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!

Hey brewer, you need to see your GP or a CRS (colorectal surgeon) and get a proper diagnosis to rule other issues out, if you do have a fissure I would ditch the Senokot for Movicol It's the best stool softener on the market, Senokot will not give the best results, trust me I know, I would also ditch the Anusol as that is specifically designed to treat hemmorhoids and won't do the fissure any favours (assuming you have one), you seem to be doing the right thing as far as dietary changes go which will help a lot, I know how you feel about the unclean feeling, sometimes I don't leave the bathroom until I know my rectum is empty and my anus is gleaming.... well almost!!

Hi Steve. Thanks for replying. I know what you are saying about the anusol. When I bought it, the product description seemed mostly for hemmorhoids, but it also mentioned fissures and healing on it and it sometimes takes away the itchy feeling, but you are right that it isn't really a fissure based product. And thanks for the advice on the stool softener. I'll give it a go.
I had the bit of blood yesterday, which made me feel really frustrated, but it will probably be a few weeks again until I get that again, as usual, but I remain hopeful.

I think you'll find that Movicol will vastly improve the consistency of your BM, just make sure you drink lots of water with it (besides the ј pint you mix the powder with).
When you get to see your GP, he or she will examine you with their finger, some doctors use a proctoscope, if you can tolerate any of these exams then it's possible that you don't have a fissure, you may have hemmorhoids instead (they can cause bleeding as well), if it's painful you'll writhe about in pain and the doctor may* diagnose you with a fissure and refer you to see a CRS at your local hospital, this is my experience anyway.
Good luck

Brewer,
I just wanted to say welcome. I don't ever recall having someone from Ireland on this board since I joined!