Hi All,
I've been lurking on this forum for a couple of months and need your input. I got my fissure 5 months ago (through constipation and hormone changes) when my daughter was 6 weeks old. I saw a general surgeon who told me I had hemorrhoids and was given hydrocortisone suppositories. It helped but didn't take the pain away. I then saw another general surgeon who told me I didn't have hemorrhoids but an anal fissure and gave me nitro .2%. (The closest CRS that takes my insurance is 5 hours away.) I've been using this for 4 weeks with no change. My pain is usually just when I have a BM, and very rarely a twinge here and there. (I do notice as well that when I apply the nitro there is a small painful bump near my fissure. Sentinel pile???). I'm really tired of dealing with this though and would like to stop thinking of my bum everyday - I know you've all been there. So...I was wondering if those of you who have had LIS can tell me what the recovery is like in a condensed paragraph. I've read through many of the posts but it's hard to get a general idea. Was there tremendous pain after the surgery? How would you describe it? How long did the pain last for? How long would I need someone here to help me care for my 7 month old? How long before you got back to normal activities (ie walking, working out, etc)? How many post-op checks did you have? Any advice would be tremendously appreciated!
Thanks.

Michelle

Michelle wrote: I saw a general surgeon who told me I had hemorrhoids and was given hydrocortisone suppositories.

Same thing happend to me, some GPs should go doctor school over again!
I am only 6 days post LIS so I am not the right one answer your questions, but I can relate to what you go through since I have had my darling fissure for over a year now. I would say that so far, post LIS pain is different to fissure pain, but I have used Paracetamol and Ibux as painkillers and Xylocain gel inside.
I also ate little and mostly liquid food the first days, took fish oil, lactulose, Movicol, flaxseeds, etc.
I would advice you to get as much help as possible after LIS, and not to lift or strain at all. Hope that your hubby and family are supportive...
This is another newmom's story:
http://anal-fissure.org/considering-surgery-or-already-had-it-f1/i-have-a-date-for-lsisi-m-scared-t1673.htm
Good luck
Corsica

I third that, my GP diagnosed hemorrhoids, but they were secondary to my fissure, which he saw but basically ignored. If I over-did it and sat too long, which I did once, I developed a painful bump which at the time I assumed was a prolapsed hemmy associated with the fissure. when I finally did see a CRS he said I had two hemmy's and a fissure.
If your fissure isn't too severe, i.e. big, your recovery should be fairly rapid. But your should give yourself at the very least two weeks away from work, if you work, but many if not most of your child-caring tasks (joys!) shouldn't be too much of a problem -- hopefully your SO could step in and relieve you of a lot of those responsibilities for the first week or so.
I had severe pain immediately afetr waking up from the surgery which was quickly disposed of with IV dilaudad.
After that, I had no more intolerable pain, but my case is a little different as I fell of the diet wagon, got costipaed and when I did finally have BMs they either burned or hurt for about four days. BUT my spasms were gone from day one, and I felt almost normal within a month, I was back at work in a week and half though still feeling the GA wearing off even then.
Also, different CRS' are going to give you different recovery rates, some say you'll be back on your feet ina couple days, others, like mine, said 2-3 weeks.
Welcome aboard! :paddysmiley2:

Welcome to fissure haven Michelle
I am post LIS – 5 weeks !
I will say that this surgery is never as bad you may think !
For me the first week was painful and sore but I managed the pain with minimal meds hot soaks and lots of rest, it’s a different type of pain to fissure pain, the second week was better I didn’t need any meds and began to feel normal again – you will need to give yourself time to get over surgery 2 weeks is realistic , no lifting baby just lots of rest !
I felt relief with LIS almost straight away, it made toilet times easier and it stopped that awful tight feeling that I had, LIS is not a quick fix but an aid to help the fissure heal so be kind to yourself and do all the right things while healing , It is expected a fissure will heal in 6-8 after LIS.
I have one check up at 12 weeks post LIS - Watch this space ....

Thanks for your help so far. It's so nice to be able to ask these questions to people that know what it's like. If I decide to go to this doctor that is 5 hours away, will I be able to travel home that same day in a car or will it be too uncomfortable? Did you all have to lie around for awhile or were you able to move around but just with some pain? Also, how soon was your first post-op visit?

Hi Michelle
I havent had LIS but I have had two other anal surgeries (hemorrhoidectomy and fistula repair) and I have two children. My butt problems started when I was pregnant with #2. It is such a difficult time to have a baby and feel so out of control with the anal problems. But LIS has been very, very helpful for most people on here and I think people have been pretty pleased with the results even when the path to recovery wasn't straightforward.
I had anal surgery 4 hours away and stayed at a hotel the first night just in case something happened and I needed to see the doctor before I left. But on the other hand you are in less pain the first day because of the GA that traveling could be less painful.

I had GA during LIS and I was given things to relax on and some heavy painkilling meds as well. I had surgery in the morning and I wasn't in pain before the first night so the stuff they gave me at the hospital was very effective. Therefore I don't the ride will be painful, but you might get sick after the GA, I felt like puking on the way home and my hubby said my face was green:)
Ask your doctor about these things and also if it is OK to sit for so long after surgery.
I am 7 days post LIS now and I still have to lie down, if I don't do that I get shooting pain, but I had 2 fissures and one of them quite deep/big. I would relax as much as possible after LIS...

Thats a long journey for you Michelle !
Maybe a lay down in the back of the car would be a good idea..
I came home the same day too - i didn’t feel much pain that day either, i did lots of laying around and sleeping, those first few days, the rest is so important !
I could stand up and move around but there was no reason to - my hubby was waiting on me hand and foot
Do you have family/friends that can help ?
Have you met this CRS before ?

i dont know...... i had my fissure for like 2 months before i got help,i figured it was something minor and it would go away,but it didnt.i went to the family doctor,and he used the good ol anuscope and peeped around awhile,told me i had a fissure,and explained what it was and how to fix it.he gave me hyd cort suppositories[waste of time] and other stuff that helped,but didnt cure.he sent me to a gastro. dr.there i was given metamucil and .05% nitro cream.it helped alot,month later i returned,fissure wasnt healing as fast as he wanted so he gave me the higest % of nitro he could,i think it was 2%..it almost floored me the 1st time i used it,but i got better with it,that was in march-april 06,by time my vacation came around in early augest, i was fixed..i returned to the gastro. and he gave me the fingering from hell,actually trying to aggravate the fissure,after that i got the OK..so i was on nitro for a total of like 5-6 months..so if you can take the temporary headachs i'd continue on a higher dose of nitro if possible rather than jumping into surgery right away,i realize for some its the only choice,but my dr. told me that the lis was the last option on the list...though it did suck walking around with cream all over your butthole for months,i'd do it again if i had to i guess...why did you stop the cream?

Hi all,
So I did it. I had LIS and a fissurectomy on Tuesday April 7th. The doctor said I had 2 fissures that didn't look that bad but because they didn't heal with nitro he went ahead and cut a very small amount of muscle. I was "lucky" in the sense that before the surgery I just had some pain with a BM but then I was fine. I didn't really notice the fissures or my bum the rest of the day. NOW however I am in pain constantly. I'm able to deal with it with Motrin but is this normal? I have had BM's everyday and they are a good consistency but on Sunday I had some blood on my stool and then again today. Since Sunday I feel this ALL of the time. How is this supposed to heal if I rip it open everytime I go to the bathroom, despite the relaxed muscle? Is my pain due to the stitches? I'm so frustrated!