Anal Fissure Support Forum

[Now66]

I just found this forum and have already seen great information.
I turned 66 in January, have had problems with hard stools for the last year, and ended up with a fissure. My GP thought it was a swollen hemorrhoid but would refer me to a surgeon if it got painful enough.
I tried generic Metamucil which worked well for about a month and then back to painful hard stools.
I added 8 glasses of water a day to the Metamucil but that did nothing except send me constantly to the urinal.
I then talked this over with my surgeon brother who kindly sent me a prescription for 0.2% nitroglycerin in vasoline and told me to use generic Miralax. What a difference. Polyethylene glycol sounds awful but really works.
I used the nitro for nearly two months with only moderate improvement, gave up, and set up with the colon/rectal surgeon for fissure repair. Apparently I was too impatient as I had two days of painless near satisfying BMs the next weekend. Hence, I immediately cancelled the surgery.
Now at about 2 1/2 months of nitro, Metamucil, lots of water, and Miralax, I'm reasonably regular with BMs and the pain level is tolerable.
My primary concern was in the long term use of Miralax but this forum has answered that concern. The Metamucil has been very good for my tryglyceride/cholesterol levels so I'll stay with that as well. I guess the water can't hurt so I'm reasonably good about drinking plenty.
I would like to know why this condition has developed. I asked my GP and the colon/rectal surgeon if it was part of aging but they had no answers. Perhaps I'll find that as well on this forum.
Thanks.

[Ever the Optimist]

Hi Now66,
From what I've seen on this site, there's individuals on here as young as 14 and anyone can get a fissure at any age in any state of health. Some people are incredibly active and fit and still suffer them....Babies and young children are also candidates for fissures, but seem to recover a lot more quickly....Some individuals with GI conditions, such as Crons, IBS etc. are a little more pre-disposed to them but even us without these medical issues can still fall victim to the dreaded fissure. Pregnancy and natural births are also contributing factors. The main cause for most of us seems to stem from trauma to the anal system, therefore straining and putting pressure on the anus whilst releasing stools which could be due to poor toilet habits, stem from constipation or excessive diahorrea or even releasing something sharp in the stool, which can "tear" at the lining. Alternatively, a tear could be caused by inserting something sharp or roughly into the anus.
I think for the majority of us, it's poor toilet habits and maybe constipation to blame and after saying you have suffered with hard stools last year, it sounds likely that these have not helped you in anyway....
Good luck with it all and do strive to keep your BM's as soft and as regular as possible. There really is some great advice and posts on this site!