Hi all, just thought I'd come on here for some suggestions.
I'm 18 and have experienced pain when pooping maybe 3 or 4 times before. Nothing serious or ridiculously painful, and the pain went after a few days.
I've just started having pain again and it's been 4 or 5 days now. It's REALLY hurts to the point where I dread going to the toilet. There isn't a lot of blood (sometimes none at all) but there is obviously something going on, probably a tiny cut which isn't healing as every time I have a BM the cut re opens!
I've tried putting Vaseline on the area and last night and this morning I used Olive Oil, is this okay to use? I'm going to try not to eat any solids for a few days and I've ordered some stool softeners. What else can I do?!

Lalaland123, if what you have is a fissure, is important to lubricate the area before a BM and after a BM take a sitz bath, just seat on the bathtub full of warm water and relax, this help pass the stools easier and will minimize the irritation.
Also make sure your stools are soft, this means more fiber in your diet, a liquid diet will help, also drink lost of water.
Keep reading here on other ways that members use to help them deal with their fissure, I know they have the fiber that will help best, because my problem is not hard stools I don't take extra fiber but the one I take in the foods I eat, plenty of veggies and fruits.
But remember keep the area lubricated before a BM.

Hi Lala,
The symptoms you describe certainly sound like a fissure (you don't always bleed - I didn't).
This site is amazing for advice, support & suggestions from others in exactly the same situation as yourself, so research it well.
I would definately book yourself in with your GP asap to discuss the issue and ask for referral to a CRS also if this is indeed what you are dealing with as they are specialists in this area....The sooner you start dealing with it, the better.
In the meantime, lubricating pre BM's is always good, up your fluids and start eating lots of fresh fruit & veg as Marge advises and cut out junk foods. I wouldn't necessarily stop eating solid foods, just cut out the ones that are notorious for constipating or producing harder stools - excess sugar/ white refined foods ( bread/ rice/ pasta)/ tough red meats/ processed & deep fried stuff. It's really important to eat fissure friendly foods to keep your stools as soft as possible (there is so much advice listed in the tips & suggestions section as to what you should be eating).
Use a stool softener if necessary (not a laxative) and do NOT strain at all on the toilet when you have to go and do NOT rub yourself roughly with toilet paper. Aloe-vera baby wipes seem to be firm favourites and sitz baths for the post BM clean-up.
Olive oil is great taken internally to soften the stools and some people use it externally too as with Coconut Oil, which a lot of people highly rate.
The main thing is to seek medical advice asap because the sooner you start dealing with a fissure, the better. You will probably be advised most of the above anyway (fibre/ fluid increase etc...) but there are also creams they can give you to relax spasms in the area and to help healing of the fissure. Above all, try and stay calm about it all. Fissures can be very painful, especially initially, but they are not life threatening and there are ways of dealing with and treating them. All the very best to you.....

Thank you both for your replies! I will take on board all advice :)

Lala
I would suggest using Miralax daily to soften your bowel movements. This really helps many sufferers, good luck and I hope you don't have to stay here long!

For me, Milk of Magnesia softened up all stool overnight, without any real lead time to get into my system. When using the full dose before bed, I wake up and everything slides out and is even watery. Softening the stool has been one of the only things aside from Sitz baths that have helped me, though there's so much to go on from this wonderful site that I've still got some tricks like Coconut Oil left to try.

So your 18 with a fissure, that's too young my friend. Think of any changes you may have made recently in your diet.
Or did you recently change your exercise regime to a very laxed one. You sure want to nip this thing in the bud now before it becomes chronic like mine was.
GL & HTH's