[mamabird83]

I have been dealing with anal fissures for the past 8 months following the birth of dd. I have tried eating more fiber and drinking more water in addition to cleaning myself with a baby wipe after I use the bathroom.
Although the problem seemed to go away at times it has made me pretty miserable. It has been difficult becoming a mother for the first time and trying to watch my diet as intensely as is necessary to keep my bowels soft. One day with only 50 ounces of water instead of my usual 96 and I am back where I started.
Although I wanted to heal myself using natural methods because I am breast feeding I finally began taking colace and psyllium under the guidance of a friend who is a CNM. I consider this my last great effort at healing and if this doesn't work i am going to see a specialist.
Does anyone have any suggestions? What are some good high fiber foods that I could eat? Has anyone had success with colace and psyllium? Why does child birth sometimes cause anal fissures?

 

[Panserbjorne]

Well, I would not personally be upping fiber. That to me could cause more damage. However I think you need to look at cellular integrity and be asking the question of why are you so prone to tearing? The biggies that come up for me are zinc and vitamin C. They are the two that are responsible for the cell walls and if you are deficient you will be more prone to tearing. Zinc will also help hasten the healing process.

You should also be looking at your diet. Pregnancy can trigger all kinds of things and it sounds like it may have for you. Your biggest task right now is to replace nutrients, not just get calories. Do your best to avoid processed foods and really focus on nutrient density.

If you need to soften your stools for the time being I would be using magnesium (which you likely need anyway) rather than anything harsh like psyllium. HTH and I also hope it resolves soon.

 

[Ceinwen]

No suggestions, but I'll be reading with interest.

To share my story: I've had bowel issues since childhood. I have some nerve damage done due to a spinal tumor (tethered spine).

Now at age 27 I have the beginning of a moderate rectal prolapse, and several exceedingly painful anal fissures.

It's excruciating. I'm trying all sorts of naturopatic remedies, but I'm open to hearing others experiences as well.

 

[mamabird83]

Thanks for posting. I do eat a mostly whole foods, organic diet with lots of greens and veggies. I also take cod liver oil and a shaklee multi vitamin that supplements zinc, magnesium and vitamin C.
From what I have gleaned from other internet sources, the problem with healing anal fissures is that they are in an area of the body that is difficult to keep clean and the skin is often stretched. I am taking the fiber to soften stools to reduce stretching and allow the skin to heal together. How much Magnesium can I take to soften stools? Would this have an affect on my dd since I am nursing?

 

[Panserbjorne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamabird83 Thanks for posting. I do eat a mostly whole foods, organic diet with lots of greens and veggies. I also take cod liver oil and a shaklee multi vitamin that supplements zinc, magnesium and vitamin C. From what I have gleaned from other internet sources, the problem with healing anal fissures is that they are in an area of the body that is difficult to keep clean and the skin is often stretched. I am taking the fiber to soften stools to reduce stretching and allow the skin to heal together. How much Magnesium can I take to soften stools? Would this have an affect on my dd since I am nursing?

You have an imbalance or this wouldn't be happening. These nutrients from a multi are pretty useless. They aren't delivered that way in nature for a reason. The presence of calcium interrupts magnesium uptake, copper interferes with zinc and so on. I would take magnesium alone, at night. It will pass through the breastmilk and in my mind that is a GOOD thing as most of us are horribly deficient. It is water soluble so if you have too much you get loose stools-similar to vitamin C. I take about 700 mg a day and have for my entire nursing career. Glad I do too, it helps them sleep. magnesium is the mineral that allows muscle fibers to relax and is great for cramping, headaches, stress and the like.

Yes, the fissures are hard to keep clean, but what the internet sources are missing is WHY are they even PRESENT? Slapping a bandaid on them isn't going to allow healing. You have to address the reason they are there to begin with. Why is your tissue tearing so easily? That's the question, in my mind. If you had hte nutrients that allowed for cellular integrity you would also have the nutrients to facilitate skin healing-as they are the same.

It's important (my two cents here) not to look at these situations from an allopathic perspective. Softening the stool can be helpful, but you need to address the bigger picture. Softening the stool with something that is abrasive and can cause further damage to the gut and more micro-tears in the intestinal tract is to *me* quite counterproductive.

 

[mamabird83]

Thanks for the good advice. I have begun taking a Magnesium supplement before bed as you suggested. We'll see how it goes.
Ever since I became pregnant I have done everything I could to eat a healthy, well balanced diet with lots of veggies and water. I am very focused on health through nutrition. So when I gained 72 pounds during pregnancy and have now had this persistent anal fissure problem I have come to feel as though my body is broken.
I know having resentment toward my body could be part of the problem, but it is so frustrating when I feel as though I am doing everything right and I still am encountering problems that shouldn't be happening with a diet as healthy as mine.

 

[MaterPrimaePuellae]

Psyllium is what finally helped me. I drank lots of water and drank the psyllium in water every morning. It took about 2 mos till I felt really well-- now I'm completely back to normal.

I don't know as much about the nutrition aspect, but for me, I had difficult (hard) bowel movements following labor which resulted in the tears and then it was hard to heal. There was just the one tearing incident, but it kept reopening before fully healing. (so I guess I'm questioning the "fix it nutritionally" advice only because, for me, that did not seem to be a long-term issue)

 

[mamabird83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaterPrimaePuellae Psyllium is what finally helped me. I drank lots of water and drank the psyllium in water every morning. It took about 2 mos till I felt really well-- now I'm completely back to normal. I don't know as much about the nutrition aspect, but for me, I had difficult (hard) bowel movements following labor which resulted in the tears and then it was hard to heal. There was just the one tearing incident, but it kept reopening before fully healing. (so I guess I'm questioning the "fix it nutritionally" advice only because, for me, that did not seem to be a long-term issue)

How long had you had the fissures before you began taking the Psyllium since you said it was not a long term issue? I believe my circumstances are similar to yours. I didn't notice any specific bowel movement that caused the problem but I did experience my first tear within a week of labor. Some threads suggest it is caused by excessive straining when pushing during labor.
The continued tearing I have experienced is the in the same spots that have never fully healed. I am taking magnesium in addition to Psyllium and Colace to try and tackle the problem from every angle.
Ugggg. I find it very difficult to take care of myself when I am so busy with my 8 month old daughter. I am having to make a very strong conscious effort to balance all of these treatments to get better.

 

[MaterPrimaePuellae]

This is definitely TMI, but since you asked...
They recommended colace to me in the hospital-- I took it a few times, but stopped after I got home. I can't remember how long after the birth (maybe a week, but I really do not remember), but I could definitely tell after one bowel movement that something was not right. I had been holding back on pooping because I was afraid of vaginal pain (ha! If only I had known!) Anyway-- that one time set me up for weeks and weeks of discomfort. I tried colace again-- no help. Then I started taking metamucil (spelling, again?) every morning at the same time, and I was drinking a LOT of water. I also focused *a lot* on being very relaxed and never straining while defecating. I started having regular and softer bowel movements every morning, and eventually I just healed. I spent a lot of time sitting on icepacks, though, and driving was the worst- I guess it was the design of my seat.

I hope all of that is helpful and that you heal soon!

 

[Panserbjorne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamabird83 How long had you had the fissures before you began taking the Psyllium since you said it was not a long term issue? I believe my circumstances are similar to yours. I didn't notice any specific bowel movement that caused the problem but I did experience my first tear within a week of labor. Some threads suggest it is caused by excessive straining when pushing during labor. The continued tearing I have experienced is the in the same spots that have never fully healed. I am taking magnesium in addition to Psyllium and Colace to try and tackle the problem from every angle. Ugggg. I find it very difficult to take care of myself when I am so busy with my 8 month old daughter. I am having to make a very strong conscious effort to balance all of these treatments to get better.

And that's when I'd be asking why your skin tore so easily. Many people don't tear even after a strenuous birth. There is a tendency to see what is common as normal. There is a difference. Just my opinion.

 

[WuWei]

The anus is an extension of the gut. If it is inflamed, the mucus membrane will be more fragile and tear more easily. I'd focus on adding nutrients to decrease inflammatory gut issues, yeast, and constipation.

Cod liver oil, coconut oil (orally and topically), magnesium, vit C, vit E, probiotics.

Increased animal fats, butter, coconut oil, magnesium, bone broths, vitamin C, probiotics (specifically Lactobacillus casei Shirota). Try prune juice, aloe tea, Rhubarb root extracts, carrot juice 1:1 with spinach juice, plantains, dandelion tea, coconut, honey, Blackstrap molasses, cabbage juice, almond oil with milk.

Additionally, foods high in potassium help bowel function as it improves peristaltic movements of the colon: Kale, cabbage, yellow tomatoes, spinach, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, goat milk, sesame seeds, wheat germ brewers yeast, flax seed, grapes, green peppers, pineapple, beets, potatoes with skin, Blackstrap molasses.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/cons...nstipation.htm

Also, witch hazel topically helps to decrease irritation. And lavender essential oil and baking soda in bath water to soak, will help. Have you tried any arnica montana for soft tissue healing? It is homeopathic. Apis or calendula ointments, if itching.

Pat

 

[mamabird83]

Thanks WuWei for the link to the alternative medicine page. I checked it out and found a very interesting blurb about pelvic floor muscles being altered after childbirth and how Biofeedback can help.

"4) Biofeedback

Biofeedback therapy may help people with constipation resulting from pelvic floor dysfunction, a condition in which the pelvic floor muscles do not function properly. It occurs as a result of conditions such as obesity, an enlarged prostate, or after childbirth.

Biofeedback therapists teach how to better coordinate muscles used to defecate. Approximately 70% of people have improved symptoms after biofeedback training.

Although biofeedback has only been explored as a treatment for this type of constipation relatively recently, results are promising.

For example, one study compared biofeedback (one session a week for five weeks) to laxatives (polyethylene glycol 14.6 to 29.2 grams per day) plus education in people with chronic, severe pelvic floor dysfunction. All participants had previously tried fiber supplements plus enemas.or suppositories but hadn't responded.

After six months, biofeedback sessions were more effective than tha laxative, with 43 of 54 (80%) of the biofeedback patients versus 12 of 55 (22%) laxative-treated patients reporting major improvements. Benefits appeared to last at least two years."