Ok, I had a packet od Metamucil this morinig. Now I feel like throwing up. This to much to drink at once. Should I switch to
the pills or wafers. I am afraid of this I feel real full right now.
Any thoughts on this??
Patty

Yeah, that stuff is hard to stomach. When I was on Konsyl (which is similar to metamucil) I would put it into a smoothie and drink it that way. You have to drink it fairly fast as it thickens and congeals and makes it worse.
I would try it in a soy protein/fruit shake and see if it better.

2 things:
Fiber:
I moved over to citrucel and found it much easier to tolerate in general.
Ointment:
With regard to applying the ointment, I found it most effective when I could get it in the farthest. My recommendations:
1.buy latex gloves and tear off a finger to use with each application--no double dipping into the ointment. This keeps all the ointment and also the poo remnants off your hands very well.
2. once the tip of the latex-covered finger is well-lubed add an extra glob of the ointment to the tip.
3. squat. I have found this post important because it is conducive to relaxing the sphincter.
4. insert finger with glob slowly pushing away from the sore spot. I always find that this helps me unclench. Be careful not to bump the sore spot though or you'll reclench. The ointment will get in spot when your finger is removed.
5. I have also found that a daily dose of 1t of vitamin E oil (not the pure oil but the one mixed with safflower oil--it's cheaper and just as effective) delivered by a slim syringe (your can find one of these at a pet store. It is used to feed small animals medicines) to the rectum is a more effective anti-inflammatory/anti-irritant than the cortizone suppositories that the dr prescribed. A word of CAUTION though: if you use too much and you'l' fart it out, and it gets messy. :oops: 1t is the right amount for me. you may be different. I do have to say, though, the soothing quality of the oil outweighs the rare mess.
5 1/2. I also find zinc oxide, brand name Desitin, to help calm the cut on stinging sore days and coat/lube the hole when ##2 is on it's way out.
6. get pantyliners. the petroleum jelly, cortizone, and the rest of your "arsenal" will really mess up the backside of a pair of pants on a farty day or if you are applying your creams to the outside as well.
WOW!! who else in the world could I say these things to but you guys and gals. This is certainly a conversation I never thought I would have--What to consider when sticking things up your butt.

I know-Buttgirl! We are an odd sort of family but we need each other to talk about these things to! I like #6 of your tips. I messed up my favorite pair of Old Navy Yoga pants with all sorts of ointments-there's even a spot on one of our sofa cushions from it too!
How is that for a confessional?

Thanks buttgirl,
I am probably going to swich to Metamucil wafers, Maybe I will try the vitamin E. My FNP is going to give me something for my nerves as they are shot with this before I go back to my next appt. I would not let the CRS do a rectal I jumped out my skin when he first touched me. But he did see part of the fissure. God I have never been like this with a doctor, usually I am pretty calm, but this stuff is unnerving. Is this normal? I have had surgey before and I was never like this. I have been using A @ D ointment it seems to work well. Does vitamin E help the stool slip out easier?
Right now I am on day 4 with soreness but no spasms so I hope this Nefedipine helps. I can't believe I have not had a spasm in 4 days, but it still hurts.
BBG
Patty

There is a lot of good information in this thread. I think one of the most important things is to get the most information as possible from your appointment with your CRS. I always come prepared with a list of questions.
I've been to two different CRS in the past month, both with over 22 years experience and here is some of the information that I was surprised to find out:
1. Everyone has hemorrhoids. The difference or not is if they become inflamed or irritated thus giving rise to the condition we all commonly refer to as "hemorrhoids." Other may know this, but it was new information to me.
2. There are two different types of LIS. Open and closed. After having this explained to me, it seems open LIS is a better option for ensuring the lowest probability of having incontinence as a side effect. In a nutshell, open LIS is where the CRS exposes the muscle to see how much they are actually cutting, where closed LIS is where the CRS does it by "feel." As you might imagine, open LIS has a bigger cut to heal from as well. But this also comes down to how the CRS was trained. Older CRS will usually be trained on open LIS.
3. Having a chronic AF is not the end of the world. "Chronic" refers to the length of time one has had the AF, not the condition of the AF. Be sure to ask your CRS the condition and have him/her rate it on a scale of 1-10. Then ask the CRS what is the prognosis for heeling a AF of that caliber without surgery.
4. It's been my experience that a really good CRS will allot an extended period of time for your first visit. He or she will want to go over your complete diet and all supplements you are taking. One of my CRS' took 2 hours with me on my first visit and told me ahead of time to plan for that amount of time and bring all my supplementation and medication for review. WOW!
5. Both encouraged me to eat pretty much whatever I wanted, within reason. They both focused on getting enough fiber and water. After that, food was fair came. They did say to stay away from anything that could scratch the rectum during a BM like nuts and popcorn. I'm still afraid to test this one out.
Here are the differences I found between the two CRS, on being "old school" with 33 years of experience and the other being "new" school" with 22 years experience was:
1. Wiping after BM:
Old school (OS) - No
New School (NS) - use wet, soft toilet paper
My experience so far (Me) - I do a combo, depends on the movement, but I usually clean it out with a squirt bottle. At this point, why take chances.
2. Exercise that could stretch the area:
OS - No, stick to walking, jogging and upper body exercises
NS - try it and see how it feels.
Me - Toss up. I feel that OS is right to a degree, but I've had this for 3 years and continued to exercise normally with periods of remission, so it's hard to say.
3. Taking Fiber supplements:
OS - Once a day, large dose
NS - Try twice a day, once at beginning and once at end
Me - NS was right.
4. Using lube for BM:
OS - Don't use any
NS - Use only KY jelly because it's water based. Anything else is bad for the condition.
Me - NS was right, but I still didn't have a really bad time trying it natural either. I just feel more protected with the NS recommendation.
Anyway, thanks for all the good information from everyone in this thread!

My FNP is going to give me something for my nerves as they are shot with this before I go back to my next appt. I would not let the CRS do a rectal I jumped out my skin when he first touched me. But he did see part of the fissure. God I have never been like this with a doctor, usually I am pretty calm, but this stuff is unnerving. Is this normal? I have had surgey before and I was never like this.
I wanted to mention that I had several CRSs prescribe a very low dose of valium to help relax the sphincter muscle. I wonder if the FNP would consider that. I think I was on 5 mg tablets. It did seem to help relax the area and made me less tense about the pain. I know doctors have varying opinions on this but I think it must be a valid treatment in that I had one CRS in Colorado and 1 in South Carolina prescribe the same thing. Just thought I would mention that!

In long answer:
Since getting the fissure and especially after the surgery, I have been extremely sensitive to the way all parts of my rear feel after going to the bathroom, and I have also become sensitive to how foods/substances make my behind area feel because everything down there is intimately connected. I can actually tell what I've eaten the day before by what it feels like coming out--can you say no more spicy Indian food??? Dang!
One dr prescribed me proctofoam, and the one of the ingredients in it (the pramoxine, I think) burned like crazy when applied. Another time I had to give myself saline enemas before going to a protolgist. Those also left my rectum burning and, thus, my fissure stinging like crazy.
I mention this because the vitamin E, for me, is more for it's soothing properties. I always use it after pooing or enemaing (which thank heavens is rare) to calm the area down. It is so thin that I don't think it would be much in the way of a lubricant, but I find it more effective at doing what the cortizone is supposed to be doing and that is calming down the infalmmation enough so that healing will take place.
P.S. I always found it interesting that Dr. prescribed cortizone to calm inflammation and encourage healing when cortizone itself inhibits healing. Inflammation does too, to be sure, but I think finding another way to calm the inflammation without slowing healing can only benefit my rear in the long run.
P.P.S. something which I am experimenting with now that is also along the speed-the-healing-lines is a nutrient serum which I got from skin actives. It seems to be helping, but I'll keep you posted on my progress with this supplement.

BG,
Where do you get the vitiman E cream? Also, do you get the hybrid cream due to the cheaper price or do you find it to have additional healing properties?
I've also wondered why doctors haven't come up with some topical solution to heal the cut faster. I have read that a few people have tried a healing cream designed for cuts in the mouth and had good success. Basically, they said since the tissue in the mouth and rectum were very similar, they thought they'd give it a try.
Thanks for the info.

I use vitamin E oil and I get the generic Rite Aid brand, and I'm sure that any drug store will have it in the cosmetic section. People have talked about pure Vit E oil as being an irritant when applied on a daily or twice daily basis. I decided not to chance it and to try the vit E oil in a carrier oil. You just have to be careful that you are not allergic to the carrier oil. I have a minor allergy to jojoba and tried a vit E oil based in jojoba oil. That stung! and I should have known better since I have had bad reactions to using jojoba as a makeup remover (made my eyes sting). However, I had no bad reaction to safflower oil , so I use the one based in that.
Also, I use a dab of neosporin and a dab of Desitin as lube in the mornings before BM. I don't worry so much about the water-based lube vs. oil-based lube when I include the neosporin.
Also, I tried the mouth sore stuff. I tried Abreva--no difference. I tried Orajel--good for nubming and cooling but not much effect. I tried friar's balsam/bezoin, an old-fashioned mouth sore remedy--it stung. If you have luck with any, let me know.
I have also found the "fissure self-help" page to be helpful for stories and suggestions.
www.boardsailor.com/jack/af/