Noon (day 3 after surgery) - I was feeling better last night. As a result, I took only 1 pain pill. I also decided not to set my alarm to take my pain pills every 4 hours. I woke up in good amount of pain due to this. So, I just took 2 pills. I ate some eggs, flax meal, blueberries, orange juice, green tea, water, almond butter, coconut oil. No real trouble urinating this morning. I'll probably try to go to the bathroom soon.

Hi ryanmanO,
I just thought I would say that I have just started using a stool to put my feet up on to have a bm and, although it feels like your feet are too high and your going to put a hip out, I have found it to be a lot less painfully to actually go.
Hope your recovery is quick... Your diary is great.

OMB x

owmybum wrote:Hi ryanmanO,
I just thought I would say that I have just started using a stool to put my feet up on to have a bm and, although it feels like your feet are too high and your going to put a hip out, I have found it to be a lot less painfully to actually go.
Hope your recovery is quick... Your diary is great.

OMB x

Thanks for the reply. In the restroom, I have a small table with a bottom shelf on it. I used to use this for laptop/books while I was using the bathroom. But, that we a long time ago. Now, my fissure and nervousness keep me from being able to read or use a laptop while I go.
Nevertheless, this table in my bathroom has a shelf at the bottom and I tried putting one foot or both feet on it today. Its a little strange, but it might have helped. I can't tell yet. I still lean to the side when I go. Leaning is a habit that I have acquired. At this point, I'm not sure if I should be leaning or not (now that I have had the surgery). In fact, I'm not sure if I ever should have leaned while going. Its just something that reduced the pain at times, so it became a habit. I tried no leaning today. Things seemed fine.

TODAY'S UPDATE:
2:00 PM- Ok. 1st BM of the 3rd day after surgery. The BM was soft, not too thick, and painless. I suspect that the swelling is going down, because it came out very easy. I gave a tiny push to start things, and then it just went on its own. The BM was well formed and very smooth/soft. I was very happy with that.
NOTES ON GAS:
One other thing to note is that as soon as I sit on the toilet, I sometimes have gas. I can't really control that. I also, don't really mind. Anytime that gas builds up, it feels like it can create uncomfortable pressure. And when I had to push against the swelling to make gas come out, it can vibrate the area and hurt. So, the easier gas comes out, the better.
BURNING PAIN AFTER 1ST BM OF TODAY:
Anyway, the volume of the BM was a lot, and the burning didn't start until after I finished. The burning was very bad. I would say it was a fair amount of pain. The kind of burning that the fissure would have previously caused on a good day. I wiped by patting with TP only about 6 or 8 times, then I got in the tub. The light burning continued in the tub, fading slightly.
NOTES ON WIPING AND CLEANING:
I will add that I can add some wiping motion. The area is irritated. But, its not like I cold never wipe. The only spot that I try to avoid touching is the left side. That's the side that my fissure was on and probably where most of the cutting and repair was done. I'm not sure if that is the side of the LIS cut also. either way, I can wipe the other side if I wanted. I just still try to pat. I still use the baby wipes, but not after the first BM of the day (due to the possibility that it might have been related to the pain from a couple of days ago). In the tub, I carefully sort of rub the area clean. I can really tell the irritated side and I am extra careful when cleaning it. I don't feel any stitches in the area. I am guessing they used heat. I think there was an external cut used also, but that doesn't appear to be open and irriated at this time. I think its a small cut and its closed. I'll have to ask the doctor upon my followup so that I can understand the methods he used.
HEATING PAD AND PILLOWS:
I am now out of the tub and I decided to sit on a heating pad for a while. I only put the pad on setting 3 or 6. At this point, walking around is something that I can do. However, it is a bit uncomfortable. I end up walking funny to try to minimize the pain. So, now I'm trying to sit in the bed and relax. So, I'm sort of laying on my side a bit with my upper body elevated against a pillow. The heating pad is jammed up against my butt by a pillow. And I'm using pillows to find a comfortable position. I'm not really in a lot of pain. Its just the lower dose of PM and long period of sleeping without taking it, has made me a bit more uncomfortable. Oh yeah, your not supposed to fold the heating pad due to fire risk. But that's the only way this pad gets hot enough. I fold it, sit on it, etc. I bought one of the good ones and haven't yet electrocuted my butt or set myself on fire.
DRAINAGE UPDATE:
So, after a full nights rest, the spot on the TP was more like the size of a silver dollar. but it wasn't enough volume to make the TP fall apart. Sometimes I forget to put toilet paper there, so when I realize this, I use the baby wipes and hair dryer (cold blast with an occasional burst of heat) and then put fresh TP there. It still seems mostly pink, with some occasional spotting of blood.
2:43 UPDATE:
I am not sure if I am going to lay off the icepack, keep rotation ice and heat, or continue with the ibuprofen. but overall, the pain and swelling have continued to be manageable. However, it was a bit soon to try to get off the pain medicine yet.
HYDRATION TO AVOID CONSTIPATION FROM PAIN MEDS AND TEA
I do want to stop the Pain Medication as soon as possible. One of the side effects of PM is listed as constipation. Any my friend who had complications felt this was something that caused him a lot of problems. And in the discharge instructions, it mentions the potential of PM to constipate you. It advises that you drink water to reduce the chances. Also, tea and coffee are said to have the same affect. But, I truly believe that the antioxidants might help more than the risk. Well, I'm drinking so much water on some days. Sometimes up to 20-30 8 oz glasses (counting teas, juices). Yes, I track everything I eat in my phone (due to this diet I have been on all year) Of course, I count teas, milk, etc. All this water I drink was why I was so worried when I couldn't urinate the other day.
THOUGHTS ON URINATION ISSUES FROM BEFORE
As for the urination troubles. So, I want to clarify something. There seems to be 2 situations that I have had when being unable to urinate. 1 was serious and 1 was not. The serious condition was when I had swelling and backed up waste b/c I refused to push at all to start the BM. In this case, it truly felt like it was being blocked from the pressure. I would feel the urine start to try and flow; however, it felt like someone stepping on a hose to prevent the flow. The other day was the only time I have ever experienced that. Having the BM freed up the pressure and allowed me to go.
The other case, less serious, is something I got even sometimes before the surgery. This is difficulty relaxing and starting the flow. It has happened to me several times since the surgery and I am guessing its related to the tension from the Operation and the medication. At other times, its because I am having trouble relaxing my butt. In other words, you ever have to urinate and also think you need to have a BM. In these cases, you don't want to try to urinate because you think you might have a BM by mistake. Well that same thing seems to apply to my fissure. Its like I can't relax it or I am scared to and this keeps me from relaxing to urinate it. Sometimes, it is because it hurts to relax the area for whatever reason.
Anyway, I've always been lucky enough to solve that type of problem urinating. I just come back later, try running water, put my hand in a cup of warm water, relax, or focus on controlling the muscle. Well, I had some more of that type of difficulty urinating today.
TODAY'S PLAN:
Anyway, I'll keep dosing the Pain Medicine every 4 hours since I am in more pain than yesterday. But, its still nothing like before. I think I am still doing well.

4:30PM (3rd day after surgery)
- Figured out that I let another 6 hours past since taking my pain pills. Took the next dose. Now I feel better. So, I know that the pain medicine is working now. I also know that you don't want to try to be a hero and go off the meds. I was really feeling this a lot earlier. Now that I took another dose of the meds, I am feeling better. I'll probably take the ibuprofen also (I can't take it at the same time as the pain meds so I take it in between doeses)
- Eating some greek yogurt, orange juice, 2 servings of flax, blueberries, and almond butter (since Costco recalled all my natural peanut butter). If you are interested in the diet that I am following (which allowed me to lose weight slowly, have more energy, without starving and while gaining muscle- look up "The Smarter Science of Slim" on amazon. The diet that I am following here is not exactly the diet from the book. I had to modify it due to my desire to reduce fiber a bit (since the diet uses a lot of veggies) and add soft foods and some starches (just for a while). Anyway, I am glad I lost the 30 or so pounds because going through this surgery as weak and overweight as I was before would not have been easy.
LACTOSE INTOLORANCE: Anyway, if you are lactose intolerant like me, make sure to get yourself some Lactaid so that you don't get gas while going through the surgery. I never knew that I had lactose intolerance until I saw my GI generalist for my fissure. He explained that the gas, rumbling stomach, etc. might be lactose intolerance. I tried the lactaid and lactose free milk and it has helped so much. The last thing I want when having anal pain is to have gas pressure and frequent passing of gas.
Anyway, the pain pills have kicked in now and I am in no more pain than yesterday. I still can't really sit on a hard chair without a cushion. And even then, its not comfortable. I still don't like to walk around for very long. Other than that, there is not much new to report. Everything seems to be going well. I'll just make sure I stay on top of the pain medicine for now.

5:30PM (2 days after surgery)
- Pressure building up for another BM. It felt like it was hurting a little from the pressure. I had to push a little bit to start, then it flowed on its own. No pain, no blood. This one was not as thick, not as much volume, still mostly soft. Did not really burn as much after this one like before. Sat in the tub, took ibuprofen, drank another green tea/rooibos and going to load up on water again.
Its a full time job trying to manage this recovery (diet, cleanup, etc.)

7pm- (3rd day after surgery). worked out with light dumbells again. For some reason pumping up my arms with light weights seems to help the pain. Just had protein shake. About to take pain meds. Nothing new to report. i am tying on windows phone sometimes when posting, so excuse any typos.

7:45- Another BM. No pain this time because I am still pretty much numb from the after-workout effect. Pain meds should be kicking in soon also. Soaking in the tub right now.

8:42PM- (3 days after surgery)- Just took a bath and shaved. I have to be careful getting in and out of the tub.
COULD I RETURN TO WORK TOMORROW (4 DAYS POST-OP) IF I HAD TO:
My CRS had mentioned that some people were back at work after just 4-5 days. So, I figured that I would share my current condition and comment on that. First, I have 1 week of sick time remaining and I worked it out with my employer so that I do not have to return to work for 1 more week. So, I am thankful for that. Even after that, I plan to work from home for a couple of weeks. Nevertheless, I will discuss if I thought I could go back to work tomorrow if I had to.
I guess it depends on what I do for a living. If I work some construction jobs or teach fitness classes, then the answer is most definitely no. If I stock shelves and they just mostly leave me alone, possibly (would be hard to bend over and pick stuff up over and over -- also hard to stand or stretch for the top shelf). If I meet customers or sell products, it would not be a good representation for my company. Also, if they notice anything, its not really a good topic to bring up to discuss. For example, "You ok?" --"Yes, just recovering from surgery" -- "Oh, what did you have done"...
No matter what type of job I have, I see some issues that would surely make it a pain. First of all, I am still on the pain pills. I am not sure what the next couple of days will bring; however, right now I am glad to have them. I know that I could stop taking them if needed. However, it would not be pleasant.
It would suck to be at work while walking funny like I have a stick stuck up my butt. I guess I could try to hide it better and force myself to walk more upright. It would also be very embarrassing each time I moved the wrong way and yelled IIYYEE. It happens. I'm not having any more abnormal blood pressure or chills. I'm definitely not stuck in the bed all day. However, I do spend a lot of time in the bed.
One big issue would be that there is no tub that I can go sit in after using the restroom. I would have to use the wipes and hopefully it wouldn't burn. There is a private bathroom on the first floor of work. I would have to try to mostly use that one due to the possibility of groaning and other noises. However, I guess it would depend on the BM and how it went.
Also, I have not yet tried riding in a car. All that shaking around probably wouldn't be fun for my bottom. I work almost an hour away. I have had issues riding in cars before. What I mainly do now is heat up a corn bag heating bad in the microwave and sit on it. Anyway, if I had to work, I might have to get my wife to drop me off.
Also, the fissure friendly diet would be harder to stick to. I guess I could blend foods and juices and bring them in jars. Also, everything I do seems to take a lot of energy from me. An other words, I've been very busy during the day. I'm either in the bathroom, eating, or sleeping. All the rest of the time really needs to be spent laying down. Sometimes, my kids come beat me at chess (they laugh at the stupid moves I make b/c I am all drugged up). They sure get mad when I am hobbling down the hall very slowly. This would probably look very funny if I was at work.
Another issue would be my sleep schedule. BMs rule my day. I have not been falling asleep until 3-5 AM because I usually end up in the bathroom, sitting on heating pads, etc. Unexpectedly passing gas in a meeting would not be any fun. But, if I'm working from home dialed in to the meeting remote, it would be fine. Also, my sleep is not too good sometimes because I wake to pee all the time.
If I can't sleep, then its going to be a miserable next day. I am able to sleep in the same bed as my wife. however, the first night was rough. I had to make a wall of pillows so that she wouldn't roll over and hit my butt by mistake. Also, don't mistakenly touch anything to sensitive, as I causes pain spikes. Everything is just so tender inside right now that its the pressure, shifting around the wrong way, and other stuff that bothers me.
If I have a desk job, I'm sure that I could show up to work and try my best to get stuff done. There would surely be a lot of bathroom breaks. If I have to concentrate (like I really do for my desk job), then its going to be even more difficult. Most of all, I would not be looking forward to sitting in a chair on my butt for 8 hours. I also can't really stand that long either. I have already brought a heating pad and ice bag (ice was for a shin injury) to work in the past. It would be best to have a bed to lay in front of like the way I am using this laptop now. If my job allows me to lay around working from home and take long 1 hour breaks to the bathroom as needed, then I guess its ok. As long as my job isn't something that requires me to not make much more sense than my rambling posts on here have been, then I guess its fine.
So, going to work would not be my first option. However, it was not too long ago when I had a job without sick time. In that case, I would just have to skip the medication and show up for work. Hopefully my boss would be understanding as I struggled through the day and got things done. Well, I know my boss would be -- I am very lucky. But, some others may be in a different situation. There are surely times of the day when I am not too happy.
As I struggled with this fissure, more and more people at work were aware that I was going through something medical. Some people even know what it is. If I returned to work, my understanding boss and co-workers would help me out and cut me slack due to my condition. So, if you are stuck having to go back to work soon, I would hope your job was similar.
That's just my take on the whole thing. Returning to a desk job would probably be possible; however, it would surely be challenge. You definitely won't be very productive. Also, this is just based on my experience. We all have different bodies, surgeries, and issues. But, I just figured I would add my two-cents in case anyone wanted to know if I thought I could go back right now. One more thing to add is that I might feel very different tomorrow or the next day. So, perhaps its a little early to tell.

1am -early morning, day 4 after surgery
I realized I am almost out of pain pills. Called in refill at ,Walgrens to have wife pick up tomorrow. Since last update, Ate steak, asparagus tips, applesauce, banana, almond butter, olive oil, 1oz. Cheese, 3 oz. roast beef, green green tea, water. hopefully, these updates will continue to be short and boring as I keep recovering. So far, no recent complications, major pain, or constipation. Pain meds are fully kicked in again. Same old stuff...