Hi Mypoorbutt, thank you for the colloidal silver tip. I will try this out, because those hems got to go down. It doesn't help that my poop is pretty firm, almost hard, and I get the urge 4 times a day (yesterday)! That makes the hems worse. I am eating more fiber and stool softener than before surgery, so I really don't know why things aren't super soft.
If it wasn't for that I wouldn't even know I had surgery. Zero pain since day 2, which still amazes me. Just discomfort now from the hems, and gas incontinence.

How is your water intake? If you are going 4x a day but stools are still really firm it sounds like you might need more water. You might also want to check if you are taking a soluble or insoluble fiber.
http://www.m.webmd.com/diet/features/in ... uble-fiber

Soluble fiber absorbs water, turning into a gel-like mush (think of what happens when you add water to oatmeal) while insoluble fiber doesn’t (think of what happens when you add water to celery).

Most fiber supplements are soluble but never hurts to check.

Hey happy,
I agree with Steven as I take soluble fibre to absorb water and make my BMs more firm so maybe it's that. I feel for you going that often with hems can't be good...but so very pleased your fissure is quiet it gives me hope...my fissure was horrid last night and I really need it gone.
Good luck with those hems

Hey Buttpalsteven and Mypoorbutt, thanks for the advice! I was taking more fiber than before surgery, but maybe my water intake was not adequate. I followed your tip and increased that, 5 liters today! My poop urge wasn't as bad today, I managed two times. I also followed the colliding silver suggestion and I think it might have some effect. Too early to tell really, but at least the hems didn't get worse.

However, I am quite disappointed that I am in a bit of pain today. It started in the afternoon, I felt a pinch, and saw a bit more blood. Thought maybe a stitch pulled. But the pain got a bit worse. Right now one ibuprofen was able to take the edge off, but I am hoping I am not in for an infection. The area around the stitch is hard now, like 3 inch circle around it. So something is going on. Hoping the first 4 days of no pain weren't too good to be true.

OK, it's day 6 after surgery and healing is progressing. I was scared on day 4 when i had that sudden onset of pain and hardening of the tissue around the wound. i was afraid of an infection, but it was probably just a hematoma and has much reduced now, and there is also no pain anymore.
I increased my water intake, and my BMs have become softer and reduced in frequency. I was going 3-4 times a day, but since yesterday i am down to 1/day.
Downside: The hems are still quite swollen. I put on collodial silver - thanks for the tip Mypoorbutt! - and the swelling has improved, but there is still a long way to go. They are still uncomfortable and way oversized.
Incontinence to gas continues and possible slight incontinence to stool. i found some stool on my butt today, after BM, sitz bath and cleaning. So there wasn't anything and then 30 min later there was something. Tiny, but still. Hoping that will improve with time.
Tomorrow is my one week check up, and i will report back.

It's been one week since surgery and i had my checkup today.

The doc said she could still feel the fissure, so it's not completely healed, but that's nothing to worry about, since the healing process could extend from a few days to several weeks. The LIS incision is healing well. She was more concerned with the swollen hemorrhoid and skin tag, and told me to come back in one week to check on that.

I have to say, my only discomfort now is coming form those swollen skin tags / hemorrhoids on the left side (LIS incision is on the right side). Other than that I feel pretty close to 100%. There is still fluids draining from the wound and minimal amount of blood. There is zero pain from surgery, and zero pain during BM. I think my incontinence scare is probably unfounded. Gas still escapes easily but it seems I am gaining some control over it. The CRS said this will continue to improve.

Bottom line: I would do this again any day if i had to. As many people on here have said, " I wish I would have done it earlier". Sure, long term results are still outstanding. But I think it's important to note that by reading online about LIS prior to surgery many people are scared like sh*t - certainly I was. It's good to know the entire spectrum of outcomes, and I was glad to find folks on here who didn't have horror stories, but a relatively normal recovery. These stories were soooo important to me and kept me somewhat sane and logical about the decision to go forward with LIS.
All I can say is: If you are suffering, go for it!

Hi happy,
I'm really glad your fissure is healing and it's only been a week that's so great your doing so well.
I can only speak for myself but I am truly grateful for people writing about their experiences it gives me hope and reassurance so thanks for that.
I'm sure your hems will go down...but I'm wondering whether that is why my surgeon wants me to have them removed...but I would perserve with them maybe alternate between sitz baths for the fissure and ice packs for the hems.
I'm so pleased my appointment has been brought forward to October just hoping I get the surgery soon after.
Hope your healing continues

Mypoorbutt, keeping my fingers crossed for your appointment this month. Everything will be good. Keep us all updated.

I had my two week follow up with the CRS and my healing progress is on track. I don't have any pain, my gas incontinence seems to have improved slightly. My thrombosed skin tag and hemorrhoid has shrunk a bit more, but extends into the anus and will take weeks get absorbed by the body.
She asked me to come back in two weeks for a check up.
Needless to say, I have been driving my car since one week post surgery. I am doing everything just fine, but haven't started jogging or workouts yet, mainly because my ruptured skin tags haven't fully healed and getting a lot of sweat in there will be uncomfortable.
For all the undecided, I was back at work one week after surgery without any problems.

I may not provide further updates as I expect it to become pretty boring for others to read. However, if anybody ever has a question, feel free to send me a private message.

Sharing my experience too:

​Hello all. I've been wanting to write my story for other people to have some kind of hope for. I have been a long time struggle-er with gastrointestinal issues. My whole Life I've dealt with constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance and it has been a journey for me all my 27 years. Over the past five years I have lost 100 pounds by simple diet and exercise and I recently over the past two years have really tried to cut out dairy type products in my life. A few years ago when I was eating dairy, yogurt milk different kinds of cheeses, I would have serious bowel problems.. One night I gave up and pledged that I would never eat dairy again. When someone has lower intestinal issues they often find themselves bleeding while going to the bathroom. This often happened to me. I dealt with hemorrhoids and then about a year ago felt a sharp stinging pain. I went to the doctor and he confirmed that it was probably a small anal fissure. He prescribed me a compound and I used it for a few weeks and life went on. Fast forward to September 2016, six weeks before my wedding and I all of a sudden had intense pain in my rectal area. The doctor put me on nitroglycerin suppositories which gave me intense headaches. I dealt with this for two weeks, not living my quality-of-life, pacing around the house, laying awake at night in pain, trying to take baths with Epsom salt or coconut oil to relieve the pain. Nothing was working for me. One night I went into a rectal spasm. The next morning I called my doctor and he recommended that I go see and colorectal surgeon. The surgeon gave me no choice but to have a sphincterotomy and scheduled me right away. I had a huge fear because my wedding was in five weeks, and my bachelorette party was the upcoming weekend. Surgeon assured me that this had to be done for me to be out of pain. Right before my surgery, my mom question the doctor on the side effects, possible incontinence. It freaked me out because there was no way that I could imagine getting through the next upcoming weeks planning a wedding and having to wear a diaper. I was in so much pain while waiting for surgery that I decided that this was my only hope to heal this Fissure. I had a sphincterotomy and remember seeing the clock at 10:10 AM and I remember coming out of surgery and seeing the clock at 10:50 AM.. very quick. The recovery was OK, except for the fact that I did not react well to the pain medication and anesthesia. The nausea and vomiting postop wereworse than the pain post op in my rectal area.I slept for 15 hours that night and woke up the next morning in a bit of a discomfort - because the gauze was still in my rectal area. The sitz bath made my head get dizzy and it was frightening. The sitz bath allowed at the time to slowly come out of my anus and that felt a lot better. I can assure anybody who needs to have a sphincterotomy, that they should do it because immediately after the surgery you do not feel the pain anymore you only feel a soreness from the stitch that's inside. I am now almost 3 weeks postop and two weeks away from my wedding and I'm hopeful that I am still going to be OK for the biggest day of my life. I have fear with almost every Bowel movement that the Fissure may reopen but I try not to push very hard and I'm conscious about being on a high fiber diet. My doctor told me that I had to cut out the laxatives in my life for one day I will have a serious bowel problem. For anyone who thinks that they are too busy in their life to have this kind of surgery, to be out of pain, is the best thing that they will ever do for oneself.