Or do I need to see a doctor about it? Or buy some cream? I've had them for about 2-3 months... They used to be very painful but now it's just sometimes. Do I need to do anything about it or will they clear up on their own eventually? I try to avoid going to the doctor as much as possible because I have anxiety issues and find it scary. Thanks for reading. :)

Hi KP.

Fissures can get better on their own, in fact, most of them do but as time goes on, they get more difficult to heal and will most likely need quite a few life style changes among other things in order to heal. In your case I would think that theres a very good chance of healing in the near future but after 2-3 months, they are not going to heal unless you make som changes to the way you are handling the situation at the moment and if they do, they will most likely reaccur. Don´t worry though, ´cause they won´t if you make the necessary changes.

First thing to do is go see your doctor. The reason being that even if(!) you are 100% positive on it being a fissure, then you would still need to rule out other contributors to the symptoms you are having. I do know that seeing doctors can be hard, especially when you have anxiety issues to begin with. I´m in the same boat, only that I did go to the doc (also after dealing with it myself for a few months) and it will most likely not be even half as bad as how you imagine it will be.
Another thing about seeing a doc is that you can get some prescription treatment, which you would probably want to try after 2-3 months.

Are you doing nothing about it as of now? I was about to write a lot of stuff you could try but quickly realised that it would be easier if you start with telling us a little about your diet, water intake, exercise, supplements and stuff like that :)

yes please do include your currently lifestyle and what you are doing to deal with it. I have currently had mine for 4 months and i can tell you, you should DEFINITELY goto the doctor, i was really afraid to get checked, but as lost for words said, you must have the right diagnosis. as well as a good plan of action. EVERYONE on this site will tell you that fissures are no joke and must be taken care of ASAP.

Please believe me i have anxieties about seeing a doctor as well, i hate to go, and especially for things that are anus related. But believe me if your fissure gets worse, the anxieties that you will experience are far greater. I got to one point where i was eating nothing but water and metamucil because i was afraid to goto the bathroom......

fissures become more psychological than anything i truly believe. so please, do your body a wonderful favor and please get this matter checked into. i hope and pray for your recovery as i do all of our recoveries.

Thanks for replies! I'm not doing anything to deal with it because I'm not sure what's best to do since I've never had this before, and I wasn't sure if they'd just heal on their own or not. I'm not really a big eater, especially when stressed, which I am a lot now because of my fissures and hemorrhoids... But I'm eating lots of fibre. I drink around 4-5 big cups of water a day. To be honest, I don't get as much exercise as I probably should because I'm very lazy. Lol. I'm not taking any supplements at the moment. I bought some laxatives in case it got really bad, but I haven't felt like I've needed to use them because it hasn't been so painful or hard to go. (It just feels a bit irritable at times). I've also been using Anusol cream because I had hemorrhoids not so long ago. Not sure whether that helps fissures or not, too?...

Ive heard of some people i know, my mother and gfs mom who suffer chronic fissures both used anusol with good results. When you say you get lots of fibre, how much is lots? Do you use a fiber supplement? And sounds like you may need to up your water amount by a good 3-4 cups. Also a stool softener such as miralax/movicol? Do you currently own a sitz bath for relief after a bowel movement. Whatever you do, take this matter seriously!! Just dont become obsessed about it like i am ;) im tryin to work on that. Interestingly enough ive noticed myself and other friends who had this issue all ran into it during heavy periods of stress or anxiety

I eat fibre in pretty much all three meals of the day. I don't use a fibre supplement. And I don't own a sitz bath. I have been really brave and booked an appointment at the doctor's! The earliest I could get was the 20th. So I guess up until then I'm going to be really worried, but I'm sure it will all be worth it on the day when I find out what it really is and hopefully get some better medication. :)

Hi KH,
Yes! Even a chronic fissure can heal but still needs medical attention as everyone here as said.
Believe me, the stress of dealing with a fissure long-term outweighs the stress of seeing a CRS about it and you do need to get a proper diagnosis and the right treatment to help you get rid of it. It's not nice to deal with but CRS' are trained professionals and they will help you - most are extremely thorough and careful not to afflict any additional pain and if they can see it's too difficult for you to be examined, might suggest an Examination Under Anaesthetic to examine you whilst you are asleep. I've had 3 of these and no issues at all with this and honestly, I was a nervous wreck when having to deal with this myself! I just wanted to be better again so knew I just had to get proper help to achieve that.
There are an awful lot of things you can do, as you know, to help relieve symptoms and assist the healing but sometimes more than this is required and you may be prescribed one of the special creams to help relax your internal sphincter muscle, which will help the fissure to heal. These have to be prescribed by a GP in the UK though.
I've never used a "Sitz" bath - I just used to run a hot bath after a BM and in the evening and soak my poor bum for as long as I could, and these are really important because heat helps encourage blood flow to the area to help in healing the tear. This is one thing most Medics will recommend you do regularly whilst dealing with it. A hot water bottle is also very relieving to the area.
You don't necessarily always need to up your fibre intake contrary to what you read! If you are already getting sufficient dietary fibre, increasing it can make things worse and lead to larger (and possibly harder) stools especially if you don't increase your water intake too. This is a mistake I made and cut out fibre supplementation because I didn't need it. I would also recommend you consider a stool softener instead of laxatives because these can be quite harsh and shouldn't be taken for long periods of time.
Yes and definitely up your water! You need to be aiming for about 2.5 - 3 litres a day in my opinion.
It's good you've taken the first step to see your GP and hopefully, this should put you on track for your next move. Try not to worry too much because it will be OK. A GP tends to generally just discuss the symptoms and might try to take a look to see if there is anything visible. They might also try to examine you but if it's too uncomfortable, you just tell them to stop. I was fortunate to have a great GP, who pretty much suggested immediately it was a fissure and then I sorted out my referral to a CRS.
All the very best in sorting this out :)

Optimist. Did you have a chronic fissure? Are you healed? I am almost at the one year mark and have gotten better but am not nearly healed. I am worried that this is as good as I will ever be again. Is it realistic to think that I can still get better? I am losing hope.

Hi Still,
Yes!! A chronic fissure CAN heal. Don't give up your hope!
It took me about a year and 4 months to "fully" heal and that was confirmed by my CRS.
When I say, fully heal, that means the wound was no longer open and at my 1 year stage, things were feeling a whole lot better. I can't deny that I still continued to get some strange sensations going on and some twinging too, but this was scar tissue I believe, which brings it's own issues, but even this has calmed down hugely and nothing is as bad as it ever was. I know I have a Sentinel pile in the area (it's internal rather than protruding or visible and reacts like a hem that can inflame quite easily if I strain in anyway) and scar tissue, which on occasion, can become aggravated but I live a completely normal life again - no creams (unless the hems warrant a touch of anusol!), pretty much a normal diet with "allowances" again like alcohol & chocolate! but I have changed my diet generally now to ensure the right things and cut out any hard stool offenders - I don't eat pastry based stuff/ well-cooked red meats/ white processed foods (everything brown nowadays - rice/ bread/ pasta etc.) I eat cheese & eggs in moderation and small amounts at a time......If I feel sore in anyway, I immediately switch to soups/ beans/ apple puree/ prunes/ tinned soft fruits & brown rice because these produce some of my softest & easiest to pass stools) I drink huge amounts of water (at least 3 litres a day) I no longer need regular hot baths after every BM and no longer use toilet paper (unless completely necessary, when I dampen it with water) I use a hand held shower to "clean" up & I immediately became a "squat" convert because I feel things evacuate more fully and I have more control over the release of everything. All these things have been key long-term! The most important for me though, always to control the urge to strain & not to do it!!
Do you have another follow-up? I requested the last one I had because I was in a similar position to you and was asking the very same questions at your stage. Hearing that I had healed, gave me a huge boost in the process and mentally, I felt so much reassurance. I have progressed since to being even better, although I won't deny I still have my days when I still feel some stuff going on (although nothing as bad as it ever was before!)
It takes so much time when you become chronic but you get there! I'm not the only one with this story - there are others too, so please never give up your faith & hope in your body's ability to heal :)

Thanks Optimist for your thoughtful advice and encouraging words. Yours and others recount of their journey to healing are helpful to those of us despairing that this condition will never end. I am doing all of the things that are frequently discussed on this forum and am willing to make the permanent changes you have made. I consider myself to be both disciplined and persistent in most endeavors--but this surely has been a test of my resolve. I have not scheduled a return visit to the CRS as I am fearful of an undoing of the progress that I have made with an exam--one that I am sure my CRS will insist upon. Each day I awake thinking maybe this will be the day that real progress will be evident. I hope that day comes soon, but if not soon, at least eventually!