Has anyone tried daily glass of prune juice as a remedy for hard stools? I seem to recall my grandmother having prunes with her morning cereal, but that was when I was a kid back in the 1960s, so memory may be faulty, too. The magnesium citrate made me go to the bathroom too many times and made the anal area very uncomfortable from all the cleaning -- softly with wetted aloe tissue -- but when you go six to eight times it just becomes very sore. The area where the fissure was located (anterior) also gets sore, so far no blood or razor pain all day, but still gets sore from over doing it. I've been eating the following: Breakfast: large orange, 6 oz non-fat Greek Yogurt, avocado on whole grain toast sprinkled with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Tend not to eat lunch and drink about a glass of water every hour or so. Sometimes have a second orange or apple mid-afternoon. Dinner: tomato/cucumber/onion salad dressed with olive oil; romaine lettuce salad dressed with olive oil and lemon and a protein - about 7oz of fish, or chicken, or pork tenderloin, or tofu followed by a fruit, then fluids and that's it. I've been doing this for over a week and still go too often and too hard. I also take 100mg of docusate sodium at dinner time, have been doing so for just over a year, but it doesn't seem to help. I'm really at a loss of what to do with diet; you would think it would be soft coming out. So despairing, it really interrupts the daily quality of life. I'm going to the CRS on Monday, but have lost faith in doctors.

Hi Davminos- I have prune juice everyday and find it beneficial for me, everyone is different of course. You’re diet is very good , actually you must be very self disciplined! so I can see your frustration with the hard stools. The magnesium obviously had too powerful effect I’m now taking it every other day at 300mg dose. I find this is right for me.
I’m also eating raisins - cheap and simple and they seem to work well.
I know what to mean about faith in doctors they tend to just say fibre which makes the stool bulk too much to help a fissure.

Thanks, SueMac, appreciate your response. I go too often, three or four times in the morning and sometimes three or four times in the evening. Not sure what is going on, I'm don't overeat, but don't seem to get a good bm, just several smaller ones, which irritates everything. I remember reading somewhere to put a little vaseline up there prior to bm, did that for the first time today, and that seemed to help, but need to figure out how to get soft stools. Also, would like to figure out a way to stop going so much, so annoying and uncomfortable. I'm beginning to think the long term use of docusate sodium (a year and two months) may be a culprit. I'll ask Doc on Monday, but I've learned more from this forum about diet, etc, than from doc so far. Last year, when fissure was active, he did give me Rectiv and after taking it for about ten weeks, it seemed to do the trick and things were fine for months. Then several weeks ago had a bulky stool and pain started along with too many trips to the bathroom. I sometimes wonder if stress adds to going too much, not sure. It is nice to hear that the prune juice helps, I've been thought about it but afraid it will make me go even more. Might just try out a small 3 oz glass. Thanks again, appreciate it. I'm hoping that I can figure this out soon. My son's wedding is coming up in four weeks so hoping to get these bm's under control before then. Sorry for the TMI, but this is the place and I'm at my wits end. Thanks again.

So sorry davminos I did not see this reply from you. I'm on holiday and suffering some so I really understand how an important event like wedding is a worry.
I use Vaseline every bm I find it helps. I even have a small pot I carry in my handbag.
You must be sore purely from the number of bowel movements. If I go twice a day I am more sore so you are having a rough time.
Did the doctor suggest anything helpful? They often dont!!
Prune juice helping you? In Spain I can't find it of course and in UK where I live only one supermarkets has it near me.

The use of vaseline before a BM has been most beneficial!! My former CRS had recommended it many years ago, but the new one said not to use it. The pharmacist said it can't hurt and is used as part of the compounding to make nifedipine. I also asked the Dr about going too often with too much fibre and his response was "everyone is different but you need the fibre " Useless response. I'm ignoring the second doc and continuing to use Vaseline and have reduced fibre to more manageable bm's. So far so good, fingers crossed.

Great to hear, davminos! And yes, vaseline is great to apply before BMs :).