The assisting doc was really nice and helpful, possibly an intern or med student.

That's probably a dead give-away that they were interns! :)

Ha! I think she will make a wonderful doc someday! Don't think I can wait that long.
Far better than some I've seen, or does something happen to them when they are finally on their own?

hi cheryl - welcome to the board! i'm sorry you're suffering
This forum is a great place to find out more info and talk about everything w/ fellow fissure sufferers. I hope you find some relief w/ the ointment. I'm sure miralax will help too, so many people on the board use it regularly.

Ahh The penny drops !!!
I use miralax too known as movicol in the Uk, I have been on this for a year now i use one sachet everyday

Thanks to all for the welcoming comments that I just read! I really, really liked my Mayo GI doc (in response to a question someone asked). I think he is one of the smartest docs I have ever met. I went through so much testing in my area (CT scan, BARIUM test, MRI, flex sig) and still wasn't making much progress a year ago with my abdominal pain. I was convinced I had diverticulitis.
I think the MIralax is what I should been taking years ago although it is somewhat difficult to regulate. I used to take Amitizia (and before that Zelnorm) and also Magnesium glyconate tabs plus a stool softerner prior to switching to MIralax. Hopefully, we can all continue to support one another and sending healing energy when requested (I am a Reiki master, but don't practice on others).

Hi Cheryl,
What have you found to be more helpful with the Miralax as opposed to the magnesium?? I am on magnesium for constipation most likely for the rest of my life according to my Dr. I always like to know about other people's experiences so I would like to hear your take on the difference! For me, the mag is working great. How was the Amitiza??

I am most happy to share my experiences because I feel like I have been to xxxx and back trying to get my 6 year constipation prob solved. I was only approved for Amitizia for 9 months, and the cost of that drug is over $200/month. I do think that it helped me, and recently it was approved by the FDA, so it might not have been approved when I stopped taking it about 9 months ago and hence my insurance company's reluctance to pay for it for over 9 months. My Mayo doctor wants me to be on only one thing for constipation, and I was taking three things. Miralax is sold over the counter now, and it is also cheaper than the Amitizia. I don't think one size fits all, but my Mayo doc likes Miralax as do most of the GI docs in our area. I noticed considerable improvement the next day after taking Miralax. I had to wean myself off of the mag as well as the stool softener. I have a redundant sigmoid colon. My challenge with the Miralax is getting the right amount as I have had to adjust it at times. Hope this helps.
I stumbled onto this group by accident. The person that created this AF support group as well as those that monitor/administrate it are doing a great service to many people . I think patient to patient support is helpful in addition to what our docs tell us.
All the best,
Cheryl

I hope you can zero in on a softener that works, Cheryl. Most likely you'll find things that work over-all but don't be surprised if you have bumps in the road, too. Being consistent is such a challenge, especially when things are amiss down there. Thanks for the comments!

I am not sure who does what on this board, but I also wanted to comment that I like the new colors!
I also just remembered a couple of things about Miralax vs. Amitizia. The Amitizia says on the bottle that it may cause dizziness although I never had that problem while taking it for six months. My Mayo doc feels that the only problem Miralax can cause is diarrhea (which I realize is a bad problem). I also took Zelnorm for a few weeks at the beginning of last year. In February Zelnorm was taken off of the market for causing heart problems although it was reintroduced through a study with stringent requirements for people under 55 while I was at Mayos last summer.
Cheryl

In February Zelnorm was taken off of the market for causing heart problems although it was reintroduced through a study with stringent requirements for people under 55 while I was at Mayos last summer.
Cheryl

Wow, pretty strong medicine! I think I might want to avoid that particular study!