Hi all! I am a new registered member of this forum but an old reader of yours. It's been 2 long years since my first anal fissure appeared, and I've been having good and bad days since.
The past five months I managed to be pain free most of the time with no blood in my stools, but this week it all just came back
I am seeing my doctor tomorrow and it's almost certain that I'll be having surgery very soon. I'm scared of it, but I'm a lot more scared of spending 3, 6, 10 years with this problem. Picturing myself in 5 years from now having the same chills every time I feel the urge to have a BM, just scares the hell out of me!
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for sharing your stories, specially to Davo and Thisfissurecankissmybutt, who gave me hope for having my life back after surgery!
If you have any advice or things to share, I'll be happy to get to know you better! I'm sorry if my writing is not that good, I'm from Mexico by the way :)
I hope you are all having a pain-free day!
XOXO
Alice

Hi Alice!
I'm so glad my posts were helpful for you! Personally, I know I never would have gotten through the surgery as easily if it weren't for the posts by Davo.
My first piece of advice: if your doctor recommends it, have the surgery ASAP and get your life back! As Davo can also attest, the recovery from the surgery for us was a breeze. Just take it easy afterwards for a bit and you should do well.
My second piece of advice: make sure your surgery is done by a colorectal surgeon (not a general surgeon). You want to go to someone that only deals with these kinds of issues.
If you're like me, you'll kick yourself for not having the surgery done earlier. My CRS said it is one of the easiest surgeries they do. It definitely beats living with a fissure.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Good luck!

Thank you so much for your advise thisfissurecankissmybutt!
My surgery appointment is next Wednesday!!! It will be done by a CRS and he said it was an ambulatory procedure with a fast recovery time (let's hope that's true, fingers crossed)
How long it's been since you had your surgery? do you still need to take extreme care about your diet?
I am a lot anxious about it, but hoping I've made the right decision :)
Have a good day!

Alice,
All the very best to you with the surgery....Fingers crossed x

Hi Alice:
My surgery was this past June (2012). I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want! However, I do still take a full dose of Miralax every morning with my breakfast (my CRS has told me to take it for life), as well as daily fiber supplements as part of a high fiber diet. To be honest, it's such a regular part of my routine now, I don't even think about it.
Are you taking Miralax now?
It's important to keep everything moving and soft following surgery. The thought of the first BM following surgery will make you anxious (so go ahead and accept that - it's perfectly normal to feel that way) but for most of us, the first BM was anti-climactic and pretty much painless.
Keeping clean is also important following surgery. I highly recommend a removable shower head, if at all possible.
In my opinion, stay away from narcotic pain relievers, which can cause constipation. I was able to take Tramadol and it took care of any discomfort.
Other than that, prepare to spend a lot of time just relaxing - watching tv, reading books, sleeping, taking baths, etc. It's one of the perks of having surgery, so take full advantage of it!
I know you'll do great! Please start a journal on here so that others can benefit from your experience.
Good luck!