Hey Davo, yep the botox wore off in January. I only got a week of relief so have been back on the rectogesic for 2 months again. Unfortunately my good spell has ended and I am back to the pain :( I finally got the referral letter today from the GPs, so rang up the private hospital, only for me to be told that the next available appointment with the recommended CRS would be the 26th April (as he is going on holiday-lucky him). Well my NHS appointment is on 8th May so have thought about it and decided theres no point in paying Ј400 for a consultation which is only 2 weeks before the NHS one! So will see what the NHS say and if I get no joy I have the referral letter to go private straight after this. My parents have offered to help with costs which I really appreciate. To be honest I just sobbed tonight, not in a depressed way, was just the awful disappointment. Made even worse by the fact that for our teacher training day on 16th April we are doing outdoor learning. So I have to sit and watch everyone else doing orienteering and rock climbing, another disappointment as I love doing stuff like that. But I know I have to focus on the 8th May and if I get no joy from that then straight away go private. The dinner lady from work has left today (the one who had the fissure), the head asked her to hand in her notice ( I personally wouldn't have and think thats terrible!) but she has. She had the LIS and it hasn't worked so she has to have another operation to put in a colostomy bag and they have no other option. Feel sorry for her, she's been suffering for 3 years now. To be honest I just want LIS now. Anyway enough of my misery, think I am just disappointed. I hope your recovery has continued to go well. At least you seem to be sorted now and are living life to the full. Keep living life to the full for the rest of us until we can do it too! :)

Sorry guys, this wasn't meant to freak you out. When I said about the lady having the colostomy bag it wasn't as a result of the LIS. The lady had had botox, LIS and more botox to help and think this next operation is the docs grasping at straws! She seems to be a unique case :)

Actually Sue,
Some days a colostomy bag sounds like a good idea.

But I'm not that desperate yet ; )
Hope it helps her!
Glad you have some back up plans Sue, and I hope the weekend treats you well!
-Tanya

Hi Sue,
You've not really had much luck with the Botox have you? That is such a shame, i just can't understand why it hasn't worked for you.
I think you are doing the right thing by holding off for a few weeks to see the NHS guy however make sure the hospital you are visiting has a Colorectal department rather than just a general surgery department. (You live in the North West dont you?)
By the way Ј400 for a private consultation seems extremely high, i think the cost of my consultations was around Ј180 per visit, the CRS's only charged Ј250 for the LIS procedure itself so Ј400 for the consulation is way too much!
Sorry to hear about your training day too and i completely understand how you must be feeling. I felt the same at Christmas time when our whole department was going out for dinner and drinks and i just had to go home alone whilst they all went to party.
Also that is a really sad story about your dinner lady, i would try not to dwell too much on her circumstances though as she does sound an exception to the rule.
As for me well i dont know whether i want to say this now but yeah i feel wonderful, i dont have the fissure pain no more and the discomfort from the incision point is hardly noticeable. I do still have some very slight soiling each day and i can't tell whether this is from the wound or liquid stool however we are talking about the very smallest amount and as i am only two weeks post-LIS this should be expected.
The thing i have noticed is how much I appreciate everyday life now, I no longer take it for granted and to just go walking whilst being pain & symptom free is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I still try and remain realistic though and until i get an all clearI still act as though i am trying to heal a fissure.
Anyway i hope you have a great weeked (you too Tanya) and that you see an improvement shortly.
If you need to chat about anything offline feel free to PM me
Davo

Davo,
Dilation seems to be relaxing my back end. So I am doing pretty well. Still a ways to go though.
But it is nice to have a plan of action that I can feel confident in!
Walking, dilating, eating fibre and drinking prune juice. Just trying to keep it as simple as I can.
Good for you, feeling all better!
-Tanya