Sure I am happy to contribute anything that might help you or anyone dealing with this horrible pain.
I am STILL on a careful fissure diet. Almost the same diet I listed in my post, except no more split pea soup! I have added a few foods since: early on I added an egg in the mornings because my weight loss was so rapid and wouldn't seem to stop. The egg helped me taper off at 175, down from 220, and I have since rebounded to 177-178. I dealt with a fissure most of my life until the age of 47, when I had an LIS. When I was younger I had assumed it was hemorrhoids and treated for them, which of course didn't work. Prior to the LIS I had not tried changing my diet to help; I just relied on my proctologist's recommendation for Metamucil. That worked for awhile, but eventually it just wouldn't work anymore so I got the LIS. After the LIS I healed completely and still ate anything I wanted, until I had a polyp removed during a colonoscopy that was at the very top of my anus and wouldn't heal. After a bout of constipation it started splitting and split all the way down to my anus. My doctor's recommendations for more Metamucil and the ointment alone were not helping and things kept getting worse, but in all fairness he had recommended the sitz baths which I didn't follow because I just didn't see how they could help. I didn't realize how truly important they are to stimulate healing blood flow to your anal region. Other foods I have added include poultry and seafood (I had eliminated all meats for awhile), but I still do not eat red meat. I started eating tomatoes again, but still no bread, cheese, fried foods, chocolate or sweets of any kind, unless you would count a sprite or decaf tea. I still consume no caffeine. I would feel comfortable adding that back now, except I determined that helped a lot with my insomnia.
This last fissure lasted about 8 weeks total, but only the last 6 of those were suicide level pain. When it started healing, it healed fast. I couldn't believe how fast.
I used the cream for exactly the number of weeks my new doc told me to, which if I recall was about 1 week or 2 after I had healed. It was the same for the baths: about a week or 2 after I felt I had healed. Believe me, when you're healed, you know it! You can sit down without pain, and cleaning up after a bm is so easy.
My overall anal health now is near perfect. The only remaining issue is some anal incontinence after passing gas, which is much more frequent than it ever used to be because of the great amount of fiber and legumes in my diet. When I say in continence I do not mean that actual poop passes out, just small amounts of juice in my outermost cavity that sometimes require an extra wipe with a damp Bounty towel. (FYI: damp Bounty towels are AMAZING for cleaning up with fissures!) Also my farts are MUCH stinkier than they ever used to be, I think because of the lack of bread. Bread absorbs odors so well if you lay a few slices around a pot of boiling collards, it will absorb the foul smell. So that's a little annoying, but I'm not around people a whole lot so it's not that big of a deal. Other than those issues, I would say my anus and rectum are as good as they have ever been.
You ask if I took precautions for awhile, but I think I've made it clear that I STILL take precautions in the form of my diet, and plan on continuing to eat this way for the rest of my life. Other advantages of eating this diet include all the benefits of weighing 177 instead of 220, including more energy and better overall athleticism. Plus the fact that this diet is very good for preventing colon cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the state of Alabama. Since I plan to never have another coloscopy, I like the idea of staying away from foods that cause polyps and colon cancer.
As far as big meals, I eat them all the time! Just the right foods. Every time I eat brown rice, I eat 2 servings according to the box. A full plate of food every meal.
No need to apologize for asking your questions. I am MORE than happy to try to help anyone who is wrestling with this debilitating injury!