Hi,
Got a question for everyone. I have been taking a nightly dose of Milk of Magnesia for about 2 months now (as opposed to the recommended 2 weeks) to keep my poo soft while I am healing. I am curious as to how many other people are doing this and how long I can keep it up without getting lazy bowl? Got any experiences you can share?
The backstory is that I have had a fissure for about a year and a half. The first year it was infected, but my dr.s wouldnt believe me until I started pussing out my butt. Then they went in and opened the abscess (read gave me an inch long fissure). needless to say, I am desperately afraid :( of reversing any of the healing that has taken place. I have changed my diet, drink more water, etc... any other advice for keeping poo soft?

I don't know about the safety of MOM taken that long. I don't think it is recommended but if you are under a doctor's care it may be alright.
I would maybe look into Miralax. It is safe for longer term use and helps to draw water into the stool and does not affect the intestinal tract nerve fibers so you can't get dependent on it.

Thanks for your very prompt response. I will look into Miralax today.

I just looked into both MOM and Miralax, and I am a bit confused. MOM is not a stimulant laxative (which work by stimulating/irritating the nerves in the intestines) but an osmotic laxative like Miralax. The main active ingredient is Magnesium Citrate which is a magnesium molecule that is too large for the instetine to digest (similar to lactulose which is a sugar melecule that is too large to be digested and thus included in prescription medications as a gentle/long-term laxative.) The effect of this non-digestion is that the Magenesium Citrate passes through the intestines undigested and helps pull water into the stool when it is in the colon. I understand that polyethelene glycol works the same way. Is there something about Magnesium Citrate that is more irritating to the nerves than Polyethelene Glycol?
Has anyone tried Mineral Oil? As I understand it, that works because it cannot be digested ans so the oil says as is and mixes with the stool causing softer stools?

Many fissure sufferers use MOM, but it's a matter of preference. It works great for some, and they use it everyday. It was too strong for me, it turned my stools to mush and that burned big time!! But it is apparently safe long-term like other stool softeners. Magnesium citrate has a pretty strong effect on the stools, so some folks like me can't depend on it.
Mineral oil, if used on a daily basis, will quickly rob the body of essential nutrients and is *not* recommended except for short-term relief.

buttgirl,
sometimes as we look for solutions, we have to turn to over the counter and prescription assistance especially when all other natural alternatives have failed us.
i am not sure what else you may have tried to soften your poop - are you eating 30-40g of fiber daily without the use of fiber supplements?
i strongly recommend that all venues of healing where you can possibly do everything via nutrition modification be used mostly rather than rely on over the counter assistance. this way, you train your body to really work on the issues it has naturally.
but as i said, sometimes we need that kick start help with the best possible scenario of weening off any OTC/drugs.

Yep. I am taking more fiber than I ever dreamed possible, including a dose of citrucel at every meal (can't do the bran/oat/psyllium thing). Ordinarily, I have grapefruit for breakfast; veggies for lunch with some rice, or a bowl of beans/peas and a sandwich, or a salad, or a bowl of noodles/w veggies; and fish, rice and veggies for dinner. I have found that raw fish does help considerably, though it is not high in fiber itself. Strange huh? (but sushi gets really expensive after a while, so that is not a consistent option.) And i do take fish oil and evening primrose oil on a daily basis.
I think my intestinal unpredicatability is related more to IBS-C than my diet. Soemtimes, there's just no explainging the problem. The only consistent remedy I have found otherwise is to eat pea soup. I tried a diet of this for a week (with small adjuncts of celery with almond butter, carrots, salad and bhabha ganoosh) and had a good run of healing, but there's only so long I can stay on a pea soup diet, even if I do make a darn fine soup.
The MOM is the only thing I have been able to find that offers me the consistent soft poos I need, though I can't wait to be healed enough to kick this habit.

Well, I think if it is working I wouldn't alter it just yet. You will know when it is time to try something else.
Maybe you have a miracle working AF pea soup on your hands. Care to share the recipe? Or better yet, just send me some made!

I'm always happy to share a recipe. I don't like blended pea soups, so I boil my peas until they are soft but haven't fallen apart. That way, it looks like I have a lot of peas in my soup rather than a mass of green ooze.
1 bag split peas
1 ham hock
3-4 bacon ends (depends on size. mine are 2 in cubes)
2 carrots
1 turnip
1 stalk celery
1 onion
1 other root vegetable (i.e. celery root...)
1-2 cups ham cubed
salt and pepper
Soak peas overnight. Add 1 T salt and boil until soft but not mushy. Strain.
In 2 quarts water, simmer ham hock for 2-4 hours. Cut all vegetables into roughly the same size pieces. Add root vegetables. Simmer 1 hour. Add celery, peas, and ham cubes. If you like herbs such as sage, rosemary, oregano, add them now too. Simmer until celery tender about 10 min. Peas should retain shape but be a little mushy. Salt and pepper to taste.
I have this for three meals a day when I am on the pea soup diet, with snacks such as celery with almond butter, hummus, beans, fresh fruit... I'm not sure why the peas soup works. Could be all the soft food. Could be the savory and hydrating broth. Could be all the fiber in the peas and veggies.
Hey, do you think we should start an AF recipes post? I'd love to see if others have found recipes that work for them.

Thanks for posting the recipe for us! I think that would be a great idea to start a thread with recipes that have helped us!
Does anyone else have anything tried and true that we could add to the AF diet?
I like to have frozen fruit as a treat, particularly berries. I just let them thaw a little bit and add some stevia for a little extra sweetness and a bit of cool-whip on top and it makes a healthy snack that is isn't a strain coming out the other way. I eat this now instead of cookies or cake and now it really seems like dessert to me!