Grateful Al wrote:Hello everone, :D update on Itch!!! My CRS' two prong approach on dealing with my Itch was successful. ..Ease up on the wetnaps as the moistness created a very ideal environment for fungus AND putting Clotrimazole and Betamethasone Dipropionate cream on my butt and other itchy areas did the trick..no more itch... .In addition, the zinc oxide swabbing he did on my unhealed tag removal wound seems to have done the trick as well. My sphincter feels alot more healed and "toughened up" now...Not going back to wetnaps for a while and I have also been ordered to ease up on the Miralax which I have now gone from one capful to 1/2 capful an evening, along with my usual morning Tablet of 240mg of Docusate Calcium.... I hope this helps!!! Best Al

Hi Al,
So nice to hear that the itch is better now.
My itch are also getting better, i still have them, but not as often as before.
Had my 1 check up last Friday, and the Surgon did not think it was a big deal, it was part of it heals up.
I hope that you continue to keep getting better as the days go

Hi Al, :D
I just got caught up on all your posts. I haven't been on the board for some time and thought I'd check in to see what's going on and post an update on my original thread.
It sounds like you've had a few hiccups in healing, but that things are moving in the right direction. Yay!
I wanted to check with you on something. I'm about 10 weeks post-LIS and still have to use gauze for some slight drainage. Not much, but enough to warrant gauze. I recall you saying this was an issue for you as well awhile back. Are you still having this? If so, I'm curious whether you mentioned it to your CRS and what he/she said.

Hi Bumpkin, nice to see you on here. :D Yes I did have a few hiccups but slowly and sure things are getting more stable..Still somewhat scared with each BM even though they are 95 percent painless with the 5 percent being a bit sore...All from the tag removal wound mind you as the fissure has completely healed (thankfully). ....(If I had to do it agin, I think I would have just kept the tag....But i digress. Yes I too am getting about a dime to a quarter size amount of drainage on my gauze. It seems to vary depending on my activity and ts alos much "lighter" than before, almost clear.....My CRS said it nomal but as far as how I deal with it, one side of me says to soak it up and keep a gauze there, but another side of me says let the wound "dry out". I think the gauze is good but I also can attribute the gauze dampness creating a fertile area for fungus and irritaion down there. So I am trying to ween myself from gauze so as not to wear it 24/7. So in the morning if I have gauze, I take it out especially before my BM.... after my BM, I try to use normal toilet paper rather than wet naps to clean up and again in order try to keep things dryer then damper. The final wipe is just a quick swipe with a wet nap (as I dont want to pull on my sphinter too much with the dry toilet paper to get everything down there spotless) Over all, I too have drainage, but am not religiously keeping gauze there...Mabe just in the evenings but during the day if there is not irritaion feeling, Im just letting it "flow" Also I wonder, is your drainage smelly..mine still is..of course nothing as bad a before, but still somewhat foul....Best wishes, Al

It's interesting that the tag site is taking so much longer to heal than the fissure and LIS site...it seems like a more superficial wound. At least the fissure site is completely healed...which is, after all, the reason for this entire LIS adventure! That's great news.
Well, it's good to hear that your CRS considered the drainage 'normal'. I'm experiencing about the same amount, which increases with activity also. The drainage begins after my morning BM and decreases throughout the day. By evening, I no longer need the gauze.
The drainage varies between pinkish (I still have bleeding which I assume is coming from the LIS site...because that's where it stings when I have a BM) and light brown mucous stuff. When it's the brown stuff, it definitely has a strong smell...like an acidic or acrid smell, if that makes sense.
I have also wondered if the gauze is just making things worse. I also want to let it 'dry out' as you said, but I don't want to deal with the mess.

Hi everyone, just an update 4.5 months after my AF and I feel I am 98 percent healed. Is is still tender when I BM as I do it so gingerly still, expecting pain. But for the most part, no pain at all. I have removed most of the miralax and all of the Dolculax stool softener from my diet..Now I take about 1/4th of a capful of Miralax each evening. I cannot express what a miracle the LIS was for me. My regret is not doing it sooner. God bless you all suffering with an AF. My advice is dont wait so long before going under the knife..It's not so bad and nothing compared to the enduring pain of an AF....Take care and good luck...Al

Hi Grateful Al,
I am in the same situation as you - fissure, tag. I was healed completely with natural remedies and was PERFECT and pain-free for 2 weeks and the day after I posted my success story in this forum, it re-tore ! I cant cry enough now... did I do anything wrong in posting about it ? :(
OK, now, I am completely lost. I am considering surgery. Suffered for 4 months. My skin tag is very small, the size of a rice grain. If I decide to proceed with LIS, should I or should I not remove the tag ? what is your advise ? My AF seems to have a mind of its own... it gives me great progress with zero pain one day and then slaps me on the face the next day. Please... any advise/precaution on LIS will be of true true help.
- Did you try Nifedipine or any topical ointment before LIS ?
- AFA

STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!!! I am going to be bold in this Miss Angel and get your "ass" to a CRS ASAP...
I went for 8 months with better and worse and in the end, your rectum needs rest to heal...Daily use makes it very hard for it to get a good foothold to heal...This is why LIS works..its "cuts" enough space for the AF to heal.
Please please please...do yourself a favor and get LIS NOW!!!...STOP SUFFERING!!!!
My bathroom which was my "torture chamber" had the raised seat on the toilet which I have since placed in my closet as I am afraid to let it go even though I will throw it away in the next month..BUT my life is now mine again and I cannot thank God or my lucky stars how I benefited from this amazing medical procedure....
Yes you need to pass through one week of heck but the rest will be good. The people at the surgery center are kind and gentle. The general anesthesiologist will whisper words of encrouragement and re assurance in you ear, relaxing you. Then you will awake in an instant and its all recovery on a straight trajectory from there. IT WILL BE FINALLY OVER!!!
Please Angel, suffer no more and get this miracle surgery...you will not regret it...If you are in the LA area, private message me and I will give you my doctor....
Blessing to you and to everyone still playing around with miracle cures and the like, please STOP with the ointments and pansy treatments, they rarely work on a long term basis and look into LIS.....I have my life back again.
Best wishes Grateful Al

Thanks a lot Al for the quick response. And thanks for the re-assurance and kind words. I am all confused because I managed to bring down my pain from 9 to ZERO within these 4 months and now even when re-tearing, it is only 2 or 3. No pain after BM. BUT, my main concern is that, I thought I will start taking normal food if I am able to get at least 3 weeks pain-free, which I am not getting. Initially, I got one full week pain-free and then re-tore. After that, I got 2 full weeks pain-free and then re-tore.... Again today, the pain is only 1 or 2 during BM. I am on a minimal fissure-diet Can you please answer some of my concerns:
What was your pain level before surgery? - Did you try Nifedipine or any topical ointment before LIS ?
What is your opinion on removing the skin tag as well along with LIS (since I read, you kinda regret that) ? Mine is small, the size of a rice grain, but flares up whenever there is a re-tear. I read so many posts saying skin tag removal site is taking longer time to heal. Are you fully healed on fissures, LIS site and skin tag site now ? how long did it take for you to heal completely ? Did any new formations or new skin tags appear ? Are you eating normally now ? do you still have leakage ? My CR tells passing gas will be somewhat difficult after LIS and I will have to re-educate the difference between gas and urge for bm.. what is your experience ?
Are your BMs completely pain-free now ? And are you able to sit properly now ? I know, I am shooting questions like a mad gal. But you know where all these are coming from ! Your reply will be truly helpful in making my decision. I have a visit to my CR tomorrow.
- Angel

Angel, I sent you a long private message in response to your questions. But basically Al is absolutely right . It is easy to get pulled in and fooled by the "it's better" thing but until I had LIS I don't think it was going to truly heal and go away for good! And my short answer to the skin tag is I am happy I had mine removed even though it did take a. Little longer to heal at that site. Better that than the annoying irritation that was the skin tag!

Hi Angel wow great questions! However I answer I hope Bambi or somewith more experince can agree or not with my answers...But this is just from my experience. I hope you get this before your appt tomorrow.
Ok first and foremost, now in hindsight i am glad I had the tag removed. Unfortunately, a had a smaller one pop out over the last couple of months. Nothing in size like the prior one which was attached to my AF. My CRS said that there are some easy remedies for this new tag,. Overall no problem with it but the "landscape" not being flat down there as it could be, makes clean up just a bit more touchy rather than one faille swoop. I'm sure when the tenderness is completely non existent I will be back a faille swooping after my BMs.
As far as your pain, it sounds like your situation wasn't as bad or at least got better quick than mine. My pain was never better than a 4 to 5 and that was after I changed my diet completely, also using olive oil syringe squirts up my kazzoo before my BM and did a ritual of preparation which lasted 1.5 to 2 hours...It was a nightmare. I also used nitro as well as lidocaine which helped but didn't not heal. Bottom line for me was that my AF was being bothered and re tearing in spasm after each BM. So for me, it was not longer about REDUCING my pain but rather about healing my AF completely and thoroughly.
Right before my surgery my pain level had increased slightly to about a 6...I think it was because I was getting tired of the exact food routine and was testing variations of other foods to eat which might have been the cause for the increased pain. Either way, I was DONE with the slow progress and wanted LIS..My doc was really patient with me and my conventional remedies and never pushed my decision for LIS. It was just when we saw that my progress had plateaud, we sort of both looked at each other and thought it was time. He had asked me about whether I wanted my tag removed as well. He did warn me that the healing process would be extended a bit as well as the pain be slightly higher but removing the tag would be best in the long run for complete healing with no re tearing ...I figured , it you're going to enter "heck", what's a little more "heck"...so i did the tag removal.
Upon healing, it was the tag incision which kept remaining tender. .Since I also have a suture down there (dissolving sutures) moisture wipes nor baths were recommended for the first 2 weeks. After post suture, I started to use the wipes and take some baths, i noticed a huge itch which turned out to be some fungus or whatever due to the moisture. So my Doc prescribed and anti fungal cream which cured that problems.What I thought was a good idea, to keep moisture wipes to do most of the cleaning just may have been prolonging the healing process as moisture was not a friend of my AF area..Use them sparingly.
as a side note....Just to recap on the POST TAG SUTURE wiping for me, 1) Dry TP to wipe GINGERLY AND LIGHT as much as you can without irritating the LIS area, then a wet nap blotting very gingerly as well..Then back to dry TP to dry everything in sight, then I fold two squares of dry TP and wedge it between the cheeks until night or my next BM..Id always keep a TP wedge even now.
My BMS today are pain free but still I go very slowly and calm, never forcing. I still expect pain so I have learned to ease my body and lets things "flow" on their own. I do still feel some tenderness on my tag removal side but it is getting better with every passing day.
As far as my diet, I never went back to fast food or red meat. The funny thing is, that the AF diet made me lose a lot of weight but after I started eating more volume of the RIGHT FOODS, I gained some weight and color back to a visibly more healthier lever than pre AF. But being that I am in still way better shape than before AF..(More chiseled if you may.) Being that i do not wish to "go back " to my bloated self, I decided to keep my diet relatively healthy. yes I have wavered a bit and still eat crap from time to time, but I love how I look more. than my yearnings for junk food and so now and do not want to change that. Also I think this AF was a warning sign from above to force a change in my eating and exercise habits(thank God my warning to eat better wasn't something more serious like cancer or a heart attack (which my parents passed away from))
As far as my BMs today. Yes they still may be ever so slightly tender but no real pain during or after..Of course any tenderness is getting better with each passing day .... and wiping is still a careful gentle task.I think I value my health more and take greater care with my body in general now. (including wiping..lol)
As far as leakage, yes there is still some if my butt saw alot of BM "action" on the toilet...But it is much less and not funky smelling like it was post op.
Passing Gas was also painful post op but slowly it subsided completely. I must say that yes I do pass gas more now but i don't think its only due to my LIS, I know this because i passed gas more when i had my AF. I think it had to do with my more fibrous diet change...Things just move more in you digestive tract and gas will happen. I think of it as a relief...No biggie
I know the difference between gas and a BM but during the first couple months post op, yes it might be hard to tell the difference. I still keep a little stack of wetnaps in my car when I'm out an about as i have had a few surprise office BM's and wanted to make sure I am always prepared.
I hope this helps and please, if I didn't answer a question thoroughly or to you liking, just let me know.
Best wishes
Alex