VaginaPagina

sounds like hemorrhoids. the OTC stuff can help some. When my friend was prego and got crazy hemorrhoids, her OB suggested just saturating a cloth in witch hazel and sitting on it, since the active ingredient in Preparation H *IS* witch hazel.

It may not necessarily be hemorrhoids, but I know from experience (thankfully from many decades ago) that sometimes the poop felt like jagged little rocks that scraped the anal passage. Very much an ouch time.

As the first commenter suggested, lots of water and more fibre are terrific things. If you want an excellent (and tasty) portable source of fibre, eat apples, skin and seeds, too (just cut in quarters and remove the stem and beard). I call them digestive roto-rooters!

I've had some pretty stubborn fissures that can stay around for a week-ish. IBS, hurrah :-/

Regardless, definitely up your fiber and water intake as has already been mentioned. Exercise can also help things move through your system quicker, which can help stools soften. My doctor suggested things that would specifically target your abdominal muscles--stretching, twisting, etc.


For a quick laxative, I'd suggest a large cup of coffee, especially if you aren't a regular coffee drinker. I usually have at least a couple BMs within a few hours of drinking coffee, and things tend to get softer by the time I'm done. It can hurt if you're really backed up, though, so don't go overboard if you're sensitive to the effects of coffee.

if you have been eating "scratchy" hard to digest foods like popcorn and seeds a lot more recently that could also contribute to the irritation. so i'd lay off them until everything gets better.

ia with the other comments thus far too

lol it wasn't. i've had this username and icon for years

i was just laughing at the irony of the oatmeal icon in this post, too :-P it's perfect :-P

Hmmm, it IS possible for it to be a fissure. I used to have horrible constipation and the after effects of it, were, well, very hard stools. A little over a year ago I had some hard ones, some red blood on the tissue and didn't think too much about it. My stomach started to loosen up and even after the normal or thin BMs much larger amounts of red (not black) blood would be on the tissue. Then it started to drip out; so much that I thought I started my period early. It kept dripping for like 2 weeks and I got major paranoid so I went to see my doc. He immediately said "hemorrhoids!" and I asked him "How do you know?" he said "(Well don't you) have them?" We were speaking in my second language so I guess there was a bit of a misunderstanding; he had assumed I had had hemorrhoids before and knew what they felt like. I said I had NO IDEA what this was, SO he gave me an exam.

The results?

Anal fissure due to hard stools and then continued irritation. I had no idea a fissure could bleed THAT MUCH but apparently they can. He gave me some cream (no idea what the name is in English) and it went away in about a week and haven't had trouble since. D:

I have had some of the exact same problems but it goes a way and comes back and I don't have insurance so I just try to drink water and eat yogurt and other fiber filled things.

I'm always curious though, and maybe someone can answer this for me- will stool get in my blood stream from having fissures and will that cause me more problems?

If you go see your family doctor they will do an exam to determine whether you have hemorrhoids or a fissure. I think it's worth a trip if it has happened the last ten times you pooped because if it is a fissure then that indicates it's not healing and it could become chronic if you leave it.

I echo what everyone else has said about fibre and water (very important if you're increasing your fibre as without it your poos will be even harder). If you're going to have a stool softener take Movicol as it's ok for longer term use because it's not absorbed by the bowel- it's an osmotic, just drawing water in to keep the poo soft. You'll probably only need one or two a day if you do take it regularly.

The same exact thing happens to me and I believe it to be tiny fissures (i have had issues with hemorrhoids in the past and can distinguish, barely). Preparation H CREAM (not the ointment, the cream with promixin) seems to help—I think because it lubricates the area and allows everything to...slide out easier!!