>>Does anyone have any ideas on what else I can do?
Hello Friendly Faces ,
I am 26 F and have had an af for over three years now. I am healthy and active but my af happened during a stressful time in my life. Since then I have done the following – upped fiber in my diet, reduced starches and sugars, have made sure to get plenty of rest each night on a regular basis (which is VERY important for healing fissures), drink a lot of water throughout the day, drink a cup of prune juice OR glass with miralax each night, use vitamin E, and have sitz baths when needed. Ive also used the .02% nitroglycerin cream but gave that up quickly because of the incredible headaches.
Over a year ago I was doing all of this but was still having problems so I had a lateral internal sphincterotomy. The procedure went great, I was back to work in one week and was feeling well last fall. But the fissure came back about a half a year ago when I was uninsured and without access to a bath. Now I have moved again and am far from my GI doctor. It will take more than a month to just get a consultation, which is rubbish. The fissure has gotten to the point that I bleed for several hours after the bm and I am wondering if there is anything I can do to stop this fissure from being a sore. Also, lately I have been drinking coffee in the morning (out of desperation) to get a bm. Im not sure if decaf coffee will help stimulate as well.
Thank you for having this site! Its encouraging to read about others' triumphs and it’s a comfort to know that we run across the same frustrations.
cheers,
Your Neighbor

Hi there,
Welcome to the forum! :) Sorry you have to be here though!
I would definitely try to get an appointment with a Colorectal Surgeon to have things checked out, especially if you are seeing a lot of blood. There is a risk with becoming anemic.

Have you tried Miralax/ Movicol? It will help with the BM's if you are having a hard time. Most of us here are very pleased with the results. It's also really important to stick with a fissure friendly diet even after LIS and to keep the stools soft as it can take a year or two for that area to regain strength even after the fissure heals.
Good Luck!

Its very important to take fissure diet even after u get operated- this is wat i learnt from ma fissure experience ..!! hope even am in the same phase as others.. hope every thing gets ok..

doing much better. finally was able to go to the doctor, got a cream - hydrocortisone acetate %2 and pramoxine hci %1. taking 1 docusate sodium pill (100mg) every evening... doing the charm and feeling 100 times happier. hope this information helps someone in the future. you just have to find what is right for your body.

That's great to hear NN,
My mom healed with hydrocotisone and pramoxine but she was also on oral nifedipine to help bring more blood to the area. She has high blood pressure, so the nifedipine works for both that and AFs.
Since the nitro gives you headaches, did your doc mention diltiazem or nifedipine salve?
I'm really glad you found something that works for you!!
-Tanya