltiazem. After 2 days or so I was back to being regular. My guess is that I was using the diltiazem for too long, and maybe it caused inflammation? Would like some advice on this please!
Healing
I've taken two weeks so far off of work, but with the possible inflammation and not being able to sleep well recently I'm going to consider yesterday (July 7th) as my first "let's get serious" recovery day.
I received my Wedderspoon (Kfactor 16+) raw manuka honey yesterday, and just got my Pure03 ozonated olive oil today.
Constants every day:
-2-4 baths (going to start using epsom salts tomorrow)
-under 7-10g of fibre to prevent bulky stools
-manuka honey and oz olive oil applied when I wake up so BM is lubricated, after BM, and before bed)
-coconut oil a few times a day (keeps the muscle lubricated)
-30-60 minutes of yoga. I use a YouTube channel called "Yoga with Tim"
-10-30 minutes of walking/slow jog
-meditation. I'm using an app called Headspace (10 days free) for the mind-body-healing connection, and to stay positive and accept what's happening!
-hot water bottle a few times a day
-not sitting down at all!
-bed by 11pm, up by 10am
Day 1:
Food: portabella mushrooms, 2 eggs, rice pasta and shrimp (may cut pasta because of carbs), rice pasta and tuna
BM=4/10. Sharp tip of the stool, overall not great as I had popcorn/almonds the day before (I was experimenting with a little fibre)
Pain=4/10 had intermittent pain throughout the day, even with the above.
Overall: Felt okay with the manuka honey, but not great overall. May have done too much strength yoga the day before (I want my muscles back! haha). I also may have aggravated the fissure by pushing the honey up too far.
Day 2:
Food: portabella mushrooms (no eggs), rice pasta with tuna, salmon and lettuce wraps. I need some snacks...
BM-2.5/10. Soft-ish overall, not very large
Pain-1/10. No spasms, but crediting this to not sitting and baths. I lay down in bed with my computer most of the day and also tried to get more comfortable (less pressure on the stomach seems to help).
Overall: Good day. Mixed a little manuka honey two times with the ozonated olive oil and was careful to apply it just up the inside and around the anus. Felt good, no pain! Not saying it was the main factor it because I didn't do much throughout the day to trigger and spasms/pain.
Thanks for reading everyone, I hope this helps. I would love ANY ADVICE so I can turn this into a success story! Especially regarding the possible diltiazem inflammation and food I can eat so I stop losing weight.
I'll keep this updated! Hang in there and I will too.