Hello all - so glad I found this board. There has got to be a solution to fissures. I will go over my history and tell you what I have tried so far:
I got the fissure over 3 years ago. I didn't know what it was at first - just searing pain and itching and burning following BM. It was so bad I wan unable to pass urine and had to go to the hospital. Over months and months it slowly got better. The doctors told me "it will just go away". Well it got slightly better over time and was always with me. It started to control my life and I became almost obsessed with it.
After 6 months and still in some pain, I went to another doctor. He examined me and put me on hydrocortisone cream, colace, and nitro. He told me it would go away in 3 months. Well the creams and colace did very little for me. Maybe a slight improvement but I feared that this thing would never heal.
Over time it has gotten some better, BUT, it inevitably returns with a vengeance and the cycle continues. I have heard so many differing opinions on what works and what doesn't.
I was referred to a colorectal surgeon. He told me I had a "tight rear", in other words my muscles are very tense down there, causing pain from moving the bowels and straining the sphincter. He told me to to do this:
- keep the area as dry as possible, use baby powder, NO SITZ BATHS, it makes the problem worse over time
- no caffeine, NO ALCOHOL of any kind, NO CHOCOLATE, NO spicy food - eat bland food
- limit vitamin C and anything acidic like oranges
- NO creams of any kind - they make the problem worse over time he said, the only one he approved of was NITRO but he said it wouldn't cure it
I have found that too much fibre and good eating is a bad thing, going too often, even if it is soft, just reinjures the area.
One thing i have found that has really helped is: EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - you take a couple tablespoons a day on an empty stomach. If you google this you will discover that the oil is a natural stool softener, but it also causes the intestines to "move" and provides a natural coating to the lining down there, helping it protect itself and heal. I take it every other day, keeps me regular enough and makes it easy to go without straining...I found Miralax a bit too strong but maybe I can't take the full does.