easyflo wrote:I can tell you, for me, the absolutely worst thing I can eat is white rice. I'm asian and I grew up on white rice, which is one reason my AF makes me so sad. In spite of what white rice can do to me I still love it but it's just that it turns everything into a thick heavy paste. The whole veggies and fiber thing makes everything soft and passable but as soon as I introduce rice...there's hell to pay. In the topic about stool softening I mention how cauliflower has been my go to softener. In short, steamed cauliflower has been my savior in getting everything really, really soft.

After discovering milk of mag. I'm slowly easing up on the high fiber...I'm sticking with the water routine, but I'm finding such relief with the mm. It comes out soft, smooth and non evasive. Love love love it.

Tighty wrote:GGky, how much stool softener are you taking? It took a while for mine to kick in before I started having soft stools (I started with 1 -100 mg pill a day, now take 3 -100g pills a day). Also, even though the stool is soft, I don't know if you will be pain-free until the fissure completely heals, and even then, there's always a possibility for re-tear.
For now, take deep breaths and calm your mind. Really emphasize deep breaths (think yoga breaths) while you are having a BM and go slowly. It won't eliminate the pain, but will help you manage it. i'm not sure 2 ibuprofen will cut it. I've been taking up to 3-4 ibuprofen at a time and I don't think it helped much. Some people have mentioned heat pads for pain. I suggest looking at the second post I posted under the "new to this forum" page. I posted a very comprehensive method for managing AF's, which I found on another site. I've been re-reading it often for the past week to understand what to do to manage the AF.

Tighty, I've got several posts here proclaiming finally an end to my fissure suffering.....Please read them....again this morning, a normal bm...and no spasm afterwards, nothing. I actually feel normal again and I can't explain why?

easyflo: I also have issues with white rice. It tends to dry things out and bulk things up for me, which I don't like. Brown rice, though, is fine, and I think I actually prefer it (I like the nutty taste).
I'll have to try cauliflower out. I haven't had it before, but love broccoli. Doesn't it have a milder flavor? I'm happy that it helps you out. It's best to experiment and find out what works best for each of us.

Hello Luka,
Cauliflower does indeed have a milder flavor as compared to broccoli. I have to say though, I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower. I mostly eat cauliflower because of how well it softens everything, for me anyway. Most of the time I'll steam the cauliflower, oven roast a few pieces and create a cauliflower mash. In regard to broccoli, I like chinese broccoli blanched for 3 minutes then sauteed with a little garlic, oyster sauce and a little veggie stock. I'm beginning to like brown rice but jasmine rice is my absolute favorite. Please let me know if cauliflower works for you.
GGky,
I'm so, so, so so so happy you found something that is working for you. Read your post from Jan. 22nd and I think almost everyone, if not everyone, on the forum has had those moments for days, for weeks and sometimes months. I haven't tried MM and I'm to afraid to make a switch. Interesting read in the new to the forum thread about celiac disease, gluten intolerance and magnesium deficiency...might be up your alley. Yeah, when I first found out I had an AF I went fiber crazy and actually compounded my problem because my body couldn't handle all the fiber. I was consuming so much fiber that everything became so impacted...not good to say the least. Just like MM for you miralax has allowed me to ease up on all the fiber.

I too can't eat white rice. It was the cause of a set back a few months back.
Omb

easyflo wrote:Hello Luka,
Cauliflower does indeed have a milder flavor as compared to broccoli. I have to say though, I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower. I mostly eat cauliflower because of how well it softens everything, for me anyway. Most of the time I'll steam the cauliflower, oven roast a few pieces and create a cauliflower mash. In regard to broccoli, I like chinese broccoli blanched for 3 minutes then sauteed with a little garlic, oyster sauce and a little veggie stock. I'm beginning to like brown rice but jasmine rice is my absolute favorite. Please let me know if cauliflower works for you.
GGky,
I'm so, so, so so so happy you found something that is working for you. Read your post from Jan. 22nd and I think almost everyone, if not everyone, on the forum has had those moments for days, for weeks and sometimes months. I haven't tried MM and I'm to afraid to make a switch. Interesting read in the new to the forum thread about celiac disease, gluten intolerance and magnesium deficiency...might be up your alley. Yeah, when I first found out I had an AF I went fiber crazy and actually compounded my problem because my body couldn't handle all the fiber. I was consuming so much fiber that everything became so impacted...not good to say the least. Just like MM for you miralax has allowed me to ease up on all the fiber.

Thanks Flo.....I'm at crossroads now....I don't ever want to go back to the days of constant pain and misery, so I definately plan on watching what I eat and how my stool comes out. I'm so exhausted from this ordeal, I need a definate break....so with the weekend up us all I plan on taking in a movie and just chilling out...I am literly exhausted from work and my stool...have a fantastic weekend.

Hi,
With over a year now and trying to establish the right diet, I would seriously recommend the following!
It's great being able to cook the soft veggies and prepare the proper home cooked stuff and soups but these are also great, and "quicker" fissure-friendly foods (IMO):
1)Canned Beans! Baked Beans - all types of beans. Add them to jacket potatoes/ on wholemeal toast/ soups/ casseroles/ in wholemeal pitta pockets - fab for smoothness.
2) All tinned fruits (in natural juices healthier option) Raw fruits are always good of course, but again the tinned seem to do a great job for me. I mix them with bran/ bio-yogurt for great results!
3) The olive oil comes back a winner every time! Eat naturally by the spoonful or on wholemeal bread and mix into wholemeal pasta and salads. I don't use any other oil.
4) Any form of "homemade" soup including the ones you can purchase in the supermarkets....I find the "Green" versions especially good. I do buy these for convenience at times as you don't always get time yourself to prepare everything.
5) Quorn mixed with loads of beans/ veggies & tomatoes is fab for a soft BM! It's totally replaced meat-based minced meats as I prefer it by taste and it's cheaper & easier to cook! Add wholemeal spaghetti and you have a great bolognese to enjoy!
6) Oranges, oranges, oranges - work wonders for me....
7) Never ever stop the fluids!
It really is what works for each individual, but these are great for my system..I just wanted to add that it is easy to relax your eating habits when your fissure feels better but don't completely!...My fissure is over a year old now and much healed but just one twinge from that area sends me right back to monitoring my dietary intake!
You may also find that as things improve, that eating cheese now and again or an egg or having a glass of wine or beer really won't make a huge amount of difference to your routine. Just keep it all in moderation as ever and counterbalance everything not so "good" with something very "good" - I.e. Glass of wine with a glass of water or a piece of cake with a small bowl of stewed fruits......
If I eat pizza, I ensure it is a smaller piece with masses of salad or with fish & chips, I always go for the home-made version with oven chips/ breaded fish & loads of salad/ mushy peas! (for some reason - they are also really good for my system too!)
Good luck all - hope this helps someone out there.

Good Idea about oranges! I'm gonna get some oranges and make fresh oj!

owowow wrote:Really useful list of foods to avoid/increase here:
http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Article-Ahealth_fst_constipation/
took me a lot of trial and error to come with an almost identical list!

The list says to avoid wheat based cereal, wheat bran and pasta. This is confusing to me because I thought i should change everything to whole wheat. I'm eating quite a bit of whole wheat bread and pasta. Is that bad???

I think that's because too much gluten is bad. after I went gluten free my eczema went away. I'm sure gluten is bad for the fissure healing too. A lot of people are allergic to gluten. A lot of people are allergic and don't even know it. Even if your not allergic to gluten, it is still bad for you.gluten is wheat. They put it in a lot of stuff that you wouldn't even think of, like vitamins, oatmeal... Alot of things have caramel color in the ingredients which is code for gluten. They also use gluten as a preservative in stuff. Google how to go gluten free.com