OK- so since so many of us seemed to be dealing with the whole "leakage" thing, I thought I'd share a couple of things that have helped me, especially when away from home. I've really tried to cut down on the actual washing down there with soap in the past few weeks (I'm several months out from surgery though!) as it seemed to possibly be drying things out even though I am using a very gentle cleansing liquid.
1. Balneol: This has helped and I have started carrying around a bottle in my purse in a little baggie. I also now have some in the bathroom at home and use it after first using a regular wipe. I've used Cottonelle or generic equivalent (I actually prefer the texture of Walmart's brand) since as long as I can remember anyway.
2. I bought this thing called a "GoToob" when I saw it in the checkout line at Whole Foods. It is just an empty silicone bottle for putting any kind of liquid in. I had used ones previously I bought elsewhere and lot of them are harder plastic and don't do a good job of squirting upwards. But this little thing is great at shooting water up there when it is full- after it is about half full it doesn't have enough strength. So now I have one of those in my purse in a baggie as well and one in the bathroom and use it after the Balneol (I have a fear of developing a sensitivity to things and prefer that rinsed off feeling). I have to say this thing is pretty expensive for what it is and I've had one stop working as well, but I now have several. I think it is around 7$ but I'm having success using it as a portable bidet of sorts. A couple of good squirts from it at least. And after every use, I refill it and put it back in the purse.
3. Ok- so yes, the purse is getting really heavy now! Pretty soon it will be back to PT for shoulder issues.
4. When I first had the fissure come up two years ago and it went away in 4-6 weeks, I used a combo of Tucks wipes, stool softeners, and A and D ointment. With this one, I've stayed away from the witch hazel products because I thought I remembered reading somewhere that wasn't such a good idea with fissures. Plus it stings some. But the round container you can buy of these I still had around in the bathroom and they had kindof dried out so they were barely damp. I have been using those lately to wipe with the Balneol and it works better for me than using a regular wipe or cotton ball. They are very soft and thin so get up in there more easily (my anatomy has always been small and it has definitely changed post surgery so I seem to have "nooks and crannies" syndrome or something anymore. (ack! TMI!) Anyway, I ran out of those but realized I had an unopened jar of them. Those were really drippy with the witch hazel and that was ok but I didn't want to irritate things as I am currently only having some irritation at the skin tag removal site. So I have been rinsing them out, squeezing them out and using them more for the texture and size of the wipe.
Anyway- thought why keep things to myself if they are working and might work for someone else. Others probably have tips as well.
The "GoToob" is made by "humangear" in California. They list a website: humangear.com on the package .
Best to everyone- we are off on a hot springs tour of southern Colorado tomorrow. That is also a really good tip- if you have one nearby I have found I get better after a day of soaking in these. I want one in my backyard!
Bambi