Question! I had soft stool this morning (thank goodness - I was worried after taking that Imodium), but it burned. And I don't think it was a fissure burn, but more of that standard burning you can get with looser stool. Is this...right? Like I said in my first post, I'm still confused about how some people say your stool should be like toothpaste or soft-serve ice cream, while others say it should be formed. Currently, mine is like the former. I'm still just worried it's more irritating to my fissure than helpful.

Crime,
Take a look at this link. It gives a great indication of what type of stool you should be aiming for!
I'm generally a 4, which is great!
The "perfect" stool in theory, should be a 4 shape, in that it's well formed and pops out in possibly 1-2 largish sausage shapes but the consistency of that stool should be as close to toothpaste/ soft-serve icecream (more frozen rather than melted!) as possible.
Imagine squeezing cool toothpaste from its tube into a stool type shape (but on a larger scale!) and that's kind of what you're aiming for. Of course, just remember it's not always possible to get these stools constantly and even if they are more of a number 3 shape (mine are when I've eaten sweetcorn LOL!) as long as they are still soft & easy to pass then that's OK too. Number 5's are also OK with me - but this is the Bristol range that should be what you need to be producing.
It really does depend on your diet hugely & it's been quite a learning curve with my diet to try and achieve this!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Stool_Chart

I have to add that since I've been regularly supplementing with Magnesium at night time, my stools have never been better. I was finally able to drop my Lactulose......

ETO:
What kind of magnesium do you take? And how much do you take daily?

Hi TFCKMYB,
I buy a supermarket's own brand (ASDA for those in UK!)
No additives of any form and 300mg per tablet.
I take this later in the evening and just once a day and it's been great. I've attached a really good read and although it states it's pretty easy to reach your daily required amount through diet alone (about 400mg for men & 300mg for women) I know I certainly don't eat all these foods together, the quantity required for the RDA & every single day!
http://www.magnesiumrichfoods.net/

Is popcorn the ultimate "DO NOT EAT THAT OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP" food when you have a fissure (even if you're on a softener)?
In between my two fissures (first one in 2009 - didn't heal until 2010, second one now in 2013) I usually had a decent serving of popcorn once (sometimes twice) a week as a meal replacement thing. The air-popped stuff, with some of that "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" (or something similar) spray and garlic powder.
Somehere on this forum mentioned popped sorghum as an alternative. Anyone ever tried it? Apparently it doesn't have hulls. I'm assuming the hulls are the problem with popcorn? Because otherwise it's light and fluffy...

Although I can eat whatever I want without any problems (thanks to Miralax!), the one food I do NOT eat is popcorn (because of the hulls, which your body doesn't generally digest). It would probably be fine to eat it, but I don't want to take the chance.

thisfissurecankissmybutt wrote:Although I can eat whatever I want without any problems (thanks to Miralax!), the one food I do NOT eat is popcorn (because of the hulls, which your body doesn't generally digest). It would probably be fine to eat it, but I don't want to take the chance.

So it is just the hulls that are the problem? I'm debating trying popped sorghum, which doesn't have hulls. It's supposed to be fairly similar to popcorn from what I've read. Smaller with a slightly different taste I think, but pretty close.
When you say you can eat whatever you want, do you eat a lot of "bad" foods (bad for fissures, like burgers, pizza, red meat, fried stuff, cheese, etc)? How much Miralax do you take? Just curious!

I should add that I'm sloooowly introducing a few not-so-fissure friendly foods into my diet. A thin slice of cheese maybe once a day (if that), a tiny juice glass of low-fat milk, and worst of all, candy.
Yes, candy. I'm terrible, but I've been snacking on some gummy bears and sour patch kids. Just a few per day, but there you have it. With the Miralax, my stool has still been okay. Too loose at times, really, but for the last few days I've had formed stool so I think I may finally be getting a handle on the dosage.
I've also been eating some fiber crackers, a multi-grain cracker and brown rice crackers with flax seed. So far, its been okay.
I'm just trying to find a balance, because there's no way I can live on oatmeal and drop to 90lbs like I did last time. I'm still eating fissure-friendly foods, obviously (and drinking a little over 100 ounces of water per day), but again...balance. I'm hoping it'll work!

Another update, in case anyone is interested. I’ve continued eating a  few foods that aren’t fissure friendly, like a slice of cheddar cheese or pretzel here and there, as well as gummy candy. So far, I’ve noticed no hardening of the stool as I’m continuing with my Miralax (and the magnesium). In fact, my stool persists in being a tiny bit softer than what I’d ideally prefer based on the Bristol Scale.
 
There was an old thread here that I can't seem to locate now that dealt with essentially the same issue – whether what you eat is ABSOLUTELY 110% CRITICAL when you take Miralax/a stool softener safe for long-term use. For those of us who eat decently but still get constipated/hard stool (something I’ve struggled with since I was a baby), Miralax or something similar is necessary, as much as it can suck. And I’ve learned my lesson – it looks like I’ll need to stay on it permanently. In any case, I’m not advocating giving up your fruit and whole grains for fried chicken and steak every night, but what’s the point in living on oatmeal and blueberries (and dropping way too many pounds) if you can branch out?
 
If anyone else tries to experiment a bit with their diet, let me know!