[b]Well, here goes. I'm tired, oh so tired of pooping what feels like a flaming razor blade. So I went for a check up with my crs on Monday the 16th and he said the best option for me is LIS. Since the creams and fiber have not worked, he said if I was going to have healed by them, I would have. So here is my story...
I've been lurking and making a few comments here since January when this ordeal began. I thought I would create my "own" thread to chronicle my journey. I will be open, honest, and very detailed.
It's been the most painful thing I have ever experienced. SEVERAL times I had "healed" just by using nifedipene cream and LOTS of fiber, but then I would tear completely open again. I am pretty anxious ALREADY about my first BM after my surgery and I haven't even had surgery yet!
I have some xanax to take for the next 4 days, so hopefully that will help with the anxiety. Which is strange because I'm ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SURGERY NOW!!!! A body can only take so much pain. I'm ready to get my life back. I'm ready to not wake up every morning wondering how long going to the bathroom will take or if I'll make it out of the loo without breaking out in a sweat from the pain.
I do have a board certified crs, and I have met several people while waiting in his office that he has saved their lives from various issues.
I'm still amazed that something so small can cause such intense pain. I don't wish this on anyone. I'll try to post each day for the next few weeks to chronicle my ordeal. I'll just add to this thread. So, hope to see you around. And I hope your butt doesn't hurt anymore!

Hi Melissa,
All of us here understand your pain and frustration. We all just want it to end. I hope the surgery goes smooth for you and you heal quickly. Looking forward to reading your posts:)

MelissaB
I too look forward to reading your posts, and wish for you the best best best experience with surgery, every step of it, and that you will be quickly healed from your pain. The anxiety before any surgery is always the worst, so try over the next couple of days to be gentle with yourself, listen to your favorite music, take baths, read, whatever helps you relax.
From reading surgical stories here one of the biggest sources of anxiety for people after their surgery is not really knowing what to expect and what is normal or not normal after surgery in terms of swelling, discharge, pain levels, bleeding, prescriptions for pain and their side effects, postoperative care of the wound, etc. hopefully your surgeon has been really thorough with you about all of this to help you with knowing what to do and what to expect. And of course there are some really caring surgical veterans here on this board to help support you too.
best of luck! You're almost there!

pgre and jr2...have either of you had surgery?

I haven't ...

Surgery is scheduled for 9:45am Central time zone. I'm so ready to get this all over with. I'm just eating soft foods today and nothing after midnite. I'm planning on eating things like soup, apple sauce, yogurt, etc. for the next few days. I have the laundry caught up. Finishing up on the house now, so I can just relax and spend the evening with my family. Hope you are all having a pain free day today. :D

Sounds like you're all set!
Infection/abscess leading to fistula is one of the complications of LIS surgery. It's hard to say what the rates are in terms of it happening because most CRS dismiss it as a small percentage. But it does happen, and when you are the patient who it happens to it doesn't really matter how low the percentages are because for you personally it was 100%. Keep in mind that on a forum where people are seeking support for their pain there will seem to be more incidences of this complication because the people who are uneventfully cured by surgery have no reason to post to a forum.
The best you can do is to be fully informed about your postoperative wound care instructions and to be diligent about following them, as well as going in with the completely optimistic outlook that all will be well. Plenty of rest, healthy eating, emotional support, and following your surgeon's instructions.

my crs wants me to bathe in very warm water 3 times a day for at least 15 minutes at a time. He said that sitz baths aren't as effective. He wants me in the tub with my feet up over the spigot and my back on the bottom of the tub. Hope that makes sense.

yes, that makes sense. Ive never liked the sitz bath basin that you put over the toilet. That position has always for me put way too much pressure on the anorectal area and hurts my legs too. I use a similar position in the tub to the one your CRS recommends for getting relief.
Did he tell you how to clean the area after a bowel movement, or are you just to hop in the tub without cleaning? I'm just wondering if with the swelling and such if you need to do any more to ensure adequate cleaning of the area? Having read a bunch of surgical stories on this site, the bathing is really essential, and also it seems gentle cleaning with some sort of baby wipe after bowel movements. Might be worth asking your doctor about it.