Far too much going on down there, for sure.

I am going to call his office and ask his receptionist my questions.

Thanks for all of your support, and I hope that you had a fabulous weekend.

Good luck, chachacha! I hope you had a great weekend, too.

So I survived the trip! I was doing pretty good up until today... unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy the full morning routine today due to the hectic travel schedule... was very uncomfortable at the airports but couldn't deal with it in the public restrooms and not having a place to soak afterwards. Got home and had a rough time of it, and then had to go again a couple hours later. Had some bleeding (hadn't had any in weeks) and now I'm hurting really bad. =( Feeling sad that I may have set back whatever healing I had done during the last couple weeks. *sigh*

Hope you're making some progress, chachacha, and that you had a nice holiday (if you're celebrating something this time of year).

UGH! I'm really sorry to hear that things are not going well for you right now, especially since you thought that you had been healing well before the trip.

Nothing new here, but I did get through Christmas (and I hope that you enjoyed whatever holiday you were celebrating too) by taking Imodium. I couldn't bear the thought of not having everything "just right", especially for the kids. I had a REALLY nasty Christmas Eve, but the day itself was pain-free and wonderful.

Good luck going forward, and I hope that things improve for you soon.

Thank youuu! I had another bummer yesterday evening because my boyfriend wanted Indian food and both of us felt too exhausted/ill to cook, so we ordered out... Unfortunately mine came much spicier than expected. Don't get me wrong - my tastebuds love spicy food... but my gut does not. So I was stuck eating pears that we had laying around because neither of us has gone to the grocery in two weeks. Also yesterday was exactly one month from my scheduled surgery date so that was a little mentally tough, since I've really still been hoping that I will heal enough during the waiting period so that I won't have to have surgery. On the bright side, my morning was not too traumatic today. I tried using the finger support method for the first time and it seemed like it really helped!

Sorry to hear that Christmas Eve was tough, but glad to hear that Christmas day was good for you! It's an especially hard time of the year to have digestive difficulties and to have to watch what you eat, so hearing about a fairly good day on the holiday is uplifting. =) Hope you have a great weekend!

Sorry that your food choices bit you in the bum (ptp).

Has your surgeon said that you can forgo the procedure if you start to heal on your own?

Christmas Eve was nothing compared to the hell I have been experiencing over the past week. I was actually shrieking at the top of my lungs yesterday as the stool was exiting my anus. I was then doubled over in unbearable pain for hours afterward, and it was a pain even worse than I usually experience. I honestly didn't know if I was going to survive it or not, but managed a little relief by standing fully bent over in the shower. That only helped while I was in the shower though, but I went in and out frequently during the worst of it.

I'm now really afraid that I won't be allowed to go through with the procedure because of my hemmorhoid issue, and do not know if they can do anything for me at all.

I hope that things have improved for you over the last week.

Ohh chachacha. =( My heart is hurting for you. I've had days like that but more early on, and usually isolated... I cannot imagine for a week or more. Sending you healing energies. Do you have a heating pad you can sit on when you're not in the bath? I'm not sure how that would affect the hemmies but it does help with my spasming.

I did not ask my CRS about the chances that I can avoid the procedure if I start healing on my own... I'm guessing she'll still want to go through with it (since that's how they make their money) but I can always decline. It may also be worth it to go through with the skin tag removal, anyway, since mine are often in the way and are easily irritated.

I'm happy to say I've actually been doing a little better this week. I started using magnesium supplements and they are wonderful in terms of helping my stool be a much better consistency. I've also been applying coconut oil as soon as I wake up (I'm a "morning person" in terms of BMs). I still have some pain but it isn't nearly as bad, mostly because the BM only takes me a couple of minutes and then it's over. I wish I would have tried this sooner because the stool softeners and fiber do not even compare. That said, I'm still having a bit of blood on the TP, so I'm not sure if there's any healing happening or if it's just hurting less. Even just less hurting is obviously a good thing, though.

Thanks for the much-appreciated sympathy.

I can't sit on anything while I'm suffering, but lean to one side and lounge instead. I do use a hot compress on the area though, and it helps a little sometimes.

Yes, if they're being financially compensated, they would want you to follow through. I just wondered if they were still hoping that you had a chance to heal on your own first. And if you think that you don't need it any more, you should definitely at least postpone. I'm not sure that the tag removal on its own would be wise though, because I've heard that that can involve quite a bit of pain and possible trouble healing too. Maybe save that for a time when you (perhaps) eventually do go through with the sphincterotomy (if that doesn't happen later this month).

I can't use magnesium because of my diarrhea, but I'm glad that it seems to be helping you.

And yes, less hurting is a REALLY good thing, so I hope that you continue down that more positive path.

<3 Thanks, chachacha. Today wasn't as great as the previous few days, but still better than where I was a month ago, and much better than where I was three months ago. So it's tough to say whether I'm healing or whether I'm just learning to deal with it better (diet, supplements, etc.)... I have an appointment with the RN to get my vitals rechecked a week before surgery (there is a requirement here that they check them within 30 days of the surgery), so I will definitely more questions then.

Part of what makes me nervous is, I'm a PhD student and am planning to defend my dissertation later this spring, so the longer I put off the surgery, the more chance there is that it will interfere with that... and the last thing I want to do is delay graduation (which would also delay my chance of getting a job for a whole semester).

Also, that makes sense about the magnesium and diarrhea. I wish I knew some suggestions to offer you relief. =(

You are really between a rock and a hard place, because you have to consider the dissertation. Hmmmmm.

We also require a pre-op consultation with an RN, but my hospital has recently started allowing low-risk patients to do that by phone. I have an "appointment" time and date and must be ready by the phone when she/he calls. I chose a date closer to the surgery though, so still need an answer from my CRS. I also have a phone # to call if I have any questions, but I can't imagine that the nurse would be well-versed enough to know much about my particular situation. Do you also have a number to call? Maybe that might be a good first step for you.

And sorry to hear that yesterday set you back a bit.