I’m 3 weeks postpartum and having LIS surgery next Friday. I’ll also be having a fissurectomy and skin tags removed. I’ve been dealing with fissures for most of my pregnancy and bleeding pretty profusely most days so I’m ready to nip this in the bud even though I know it will be a painful recovery. My problem is I love breastfeeding my son and worry about how the surgery will impact my ability to sit with him and do so. Does anyone have advice on how to continue breastfeeding after LIS?

Don’t be worried at all! I am three months postpartum and just got the surgery last Friday. I was so terrified about not being able to breast-feed. I had my surgery at the hospital so they actually put me under with the breathing tube. I was able to breast-feed my daughter right before I went into surgery and then they told me to wait at least 24 hours before I can breast-feed her again. I pumped as much as I could before the surgery and I had to give her two formula bottles, that was hard but I went right back to breast-feeding like normal and I have been breast-feeding ever sense. Please don’t be worried about the pain, I also had three hemorrhoids rubberbander and I am pain-free! The first day is a little rough and the first day is the only day I took my pain pills but other than that I cannot believe how much relief I feel! You are going to be so happy you had surgery. My problem was I kept reading things on Google about the terrible recovery and I was preparing for the worst, I feel 99% better right after the surgery, if you can deal with fissures you can absolutely deal with surgery! Good luck

Thank you so much for your response, Amanda and I’m so glad to hear how well things have gone for you. I know how hard it is to deal with this issue when you already have the responsibility of a little one to care for.

I’ve ended up with a complication in my surgery plans. I went to the CRS yesterday and we concluded that my fissure likely healed because I haven’t had pain in nearly 5 weeks. I have had bleeding though and he believes it’s coming from some large internal hemorrhoids. He said if we went through with surgery this Friday he thinks we should remove some of them in addition to skin tag removal and LIS if he determines I’m still tight. He said that the hemorrhoid removal component would cause me significant pain and that if need to be on Vicodin for at least a week and likely unable to care for anyone other than myself. So he recommended that I wait to get it done until my baby is a little older and I’ve weaned from breastfeeding. I’m pretty bummed because I have daily painless bleeding and I worry that I’m still too tight, which could lead to another AF. Ugh, wish it had been a different diagnosis!

When I went in for my surgery I also had three hemorrhoids rubberbanded. Can you have that option instead of a full hemorrhoidectomy? That option is painless and they fall off within a few weeks usually! I’m so sorry about your diagnosis. If I were you I would possibly just go in for the surgery anyway so you prevent any future fissures from forming so it is a little looser down there? But if you’re pain-free that’s the most important so that’s awesome!
Just remember a lot of doctors will say different things always do what you think is best for yourself and your health!

Amanda, I asked if I could get them banded and he said that they were too large and flat to get a band around them. They are shaped in such a way that requires either the scalpel or cauterizing, it he won’t know until he opens me up. I asked if he would just do the LIS but he said he wouldn’t do it preemptively if he couldn’t see an active fissure. I’m able to keep my BMs the right consistency for now, but am worried about not being able to do this when I move overseas next month. Ugh, stressed!!

I know the hemorrhoid cauterizing sounds scary but honestly my thought process is I’d rather recover from surgery then have to deal with what I was going through before!
You could also ask if he could prescribe you some nitro lidocaine so you can use that preemptively for anal Fissure. It’s supposed to soften the muscles I think?
But just remember there is more than one doctor out there so if you don’t like what he has to say you could go A second opinion!

Thanks! I’ve been using diltiazem preemptively and think it’s somewhat helping to relax the area. I talked to another CRS recently for a second opinion and he also didn’t want to do any surgery unless it was absolutely necessary. I’m not currently in much pain so they want to wait to see if I can resolve everything with stool softener and diltiazem.

Hi PreggoAF like I said I wouldn't get any surgery unless your in pain an had enough, hemorrhoids generally calm down within a year of giving birth give it time I had them after both my baby's but they calmed down an I don't notice them they're still there I'm sure but I'm not having them removed unless it's greatly going to improve my life you could read some stories on here if you do end up getting any surgery it's up to you what if any pain medication you have after surgery you could take something more mild so you can still breastfeed an pump before too pain while sitting to breastfeed can be avoided by laying on your side to feed I did this with both mine because of hem an fissure pain for 3 months after having them both. Good luck hun either way it's not easy being a mum and going through this it really is hard but hang in there.