I am so thankful to have found this forum! I had trouble with constipation for years and have had hems that turned into ugly tags. I only recently after about a decade of having tags, went to the crs and had them removed. Dr also said I have internal hems...but they do not bother me. Thank goodness I don't have any fissures! I didn't even know they existed before this forum! The stories on this forum about fissures would make Freddie Kruegger cry! I have to read some of these stories hugging my teddy under the covers with the lights on!! But I realize if I don't get my act together, I could be posting about my fissure/LIS in the future!
I'm curious to know:
1. What were your bum problems before you had any fissures, if any?
And
2. Do you think your fissures could have been prevented? How? (What were some of your habits/routines that might have been the catalyst for you to develop fissures?)
Thanks Bummer

I wasn't really aware that I was having any anal problems, for a couple years I simply had an occasional streak of blood on my stool and that was it. Scared me at first but I thought I has an internal, painless hemorrhoid. THEN one spring I developed a severe case of diarrhea and this must have worsened what was already a small fissure... after seven months of agony and then LIS, I healed the fissure and since then (about 4 years ago) I haven't had any further anal problems...

I had always had loose stools, but in January, I became constipated for the first time in my life. I should have taken laxatives and used stool softeners, but instead I strained to go and that was all it took.
I took 4 months to heal my fissure with Nifedipine, but it worked beautifully!

In my case, I think my fissure could have been prevented. I got constipated from eating very poorly. I never ate vegetables or fruit, couldn't remember drinking water for years. I basically lived off of junk food and diet sodas for years. I remember actually waking up and craving green beans one night. Looking back, I think my body was trying to tell me something.
I never really had any serious bum problems before my fissure. I had mild hems during my pregnancy's but nothing serious.
The best advice I would give for anyone wanting to prevent a fissure is eat your fiber and drink plenty of water.... Lol

Hi Bummer:
In addition to what the guys have said, for me, if I could turn back the hands of time, I would stay very far from ALL food that contains refined or enriched wheat flour and rice: Bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta.
If you have to eat these food ensure they are made from whole grain/whole wheat/bran.
If you need milk with your whole grain cereals, use low fat or no-fat milk.
You don't want to strain when you have a BM so you may want to add stool softeners to your daily routine. Most are non-addictive. Avoid vitamin supplements that contain large quantities or the iron.

mbpaul
When you say don't want to strain, is this the same thing as pushing? Because the stool has to be pushed out right? It don't just slide out on its on. I guess there has to be a happy medium, right? That's the hard thing to achieve...a happy medium.
I have also heard it is not go to take laxatives/softeners everyday. Which softener brands would you recomend for safe daily use?

Definitely I could have prevented it.
About a year ago, I quit smoking then gained weight.
So I decided to do regular exercise and started to take many different vitamin pills.
I was doing all the good things to improve my health.
BUT, vitamin pills cause constipation with me.
I knew it by my experience long ago but I completely forgot.
I should have not taken any vitamin pills.
Only if I didn't take those pills, I wouldn't be in this miserable situation.
My fissure lead me to serious depression and this depression seems like forming IBS symptom in me.
I just miss the day that I could eat anything I want without worrying about constipation and bloating....

1. None really. Very occasional bit of blood when straining, but nothing to worry about.
2. Both mine were caused by childbirth (the first from the pain meds, the second from pushing), so I don't think I could have done anything different and sti have kids.

I had mild-moderate hemorrhoids for the few years prior to my fissure's birth. They could be a pretty irritating nuisance but just that, a nuisance and not much more.
I've had problems with diarrhea most of my adult life. But after an extended round of several antibiotics (for sinusitis of all things), I got constipated. And then there was a little cycle of alternating diarrhea and constipation after that ... then voila, stop, it's Fissure Time!!! << cue up MC Hammer music >>
Could it have been prevented? Yes. I should have just left the sinusitis untreated and not taken antibiotics hahaha. Best part is the sinusitis turned out to be chronic and due to a badly deviated septum as opposed to any actual bacterial infection ... and I still have the sinusitis today :) WIN!!!!

My situation is a combo of Bernie's/NG's....childbirth caused the fissure, and treating my severe sinusitis with loads of antibiotics probably didn't do much to help the (butt) situation.
So, no, as hard as it is to hear, there was nothing I could have done. Sometimes there just isn't! I see that you are female, bummer, but I don't know how old you are or if you've had kids. Just remember childbirth is a really common cause of fissures. Not that you can do anything about that.
NG--get that freaking deviated septum operated on, dude! It was the best thing I ever did, and I'm a big chicken about that sort of thing. It really wasn't anywhere near as painful as I thought, just more annoying during the recovery than anything.