I was wondering how long before you stopped your stool softeners after you were healed? By stool softeners I mean miralax/colace , not fiber supplements. Will you need to take the softeners until your doctor says you are 100% healed after Lis or will they be needed for life? The reason I'm asking is because I keep reading about so many people having issues with tearing again after they back off or stop taking them even after surgery. I worry that things may get sluggish after prolonged use and maybe having to increase the dose over a period of time just to stay regular.
Thanks :)

Dawn,
Do you know when you will have LIS? Sorry that you don't feel the Diliatzem will do the trick for you. I know that you had high hopes for it!

Hey Cheryl,
I have an appointment on the 23rd with my CRS and I'm going to talk to her about it then.
The diltiazem has been helping and I really don't want the surgery but I'm just finding it really hard to stay optimistic when I keep having problems. Today wasn't bad but just two days ago was awful. I wish I were as strong as you and could beat this but It's wearing me out emotionally. I just can't handle the ups and downs. I know there may be some of that with the surgery but I think my odds of healing this will be a lot higher since it's been so long. I really worry about scar tissue and it getting to hard to heal since it's been 7 months now.
Hopefully my CRS will give me good advice. If she thinks I have a shot at doing this without surgery, then I will try. I really wish I knew more about her. I've been reading all the older post on here and I believe I read that Lecia went to a CRS in Atlanta ,GA. and she said the CRS was a graduate of Yale. The CRS that I will be seeing graduated from Yale and practiced in Atlanta. I'm curious if this is the same doctor?! I wish I knew someone who has used her. It just makes me nervous not really knowing anything about her. I guess I worry too much....
Thanks for your support Cherly. I really appreciate it

I had LIS six weeks ago. My doc told me that the best way to prevent a recurrence of the fissure is to keep the stools soft and regular. For me, that means lots of water, a high fiber diet (fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and metamucil twice a day. I am also taking Miralax twice a day, but my doc told me to wean myself off of the Miralax over the next six months. I also put a big tablespoon of ground flaxseed on my cereal every morning.
I think that program will work for me. I have become pretty accustomed to my new healthy diet, and it has other benefits in addition to controlling my fissure. I'm finding that I don't need the Miralax as much already, and I am only taking it once a day most of the time now, with no noticeable consequences.
For me, the surgery actually helped my whole gastrointestinal functioning. I had no idea that would happen, but the change has been quite dramatic. Before the surgery I had an extreme amount of gas (embarrassingly so), my stomach was often rumbling, and my BMs were messy (shower required) and irregular. Since the surgery, I have what I would call a normal amount of gas (much, much less than I had before), my stomach is much more settled, and my BMs are clean (no shower required) and regular (2x or 3x each morning).
I think the whole fissure (and roids) ordeal has made me really aware of what I'm eating, especially the fluid and fiber content. I have also learned a lot about proper toileting habits. So it's not as much about being forced to adopt a certain regimen. It's more that I have learned what I should be doing in order to maintain good digestive health.
If I find that my stools get hard, I won't hesitate to go back on the Miralax to get them back to the consistency that I know they should be. I think Metamucil (to a large extent) and Miralax (to a small extent) will always be a part of my 'stool management' plan. I know what comes from hard stools, and I'm not going back there.

Dawn,
I can understand your concerns! I think it is so important to have faith in one's doc. That is why I am so glad I finally went to MN Mayo. I had lost confidence in all of my local docs after many visits to several of them and lots of invasive tests (barium enema, MRI, flex sig, CT scan). And I was still having ab pain and butt issues. I wish I had gone to MN Mayo prior to retiring, but when one has a job, the time limitations of being away from work are always a big consideration. That is one good thing about getting older--I no longer work!!

I was never constipated to begin with , so I did not need to be on any supplements for long after either LIS :roll: After second LIS I used Colace for 2 weeks , I think :roll:
BUT - I am exception and IMO you should stay on fiber or softeners for life if you tend to constipate since otherwise you will have chance to re-tear : (((( Better stay on the safe side If you, however have regular BMs (every day at least one and normal consistency) than you can try to lower the amount of supplements slowly and carefully after you are completely healed (which will take 3-5 mos.).
Always remember that even after you heal completely your anus will need about 2 full years to regain it's original strength and resilience !!!!

Thanks Fissy.
I got my fissure from constipation, but I really didn't have a history of constipation, but I ate awful and was a caffeine-aholic. I am surprised that I wasn't constipated more often.
Before I got constipated and got my fissure, I remember craving green beans( weird). It was like my body was screaming for a vegetable.... And water was something I had probably drank once every 5 years. I would usually drink a 2 liter of diet dr.pepper a day...sad
Now looking back- I am surprised that I didn't stay constipated!
I think my body will do fine on my new diet considering it did so well with all the crap I use to put in it,LOL
But I will be very cautious about my diet now for life and take the stool softeners (colace) until my fissure is healed.

Im still on movicol and magnesium even after 2 yrs of surgery.My crs adviced me to stay on movicol for atleast a year and not to get constipated.Ive always had good bowel movts but i was too scared to stop movicol.I did stop magnesium and cut down movicol to half sachet and wanted to completely stop it but after delivery my stools were a bit hard due to hormonal changes and stress and i didnt want to take a chance.I just prefered to take it during pregnancy as u never know when u get constipated.
Do be very careful till you heal

Thank you Pinky. I'm going to be very careful when I reduce the stool softeners. I know what you mean about pregnancy and the stools getting harder. I had trouble with my last baby who is 6 now. I'm done having babies but that would make me very nervous after this AF problem.