Hi. I'm 23 from Ireland and I have suffered from AF on and off for about a year now. I'm glad I've found this site because it's nice to see some of the personal stories and advice on here rather than just the medical sites.
I got the AF early last summer during a bad bout of constipation. At first I didn't really think much of it, cus I thought it was just a cut and would heal like any other. But when it didn't go away, I researched it and found that anal fissures are more of a problem due to the area they are in. I had it continually for a long time, but in recent months it hasn't been as bad because I changed my diet slightly. I cut out milk, I eat more wholemeal breads and drink plenty of water. I also started exercise and taking mild stool softener (senokot). So my constipation hasn't been as bad as it used to be. And I also bought a cream (anusol). I find that the AF sometimes seems as though it is going away and I get really happy that it is healing, but now after about 2 weeks of no sign of blood, I found a slight bit of blood on the TP (does that mean i'm back to square one!??) I'm just at the end of my tether.
I feel really embarassed about about this problem. I haven't been to a doctors or anything, cus I feel there is not much more he can say to me that i'm not already trying. I don't get pain when I pass solids now, which is good, but there can be an itch there sometimes which is annoying and worst of all, I just feel really unclean down there because of it. Does anyone else feel like this?
Thanks for having me!