Been lurking for a bit and thought I'd post to get some guidance on things
I believe I've had issues with fissures in the past but they've usually only last 2-3 weeks and then another 2 weeks of minor discomfort. I'd say over the last 10 years I've probably had them 4 or 5 times. I usually never have a tag (at least that I can see or feel) and I always follow proper treatment with baths which help a ton. This go around it's been closer to 3-4 weeks of real pain and now I've been on two weeks of discomfort. I'm at the stage now where the continued burning and itching is gone, it's just post BM for 5-10 minutes. I'll get the discharge(I guess pus?) which will cause irritation but never any blood and is quickly alleviated with a wipe or rinse.
Where I'm a bit confused is that certain things that affect 90% of the people hear have no impact on me. For example I eat red meat 2-3 times a month, drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, can comfortably eat certain foods like almonds or rice and the weirdest is when I ride my bike regularly it seems to make it heal quicker. All these things seem to lead to BM issues for people but I am regular and almost always have soft BM.
I've never gone to my doctor for this due to embarrassment and from reading the amount of people going on 6 or 9+ months of issues so I figured I need to stick with it. Should I suck it up and go to my doctor or just keep on with my normal routine of keeping relaxing, stretching after long sits, baths and keeping the area clean? Additionally is it wise to start with your general practice doctor or go straight to specialist?
I realize this is a bit all over but it's hard to capture all my thoughts into one area right now.