Hello Everyone!
I've been having "bum problems" for at least the past year or so. My GP told me that it was hemmorhoids and encouraged me with "more fibre, more water and more excercise". I bet you can guess how that turned out. I'm pretty active and have struggled with my weight for my whole life, but out of nowhere this inconvenience had now appeared because of my weight. Enter a restrictive diet, more exercise and the added stress of losing weight to get rid of this painful side effect of eating too much cheesecake way back when. Again, I wasn't headed down a great "fissure friendly" road at this time. I got pretty sick around last Christmas, got constipated and here I am now, having only been diagnosed with 2 fissures a few of weeks ago. So yes, they are chronic at this point and yes it feels like I am passing the equivalent of steel pineapples each and every BM. I would say that I was in a pretty bad place.
Until about 15 days ago!! When I had the official diagnosis of the fissures, I had cut out caffeine, gluten & dairy from my diet (the occasional bit of asiago cheese found its way in to cheer up my mood now and then :D ) I hadn't noticed any change from the diet changes (Obviously I have upped my fibre intake with Raisin Bran every morning, fruit protein smoothies for lunch, eating dried apricots throughout the day, fish & soft boiled veggies for dinner) and I was drinking so much water, I was feeling uncomfortable. Then a friend of mine took me to our local natural vitamin store and the beginning of the end began...
I bought 3 different vitamins on this trip:
NAG 1000 - N-Acetyl Glucosamine Tablets (focusses on healing wounded tissue after an injury)
Bamboo Silica - Repairs ligaments & gastro track
Serrapeptase - A "pipe cleaner" that removes scar tissue and eliminates pain and inflammation
(**Please know that I do not work for this vitamin company or would receive anything for endorsing these products**)
I've been using these products religiously for the past 3 weeks and my "insides" feel amazing! No cramps, bloating or any other digestive discomforts that I had come to accept as a part of my day. GONE!!
However, I would still tense up during every BM (because I knew the horror that was coming!) so this tension prevented my fissures from healing completely & they would re-tear each time. Oh poop!
So back to the vitamin store I go! And this is the magic part...
MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE TISSUE SALTS!!!!
I had no idea what to expect, the salts come in a spray (I honestly asked the clerk if I sprayed it on my bum...wish I could take that back). The salts act as a Muscle Relaxer and this spray has saved my life!! I spray 2 times under my tongue when I get up in the morning, about 30 minutes later I'll have a BM WITHOUT the painful muscle spasms!! Granted, it doesn't say anywhere on the product that it works for AF but in my experience this has been amazing! I still jump in the tub after the BM, just to be sure but the pain has been reduced greatly. (**Sidenote - I also started to get a bit of a cold last week so I doubled up on my Oil of Oregano each morning, not sure if that had anything to do with it but who knows at this point, as long as I'm feeling better!)
The MAG-PHOS also helps with my mood, saying that I've been depressed about my health lately would be an understatement. I've really been working on keeping relaxed and trying to be as stress free as I possibly can.
I really hope this information helps anyone that reads this and if you'd like any more information about it, please let me know! Sorry that this is such a novel of a post, but I was so excited to contribute a positive solution that I couldn't contain myself!

Hi there. Glad you are feeling better! The only thing that i can make a comment on is the Serrapeptase. I have just recently stopped taking them, as much at the start they reduced the loss of blood, i found that the outside of my anus would be much more inflamed than before I started taking them. I started bleeding again a week or so ago, which is why i decided to stop them. Now am thinking of going back and taking just a quarter of a pill a day. The inflamation has calmed down since i stopped, but i think that they have a use for reducing cholesterol, which is why will try with just a small amount. All the best, Em.

Hi Em,
My friend had told me to make sure that I was taking the Serrapeptase on an empty stomach. She also warned that sometimes there is such a feeling of discomfort with taking them, that most ppl stop. Were you taking something to help rebuild the tissue after the damaged tissue was being broken down by the S? I would take 2 pills before bed (I have low dose pills), then I'd start my mornings with the Bamboo & Nag (taken with breakfast food). I got a 2 month supply so I'm going to keep with this routine until I run out. Sorry to hear that the S caused you inflammation, what a crazy battle this is!
Bri

i love hearing about new ways to approach AF healing.
this definitely sounds like a new approach.
good luck princess_of_poop!
happy healing!