I have started increasing my fiber intake due to anal fissure. I have a bowl of All Bran cereal for breakfast, a turkey sandwhich on whole wheat bread for lunch, and oatmeal for dinner, and for a snack I eat a pear or two per day. I also drink about 4 liters of water per day due to a urinary problem that I have also. The problem is I am having increased bowel movements. I am going 3 times per day and the stools still seem hard. I'm not sure what I should do. I am trying to get this fissure to heal. But, I don't think it's helping to go so many times per day when they are somewhat hard. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The common sense thing to do is to cut back on what you are doing differently and see how you go. But looking at what you are going, probably you are taking too much All Bran. Cut back on that which is insoluble fiber. Take some more soluble fiber eg Metamucil or Citrucel or in the form of fruit. My favourite fruit for soluble fiber is rock melon - I juice it up in the blender. The more soluble fiber you take, the softer your stools will be. But a word of caution - if you take the soluble fiber in the form of Metamucil or Citrucel, you must drink enough water to go with them otherwise you will have the same problems. My recommendation is fruit - find the right fruit for you (perhaps its pears). What I would do is have the fruit with the All Bran to balance it out. Don't have the All Bran in isolation.

I'm a big believer in taking a water soluble fiber like Metamucil twice daily with adequate water.

Samuelemouse--- I never heard of a rock melon ---Is there another name for it???

Harry

Also if your stools are hard yet then add colace aka docusate until they the fiber starts to kick in. You should be using metamucil as Harry suggested too.