Hello. I am a 58 year old male. I work as a road construction inspector and I am a weekend musician, with a steady gig. I have been dealing with a chronic fissure for the last 25 years, or so. I am currently recovering from my worst bout, to date.
I really had a run of luck. Several weeks ago, I threw my back out and was suffering from sciatica, another issue I have had for years. The next day, I strained a bit, trying to hurry a BM and the fissure opened up, again. That makes about a dozen times, since my first bout. This one lasted two full weeks with more profuse bleeding than ever before. (I also suffer from IBS and diverticulosis, which about once a year, turns into diverticulitis.) A couple of days after the fissure opened, my diverticulitis kicked in. Cipro and Metronidazole, along with a soft diet, resolved this issue in about 10 days. During the 10 days treatment, the fissure was quiet again. Once I was over the diverticulitis, I developed a hemorrhoid. After a few days of treatment with Preparation H, it was gone. Then.....I had a harder than normal stool and it was off to the races. I had bleeding with every BM and lots of it. I am on a regime of Metamucil and Miralax, so the hard stool was a surprise. I still had some Hydrocortisone/Pramoxine left from my last bout, 18 months ago, so I started using it. After about 10 days, I tried something new. I decided to not rush my BM's at all, not even that initial push to get things started. My fissure improved after that. I have now been without bleeding for two consecutive days.
My fissure is left posterior, in the canal, maybe 1 1/2 inches up. If any of you veterans are reading this, I would like to pose a few questions. How long should I continue treatment with the ointment, after the bleeding has stopped? (It says use for no more than two weeks.) Do you think lifting is risky for opening the fissure again? (Nothing major, 40-50 pounds.) How long do you think I should wait before getting on a riding lawn mower? (Not that I'm in a hurry.)
Thanks to Cheryl for a great forum. Looks like a bunch of great folks and a wealth of information. Thanks to the users for sharing your experiences. I have learned a lot about my condition, in the last hour, reading your posts.

Roads,
Yes, Cheryl did a great job of starting this forum which has benefited many people over the years. I wouldn't use the ointment if your bleeding has stopped because that can cause thinning of the skin. My guess is that you have not really had an AF for 25 years. It probably heals up and goes away for awhile, but then comes back after straining. I would advise you to stop straining. You might try the squatting position and/or Miralax to help keep your stools softer. Good luck!

Yes. I suppose a recurring acute fissure would be more accurate. My G-E doctor calls it chronic but that may be so he can write me a scrip, without an office visit. Day 3 and still no blood, so I must be doing something right. I did quit using the ointment. I wonder if using Preparation H, as a lubricant for a few more days might be a good idea.

I think prep H is pretty much worthless. You could try using Vaseline. I don't think that you could go wrong with trying that.

Now at 18 days without bleeding. I have a musical gig tomorrow night. I will have to do some lifting since my only roadie, for this venue, is my wife. I'm going to use a dolly, for a change, so maybe I won't re-open the fissure. My heaviest pieces of equipment weight about 50 pounds and I am 6', 200 pounds so it isn't really heavy lifting for me, just quite a bit of it.

No bleeding, this morning. Using the dolly definitely helped.

That's great roadscholar. Lifting is def a no no, so using a dolly was a good idea.
Omb

Use Petroleum Jelly, not Prep H, that is no good!! I would only use the squat position when producing a BM, this ensures that the rectum can be fully emptied without straining.

Thanks for your input. I can't do the squatting thing; bad knee. Do they make Petroleum Jelly with an internal applicator? I can't stand handling the stuff. Anything else that works well?

You can use the disposable latex gloves to apply vaseline. That's what I use.