by Ever the Optimist » 13 May 2013, 13:34
Hi Kreaybutt,
First congratulations on your baby! Wonderful news but yes, a real shame that your fissures are distracting you from 100% focus on your little one.......
Diet-wise just be careful not to "overbulk" on fibre - too much bread/ pasta is not great and never white - Switch it for brown or wholegrain and minimise to a couple of pieces a day. Red meats are hard to digest and fatty/ processed foods too. Try to imagine all the natural foods you would give your daughter as she weans - lots of pureed fruits/ soft veggies/ rice (only in your case - brown!) and this is kind of what you should be aiming for as they are all gentle to digest and fissure-friendly too. Drink at least 2.5 - 3 litres of water a day (perhaps more if you are breast-feeding) I know how hard it is when you love your food, but it's quality rather than quantity that counts - I eat huge portions of fruit/ veg/ salads/ soups/ fish and then average portions of chicken/ turkey/ brown pasta/ rice/ beans etc. Whilst the fissure's acute, you have to cut down the harder to digest stuff and eliminate the completely no-go foods (junk food essentially) The one food I have never had an issue with is actually chocolate (specifically the darker cocoa laden variety) and I love it! Great for putting on calories I also lost, and full of Magnesium for keeping your stools soft. Of course, I might be just lucky I get no issues with it but maybe you are OK with it too??........After the birth of my daughter, I tore badly and was prescribed Lactulose as a Stool Softener, which has always worked great and I was also advised to take Fybogel (1 sachet per day) Just experiment with this as I now actually get enough fibre from my diet alone so don't have the need for Fybogel .Lactulose is completely safe for breast-feeding mums and can be taken indefinitely.
The Ensure range looks really good actually (just googled them!) but it looks like different drinks are aimed at different needs, so I'd just be sure to consume the ones that will be relevant to you (like the fruity ones and the ones with all the Omega3 & Bio additives)
All the very best to you!!! (& always use lots of Vaseline pre BM to help lubricate that delicate area!)
Chronic Fissure diagnosed December 2011
Healed by Diltiazem around Feb 2013
Anal Fistula followed burst abscess in June 2012
2 internal troublesome piles remain & suspected, but undiagnosed, ongoing Levator Ani type symptoms & flare-ups