:) im liking how positive that post was, i keep on getting really worried. my beautiful fissure managed to keep me up half the night. lol they are really something. did you have to have surgery? lol i guess at least this fissurer has taught me to take better care of this aspect of my health. have a nice day :)

Hey jal,
Yes I had LIS/ Skin tag removed in October of 2010.
I wasn't even diagnosed w/ my fissure for months after going to several doctors and one CRS who I wouldn't let do a rectal exam.
After my fissure was 4 months old I was given the ointment- diltiazem and I figured out on my own what not to eat and that fiber supplements weren't my friend- mine was already chronic. I tried my best not to have the surgery and waited 8 months and then had the surgery. It has given me a normal life again. I still eat healthy and take stool softeners, but other than that my life has improved 100% since LIS.

You on the other hand are already on top of things in the acute stages. You have the diagnosis, the ointment, stool softener and knowledge of the diet and baths. You really have a good shot, but you have to keep it all up and no cheating on the diet, etc... because one slip up can cause a set back.
I don't know if you are aware but Cherylk- another boardie healed her fissure without surgery and if I remember correctly she had the ointment early in the game but she also has IBS and it took her 2 years before complete healing.
Good Luck. I'm sorry it kept you up. Did you try the warm baths? Take as many as you can!

omg i cant believe how long it takes song people to get diagnosed.. did you not have the typical symptoms? doctors seem to be misdianosing this quite alot. i can not imagine having this for a year :O its good that the surgery works!! lol another 2 months of this and i think i will seriously consider it. lol and about cheating on the diet.. recently i have been having a bit of chocolate.. lol i cant help it, it just sits there on the table calling for me. as long as stalls are soft it shouldnt matter, should it? ive read somewhere that acidic stools are bad or something.. i didnt really get it. and yeah i try the baths. but havent been taking them as often as before, but i do wash properly after bm. i dont know if im ot taking well enough care of my behind since it really itching alot .

Hey Jal,
I had all the symptoms and went to the hospital twice to a GI who sent me to a CRS who said I didn't have a fissure. I kept calling there office and by the time I went back, they had it written in my file "fissure". That was after 4 months and figuring it out myself, then I was gave the diltiazem which was probably too late since it works best on acute fissures.
Yes unfortunately it can take a pretty long time to heal one. One of the things I've noticed is the few who I've seen post on here that had their fissures heal without surgery-seemed to have had the RX ointments before their fissures became chronic...Even if it took awhile to heal.
Hey as long as the chocolate doesn't make your bm's harder or constipate then that should be ok, but you need to eat a fair amount of fiber and always plenty of water. The baths are super important because they relax the anal sphincter and promote blood flow which will help your fissure heal.
If your having trouble with itching- it may help to softly blot the area dry or blow dry after gently cleaning then once it's super dry then apply some vaseline to help keep the moisture out.
The ointments can sometimes cause an itch but I don't think you have been using it long enough to have developed a reaction yet. I used diltiazem for about 3 months and did develop an itch from that.
If possible at night while sleeping let that area just air out. I wore a robe or night gown as much as I could without underwear and let it air. Maybe you could possibly do that?!
Take care:)

pss...it's good to hear your open minded about having the surgery if the time comes. There's no need to suffer for months on end and then have to go through healing with the surgery. I really wish I could have had mine sooner but totally get people who want to put 100% into healing before having it done. I will find my surgery post and put the links here. I canceled my account at one time and there now under guest...
http://anal-fissure.org/t2437-lis-skin-tag-removal-today
http://anal-fissure.org/t2509-almost-6-weeks-post-op

Just go to doctor