Why is it that the first part of the BM is sometimes hard and the rest after it is soft? I keep a food and liquid diary and found that yesterday I only took in 64 ounces of liquid. It seems as if I don't take in more than that, my stool becomes hard at the beginning and of course tore me a little this morning, although thankfully not bad and just a tiny amount of blood. I'm just wondering why this is happening and maybe it always has been that way, but before I got the fissure it just stretched but didn't cause any harm and now it does because of the fissure? I don't know. I tend to be a hypochondriac and then I worry that this harder stool comes from a deeper underlying problem. I am completely regular and go daily as soon as I wake up. I just get sick of it all and it's been on and off for 3 months and when I don't have any blood for 10 days or so I tend to get lax on the fiber and water and then it happens again. I guess 10 days isn't enough time. Sorry for the rambling. Just gets me down sometimes.

dan,
i think this is something we have all faced. i am not sure even how to address it as this happens at random.
sometimes i feel drinking too much will do this. and sometimes, having caffeine (yes sometimes i do have to have an iced cold starbux), or even if i simply eat all healthy.
i tend to notice though on my stressed out spike days or pretty soon after a stressed event, i can get like this too. just thinking about the fact that the poo will be hard at first is stressful enough.
one of the ways to lessen the damage down there is to always lubricate with a good lotion/lubricant. i love using palmers cocoa butter with vitamin e as my lubricant for pre and post bm.
****
i think though there is part of the solution in your post. you relax on the amount of fiber you take. i am not perfect with this either but my CRS told me that no matter what i do, that i must keep the amount of fiber on a daily basis regular. that my goal is 35-40 g per day. not 20 one day, not 10 the next, and make up for it with about 80 the next. i must be 35, 35, 35, 35, 35,..... in order for things to really work well.
so it sounds like you are doing great and that's good!
just a little more patience and keep up your fiber!!!!
****
don't let a little blood on toilet paper discourage you. keep up the good work!

dan,
simple answer....it is exposed to more air as it is closer to the ring-0-fire...the rest stays soft because it is further in. this is totally normal. also the longer you wait to have a movement, the harder the tip usually.

dan,
I have this too. I think alot of us do. It drives me nuts. I do keep asking myself if this was always the case and now I notice it because of the fissure. I also wonder if it is because most of us don't have complete BM's each time and then the little left over "cooks" in the oven all day until we have another BM the next day.
I'd be curious to see who else seems to have this issue.

That leading edge has been in your colon the longest, and has lost more water due to the heat of your body than the "fresher stools," is my guess...

yeah, i have hard-tipped poo too. it's my worst problem, and always the reason i have a setback (in the form of a prickly feeling during the bm, then bleeding -- either streaks on the poo, or some spots on the tp). being dyhydrated is definitely one possible culprit...if you're dehydrated, your body steals water from your colon and that hardens the poo. but as others have mentioned, even when you feel like you're doing everything right, sometimes it still happens...
definitely need to keep the fiber intake up as gareth mentioned. this shouldn't be viewed as a "special diet"...it should be viewed as correcting an unhealthy one.
in the past week or two, i've noticed a reduction in the hardness at the tip of my poo. i'm not exactly sure why because i've made several changes simultaneously, so it's hard to point out one particular thing. i've posted those changes in other threads, but here is basically everything i'm doing that might possibly be helping...
--i started taking nifedipine...perhaps this is loosening me up down there and making it seem like the poo is not as hard...i think there's more to it than that though...
--I elimintated all meat and dairy and junk food from my diet. Perhaps meat is harder to digest and comes out harder? I've also been eating oatmeal for breakfast, eating a lot whole grains and veggies and some fruit, and generally following a lot of macrobiotic principles...not drinking fluids with meals as it dilutes stomach acid, eating slower and chewing more...all of this i'm sure help digestion.
--I started using vaseline to lube up before a bm...
--I squat on the toilet
--when i feel like i'm done pooping, i use a wadded up piece of tp, run it under very warm (but not scalding) water and press it gently against my anus and just relax. this often prompts me to poo a little more, completely emptying me (note: NEVER strain at all...if it doesn't come out, it doesn't come out)
--i started taking an omega-3 flax oil supplement...i think this has helped a lot...omega 3 is a fatty acid that -- among other thigns -- helps lubricate the intestines...most americans are deficient in it...it helps make the poo more slick and come out easier. it has also greatly reduced my dandruff.
I feel your frustration Dan. Seriously, i think this AF is making me OCD.
steve

I also found that eating citrus first thing in the morning and drinking about 1 quart of water helps keep things soft.

Butgirl,
I think you have mentioned this before. I've tried it and I think it is working for me. Thanks for the tip!

actually, come to think of it...i also started drinking a pint of warm water with a lemon wedge squeezed into it every morning when i wake up...

i think what could help over time is to have warmer foods and fluids in the morning like:
hot green tea or bancha tea
miso soup
chicken rice soup
hot oatmeal, without sugar but load it with raisins, wheat germ
bowl of hot black beans with brown rice
****
you will enjoy this and so will your poo!