Hopetoheal! I dont think u n the others know how much ur posts help me to cope with the struggle that im in....thanks sooo much....
Stress has taken over me in a big way and i think thats affecting my Bms! didnt have a BM yesterday and its almost afternoon today and still no BM:( I'm going off to the clinic in abt 3 hours and surgery is in abt 6 hours. I have imaginary pains and headaches...i guess the usual presurgery jitters....I'm going to try and be optimistic:) I hope ur doing really well and living life as it should be led!

Hi, Arafat!
I totally agree with you - that being able to talk here is so much help with our struggles. I'm so glad I found this forum.
Please take care, and let us know about your progress. I really wish you well, and I'll say a prayer for you, that you heal and feel fine, very soon.

Our prayers with u son.. God bless u n give u peace at this time. Follow docs order n remember what we have learned here from experiences we have read. God bless all members here . Keep us posted

Hey Arafat! I'm so glad we can help you out. :D Butt issues are so stressful. I imagine the surgery is behind you by now. I definitely know all about those horrible pre-surgery jitters! I hope you are feeling much less anxious and that you are taking good care of yourself. I had so much anxiety that my GP had to give me anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds - and I'm not the only boardie who needed to be medicated! I would do breathing exercises when my anxiety levels got too high, even after surgery. I would lie quietly and focus on my breathing and imagine my future of doing fun things.
Thank you so much for your well-wishes. I am living a very good life now, and you will be too very soon!
Please post when you can and tell us how you are doing. We are thinking of you and I'm sending lots of healing vibes your way. :D

Well i'm back home. Had the surgery on the 14th at around 7pm Took all of 20 minutes or so. Had a spinal tap so was awake during the procedure but obviously did not feel any pain. Was taken back to my room after the surgery.
Felt very gassy over the nxt few hours but had a dressing in place which i think stopped the gas from escaping. Took abt 7 hrs for the spinal anesthesia to wear off...after which i felt soreness but not really pain. I was given painkillers after every 6 hrs or so thyerefore even the discomfort is quite low. On the morning of 15th i took a sitz bath with no problems and my dressing was taken off. Again, no pain there at all. I was being able to pass gas so that made me feel a lot better. I was told regular diet other than food items which constipate with immediate effect from the 15th. I was discharged from the clinic on the 15th at 7pm. The ride home was not particularly uncomfortable even tho i was siting up.
Once back home, i've been laid on my back pretty much the whole time even tho standing up is not painful. I've been given antibiotics for 7 days, painkillers for 3 days and thats pretty much it. Oh IMPORTANT! On the discharge note when i left the clinic it said i had a fistulectomy done and an LIS. Today, i tried to look at a wound with my mirror but couldnt locate it. Right now, almost no pain (pretty much from the time anesthesia wore off). I take hip baths 3 times a day but also took a shower today without soap. To dry myself i've used baby wipes and also gauze pads stuffed in there to check discharge and then used a dryer. I stuff the gauze for 15 minutes or so and when i take it out its a little wet with very little blood and occassionally some a few pieces of gooey brownish/whitish exudate. My doc said i should use gauze pads to clean there and remove exudate and blood.
I do have a concern. Havent had a BM in the last 2 days, just pass a lot of gas but on my own so no incontinnet flatulence! I did take 3 tea spoons of MOM last night and will do the same tonight. Any idea what i should do tomorrow if i do not have a BM by say afternoon? I'm not eating a LOT but not very little either. Essentially, rice and vegetables n fish. Well, i guess thats my first update! Thnks to all of u for ur support. Thought abt u ppl throughtout the time i was gettin ready for the procedure and afterwards!

Glad ur back son - God bless u! Keep doing the good eating habits with soft foods n water intake - very important u keep BM soft n continue to do so for next few weeks. Don't overdo anything pls. God bless

Yay, Arafat!! Way to go! You did great! :D
I'm so happy that you are having so little pain, especially since you had two procedures! That's wonderful! :D Your routine sounds perfect. It sounds like you are doing an excellent job keeping clean.
It's not uncommon for the first BM to be a bit stubborn. The MOM should really help with that, but I'd also recommend drinking A LOT of water. Drinking lots of water usually gets things moving (hot or cold water also helps trigger the urge). If you haven't had a BM after three days, I'd call your doc's office to ask for their advice. Also, rice can be constipating sometimes, so you might want to keep that off the menu for a little while. Leafy greens, and especally spinach, have good natural laxative qualities, so if you can, you might want to eat more of that.
I'm so happy you had a good experience and that you are doing so well. :D Get lots of good rest and pamper yourself as much as possible (you've been through quite a lot, so you deserve it!). Post when you can and let us know how you're doing.

Hi Hopetoheal! Hope you're doing well. Will make it to CT one of these days soon!!
Arafat would agree with Hope about water. I take MOM and drink a fair amount during the day. Sadly, spinach makes me constipated, so I can't eat that, but one of these days!!! Good luck with your healing and hope that things are looking up today. All the best to you.

Hey Savaici! I can't wait to go back to CT! We will get there one of these fine days. I'm doing quite well, thanks. How are you doing these days?
Thanks for mentioning your problem with spinach. That stuff flies right through me and I've read in many places that it's very effective for BMs - but it's good to know it can have the opposite effect on some people. Basically, insoluble fibre, like leafy veggies, are supposed to be good for stimulating BMs.
Try not to worry, Arafat, one secret to having a nice BM is to relax as much as possible. I hope you are doing well - you're on the other side now, so you can look forward to healing from now on.

Hey grannymaria, hopetoheal and savaici, hope ur all doin well Just thought of posting an update.... :D
I had my fist BM after surgery yesterday night, almost three days after surgery. I was prepared for the worst but it wasnt really painful. I was loaded on stool softeners n MOM and so it was PULPY feces, after a while i thought i felt a block that wasnt coming out and so i strained a little and it came out! I did not notice any blood. I cleaned with the shower wand and then dabbed with baby wipes, hopped into a sitz bath, cleaned with gauze pads stuffed with cotton and used the dryer! I stuffed a new gauze pad in my butt cheeks before going to bed. Went to bed soon afterwards but was woken up at around 3 in the morning with pretty bad soreness. Took the gauge pad out and there was more moisture and more blood than in the previous days. Changed it for a new one and then went back to bed. I did have a second BM abt 1 in the afternoon today. Not as pulpy as the 1st one but more well formed. Same experience as the 1st BM, soreness n moderate pain following the BM but this time i immediately rushed off to lay down after the cleaning process. The discomfort wore down after about 30 minutes or so. I've decided that from now on i'm going to take a sitz bath first, air the PLACE with my dryer on cold and once the soreness has gone down then i'll start the cleaning process!
I've got a few q's if someone could help...
1. The discharge i get is dampness n moisture plus some blood but not a lot. As i mentioned i put in gauze pads stuffed with cotton in my butt cheeks for abt 3 hrs at different times of the day n night to check discharge and to make sure the place doesnt become too wet. Is that OK? How long can i expect such discharge to continue? Its uncomfortable stuffing pads inside the cheeks! Is there some other way i could do this?
2. I'm at DAY 4 post OP and i only feel noticeable soreness for a while after BM. Is that normal? Is the worst in terms of pain and soreness over? I've stopped taking prescribed painkillers and have decided to use paracetamols if necessary.
3. Can i walk around now without disturbing my healing? Im scheduled to go back to work on Monday , almost 9 days after surgery. I'm supposed to have a follow up with my CRS on Sunday but i want to start moving around a little just to see how i respond to activity.
4. A weird question but i've got to ask this...is it strange that i cant see my wound???I mean i couldnt see the fistula when i had it so...well dont know what to think. I've put up a mirror in front while i separate my butt cheeks but cant really see anything, just feel a bit if swelling...
Thanks for the help!