Hi Hurting girl,
I'm not actually having the LIS. My anal resting pressure is within the normal limits. I will have to have either Botox with fissurectomy, or advancement flap surgery. The CRS will decide what to do once I am under and he can have a good look!
I am in the uk.... So I guess I will be going in for my surgery first!!
I really hope we both get sorted that day!!
OMB xxxx

Hey hurting girl - did you end up having the surgery? How did it turn out?
I, too, delivered my son in early April and have been struggling with fissure(s) pain since. I understand all too much how depressing it is, especially with a newborn. I'm not living like myself and I cry all the time from the pain and hopelessness. Ointments/creams haven't worked and I can't carry in this way much longer. Just curious as to your experience with the surgery.

Hey Hurting Girl,
I hope your surgery went well! I had the surgery done on June 18th and also had three skin tags removed. I too developed my fissure after giving birth to my daughter in Dec 2010, so I lived with it for WAY too long. Almost exactly 2 1/2 years. I feel much better after surgery. The only real pain I've experienced is the skin tag removal sites and that's a stretching, almost tearing pain that is much less than the tearing pain of a fissure. The doctor said that feeling should go away in 3-4 weeks and I feel a little bit better everyday, so I believe him. I had immediate relief at the fissure. The only thing that hurt on my first poop was the incision site and that was more of a dull, sore pain like a broom pole had been up my butt while I was sleeping the night before or something.
Newmom,
This is definitely a personal choice, so I could never tell anyone to get the surgery, but after living like that for 2 1/2 years, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'm only 12 days post op right now and while I'd like to sit on a porcupine because I'm so itchy, I soon feel that I will be able to do all the things I've wanted to do with my daughter for so long. I live in Florida so I can't wait to get annual passes to Disney so we can go every weekend :) Just thought I'd share since I have a similar situation. I hope my story can help you figure out what's right for you so you can devote your life to your sweet baby, rather than the fissure.

Courtknee - thank you for your story. I'm leaning quite heavily towards asking my doctor to head in that direction of recovery. I don't know how you managed this for 2.5 years! I'm slowly breaking down mentally and emotionally with it - every day I feel a little more hopeless and I cry after almost every BM until I can calm myself down or the pain faded a bit.
Do you plan on having more children? Are you worried, if so, about what will happen to your butt (recurrence, etc)?

If my fissure had me in tears everyday, i would have the surgery. Just make sure you are a candidate for LIS, meaning your sphincter pressure is high. They can measure for that. If its not high there are other surgeries.

Hey Newmom,
The only thing that kept me going these last 2 1/2 years was my daughter. I used to cry and beg God to please heal me. I would tell him he could take everything away except my family if he healed me.
I'd love to have another kid, but only being 13 days out, I'm not brave enough to actually consider it yet. They way I feel is, I'd rather be a happy, healthy mommy to the one child I have, rather than depressed and in pain all of the time with two children. If I feel like I can in a year, I will speak to my OB and my CRS about my options and I'm sure I'd have to get a c-section, as I hear that's what is recommended after LIS.
I pooped this morning with almost no pain at all even from the skin tag sites (and I'm having monster poops). They are maybe a little bit bigger around than Coke bottle caps! As I said before, I haven't had any pain from the fissure site since the moment after surgery. I even felt my fissure yesterday and it feels like its filled in, so it's not the deep tear it once was. The doctor said I had some pretty bad anal stenosis, so my butthole literally didn't want to let anything but watery diarrhea out which I'm sure was only aggravating the fissure more. I really urge you to get the ball rolling with some sort of treatment, whether it's surgery or another method. I waited 2 1/2 years because I was scared to death of the surgery. I even cried the entire time up until they put the Valium in my arm right before surgery. Now I'm kicking myself because I wish I would have got it done and over with 2 1/2 years ago. I'm sending good thoughts your way :) Keep me posted on what's going on with you!

Courtknee: are you having any incontinance issues after your surgery? Even mild ones, like cant hold gas?

No, and it's fantastic! I have been able to feel my farts and poop since the moment I stepped in my house after surgery. My butt was numb on the way home. Lol. The first night I wasn't sure which was which, but I definitely felt something. I bled for four days, but I've never even had a wet angel gas or a skid mark. I've been on a high fiber diet (25-35 g a day). Have you had the surgery Guiness?

Oh and my butthole only felt funny for like the first week. It was this weird dull pain, but feels completely normal again. Not loose or anything, just no pain :)

No it hasnt been recommended... Im doing well without. Im on my fifth week of nifedepine... Minor pain at the most. I have a chronic fissure thats finally healing.