Hello everyone,
First off, thank you so much for all of the excellent information you have shared. I know it has helped me a lot.
A quick description of my issue: I developed a fissure roughly 3 years ago due to a bad diet that caused very large and very difficult stools to pass. I was working full time and going to college full time and diet was whatever I felt was not too fattening at the time. I can tell you I never even gave fiber consideration back then. I've battled it off and on for the last 3 years. In the last 8 months, it's decided to stick around, and in the last 2 months, due to a strained abdominal, I think it went into hyperdrive. Now I don't get terrible spasms, but I have lots of other fun conditions. Other then playing the bathroom/blood? game every morning, I feel like physical activity will make it "tear" some more. I also get a swelling feeling in my 9-11 o'clock postion often, to the point that it feels like I have something big hanging out in that area. Ironically, my fissure is in the 6 o'clock position. Since the abdominal strain, or more specifically, since discontinuing my weight training at the direction of my doctor, it feels like the pressure in my rectum is through the roof. My GP diagnosed me with hemorriods, then I went to a CRS and was diagnosed with an anal fissure instead.
I've read almost every post on the board and I have some questions:
1. After surgery and/or it heals, can one ever return to a normal eating pattern? I have drastically altered my diet and now feel trapped into not eating anything but veggies, brown rice, oatmeal, egg whites and tuna fish. I drink about a gallon and a half a day and take Metamucil and softeners...as prescribed by my CRS. I'm all about continuing a healthy diet, but will I ever see a day when I can sit down and have 3-4 slices of pizza and some beers on the weekend again? Does anyone feel that I'm over-reacting with my diet, or are all of you in the same boat. I'm afraid to have a feakin cookie now!
2. Is anyone else tired of urinating 5-7 times a day? As close as the mechanics are for my fissure and urininating, this is driving me crazy.
3. I've seen that many of you had the surgery done some time ago. Is your physical life back to normal? Do you fear squatting, picking up heavy things, or having a "good" week with the spouse?
4. Have you reach a day where you don't even give a second thought to where and what you sit on? Metal bench, wood chair, bar stool??
5. If I only have mild discomfort, even though it has been persistent for 8 months and is now s-l-o-w-ly getting worse, should I try the creams and botox first, or simply not waste any more time and have the surgery? My biggest issue is passing a stool that doesn't reopen my fissure and feeling like I can't be 100% active because it may damage the fissure. I'm thinking I don't suffer from the same level of pain some of you did, so the surgery may hurt more to me. That being said, I haven't been the same person in over 2 months due to my butt and the feelings going on inside it.
6. Did anyone ever feel that their sphincter just got too tight and too small and the surgery was the only way to "open it up?"
7. In a nutshell, do you see a day that with only very small precautions...drinking enough water, taking a fiber supplement, not eating a huge bag of corn chips, you'll live a normal life again? Maybe some of you are already there. I want to be able to go out with my wife and casually decide on what place we want to eat again.
Thanks for all of your documented experience and any answer to these questions you may be able to provide. :)

Hi Cris and welcome to the AF, the board of both pain and smiles! Sounds like you are having AF in a big way, especially lately. There is hope and you will get better!
After surgery and/or it heals, can one ever return to a normal eating pattern? Oh, heck yes! I am eating whatever i want now, and I had the surgery about six months ago. Pizza, beer, you name it. But having lived on the diet for so long, I saw how good it was to my body, so I generally eat lots of fruits and veggies still, and don't indulge myself like I used to. But my anus can handle whatever I throw at it now!!
I've seen that many of you had the surgery done some time ago. Is your physical life back to normal? Do you fear squatting, picking up heavy things, or having a "good" week with the spouse? Same here, I pick up the heaviest furniture, bend over and squat all I want, stretch and spread my legs, and my sex life is better than ever.
Is anyone else tired of urinating 5-7 times a day? As a caffeine addict, I have always peed a lot, so, no. But you seem to be drinking WAY too much water.. a gallon and a half? Most people don't realize how much water they actually get from food...a lot. Please, don't go overboard on the water or the fiber; it won't help any and you may actually make things worse. Just get your normal dosage of fiber for your weight, and drink your 6 - 8 glasses of water a day. If you use stool softeners, they will do the magic for you. They will pull water into your stools and soften them No need to walk around with your belly sloshing!
Too much fiber will result in bulky stools that are hard to pass and set off spasms ( I think for many of us, there is a relationship to the amount of stool volume and the intensity of the spasms)
Have you reach a day where you don't even give a second thought to where and what you sit on? If you are referring to us post-surgery folks, Yep! My but is as good as ever, but I still have a fissure area, and it will occasionally leave a slight blood stain, on the TP. But that gets rarer and rarer...
If I only have mild discomfort, even though it has been persistent for 8 months and is now s-l-o-w-ly getting worse, should I try the creams and botox first, or simply not waste any more time and have the surgery?
That is far morte difficult to answer. Only you will know when you've had enough and are ready for surgery. If your situation is such that you can afford two-three more months of experimenting with other alternatives, OK. But You sound chronic to me, too. Unless you are aged, or obese, you don't have the known risk factors and would be an excellent candidate for the surgery. Do you live in the US?
Did anyone ever feel that their sphincter just got too tight and too small and the surgery was the only way to "open it up?" That is the classic part of the AF problem...things are so tight down there that the blood is not flowing properly to heal the fissure, and the spasms only decrease the blood flow further. All AF sufferers are too tight ...its the primary condition the surgery corrects.

Sorry Chris-I just typed out this long reply and I got logged off somehow and lost it!
Anyway, welcome to the board and for taking the time to post! I am wondering if the fullness you feel and the feeling like something is coming out could be prolapse mucosa (lining of the tract). It can occur with repeated straining and heavy lifting. Did they for sure rule out internal hemorrhoids?
Kim did an outstanding job answering your questions-that is why he is my co-mod-but I will see what I can answer.
As far as food-I am on a strict AF diet but I have only been "healed" for 6 weeks or so. I plan to stay on it indefinitely. It is a pain but for me it is worth it not to have to play "blood in the toilet bowl" again.
I used to exercise an hour a day and I haven't been able to resume that. Part of the problem was developing a skin tag that got irritated from friction so repetitive moving was out. I do yard work but am careful not to pick up anything heavy but squatting is okay. My love life was abysmal but I can say since getting better things have been great and worth the wait.

To continue.....
I still sit on a pad when driving and eye hard surfaces with suspicion.
I would consider the surgery in your case. I don't say that lightly but considering how long you have had it and the high rectal resting pressure you have it may be the best way to go. I can understand if you want to try other things first though. It is surgery afterall.
I do see a day where I won't have to think about it so much. Not that long ago I thought I would never reach this point so you will get better.
Take care and let us know what else we can do!
Lecia

Kim and Lecia,
Thank you so much for your answers and information. I have a follow up appointment with another CRS to get a second opinion. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again!

Keep in touch and good luck!

Wow, Kim, you are so unbelievably lucky. I dream of the days when I'll be able to eat pizza again freely, as in 3 peices, and pizza for breakfast again... and maybe even eat chips.. and perhaps even drink milk again, or mmm have ice cream.. Now, chips are not in my dictionary, and pizza or ice cream - maybe once in a blue moon and even then with most of the cheese taken off (and extra prune juice/miralax after).
I wonder if it's possible to have the same results as you (Kim) without surgery. I'm not planning on having surgery and I feel like I'm healing, but I'd love to just be able to eat junk food every now and then again.
Chris, with the constant peeing, trust me it bothered me as well. I don't know if you're drinking too much water, but I used to drink 2 Litres (I've cut down a bit now because I just... can't do that much anymore.. although I do try). I was peeing all the time, and I remember complaining to Lecia about it too. I haven't had surgery, but I feel like my fissure is healing, and although I usually use a bum safe cushion at home, I am more comfortable now going on the bus or sitting at normal chairs at restaurants. Before, I wasn't even able to sit on the computer chair, but slowly it's all getting easier. I think my favourite part of the day is still nighttime though, when I can sleep and be off my butt.
Happy healing~