I am a 30 year old male. In good health. I had my first fissure in August 2013 after my birthday weekend filled with bad food choices and alcohol. I struggled for a year. I tried sitz bath, cortisone creams, tons of prune juice, diets, juices, suppositories, makuta honey, vics, and everything else on here. I tried eating nothing but salads. At one point I was considering LIS surgery and had a consult with a surgeon.

One of my main downfalls was that I was unaware I had a fissure I thought it was a hemorrhoid because I had those in past and never a fissure.

After 9 months I finally had enough and went to a Dr. Was told I had a fissure and prescribed me nitro 2%. I tried it once and had terrible side effects. So I stopped using it after one application. After 2 months of more pain and research I realized I needed 0.4% nitro and made an appointment with my doctor and he prescribed it for me.

I took this medication and only put a tiny dab on the outside of my anus. I then went another month dealing with pain. I had enough and nothing to lose. I started taking the nitro twice a day inserting it up to the first knuckle of my finger in my anus. I changed my diet drastically.

For breakfast I ate oatmeal, honey, and cinnamon. Lunch and dinner were 3 tamales (not spicy), brown rice, avacado, and Doritos (believe it or not, even though I read on here it's a big no-no). Lots of water throughout the day of course. Multivitamin, calcium, and zinc were also added to my regimen. Prune juice 4 oz. at night, and sitz baths for 10 minutes after morning bowel movement, at noon, and before bed. Nitro after bowel movement/sitz bath and before bed. Exercise lightly 30 minutes a day. I've lost 15 pounds and my butt feels way better. After two weeks of this diet and the nitro I am 90% healed and haven't felt this good since last year. I didn't do a heat pad, water bottles...the things I listed is my complete regimen.

It really makes you appreciate life and your health. Taking life slow and enjoying it.

I endured so many problems because of this fissure. A rash from putting hot rags on my butt and leaving them on there throughout the day. Getting more hemorrhoids due to sitting on the sitz bath for too much time. Upset stomach due to adding epsom salts to sitz baths. Having multiple bowel movements due to too much prune juice, which exacerbated the fissure pain. Irritability and lashing out at my poor wife and kids. My job performance was suffering.

This is my first post, I only found this forum two months ago and have been reading everything on here. I wanted to share my success story and the way I achieved it in hopes that I can help someone else out. This is no way to live with this fissure pain. I thought I would never be normal again, but after following my regimen for two weeks I feel better than I have in a year.

Wanted to add the tamales were home made not canned. Also not underestimate the importance of rest and relaxing. I started sleeping more. And made it a point to lay around more. Playing video games, watching movies. For the past year I always wanted to go go go. Working around house and stuff. I made it a point to try and relax more.

Thanks for the post. stay on track and completely heal.

Thanks for sharing! It's so helpful to read success stories.

Thanks for sharing! It's good to hear hope!

wanted to post an update three months later. Still doing great. I have noticed that If I eat many carbs like pizza, hamburgers bread my bowel movement will be hard causing me pain the rest of the day. This has happened about three times. The next day as long as I eat good foods I will be back to normal.

I have found a way that keeps my bowel movements soft no matter what I eat.

Apple juice.

I have 32oz cups I use to drink water. I always add about 10oz of apple juice and the rest water. I drink this with every meal and two more times throughout the day. And if I have eaten carb heavy foods drink at least one more cup of this. Every single bowel movement has been soft since I started doing this and have eliminated those random hard bowel movements.

I also wanted to add that I still take the vitamins, and prune juice at night. I stopped the nitro after using it for 8 weeks.

I insert vaseline before bms in the morning just cause I'm scared to have a hard bowel movement. But I could probably stop doing that.

I squat over toilet for bowel movements.

These are the only things I do now to maintain.

It took me a while to figure out the apple juice thing. Once I figured it out I have been pain free since!

Also no more sitz baths. Its sooo nice not doing that anymore!!

I have a question as I am in .4 nitrate...... How do you get first knuckle in. I push my finger flat as high as I can and get the headaches but wanted to make sure I'm using it properly ???

Use latex gloves not your bare finger. It will slide in easily and painless. Headaches, facial flushing, racing heart, I experienced all these. I would way down for 30 minutes after I would put the nitro in and would get up slowly when it was time.

Update-Still pain free. I switched prune juice from the store brand to name brand Sunsweet. It makes a big difference in the morning. My bowel movements are soft and just want to shoot out of me. I had to cut back on the apple juice. Too much sugar. At the the time when I was in pain I did not care about the sugar, I just wanted to be pain free.

Now that I am pain free, I only drink it twice a day. I did notice that after cutting back my bowel movements started to harden up so instead of cutting it out cold turkey I still do it twice a day combined with the Sunsweet prune juice bowel movements again are no problem.

Yesterday I had a day off work, I ate out at a chinese buffett eating lots of sushi and noddles, it was great!! Then for dinner I had chicken rice and beans, and buffalo chiken dip, and the dip is very spicy and fattering and ice cream.

It took me back to my old days before the fissure, just eating anything I wanted to, anyways today same thing, bowel movement shot out of me and no pain at all.

Of course I still drank plenty of water throughout the day and my apple and prune juice.

Keep fighting members there is hope!!

Wow this post made me feel so positive and good about healing my own fissure. Was yours chronic or acute? Did you have a sentinel pile? I think I have one .. I've been afraid to eat but have heard that's bad to do. My mom just made fresh tamales. I've been holding off on eating it. Maybe I'll give one a try? Masa is ok to eat? I'll try the apple juice thing for now. I eat a couple prunes a day. I take one stool softener in the morning and one at night. I drink close to 60oz of water a day. I'm 122lbs and have had this fissure for a month or more. I put nifedipine and lidocaine both twice a day. My bowel movement has bed ridden me for the day. Sharp excruciating pain going on for 3 hours now I hope I become successful like you at healing my fissure!