Hi folks,
I've been lurking for a few days so thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 26/f, living in California. I'm two weeks into my fissure, and holy hell, this is *miserable*. I got it from straining too hard a couple weeks ago (usually my BM's are no problem but I was on a saltines & popsicles diet for a few days because I had mono & was basically having serious flu-like symptoms... when it rains, it pours!). The next couple days I had excruciating BM's, and then I couldn't go anymore - I would try but the pain was so intense that my muscles would just freeze up.
So, I went to health services at my university (it's my first year of grad school) and they basically dismissed it and said, oh not everyone goes every day, you just have a hemmeroid, get some hydrocortisone and you'll be fine. So apparently I do have a hemmeroid - but it's never caused me any pain.
Anyway, I went back the next day, and they said, oh well maybe you have a fissure, and gave me codeine (no warning that it's constipating!) and told me to drink coffee to stimulate a BM. Still no luck. I ended up in the ER on the 5th day without a BM, where they gave me 2% nitroglycerin (topical) and percoset and magensium sulfate laxative and I had a BM from hell.
That was about 10 days ago, and things are still pretty rough.
I'll feel like things are on the upswing, a couple days of soft BM's, and then there will be blood again.
Yesterday was the first day I didn't have to walk as slowly as a snail just to not be in too much pain, and the first day I could sit okay, didn't have to lean over and put all my weight on one butt cheek...
But this morning, despite taking 200 mg colace 2x/day, eating only fruits, veg, whole grains, peanut butter, hemp fiber supplement and citrucel, and senna last night, the first few inches of my stool were HARD. How that is possible on my diet I don't know! There was the most blood yet, not just a streak on my BM but drops of it in the water too. I don't know if it's all the fissure; the dr said I had a small internal hemmeroid too.
I just feel so discouraged - I am eating really clean, taking my drugs, using nitro, taking gentle walks but refraining from the heavy weight lifting I used to do, drinking water like a fish - and yet it's like 2 steps forward, 2 steps back.
Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated! I've been thinking about mineral oil, definitely want to try miralax. Also thinking about going on a soft foods diet - like just fruit smoothies and pureed vegetable soups, til things improve a bit. Any input?
xoxo
hothead