Surgery day: absolutely zero pain or bleeding from fissure even during or after morning BM. I fasted from 7am. A bit nervous but not too bad. arrived at hospital 12:30, had all the usual checks. anaesthetist said that I was the first afternoon operation for the day. So off we went to theatre. A few nurses and the surgeon were there. Surgeon was busy and had his back to me. I was prepped with cannula and monitors. Knocked out in probably 2 mins. Woke up in recovery an hour later. Groggy and a bit sore (4/10? Maybe 5/10) was given a panadeine forte (it has codeine in it) told myself that was the last time I’d have strong painkillers as I don’t want constipation! A nurse got me dressed and removed the padding and tape on my bum. No internal packing! Saw the surgeon briefly who said he did exactly what we talked about. Lis only. My fissure apparently started to bleed when he scoped me under anaesthesia. He assured me that I wouldn’t feel any worse than with fissure. He didn’t say much at all.
Went home shortly after, fairly comfortable drive home. I had a plate of vegetables for dinner, relaxed in bed and fell asleep by 10pm. Great sleep.

Day 1: woke with minimal pain, more of a bruised feeling. No stinging or bad pain.
Was dreading the first BM & hoping it would be pain free like some people on here had.
Had fruit, toast and coffee for breakfast. Felt a BM urge an hour later. Not going to lie, it burned so bad and felt stuck! I was breathing through it and took my time. Finally a massive firm stool came followed by soft stool. (9/10 pain) It was the biggest poop I’ve done in ages! It must’ve been from the drugs during/after surgery. My diet is fine and water intake is great. No throbbing afterwards and sitz bath after helped with pain. Alternated between ice and heat pack for the rest of the day and took a few Panadol/Advil. Felt lethargic most of the day. Rested on the bed and couch. Took some drops of laxative before bed to ensure soft stool in the morning. No pain overnight.

Day 2: woke up feeling sore and bruised. Walking slowly. Had a coffee and felt BM urge straight away. It was very loose stool and came easy but it hurt. Lots of stinging from the incision. Burning as well. Showered then sitz bath. Heat pack after the bath. Pain reduced but still very tender feeling.
That’s it for now. Will keep updating. I’m hoping that this has worked! A bit disappointed that I’m not one of the lucky ones that had almost zero pain. I’m telling myself that I’ve got a deep cut right next to my anus so of course it’s going to hurt. I don’t think I can feel the fissure but not sure.
I have not experienced any incontinence so far. I can squeeze the external sphincter. But it hurts to do so. Wind has passed easily but I could probably hold it if I wasn’t hurting.

Congratulations on getting it done! Sorry you’re hurting…especially with BMs. I am going to follow— interested in how you come along over the next week or two, as I’m on the fence about getting surgery myself! Also wishing you the best outcome!

Thank you girraphne..:)

Day 3 update: I felt mostly fine when I woke up. Had breakfast and coffee, soon needed a BM.
It was another loose one today so I’m no longer going to take the extra laxative. It really stung coming out.
I always found those were the worst when the fissure was playing up so I’m not surprised. Another loose stinging BM followed about 2 hours later.

So far today I’ve had two baths and two quick showers. Been laying down with a heat pad against my bum. I can feel the incision site the most.
Eating and drinking regularly and there are still no spasms, itching or throbbing. Also no blood or drainage that I’ve noticed.

Those loose stinging BM are why you don't want to use stool softeners or laxatives. Bulk that stool up with fiber and you'll be on easy street by next week! I am amazed that all CRS don't do an anal manometry test to make sure you won't have incontinence with the LIS. On one hand it's over 95% successful so they probably like those odds but my CRS had me do one and my sphincter was off the chart strong so incontinence was never an issue.

Rich44, yes I agree the monometry test should be standard. I had one about two years ago which showed that I was hypertonic. So I knew I could handle the lis. The current surgeon said that it was unfair that I was scared off lis for so long. He was confident and I think that’s what I would suggest others look for in a good surgeon.

I haven’t had a BM today which is mildly concerning but I did go 3 times yesterday so that’s why.
No pain whatsoever today due to not going to the bathroom.
Still sitz bathing and showering regularly to keep clean.

Day 5: had my morning BM and all went well. Not loose stool. I had no burning just a slight discomfort coming from the incision area.
I had some soreness for 5 mins afterwards. It’s now been 30 mins and I’m sitting on my bottom. No pain.
I think I felt the slightest itch this morning and expect to feel more later.
I’m feeling hopeful…but there is always the lingering psychological damage from this ordeal.
I’m going to head out for a small walk and get some much needed exercise and sunshine.

Congrats on the LIS and keep us updated!
My lis has been very smooth and I'm really glad it was done (can't say the same about the skin tag removal lol, I've been ranting in my post).
You'll be great soon! It's amazing how the muscle returns to normal so fast.
I struggled with the mind games too! My head tried to understand what happened for 2 weeks lol.
Happy recovery!!!

Thanks Worstyear, I hope everything is going well for you!

Day 6: BM was good with just a small amount of discomfort. Maybe tmi but I had a heavy period this day and had to freshen up in the shower quite a few times. I just felt there was a lot of moisture and irritation. But no pain.

Day 7: almost zero pain when going to the bathroom this morning! It just slid out comfortably. Omg! I had the smallest discomfort afterwards from the incision site. Showered and blow-dryed the area. Still resting a lot but doing small chores around the house. I can feel some tingling..I wonder if that’s normal?! I felt it yesterday as well. Would that be considered itching or spasm..

Hello! Glad to hear that you’re improving daily! I’ve had my fissure for about 2 months now and it’s so aggravating at this point. Booked an appt. with my colorectal surgeon for about 1 month from now (his earliest date for now), but I asked to be on the cancellation list in case an earlier appt. opens up. I’m going to ask him if I can do the LIS, I’m at my breaking point lol. I’m hopeful as I can’t fathom the surgery result being worse than dealing with the actual fissure right now. But your updates are definitely making me feel better. Hope your recovery gets smoother, take care!

Hey bburr3535,
Thanks for your reply! I’m pleased with the way things are going. If you get an lis, you won’t regret it.

With your specialist appointment, keep in mind that they might want to try more conservative options first. Unless you see a surgeon that is confident doing lis often. I saw 2 surgeons over the years that filled me with hope but ultimately were too scared for me to have this surgery. I had to do lots of research to find a surgeon that was willing to help instantly.

The past few days have been good for me. Very minimal discomfort. Lots of itching. I even felt some slight burning but I know these things take time for nerves to settle down.
I keep taking my softener but starting to realise I may not need it as everything is coming out super easy now. It just makes everything way too soft and I find myself going to the bathroom at night which is unusual for me.