Well, I've been dealing with an AF for almost 4 years now, although with odd symptoms. I've got the bleeding but no spasms and virtually no pain...only if direct pressure is applied (like if you sat on a hard chair too fast without watching out for that little area.) It doesn't hurt to go to the bathroom or do pretty much any activity. The only bad thing is if it drains or does anything weird sometimes it'll kick off a little bout of folliculitis. That's so very much fun indeed.
I went to a doctor last year who looked at it and called it a "minor laceration" and prescribed an antibiotic (Levaquin) which damaged my tendons a bit...but that's another story and basically I got over that.
The end result is I'm afraid to mess with it now. I'll go weeks without any symptom other than a little tenderness, then one trip to the bathroom and I see a little blood for 3 minutes. I added fiber to my diet and I use Balneol with warm baths..it seems to keep in under control, but I want it gone permanently. I'm a little afraid to try any medical treatment because so far having doctors look at it only made it worse (the exam opened it further) and the medicine caused me such tendon pain...
Any suggestions? I consider myself very lucky that the effects of mine are so minor, but it really needs to go away now...:(

Well, have you altered your diet? Do you take warm baths? This board is full of so much information on how others manage their fissures! If you haven't read through the threads, I highly suggest it.
Since your fissure seems to not really give you much pain, more annoyance than anything, I would also suggest you try squatting to poo for maybe 2-3 weeks and see if that helps any.
The BP creams like nefedipine and diltiazem can loosen things up down there if you are too tight, which can also help a lot!

Hi Kim,
I actually spent the better part of the last 2 hours reading everyone's stories...a lot of people have tried a lot of things, and I can't believe what some people went through. Like I said, I do count myself lucky, very lucky that this is technically minor. But the community is why I decided to join. It's one of those problems you can easily have totally by yourself because it's not the easiest thing to discuss with others.
As for the diet, it's one of those situations where so long as I am super consistent about fiber, water, etc. I have no problem, but if I have one that's even slightly difficult it bleeds. I've found some success by adding in whole wheat sandwiches to my diet and using Balneol before I go to sleep. I just made those changes recently, but so far so good.
I am scoping out docs in my area to see if I can find someone with a lot of experience in this...so far the GP route hasn't done me any favors and has left me a little gunshy. Heck, at this point I think I'd be willing to travel if I found someone who was very experienced.

Yeah, I would second what Kim said. I think trying out Diltiazem or Nefidipine could be very useful for you to help bring more blood flow to the area to help it heal.

I am glad yours is not debilitating but after 4 years I think it makes sense to try one of these. Also make sure you go to a Colo-rectal surgeon who has more experience with fissures.

Also, feel free to read up on the condition. There are lots of posts here that talk about different approaches for healing. I would even start with the first page or two of this topic and read back that far.

Well, I bit the bullet and made an appointment at a colo-rectal surgery at the local hospital...I read decent reviews of the staff and experiences there, so what do I really have to lose?
They initially asked for me to do the whole liquid-diet-laxative thing as a prep for having a colonoscopy done...I talked them out of that because it's finally been acting better, I have no stomach issues (and this is clearly external), and the last exam I had along those lines did more harm than good, so I'm having a consultation and an external exam.
I'll pop back in on Friday after the exam and let everyone know how it goes (plus whatever further treatment I have to look forward to!)

Sounds like a good "deal!" Best to take care of this thing before it does start causing you lots of pain...life with a fissure can quickly become a horrific, endless parade of pain, let me tell you. Let us know how it goes!

Thanks! :) The only thing I can say for sure is that Balneol has been quite kind to me...it wasn't expensive and the area hasn't even "spotted" blood since I started using it. Now, to be fair, I mixed in the high fiber diet and consistent hot baths at the same time in the hopes of really knocking this out, but it certainly hasn't hurt. And frankly it just feels more hygenic.

are you sure it's a fissure? i'm surprised you're not experiencing any pain from the site. it will be good to have a professional opinion. good luck at the appt!

Honestly, I'm not, but it certainly does meet the typical description as I understand it. It's a vertical opening (as the first doctor called it, a "minor laceration") that occasionally bleeds for a few minutes after using the restroom and has persisted for about 4 years now. Sometimes when it's not bleeding it will drain a small amount of clearish liquid which doesn't always smell the best, but it's a tiny amount. Otherwise, no symptoms.
Maybe the specialist I see on Friday will have a different diagnosis. No doctor ever said "anal fissure" to me, but is there another problem that exhibits those symptoms? Any search I've done just points to fissures (which is how I put a name to it initially), but if I'm calling it the wrong thing I'd certainly like to be corrected :)
EDIT: Now that I think back to when it first started, I remember being in college and feeling a sort of persistent pain, particularly sitting in class. Maybe it's at a point now where it's just there, exhibits the outward sign of bleeding, but has scarred or isn't getting any better? Who knows...I'm hoping the specialist can give me some insight.

Welcome :) i am a newbie to and have found this board so valuable :)
I wish you good luck for Friday...