Hello everyone~! I can sincerely say this is the most obscure forum I have ever joined in my life! But I am glad to have found it.
I'm a 24 year old female with a fissure problem, and am currently visiting a new (actually HELPFUL) GI in Chicago who is beyond wonderful! I hope I can throw in some input as well as find some comfort in talking to others with similar symptoms.
-Ky

Hi there Kyrehe,
Welcome to the forum, which it's true, may seem a bit obscure, but there are more people out there with our problems than you think. This is the place to come for support and information. We have all been there and know how bad things can be.
You mention in your other post that you have pain when 'wiping'. I try not to wipe if I can avoid it and use my handy sitz bath ( a portable bidet that sits over the toilet bowl) from amazon to wash myself after a BM - I am convinced this has made all the difference. Before that I was using extra gentle baby wipes, but even they caused a stinging sensation. Make sure you dry properly afterwards with gentle patting - never wiping!
Have you been offered nitro cream ? I don't know what it is called in the US but is goes under the brand name of Rectogesic in the UK. That really helped me with pain and with healing. Some people get headaches from this cream. I did to start off with headaches for an hour or so after using it but they wore off after about a week.

Keep checking in and read the welcome thread at the top of the Welcome menu as this has loads of really useful information and was put in place I think because lots of information was being repeated over and over - so that is definately a good place to start. Good luck with your healing and keep in touch x

Hi there again - correction - the starter information is at the top of the general anal fissure forum menu on this site - sorry! Fitchx

I was given and tried Nitro. It caused my heart to race, body temp to rise, and overall a panicked feeling-- so we decided against it. I was unable to really function when using the cream, though, almost sure it would probably work out for me. Bah!
I use sensitive, alcohol free baby wipes when ever possible. However, I live in a house with two guys that decided that it would also benefit them to use as well, and thus they go quickly. I also have back trouble so it's hard for me to leave the house and grab some up for myself-- soooo I must wait for one of them to buy more when I ask. So frustrating! If I had the room in this cramped apartment, I would be doing sitz baths daily, as well as surely own a bidet, haha. But I know they do sell them on Amazon, with the little tube that works as well.. Though I am very unsure it will fit inside our toilet seat. We live in a building about a thousand years old, and the toilet is simply put.. something left to be desired? It's certainly not something I'd ever normally use.. It's very tiny and round, hard to even fit a hand in TO wipe, much less hold a bidet-bowl. However, I'm sure with some looking I could find something.. Hmmm.
Thanks much for the response :]
-Ky

Ky,
You could give nifedipine or diltiazem a try, compounded into an ointment by a compounding pharmacy. They work like nitroglycerin without the side effects.
As far as wiping, as you already know, you never want to actually wipe. Even if you don't have wipes or can't take a sitz bath or shower, you can moisten toilet paper with water and dab at the area with that. That's what I do. You also mention skin dryness in another post I responded to, and the wipes might be contributing to that depending on the ingredients. I know I can't use them without a lot of skin drying.

Hi there Ki, and welcome to our happy band of AF warriors
Just a bit of info about the Sitz bath - it does not go IN the loo, but fits over the edges of it. It is an absolute wonder to have, and easy to wash and stash away with others in the house.
I would join with fitch and jr2 to say NEVER wipe, and using wipes is not a good idea either as they are drying, which causes yet more irritation. Dab with damp loo paper and then you could use what I do, which is Johnson & Johnson gauze small pads, wet, to make sure all is totally clean down there. We get quite descriptive on here, but tis the only way to get across how important these ways and means we've used to get getter, or at least relieve some of the pain!
By the way, the little tube that comes with the Sitz, and the bag, I have just never used. I just fill the Sitz bath with a jug. I would measure the top of the loo to see if you can get the Sitz bath on. Most loos should fit it.
Well, that's my little welcoming speech

I would add applying Vaseline prior to a BM and then using cotton squares (makeup pads) works very nicely for a cleanup!

I second the Vaseline tip! I haven't gone to the bathroom in 20 or more years without first using a glob of Vaseline. I even carry a small comtainer of it in my purse!

I actually have 5% lidocaine for the pain. I use before a bm.. Doc gives it to me, but if Vaseline works for keeping the skin from "cracking" per se-- hmm..!
I am visiting my GI on Friday, i will ask her some more. I was feeling GREAT all last week, but then I had a flare up of pain when cleaning up.. I use baby wipes with no alcohol or anything in them.. I had called her and she said it could be from the use of a medication I'm on for a severe back spasm that started the day after Halloween..
Also, I've had a sitz bath before, so I understand how it works :] It's just.. our toilet seat is very oddly shaped, which is why I was concerned :/
Sorry for taking so long to respond- as I mentioned, I did something to my back and have been dealing with hopping from doctor to ER, to physical therapy. So busy! Thanks all for posting and helping! :]

Hi Ky!
So sorry about your back. If it isn't enough to have one thing, it's always so helpful to have another, huh? I hope it's getting better.
Do you have a bathtub? I personally never liked the sitz basins for the toilet bowl as it puts uncomfortable pressure on my legs, so I always just used the tub. I don't soak any more because it just dries my skin out even more, which I definitely don't need. If I want the comfort of heat I sit on a heating pad set on a very low setting.
Let us know how your doctor visit goes!