I'd love to know how these food items affect AF's---I had a tomato sandwich yesterday & was in so much pain from BURNING a few hours later....Could it have been the tomatoes? I've been hearng that these foods are no good to AF's. What are definate NO NO & what can I eat safely?

Tomatoes are wayyyyyy to acidic for me. I definitely have had issues after eating raw tomatoes or tomato sauce. I only can sneak a slice here and there.....
All the things you listed are not good for AF - acidic or could cause hard BM. If you just got the fissure I would go on a AF strict diet for the best hope of healing it conservatively.
Caffeine is bad since it is acts like a diuretic. I used to be a huge coffee drinker before my rear end issues started. I found that I would just drink coffee in the morning without much water. So I would always have these BM that started hard and then turned soft - complete torture with an active fissure. I discovered it was the fact that I was not drinking water and the coffee was sucking it out of me which made it even worse. I still have about a 1/2 cup(~4 oz) in the morning now with a large glass of water. This has worked well for me.
Part of it will be experimenting with food that you can and cannot eat. For a long time I kept a food diary and also rated my pain for that morning BM. This helped me analyze what food I maybe should avoid. Diet is one of the most frustrating parts since it can correlate directly to pain.

Interesting, I have been eating tomatoes all along and not thinking a thing about them. I guess that should be something I eat less of. I have been avoiding caffeine and alcohol because they can make your stools dry and hard. I also avoid nuts and seeds for fear of them being too hard or sharp. It is a shame, because I love nuts and they are a healthy snack otherwise. I also avoid beef. The only meat I eat right now is chicken and I eat that in moderation. What is it about the chocolate though?

I think that chocolate also contains caffeine, so acts like coffee. I am not sure how much there is in each relatively though...

I still can' believe there is a forum on the internet for our problem.
I have totally changed my diet as of yesterday since mine came back with a plan to haunt me.
Going back to the doctor tomorrow. I am eating nothing but whole grains, water and no BEEF. Chicken or Fish only. Gosh....maybe this unwanted weight will finally come off. I am fearing the doctor tomorrow.

I'm so thankful that there is this forum for us who suffer---We KNOW each others pain--Misery Loves company! I've gotten terrific advise & comforting words--It sure HELPS!! My diet is Oatmeal & fruit-breakfast, Yogurt or egg whites- lunch, & soup & veggies dinner. TONS OF WATER . Yeah I've lost those unwanted lbs---What a way to lose!! I wish you a pain free day!!

I am eating nothing but soft foods. Steamed high fiber veggies and steamed chicken to the point its really tender.I did have some roast beef BUT in deli sliced thin form. I fear food! Now. :( I will miss my sharp foods like pretzel,nuts and especially PIZZA! But losing a few lbs is good.

Why is salt bad? For me tomatoes is not a problem I think.

oh dear ... running out of food options. I'm eating gluten-free bread - is this still hard to digest? Tomatoes are a staple for me (usually as a base for all the soups I will be eating!). Do you mean the acidity leads to stinging or it makes BM harder?

Hey Sika,
As Paul said, tomatoes can be too acidic for some. They won't cause harder Bm's. You may not have a problem with them though. I think fresh tomatoes would cause more problems then stewed or cooked down. I ate tomatoes in soup right after surgery and I didn't have any problems. I was just too scared to even try them before with my fissure. I was pretty much afraid to eat anything...