ok so i think its been about 8 weeks now..
first week agony, then 2 weeks of it being ok, then another week of agony, then a week where it felt better, then another week of agony.. so its been very up and down. but the third time it flared up was when it really felt like it may have cut deep, and thats when i sorted out my diet and got some nitro.
so for the last two weeks ive made sure my bms have been soft, and ive been applyin nitro 3 times a day.
my pain has gone from - painful bms, agony when sitting, and an almost constant pain.
it has now changed to, frequently itchy, but this itch is the opening of my anus, so im not sure if its even my fissure? could it just be the nitro irritating the skin? and instead of an intense pain, i now have just a very uncomfortable feeling when i sit. almost like theres a golf ball lodged up my arse! i dont think the word 'painful' accuratly describes it, but it is almost as bad as pain and i am struggling to sit through a day at work.
ive also noticed that my tailbone is very tender. if i slouch and put my weight on this bone it is very sore, and if i press it i jump with the pain. i noticed an old thread where other people had this so it must be related to my fissure?
in terms of my bm they have been pain free for the last 4 days. and thats the first time my bm have ever been completely pain free, even when things have settled in the past. its just the irritating/ uncomfomfortable feeling afterwards which lingers. i dont think i have spasms, although things do feel very tense down there.
so basically i just wanted to know what you guys thought? its still massivly bothering me..but i guess there have been some improvements..did anyone elses healing process go similarly to this???

Hi Andy - Your story does sound familiar, from what I've read here. Healing does involve a lot of ups and downs, especially with nitro or diltiazem ointments. The itching is also quite common. I'm not speaking from personal experience, though, so please take all this with a grain of salt. I suffered pain consistently, even when I was using Diltiazem, until I got the LIS and everything started improving fairly steadily until my fissure healed. The golfball in the butt feeling is also familiar too, unfortunately. It does sound like you are healing, since the pain has diminished quite a bit. It does take quite a while, though. Are you taking warm baths too? They really help give relief and promote blood flow, which helps with the healing. I really hope that you continue to feel better and hopefully you will be much more comfortable very soon!

I had sensitivity to diltiazem, but the itching was really bad, I couldn't continue to use it.
Hopefully you are healing, and the nitro will work for you and you wont need any other intervention.

I am lucky and find the diltiazem really good and as of yet, no itching. I do suffer with spasms though I get them after a bm and I can relate to you with the strange sensations etc..Fingers crossed that your on your way to a full recovery! I would also take Hope's advice as having hot baths as it really soothes and relaxes the sphincter muscle also promotes healing I have read too??!