Well,
I got my squatty potty 3 days ago, and have used it a few times.
It is a very sturdy stool that you rest your feet on in front and to the side of the toilet.
Like at 10 and 2 o'clock. Then after you push it back under the bowl of the toilet so it stays out of the way. I got the medium high one (7") and it seems to work for me. My daughter says it is too high for her though (she is 9). My hubby won't try it :D
So it is too soon to say if it will help my AF, but so far it does make BMs easier.
I don't get that 'Did it all come out?' feeling, when I use it. It all just slides out without any effort.
I cannot wipe while in that position though, so I push it back as soon as I'm done and then clean up.
I did have blood once when I used it, but I had a setback the morning before it came, before I used it. So I don't think it had a negative affect on the AF.
I will write back about it again after some more time has passed.
-woi

great info! Especially that it helps with emptying... Such a huge problem with fissures especially ...
It will be great to hear updates as you keep trying it. I may have to add this to my ever increasing list... I need a whole bathroom suite set up just for fissure protocols!

i know what you mean jr2, getting everything ready is just getting on my nerves. Just to have a bm and all this. I always dream of the older days when i could just go, wipe and on your way. I have been using a little pail and don't know if it helps but i definetly know the deep breathing helps. What ia so hard is what works for one may not work for the other.

Yeah Sputnik, it's that thing that what helps one does nothing for another. Also, how we can be doing a bit better one day only to have the next become the fires of the underworld. I've seen people mention getting pain relief from OTC Ibuprofin and I want to bust out. Norco 10-325s did nothing more for me than my daily 81mg baby aspirin, and most times, the 100mg Nucynta ER tabs they've got me on (Class 2 narcotic) don't seem to do much either.
I've been on straight 2% Nitro and now 0.3%, and neither has seemed much different. I bought a jar of Vaseline, but usually, by the time I've got to go, there's no time to use it. Preparation-H is a joke from my experience, and the towlettes give but very slight temporary relief. I was originally given Hydrocortisone suppositories at an Immediate Care facility (along with the Norco), but after two days they stopped providing relief.
My CRS and I will be discussing LIS this coming week, save some miracle happening over the next few days. Surgery doesn't thrill me (my bod has been stitched up enough over the years), but if this can go away for good in a few weeks, I'd be ecstatic!
If we don't go there, I may be on the lookout for one of these stools. I've always wondered if the normal seated position didn't contribute to the pain. At one point I was trying to figure out if I could go standing without making a major mess. If not for the weather, I'd have probably hit the forest presrves to test my theory.
Good luck all!

Hey Rasmith,
I would recommend the stool even after recovery. It's still early days testing it out, but I do find it easier to go.
I don't put my full weight on the stool (although you could), and I sit a bit forward so my weight is more on my upper thighs.
As woman I find it helps to sit forward like that to pee too (although I don't use the stool for that).
Good luck to you too!
LIS has helped many many people. Let us know what your CRS says.
-Tanya

I concur that a stool helps to get you in a squatting position. I have a little box that I put my feet on & that seems to help me go without straining. I had been using an empty Epsom Salts container but it just got so beat up that I had to replace it with something more sturdy.

I keep wondering what I'm going to use next time I want to go visit family or friends. Something that could fit in a suitcase or be collapsible. I'm toying with the idea of two kids sand pales with rubber glued to the lips of the opening so they don't slide around.
Still kinda bulky for a suitcase, but better than nothing. ; )
-Tanya

Hi WOI- Are you sure about having your feet at 10 & 2 o'clock? I tried it that way & found it pretty uncomfortable. I usually keep my feet & knees together & that seems to work better for me. Also, if you're looking for portable foot-rests, I know they make a collapsible foot stool for classical guitarists- you could probably find them at your local music store. Might be a bit of an investment but they do fold up flat for travelling. Take care!

Actually I have one of those guitar foot rests. I was learning it before I got sick last year. Some day I will get back to it!
But anyways, those foot rests are heavy. Usually made of metal, and not high enough.
I guess you could do 11 and 1 o'clock. Judging from the 'squatty potty' stool I bought, it's somewhere between 11 and 10, 1 and 2. But you know, whatever works for you is great.
Here's a website I found that I got the 10 and 2 from and it has some other interesting info too. Not sure about the liquid soap up the bum though! :D
http://www.joechanmd.com/Hygiene.html#
-Tanya

I have tried different things to help bms and have to admit this sort of position helps, I used to put a loo roll under each foot at about 10/11 and 1/2 position and it did help but not high enough to help properally, so I might have a look out for a stool. I have a tiny bathroom though so not sure what will work, I have a 18 month old, so maybe I could invest early in 1 of those steps that youngsters use to make them tall enough to use the toilet? I dont know what the answer is but Im going to have a look around .