Well, here I am.
I have been diagnosed with a fissure and a skin tag. CRS only wants to repair the fissure. (Which I think is good as it looks like those with a long recovery had a skin tag removed as well)
I see lots of horror stories, yet many never come back to update their surgery stories. So that's where I need your help. Tell me your recovery story and would you choose surgery again?
Also, for those of you that had the surgery, what was your first post-op BM like? As it is now, I am having an anxiety attack when I feel like I need to have a BM I'm tired of the shards of glass/razor blade feeling

Hey Melissa!
Sorry you've had to come here but great to hear you're getting surgery. Although the recovery can be difficult for some people it certainly isn't in all cases and I think many who've had surgery on here would say that their only regret was waiting so long.
Is your crs planning on LIS for you? You're right to say that without a skin tag removed the recovery from LIS can be easier, and many people on here have found instant relief as LIS relaxes things down there completely. So if you're not having to deal with a skin tag wound the first BM will most likely be pretty untraumatic! And because things are much more relaxed the razor blade feeling generally goes. I think the general consensus from most people is that the pain from LIS is nowhere near as bad as when the fissure is at its worst. Plus you get some lovely pain killers (just remember to keep up with softeners if the painkillers are narcotics)
I had surgery last wednesday so thought I would let you know how I'm getting on so far. It's obviously pretty much too soon to tell if its worked. And I had a small manual dilation with tag removal so that may be different to what you have. I can say that the tag they removed has caused no pain at all, it was cauterized so there was no open wound and quite small anyway. The tag they left behind is irritating me possibly because they trimmed it down- it looks like they've only taken away some of it. I could sit down quite comfortably by the second day although I still get uncomfortable sitting for long periods of time. First BM was fine, I was taking movicol and fybogel but am now just on fybogel twice a day as I've been on movicol over a year and if possible would like to ease off it. I also had a topical local anesthetic gel called instillagel to use before which numbed everything and then hopped in the bath straight after so that definitely helped. Well worth talking to you're pharmacist/doctor about getting hold of some instillagel now if you're struggling with BMs?
Time will tell if surgery's all worked for me but so far recovery is not as bad as I thought, so I really wouldn't worry! I may well have to have surgery again if it's not worked and am not scared about that prospect at all.
This forum has been a god send for me and is full of useful info and supportive people so you've definitely come to the right place!
Really hope that helps you and good luck!
Layla

Oh and just wanted to add in terms of the horror stories on here- the reason they haven't comeback here to update is because in all likelihood they're doing fine and are healed! I think most people still using this forum are still on the road to recovery.

Thank you Layla for your reply! Yes, my CRS wants to do a LIS, without the tag removal. I'm scared to death of the BM after the surgery. I was to use Nifedipine cream for a week and if that didn't work I was to call and schedule my surgery...I've used the Nifedipine cream for TWO weeks, symptoms improved some, but not good enough that I'm willing to live with that pain.
I'm even scared of cleaning out before the surgery! I'm tired of anxiety from just a BM. I'm so thankful for this thread...where everyone can freely talk about poop and pain.

Melissa..
Different surgeons have different ways of going about things, but most doctors won't even begin talking surgery until you have been trying conservative measures for a minimum of 6 weeks. Some surgeons will require even longer. LIS, or any surgery for that matter, carries risks, and you should be fully informed about all the risks before you even consider surgery.
LIS can be a very effective surgery, and very often it is, and very often people recover with no problems at all. It's true that a board like this one has people on it who are still having troubles, so it is skewed in the direction of painful stories. But that doesn't negate the fact that there is a risk of infection, bleeding, fistula formation, a poorly healing wound, and incontinence with this type of anal surgery. There is also the chance that it won't work at all.
That's the bad news.
The good news is that it has a very high rate of success, and if you do go in for the surgery you can focus on the healing that is likely to occur.
Not having had surgery myself, I can't tell you what the pain level is like. And it seems that everyone has a different accounting of that. Some people have a lot of pain and a long recovery. Some people feel just moderate pain for the first few days with very fast improvement.
Good luck with your decision, and I so hope you find relief soon!

CRS said that given the size of my fissure, if the nifedipine didn't work in 1 week than LIS would be the only other effective option. Been on the cream for just over 2 weeks now. Meds/baths/diet have not helped.

Hi Melissa - I had an LIS in May, and, yes, I would absolutely do it again. I say that even though I actually developed a complication. Three weeks after my LIS I developed a small abscess at the incision site, which developed into a small, superficial fistula. That really sucked, I'll admit. I was completely freaked out because I thought that a fistula was the worst possible thing in the world that could happen. It turned out that a very minor surgery (a fistulotomy) fixed it up.
I don't want to mislead you. The LIS and the fistulotomy were not fun. But even so, I'm still glad I got the surgery. The pain of the fissure was beyond toleration and my health was suffering. I was also on anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds after a year of trying to cope with the agony. After the LIS, even with the complication, the pain was nowhere close to the pain from the fissure.
The first week post-LIS was painful, but not as painful as before the surgery. After the first week post-LIS, I could feel things improving and by week two I was getting back to my life. If I hadn't developed the complication, I would have been back in business after about three weeks.
I agree with everything Layla and JR said. And it is important to know that there are possible complications with any surgery. The stats I read say that LIS is 95% successful. The rate of incontinence is 6% for gas, 8% for liquid stool (minor soiling) and 1% for stool. So you may toot accidently a bit more, and some folks here have had minor leakage (but that seems to improve over time, and even many of these folks don't regret getting the surgery). The chances of pooping your pants are extremely slim. Of course, you should do your own research on this too, and definitely ask your surgeon what his/her own personal stats are. I think developing an infection at the incision site is the most likely complication. But, as I've said, even with that, I still don't regret the surgery. It did take a while to heal, but I got my life back while I was healing, and now I'm back in the world and having fun. (Which is why I'm not around so much anymore - it's true that when we heal, we tend to leave.)
Well, that's my story in a nutshell. There are actually many success stories on this forum. Many of us had to put up a helluva fight to get our lives back, but we are glad we did it. Definitely read the posts - they are very informative. You can also look at posts by Dawn, Elphie, Sue1965 for details about positive experiences.
I'm very glad I had the LIS, but we are all different. I really had no choice. My health and my life were deteriorating too much. Surgery is a very personal decision. You will know if it is right for you.
I hope this helps! Good luck. :D

Thanks hopetoheal. I'm tired of waking up in a panic wondering when the urge for a BM will hit. Surgery was not what I wanted, but at this point, like you said...I want my life back.

Hi Melissa
I had surgery LIS almost 2 months ago. I did post everyday the first 7 days after surgery. You may want to check them out. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It totally gave me my life back. I had no complications, no incontinence only a few days of aching. Never took a pain pill only advil. I had suffered for 3 years. So all I can say is you will be so glad when it's over!!!

Thank you Sue! I will go look at your posts!