It does get better! I don't want to post on the success stories yet because I am feeling like I am not 100% healed but getting there! I really did not think 2 weeks ago that this day would come :)

I started my AF journey about 4 weeks ago. Thankfully I diagnosed myself right away - the first couple days I thought hemorrhoids but this was so much worse than hemmy pain that I have had before! Then I found this site and made an appt with a CRS right away. Two actually because the first one was A HORRIBLE BUTCHER who did 3 rectal exams on me - on that visit! I thought I was going to die right there from the pain! Anyway I had to beg him for medecine - which at first he did not want to give me but I insisted. He Rx Diltiazem after I bugged him. Eventually I got myself to another much more helpful CRS that also gave me a small dose of valium. I took that while the pain was still hard to take.
First week horrendous pain - could not function or sleep. Advil did nothing. Awful.
Second week - pain was very high and lasted most of the day with a couple of hours of less pain and I was able to start sleeping.
Third week - pain was bad in the AM - got better in the afternoon. Towards the end of this week I was able to have several hours of no pain some days.
Fourth week - pain was less and less of a problem and only lasted for an hour or a few hours max. Then just discomfort or normal!

This new week we are in now - I barely have any pain at all - more like discomfort after a BM but it does not interefere with my life. I no longer need sitz baths, I can drive with zero pain I can even workout with minimal pain.

Anyway here is what I did:

Cleaned my diet completely! I eat very clean - zero processed foods - lots of healthy fats from avocados (I eat one a day), coconut oil (cook my eggs in the am in coconut oil) and olive oil. I eat fruits, vegetables, turkey and chicken. Pretty much following a paleo diet with the exception of a bit of milk (raw organic) and some lentils and legumes (not much). I have cut carbs pretty much to zero. Sometimes I will have one thing every few days. Lots of water. LOTS! I do drink one cup of coffee in the AM and it actually helps me go :)

As for supplements I take a vitamin B complex in the am and a vitamin c - and natural calm magnesium (for soft BMs) - a probiotic on an empty stomach in the middle of the day, at night I take the second dose of the B complex, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and a flax seed oil capsule. And the other dose of Natural Calm Magnesium. I take one teaspoon in the AM and one in the PM.

I wanted to post just to give others hope that you WILL get better. That helped me so much to hear from others. This AF interfered with my life completely and I spent lots of days in bed with a heating pad but now I am back to functional 100% and I honestly can say that it has been a good thing for me. I am way healthier, have lost weight I needed to drop and feel so much more energetic and rested from all the clean eating I have done.

I am by no means done and healed but I know I will get there. Every once in a while I have a step back and I am more sore or something but I am always moving fwd overall.

Anyway thanks to everybody for the help you gave me and all the questions answered! Hopefully I will feel like posting on the success stories soon!

Oh I forgot to say - I also did accupuncture 1x a week for the first 3 weeks and I do believe it sped up the healing process. It also took away in half an hour a bad sore throat I had. I am a total supporter of accupuncture now!

Keep it up, rw! You powered through this misery, and now you know you can heal, and will heal.
Thanks for the update and the positive message!

Stay well!

Thank you! You have helped me so much - just by letting me know I would feel normal again :)

Hey Rw,
This is great to read as I remember your first post so clearly & the pain you were in!
I'm so happy to read that things are going so well for you & that this is almost resolved for you now.
You've clearly found what you need to do to move on ( I also believe in the one-a-day Avocado!!) & I hope loads of others will now be inspired by reading through your tips.........
YAY! Keep up the great work and hoping that this will never again be an issue for you!!!

YES! For sure love my daily avocado - and my coconut oil and I will put olive oil into any soup I make myself ;)
I eat my avocado just by cutting in half and I use Maldon salt and good balsamic vinegar. YUM.
I really think that clean eating has made a TON of difference as well as the Natural Calm magnesium.
OHHHHH and I got a squatty potty. That actually helps a lot too!

So thankful to be feeling better. And back into a size 4! My body feels so much healthier too - no more nausea, headaches, fatigue. I really do feel awesome. I am sticking with the very low carb - healthy fat diet. I will start introducing grass feed beef soon but not for a while.

What a great and inspiring post! I pray that your experience with an AF is a one and done. I wish that I had found this site about 3 days earlier than I had. I was also feeling better after about a week of treatment using nitro and I let my guard down and ended up with a retear, worse than the first tear. I am now following the same diet as you and my intention is to make a lifestyle change and never go back to eating the way I did prior to my fissure, not that it was a horrible diet, just not the most ideal. It doesn't sound like you need advice as you are doing everything right, but please take your time with introducing potentially problem foods back into your diet. Best of luck to you and continued success.

Oh for sure - I read so much here - I am terrified of retearing!