My journey begins over a year and a half ago. I "accidentally" got myself hooked on laxatives after an unhealthy week of eating junk. That lasted for a whole year+. Flash forward to August, I was completely dependent on the laxatives and they caused me so much stress and I was literally depressed from the cycle I put myself in. It took me 5 days to have a bowel movement on my own. I was determined to get my system back in order by consuming as much fiber I could with fresh smoothies and pure vegetable soup. It went okay for about a week or two but then one day I had a massive BM and that was went my bum shattered. I tried things during a two week period to have a BM but no use. I made an appt with a GI doctor and he said I had an anal fissure. He prescribed me polyeth glycol powder to take with water every night and nifedipine 0.2 ointment to put in rectally (by finger ). After about a week of doing the two I was having glorious BM every morning. I stopped taking it after about 3-4 weeks and last week I was having healthy BMs regularly. I thought I was free at last from the misery of the miserable fissure. This last Saturday I was having trouble having a BM after a few days of not going. I took my powder again and ointment and had a bowel movement later that Saturday night. Here I am Tuesday Night and I have took the powder three times in the last 48 hours along with colace and the ointmenent several times with no luck. I have the urge to go but my anus feels so tight I can barely stick my finger up there for the ointment. I am so stressed and want to cry so bad over not pooping!!! I just need some insight. tell me ill poop. I dont want to have to go back to the doctor and get a colonoscopy. Im miserable!

Hi Fizzingfissure,
I'm so sorry you are having such a bad time with stress, your fissure, etc. Don't worry, you have come to the right place, where people know your pain, and can offer great advice and reassurance.
Now first about the tightness and inability to poop. Your stress is probably part of that - you are tense and desperate. You need to relax. Easier said than done! Have you tried taking a warm bath? That should help to relax you all over. Plus the heat and water will help relax the anal muscles. I was told to do that for my baby when she was crying with constipation, straining and miserable. I put her in a warm bath, and immediately the poop came out (in the bath - oops!). Lots of people here swear by sitz baths, which are pans of warm water you can put on the toilet and sit in.
So run yourself a nice warm bath, get in it and calm yourself down. When you want to poop, sit on the toilet and do whatever it takes to relax. Some people meditate. Some read a book. If nothing happens, walk around for a while. Maybe hop in the bath again.

Now, the diet. You mention increasing your fibre, but you don't mention drinking more water. It's absolutely essential to stay really hydrated. The reason is, the longer your stool stays in the colon, the drier it gets, the harder it gets. By the time you can pass it, it is dry and painful. If you get dehydrated, your colon conserves body water by removing it from the stool, so your job is to drink lots of water - several litres per day. I think everybody here would agree that drinking water is vital. Not coffee, tea, alcohol, coke, since they are diuretics. They make you pee, and rob your body of water.

About fibre - I would recommend more solid foods. Brown rice, quinoa, cooked vegetables, a moderate amount of white meat and fish, fruit (not bananas), oatmeal/porridge (I swear by my daily bowl of porridge). You can also take supplemental fibre like metamucil. Learn about soluble and insoluble fibre here:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health- ... uble-fiber

By all means see your doctor. I think you could ask to be referred to a nutritionist, because it sounds as though a lot of your troubles stem from eating habits. I saw a colorectal nurse practitioner for my fissure, and she was really helpful with advice about lifestyle changes. I don't think doctors and surgeons are always great with those kinds of non-invasive methods.

It will take some trial and error, so keep a daily diary of what you eat and how you poop. You can use the Bristol scale to keep a record of how hard or soft your poop is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale
You are aiming for a type 4! Diarrhoea is to be avoided! It is very bad for the fissure.

OK, I've said enough, and I know you will get other advice from people who've been where you are, suffered through it and are doing OK now. Hang in there! It's bad times, but it WILL PASS and you WILL be OK.

One more thing, you could try a mineral oil laxative, if you haven't already. The benefit of those is that they lubricate the stool. I like Kondremul, which is an emulsion of mineral oil and water. It tastes nice, and because it's an emulsion, it mixes with the stool and softens it as well as lubricating it. You may have to ask your pharmacy to get it for you, or you can order it online, eg Amazon.
Good luck!

I too toyed with the idea of stopping the Miralax stool softener. Polypropylene glycol sounds bad like antifreeze though I've learned in this forum that it is not absorbed through the gut nor addictive like stimulant laxatives. So I've resigned my self to a life of daily Miralax, fiber, water, and a Vasoline pre-lube. Could be worse - like the AF pain that brought me here.