Hi Lecia, Juney, BG, Motherluch,
Thanks all for your very helpful replies. I stepped up the fiber yesterday, and took MOM last night before bed (2 TBSP), and a TBSP this a.m. I had another "hard" bm this am afterward. I'm going regulary, but the consistency of the bm is off. Instead of being in one long cylindrical piece, it may be in a several pieces. It is irregular looking, often flat and/or layered. Do you think that is a sign of not enough fiber? My CRS emailed me back, and said he thought Miralax was the best choice. He said to give it 4 or 5 days. I'd rather go with the strongest thing, at this point, though, which sounds like it might be MOM or MOM with mineral oil. The fact that I'm going regularly makes me think that it's diet-related. I'll try eating less for a while, like one of you suggested. It's so confusing, isn't it? You've all been really helpful, and I thank each of you, and will continue to pray for your healing.
Queenofpain/AgonyAnn

Thanks, Fissulyna, too. Yeah, I know certain stool softeners, like Colace, aren't to be combined with mineral oil. I'm taking flax and fish oil currently.

It sounds like it might be not enough fiber. for me it was not enough of the right type of fiber. my drs kept recomending metamucil, which made my poos like you are describing yours, hard, large and kinda chunky. I finally found a fiber i like. It is nt a grain fiber or a synthetic fiber, it is a yam fiber and it is called glucomannan. It's in the chronic constipation supplement by Digestive Advantage, though you can find it on its own at healthfood stores.
A good fiber with the MOM or mineral oil should give you the poos you're looking for.
PS glucomannan binds to fats, so I find it works raelly well with the mineral oil.

Okay, thank you, BG. I'm afraid because this is going on for weeks. Is Digestive Advantage found at the grocery stores? I know Lecia has mentioned it, too.

I find mine at RiteAid drug store.

Alright, I'll get some today somewhere. My first CRS kept pushing Metamucil, too, yet a number of you seem to have trouble with granular fiber supplements. I remember it made things lumpy and too broad and/or flat and hard. I've always been able to "go" - it's just the texture that's killing me now. Somehow, I threw things off. Did anyone here ever have to take a while to right things, digestively, if you've had a bout like this? Thanks.

yep. I too have always been able to go, but not always completely. this weekend, I was at a friend's and just couldn't get it all out, so now my poo is firmer and drier than usual, and thus more painful to pass. For me, I know it's just a matter of getting out the previous night's dinner. Once I am back on that track, I will be fine the next day. So I am cutting down on my eating today and perhaps tomorrow, until I get the dinners out consistently. Then things should right themselves, for me anyway. It think I'm close. Then end of today's poo was the usual consistency--I could feel a shift mid-log. Perhaps tomorrow will be good.

BG,
I'm drinking warm water all day, too, from our hot water machine at work. I hope I can laugh about this some day. I'm still waiting for that first soft movement. I don't think I can do an enema because of my tight sphincter (the regular MD wasn't able to do an exam because of the spasm). I might end up doing a colon cleansing if this doesn't subside in a number of days, or asking my MD for prescription stool softener.

Fissulyna - sorry i didn't get to your post earlier! i didn't use any creams or suppositories after surgery. i didn't really want to touch that area. i took LOTS of hot baths though. for the first 2 weeks after surgery i took 4 or 5 baths a day. i continued taking 3 baths a day for 10 weeks after surgery.
i didn't have any discharge after surgery. i only had a small amount of blood once after my 2nd surgery. i haven't had bleeding from the fissure since august 2006. back then, when i first got the fissure, there was a lot of blood everytime i went to the bathroom.
QOP - i'm surprised the MOM didn't clean you out w/ a liquidy BM! that's usually what happens to me every morning. sometimes it's more liquidy than other times, but it's never hard if i've taken 2 tablespoons of MOM the night before.

Hi Juney,
Yeah, I don't know what to think. Maybe I have to eat less to right things. I just don't want to cause more damage, i.e., hemorroids or such, to the area. I'll have to seek prescription means, if this doesn't let up soon.