in an effort to lower my cholesterol some I have been taking in enormous amounts of fiber and whole grains. 2-3 servings of fruit daily and 3-4 vegetables. I work out 3 times a week and drink ONE GALLON of water a day.

Lately I've been having enormously huge bowel movements. They weren't really hard, but very wide and very, very long. Sometimes I had to strain or push because it would feel stuck halfway out.

2.5 weeks ago, I noticed a small dab of bright red blood on the toilet paper. A couple of days, with each bowel movement there is that bit of blood. Then early last week there was pain with the bowel movement. It's like right on the tip of my anus I would say. I'll start to have the bowel movement and about halfway through it there is a sharp pain until the movement falls in the toilet. If I wipe directly after, there is bright red blood on the first wipe. And by the second or third wipe, it diminishes to nothing. A couple of days this past week it's like my anus area would throb or burn. Sometimes an hour or so, but sometimes for HOURS. Few things:

- there is never blood in the bowl.

- I don't have abdominal pain

- no pain when I sleep.

- I've been trying to take a SITZ bath once a day. It makes it feel a little better after

- I've been using Charmin Wet Toilet paper wipes

- After a SITZ bath, I use coconut oil to rub around the rim of my anus to promote healing

- I'm taking daily - Colace stool softener, 3 fiber tablets, and one 500mg Turmeric supplement



Help? Advice? Doctor?

What do I have?

I think maybe you need to cut back on the fibre. I think as long you use enough veges and fruits fibre supplements are not needed. They can also overbulk the stool. You can also try drinking a teaspoon of coconut oil with every meal. Stool softeners are helpful but they are not long term options. You should probably try using Jusa magnesium citrate supplement as an alternative to softeners. Also try deep breathing exercises throughout the day. It helps with digestion and relaxing your mind.

It sounds like you have the right intentions, but bear in mind that you might be going too far. The advice given is to eat more fibre, because *most* people don't eat anywhere near enough. If you are already eating plenty, your digestive system may be struggling with the overload of fibre. Also, if you are drinking one gallon of water, that is probably too much for your body. Think of yourself like a plant. A watered plant will flourish, but if you sit that plant in a bucket of water for a week and leave it, it will start to suffer badly and wilt because it is getting "too much of a good thing". I say this because I am the same as you. I naturally eat a high fibre diet, and when I increased after the fissure, I found that it was doing more harm than good. I have found that I do best with the more easily digestible fibres (and that may differ from person to person). I eat an oat-based smoothie in the morning, have a salad at lunch time with a protein such as chick peas or tuna, and then a fish & veg or meat & veg meal in the evening. I've found this works well for me.

Your water intake should be based on the climate in which you live. I aim to drink 0.5 gallons of pure water per day (average temp here is around 16°C / 60°F at the moment), and then I'll have a couple of herbal teas after meals, just because I enjoy them.

For stool softeners, I take ground flaxseed in my smoothie each morning. I will try adding cocount oil to my regime and see whether that helps. It sounds like a good tip!