I've decided to write about my experience with the procedure simply to encourage those with similar condition and to let them know it may be one of the best things you could do for yourself.

I've suffered from fissures for 3 years, in course of time developed some external hemorrhoids as well. I have made a mistake to research my condition online and read all the traumatizing posts which frightened me to death. Had I known what I do now, I would have done it at the first symptom. Let me stress...I truly sympathize with those who went through the surgery and their recovery was "hellish", I wish your process was easier. At the same time I wish there were more of positive posts for those who are considering the procedure.

The pain I was experiencing was becoming unbearable, nightmare at each bm, the pain would not go away, painkillers every 6 hrs; would spend weekends in bed...I was a mess. I've tried every possible remedy and nothing would work. My diet has always been very healthy, mostly fruits and veggies, fish, some poultry but no red meat, no sugar, no starches; gym 4 times a week. It didn't matter, my condition was simply getting worse with time.

Finally scheduled the surgery for Dec 15 '15, I am currently almost 6 weeks post surgery. To control pain my doc prescribed Percocet (constipating) and Colace for easier stools. Here comes my recovery:

Day 0: Surgery day. The procedure (fissurectomy, hems removal & anal Botox injection) took about 20 mins. The pain post surgery was not as bad as I was expecting so I thought the stronger wave will come later....it didn't. I stayed 3 hrs in the recovery room, asked a nurse for a pain killer (just incase) until I was released. When home I took 1 more Percocet pill with Colace but noticed that it didn't help much with pain, made me sluggish therefore decided to stay away from it. The pain was still completely bearable...as a matter of fact....it was nothing in comparison to the pain prior surgery. At midnight I took 2 Advils and that took all the pain away, felt nothing.

For the next 3 days Advil 3 times a day and Colace 2x day; eating strictly fruits, veggies, yogurt, drinking lots of water, hot tea, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice (from own juicer).

First bm came on the 2nd day post surgery....I was petrified and sweating (from fear)....it didn't hurt!!!! It just didn't. I cried from happiness, felt so relieved.

On day 5 post surgery I stopped taking Colace all together and reduced Advil to 2 pills a day, only if needed. Off of Advil completely 7 days post surgery.

Bloody discharge lasted almost 2 weeks, don't be scared, it's perfectly normal.

The feeling was more of a discomfort than pain, for few weeks I felt something "there". I was able to go back to work after 2 weeks; gym 5 weeks later; sitting straight is still a bit uncomfortable but a donut pillow makes it easier.
One thing I didn't stop is sitzbath...best remedy ever; I do it 3 times a day (religiously)...soapy hot water, especially after each bm and at night I soak in chamomile.

I still feel as if something was sticking out from down there; my doctor said it may take up to 3 months for that area to go back to "normal", I hope it will.

So to wrap it up....do not be scared, do the surgery, hot sitzbath everyday (a must) and a healthy diet.

Good luck!
Mon

Congrats! Your experience is very similar to mine. I had a fissurectomy/skin tag removal/botox last April and I was absolutely petrified after having read so many horror stories. The worst part for me was the post-op nausea, otherwise the recovery pain was NOTHING in comparison to the fissure. Unfortunately, the success stories online aren't as abundant as the horror stories since people with uneventful recoveries just go on living their lives. This is why I made sure to report back here after my successful surgery as well. Thank you for taking the time to report back with your positive experience and good news...it's so important that people considering surgery read experiences like yours!!

I'm so happy to hear that! There should be more of positive feedbacks out there.
How long did it take you to fully recover? I still have something there, keep applying Analpram cream, maybe it will go away in time.

It was probably a good two months before that 'kicked in the bum feeling' went away completely and I could sit without having to accommodate any sort of discomfort. I don't remember feeling like something was there, just a dull ache. But feeling like something is there just sounds like you've still got some swelling/inflamed tissues which should continue to get better, day by day. Maybe try some aleve or other anti-inflammatory and see if that helps?

Yes, I'm hoping it's just some swollen tissue; aloe sounds like a good idea, I'll definitely try it.
Thank you so much for your feedback and advice.

Hi Monarc,

As this is a wonderful success story, I have moved the topic to the Anal Fissure Success Stories sub-forum, to help others. Thanks for posting your story, and FissureFL too!

I had an anoplasty spincterotomy for my anal fissure which I began pain experiencing recently (since December of 2015). I decided to get this procedure done because I couldn't tolerate the pain after my bms. So when I went to see a colon and rectal surgeon early last week, he advised me that I had a chronic anal fissure which he could prescribe me pills and ointments or perform surgery. I decided on the latter. I had my surgery on this past Friday. After the surgery there was no pain, I took a pain killer (Percocet) on my way home from the hospital before the anesthesia fully wore off. I didn't have any pain until Friday night. I was in quite a bit of pain on Saturday, until I had what I thought was a bowel movement, which ended up being a gauze pad that I expelled. (Sorry if this TMI for some, but I want to describe my post op experience in its entirety) Ever since I expelled the gauze pain, I have had little to no pain. I haven't taken any pain killers today. Today is Sunday, and I had my first bm (which I feared more than the actual surgery, since I read about the pain associated with it) and I can say it was not that bad at all. I didn't experience any pain, just a small amount of bleeding after my bm. I was able to drive to the grocery store today. I will rest tomorrow before I return to work on Tuesday. Overall, my procedure has been a positive experience.

So nice to read positive experiences! I have botox etc later this week and am terrified, so this is very welcome. FissureFL, you are so right - generally people with good experiences just go back their lives without reporting back. I hope to be one of the lucky ones and will be back on here to report on it!

brokenbottom- I think most people here can relate to the fear. I deal with a lot of health-related anxiety and fear of going to the doctor, etc but on the day of my surgery a sort of peaceful resignation came over me...like I'd run out of options and I had made the right decision to really try and fix the problem, hopefully permanently. Another important factor is that I trusted my doctor completely. I had tried most every other non-invasive option and I couldn't fix it so I trusted that she knew what she was doing and she would be able to fix me, so in a way it was kind of like handing over my fear and my problem to her. Before surgery I asked her several times about her experience with the surgery and how her other patients healed and she kept reassuring me that the surgery would not be more painful than the fissure itself and that her patients were happy with the results. Honestly, it was hard to believe her after having read so many horror stories. So, trust your doctor, ask him/her questions about their other patients' experiences. A CRS probably preforms this procedure hundreds of times a year.

I read your story and see that you've only been dealing with it for a few months so hopefully you're still kind of at an early stage where just doing the botox will be effective for you. Best of luck!

Thanks so much for your message FissureFL. Can really relate to what you're saying and feel like I've done all I can, so the surgery is my best hope for getting back to a normal life. Had a pretty bad day today which helps somehow in feeling that the surgery is the only option and that takes some of the stress out of it. Well a little bit!
Thanks again!