Hi all, thank you all so much for this forum. I have lurked here for 6 months or so and truly appreciate each post I've read.
I have had fissures since my first child was born via c section, 18 months ago They developed within 2 weeks due to poor diet and dehydration. I was breastfeeding around the clock and had no real help at first from anyone, so I just ate whatever I could easily. Initially, I had 2 fissures, a small posterior and a large anterior. The posterior healed within 4 months. The anterior took a year to heal. My CRS had suggested surgery for it, but I wasn't ready. I healed it with Diltiazem for 2 weeks before I had a reaction. Then I continued with Vit E oil several times daily and drastically changed my diet. This past May I had a follow up and everything seemed on the upswing. I could eat more foods and only felt the scar tissue when I had BMS, but no pain. At the follow up, my doc prescribed Nefedipine ointment to try because I said I still felt a tiny pinch at times when having a BM. This was the worst thing for me! I tried it and immediately I felt tightening, but thought it was just temporary. The next morning when I had my BM, I felt a brand new tear. I babied it immediately for a couple of weeks and it seemed to get better. Then in August, I had a setback with this new fissure and simultaneously got a very superficial one across from it! I babied them again and got past the painful part and could just feel stretching when having BMs. Went back to CRS and he said everything looked good, mostly healed, don't call unless you need us. No mention of surgery at all! I was ready to try and get pregnant, again! Until, the worst BM I've had in 18 mos came on a few days later and ripped both of the more recent fissures open. Great...so here I am again scheduled for surgery, but scared out of my mind that I'm going to leak the rest of my life. I keep thinking I should just give natural healing one more try! I know I can get back to the point I was at in a few weeks...it's just hoping I don't have that one day where I get lazy in my habits and eat something I shouldn't or not drink enough water!

u sound so much like me!
I believe the surgery is a wise choice you have made. Especially ur retears are frequent over a relatively long while. So, i believe the surgery would only help you to get your life back and move on with ur plan.
I'm also trying to conceive! :D

Hi dwarf! Thank you for your post. congrats on trying to conceive...how wonderful! Did you have LIS? If so, how long after until you felt comfortable enough to try and have a child?

hi there!
sounds like you've made a good choice to get the surgery. no point hanging around if it keeps retearing. I think once it gets to chronic stage it is likely that something will upset it. I find it makes you feel like you're constantly walking on egg shells hoping you've had enough fibre, water, stool softner all the right time. I felt like I was on borrowed time when things were ok. So I too have opted for the surgery route. I only want an LIS though, as I've read a fissurectomy can be a tougher ride.
good luck! let us know how it goes.

Hi Hope, I love the name!
That's all I wanted too...to be normal again. It has been a long painful summer for me with lots of tears. I'm sick of my fissure freindly diet, tons of water, raisin bran and miralax...I want nachos and margaritas again!!!!
Well I am 12 days post op and couldn't be happier. I haven't attempted the nachos and am still watching my diet but I really feel like I'm getting my life back.
Good luck with your surgery...I know it's scary, but it's so worth it

Hi hope, nope I don't have LIS. After my miscarriage, I got into v bad constipation n got myself a fissure. It was hell besides the emotional downs I was in. I din know my life has turned to the rock bottom until I no longer think abt my loss but my butt instead! I m a determined person u mAy say. I insisted on conservative treatments while my CRS kept urging me to go for LIS, but he's a nice doc, he agreed to go with me, knowing that to heal without surgery is still the best. It's a rough ride. I lost count on how many times I have retorn myself while apply ointments, fissures diet etc, and with god's mercy, I finally found a routine that helped me heal on the right track. If u r keen, u may read "my success story" posted here.
So now after 7 months since my loss, gonna try again! :)

I backed out about 6 hours ago and I'm just reading all the posts now.
Linda...we take so much for granted, don't we? I may end up with the surgery(more likely than not), but I just couldn't go through with it tomorrow. Thank you for you post. It is reassuring(but I'm so sorry for you) to hear that you had multiple tears, as well. Please post on your progress as this is something I've really been worried about.
Shakeit...I think I will have to have surgery, but I just want to give it one more shot. I've gotten a couple new ideas on here and I'm going to wean my 19 month old son and see if that makes a difference.
Dwarf, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I am so very excited that you are trying again, though! I hope this pregnancy will be wonderfully uneventful and everything goes perfectly! I, to am as stubborn as they come! LOL I want to do this without surgery so badly. For one, I get so very sick after being put to sleep and I can't take codeine! That's a bonus to the already unpleasant LIS! I am definitely going to check your success story out. I healed my first two with a combo of diltiazem(2 weeks only), vit e oil applied 3-4 times daily to the fissure, and lots of soaking in hot tubs. Also, major diet changes and guzzling water and decaf tea all day long. Also, I do well with metamucil daily and Milk of Magnesia on the occasion that I am worried about something I ate. The two tears I have now are not nearly as bad as the one that sent me to my CRS to start with, but we will see if my efforts work.

Hope, thanks so much for the well wishes!
So the tears you have now are the same tears as before? Yes, i do believe in self-healing too, but it depends on many factors as well

heal tear heal tear heal tear,, my life goes on ,. i am pissed off with my fissure, Balance diet with eyes continuously searching for fiber content on food packs in superstores. My whole world revolves around keeping my poop soft and still as soon as i am about to reach the finish line i am pushed back to start the race again. I would like to know that when i am about to heal or almost healed this once in a while hard poop causes the fissure to retear, What if after having LIS, will this once in a while hard stool will no longer cause the fissure to reoccur, I would really love to know this from someone who had LIS.

Hi Andrew,
Even with LIS is will be imperative that you keep up with a soft bm diet, regimen until that area regains strength. With that being said- it doesn't mean you'll spend a life time on stool softeners(unless you tend to constipate) and worrying so much about your diet as you do with the fissure now. I do think once you have a fissure, it's really important to keep a good diet and avoid constipation so that it never occurs again, but you are also able to enjoy more foods without any problems once you get some time on the healing after surgery.
LIS will loosen the sphincter which will cause it to be more relaxed and less likely to tear with harder bm's, and should keep you from having spasms and heal with less grief, if a re-tear did occur. It takes a long time for that area to get strong, even after surgery.
Btw , I had the surgery over a year ago, and haven't had any re-tears( KOW) even with firmer BM's. I do still take some Miralax and try to get around 20-25 grams of fiber a day but I'm not nearly as vigilant with my Diet as I was with the fissure.