Would like to hear from some people on here who have healed or are MUCH improved that didn't resort to LIS.

I am 1 month in with this fissure and just about 2 weeks in applying Nifedipine. What was your progress like? I just can't seem to gauge my progress. The day before I got the cream I had one of my best days since I got the fissure and that was without cream. Now I'll get a few days of just uncomfortable bowl movements no all day spasms then ill have a day of all day spasms then an all day soreness for a day or so after. Is this normal? Will this eventually resolve. I swear there is somewhat of a mental aspect to this.

Please let me know how your recovery is doing or has went. Im very interested in hearing about peoples spasms. Are they in the past for some of you?

They are - hopefully - in the past for me. I had spasms, full on for hours after a BM, for over two years. I tried all the usual things, then went with dilation with very small dilators, and built up (not to a large size...) over time. Mine stopped about nine months or so ago. Still have the odd problem, but have regained weight (continue to watch the amount of food I eat, fibre, water etc.) and generally my life has improved. I use a Sitz bath too, on a regular basis, which also helpS me if I have any trouble having a BM.

2 years of spasms? All out spasms? Tightness and burning? I couldn't imagine dealing that long. Is the fissure healing or has it healed?

Hi Frank,
I believe I'm fully recovered, since I've had no pain at all for several months. I did not have LIS.

You can see in my signature below all the things I did to heal. I think it's useful to see how long it can take, so I'll outline my time-line.

I got my fissure in May 2013. By August I started to feel as though I had my life back due to nitroglycerine, getting consistently soft stools and frequent use of hot water bottle to soothe the pain. By December 2013 I considered myself "cured" even though I still had slight and infrequent pain off and on for another 10 months.

You may not take as long to heal, especially as you've started treatment earlier in the process than I did. I would say, get soft stools as quickly as possible. Don't overdo the fibre, but use a stool softener. You don't want big bulky stools while you are in healing mode. If the nifedipine isn't helping after a month, ask your doctor for a different ointment, and don't take no for an answer.

You ask if it's normal to have pain one day and none the next - yes, it is very normal. The fissure journey can be quite the roller-coaster ride, and it's important not to get discouraged. As long as you are making overall progress, a set back for a day or two is OK, normal and while discouraging, nothing to worry about.

Good luck!

Well, I am a strong person, Frank. And yes, full on spasms. I could neither afford, nor did I want, surgery. There was no mental aspect to what I had, just a messed up internal anal sphincter, involuntary, so you cannot train it to do what you want. Tightness and burning, yes. Guess I have the patience of a saint!! I just held tight and kept going. British bulldog or something.

Wow. My hat is off to you Savaici. My arm can be hanging off and I won't seek a doctor. This fissure had me telling my wife "ok I need to seek medical help". Painful bowl movement in the morning? Who cares. 1 minute and it's over with. Like I have had with all previous fissures. It's the spasms that don't kick in for an hour or 2 afterwards that is all new to me and unbearable. I can never predict them!

Yes, those spasms are the worst. I really hope you get better soon, Frank.

Over two years with spasms, burning and pressure for me too. Compared to when it was at it's worst then I only have very small issues left to deal with and hopefully those will disappear slowly over time.
I was fairly quickly diagnosed as healed without any kind of surgery involved, but all the burning and spasms continued for the next two years and during that period I have been through some checkups with scope and a MR scanning. With the pain involved after being declared healed I would at any time had accepted surgery to get it all to end, I even begged for it at some point, but no one of the doctors involved would go for that solution.

I have healed in the all natural way and all other things such as burning, spasms, and pressure has deteriorated very very slowly. My improvements could not be messured from week to week, rather month to month or perhaps only over a period of three to four months.