For the past two days i have been having really large, bulky, hard BM's. Yesterday a little blood, today... blood on the TP and blood in the BM itself. It is the closest pain i have felt to pre-surgery pain, although it certainly wasn't as bad. Now i am in a panic because I am upset that I might have retore the fissure open completely.
I know what I have to do in terms of diet...I have to get all my fiber (which I have been) but I need to spread it out more and not eat any right before going to sleep. I think that has been my downfall. I get to the end of the day and realize.. "I still need x grams of fiber" and i try to eat something that will get me to my magic number, 25, before i go to bed.
Bad idea...i know.
So now what do i do? I feel like I really have to keep my BM's soft and as non-bulky as possible for awhile, to give my body a chance to heal. I tried just staying on the fiber but that doesnt seem to have helped. I dont think that I am getting enough water either. So that is something I will have to work on.
My mom has magnesium tablets...she said that that would do the same thing as MOM. We also have MOM. Which one should I choose? The colace is no longer working for me.
Luckily I can't feel any pain when I am doing day to day things right now, it only hurts when I go...so at least theres that, but still...
So very scared and upset
Going to get in the bathtub now...and then...i dont know what.
xo
kate

Don't over-do the fiber! You'll just keep getting bulky BMs.
I have had similar experiences. Hard, rough BMs that lead to some pain and a little blood. But I got over it quickly.
Give it a day or two and try the Mag.
Drink a couple cans of ensure, maybe one in the AM and one in the evening; that will soften things and fortify you with vitamins and minerals, too!
Sounds like you are like many of us, still vulnerable but having had the surgery, these things *should* be transient.

Buttgirl and I like Glucomannon for fiber. It doesn't bulk up but does help with the consistency and making it easier to pass. I don't take regular fiber supplements anymore but I do eat All Bran Buds every day without fail. I seriously have a ziplock bag in my purse in case of emergency I can make sure to get it in.

If you start your day with that you are going to be way ahead on your fiber count so you don't have to play catch up later.

Magnesium will help as will MOM. I don't find the docusate works well either. Miralax is a powder you could add to your water bottle and sip on and it will loosen things up a bit so you don't further injure the area.

And as usual I always mention omega oils as a way to help coat the stools.

All bran buds look pretty unappetizing, but at this point, i'm willing to go down that path, if it means being able to function without pain. Anything you do to make them more appetizing?

I use vanilla soy milk and stevia sweetner and let them sit and absorb the milk so they aren't so crunchy. What you could do is pour yourself a bowl right when you get up so it can be soaking and then do what you need to do to get ready and then have them right before you need to leave.

ahh kate, i'm sorry you're still having setbacks! it seems like we all are this week. it's horrible, but maybe chronic fissures (even post-surgery) are a lifetime problem. it sucks!!!

anyway, bran buds are great! add some fruit and soy milk (i like to use bananas, strawberries, and/or frozen blueberries) and it's a great way to get a lot of fiber first thing in the morning.
aside from that, start taking MOM regularly! it's the only thing i've been able to depend on to keep my BMs soft and painless. i think that really played a part in my feeling so good the past couple months (now another setback, but oh well just another bump in the road).
trying to cram in a certain number of fiber grams everyday is probably causing problems w/ bulk...not to mention, so is eating all that extra fibrous, bulky food! especially at the very end of the night. just take a tablespoon of MOM and no matter what you ate that day, it should come out fine the next.

I am just concerned with taking MOM because i dont want to form a habit, or have my body become dependent on it. I think I am going to start taking a magnesium supplement. Apparently it does the same thing, but I wouldn't be as worried about becoming dependent on it.
I am going to have to get a job soon, because I have a feeling I am going to be spending more on vitamins and supplements than I ever wished to.
I am just so frustrated. It seems like, i can't really accept that this is how my life has to be from now on. I HAVE to get all this fiber every day. I can't just eat junk like all of my friends do, plus I have to haul around my secret when I go somewhere with my boyfriend, because his friends certainly don't know, and I don't want them to. I don't think that they would understand. So whenever we stay somewhere else I have to bring my own food (as discreetly as possible) and my wipes and my softeners and my fiber supplement. So embarrassing.
It just sucks having to do all of these extra things. I don't understand why I can't just accept the idea. Give in! Realize that this is how it has to be and deal with it. I hate it.
*sigh* :(

MOM is not habit forming actually. I can understand your not wanting to create a situation where you feel like you "have" to use something but I figure it is better to take this (the rest of my life if I have to) than it is to exacerbate any anorectal condition I am having. Using MOM has given me a bit more flexiblilty in what I can eat too. But first try the magnesium and see how that does first. That may be all you need to get over this bump.

I'm sorry you're having these problems, Kate.
I always have muesli in the mornings with pure fruit juice in hot water, so , like Lecia says, the fibre is pretty much in the bag from early morning. At night I've been having pure fruit baby food just before bed, along with the flaxseed oil and MOM.

One thing that is good, though probably not a consolation when your friends are eating junk food, is that eating a really healthy diet at a young age, will save you having problems later in life, like diabetes or heart problems.

Your right val, I know I'll be better off later. I guess I just need to keep that in mind.