I don't tell my doctors everything. They don't have to live with my butt.

I just wanted to chime in here... as far as MOM, I too had a nightmare when I only took 1 1/2 tablespoons, ended up with major diarrhea for 16 hours!! I am a big believer in MOM or any kind of magnesium to keep things soft and moving along at the right dose, which we all need to play around with in order to find what is right for us.
As far as Dr.s...2 of my Dr.s out of NYC and are great and rated Top Docs in New York magazine (one a GI and the other a CRS) BOTH told me to take MOM or any kind of Magnesium and/or Miralax forever and that was fine with them. My theory is, whatever works for you, do it, and do it religiously, why mess with something that makes you comfortable?? Like Lecia said, these Dr.s who shy away from things that help us should only have to live with our butt problems for one day!!
For me, certain fibers are ok, but something like metamucil just binds me up, but again, that is me...everyone is different.

i agree w/ the other girls - it's your butt and you need to do whatever's gonna work for you to live pain-free. i actually found out about MOM from the people on this forum (thank god!!) the dr's i've seen have said they like it, although they feel bad that i'm so young and already take it daily. no health concerns, just annoyance at having to carry around my MOM bottle i guess. no dr has ever said anything about any long-term consequences.

i had no success using fiber supplements. it only made my poo harder and more painful. i keep a pretty high-fiber diet now and use the MOM everyday and things are okay. i'm sick of dr's telling me to simply increase my fiber intake and eat healthy. i already do that and it never made a difference.

sometimes you just have to listen to your own body and to people like us on the forum who have actually dealt with butt problems (since most dr's haven't!) if fiber was the simple solution, so many of us wouldn't have had to have LIS.

Been taking Medamucel once every morning with my cereal and it seems to have settled down my irritable bowels alot.
That in itself has helped my healing quite a bit.
Have been taking two to three stool softeners a day too but not sure that does any more than upset my stomach.
I find that doctors are very quick to suggest that YOU take all kinds of things and forever - but I immediately ask them back - "Would YOU take this yourself " sometimes I get "the look" and don't get an answer .
So, I think that we all need to be self educated about what we take and how much ......... No one else cares about your well being like you do.

Fissulyna , I'm still wishing and hoping for that visit from TWO bossy gals !!!.............. Bring it on .........

Ha ha. Two bossy women who really know what it's like to be a pain in the arse...
But alas, I happily significantly othered. i could go for a Tahoe vacation though...to beat the already stifiling So Cal summer heat...

Thanks, everyone, for your answers. I think I'll get a bottle when I get groceries in a couple of days and try it.
Should be interesting because I got to thinking that all this rectal bleeding and pain started back last October when I had a normal poo. I have IBS with diarrhea and it really acted up last summer into the fall. So, I guess the lining was irritated and the normal poo tore things. That's when the doctor put me on Metamucil to help get rid of the diarrhea, but keep things soft. I sure don't want to go back to diarrhea like I had. I could go 4 times in the morning, it was awful. So, I guess I should just use a little bit of MOM to start and keep up with some of the Metamucil to firm things up a little. Kind of a catch-22.
Any suggestions on how much MOM to use to start and do you think I should stay with the 3 times a day Metamucil or cut back to one or two?
I can't remember if I ever asked how much fiber your doctors thought you should have each day. The surgeon I'm seeing said she wanted me to take the Metamucil 3 times a day which is around 10 grams, I think. Plus, 30-35 more grams of fiber in foods. I could never eat that much, so I stick to around 30. But, altogether that's 40-45 grams that she wanted me to get. That's always seemed like alot to me.
I do know I'm extremely thirsty and drink a ton of water. My primary checked me for diabetes, but it came back fine. I figured it would because the thirst came with adding all the fiber. I'd love to cut back on the water, but I'm just too thirsty. Do you think that could be from the fiber?
Lots of questions. I just want the surgeon to pinpoint the reason for the bleeding and then I think I'm going to take your advice and go on my own for awhile. Not sure if I'll even mention the MOM. If I do and she says that it's not a good idea, I probably won't be going back to her anyway. I'll see if I can find another doctor to talk to.

I would start with 1 tablespoon of MOM. try that for a couple of days and if things don't soften up, gradually increase by 1/2 tablespoon increments.

Sorry for holding you in suspense JA, LOL, was not on the net today. Chris is, as you see, also "unsingle " girl ; ), so you will end up with two "bossy wives" ahahahahaaaaa, are you sure you can handle it ??? But, from the other side, you might stop looking for a date after our visit and make resolution to stay a bachelor for life !!!
Regarding MOM, it was suggested to me by CRS. Other one suggested Miralax, and other two Metamucil. So, I tried it all and for me Metamucil works the best. If it was MOM, I would be using MOM today even with risks (or no risks) - I live for TODAY - but that is just me !!!
LOVE TO ALL :}{:

Just chiming in on this one - I used to take Metamucil but now take 3 Benefiber caps a day, along with 3 flax seed oil caps & 2 stool softeners at night (just started those after fissure re-appeared in October). Also eat 3 Tbsps. of Fruit-eze fruit paste. That seems to keep things soft and moving for me. However, even after taking all of this stuff, I still ended up re-tearing - my CRS said it has nothing to do with what I'm eating, just that I'm extremely tight in there...hence, my 2nd LIS today at 3:30......Yikes!