Juls814
I checked and didn't see a separate thread for you. I just wanted to be able to wish you all the best with your surgery too! And your story was so awesome. Only we fissure sufferers could possibly understand that kind of envy!
momof7
I'm so so glad you've got Valium to help with the nerves, and that you'll have some quiet time during your initial days of recovery. And that is just the best ever...to have the loving, caring help in and out of the bathtub from your daughter will be healing too! Maybe she'll read to you or just sit and keep you company while you soak.
More hugs and best wishes for both of you Friday surgery ladies!

Momof7,
Good luck for surgery today, I hope it all goes well for you.
Juls814
Wishing you luck too! I laughed out loud at your story... I have total poo envy with my family.. Even my cat has no issues!! Lol
Wishing you both a speedy recovery... Please post your recovery stories for us to read!

OMB x

Surgery was successful according to the doc.
I expected 3 quadrant hem'ectomy. That's what I got.
Local anesthetic still working. Being very very careful with all my movements.
To Juls: Best wishes to you as well. I know exactly about both of your comments. I haven't experienced the vision of my kids bm, but I'm sure I'd be entranced momentarily. Also, I've never been under general anesthesia...I would have been scared to death, but wasn't concerned at all. I haven't been scared of the surgery itself either, or waking up from it. I knew the local would be working. I have been VERY concerned about the recovery, especially days 3-14. At one point I was terrified, but reading suzyljank's posts and the hem surgery notes at http://www.healthboards.com/boards/bowel-disorders/556948-hemorrhoidectomy-recovery-guide-page-1-a.html gave me an emotional boost. I too had HOURS of painful spasms. 6-8 hours on average, sometimes longer. The specialty cream stopped that in it's tracks. The miralax helped too. I used it at night then my bm was right after my morning route. If I spasmed, I was usually done by the time to do the afternoon route.
I was advised to continue using this cream even while the local is still in effect. I was nervous, but I decided I better figure out where to guide my finger while my finger can feel the stitches and my bum can't. =) It took me a minute to work up the nerve to enter the opening...and I had to find it. All my "road markers" are gone. The multiple tags and hems are GONE. Wow. Doc said everything inside is nice and smooth now, but that when the swelling sets in not to think it is new internal hems. Glad he warned me.

Hi, You sound good. I bet you're glad the surgery is over. Now just concentrate on your recovery. I'm so glad my notes helped you. Just take things one day at a time. That's what I did and am still doing. If you feel pain stay on top of it, take your pain meds before it gets bad. It's much easier to control that way. I was also warned that they gave me a long lasting shot and when it wore off I might feel more pain, but the pain level never went up after the shot wore off. I used toradol while I was in the hospital and they sent me home with zofran (for nausea) and norco. I managed most of my pain with ibuprofen 600 mgs. every 6 hours and took norco at night. (I was really nervous about constipation). I actually got diarrhea the first two days after surgery. Things started firming up after I starting eating again. Did you get any restrictions on diet? I had to have liquids day 1 but after that I could go back to my normal diet. Go slowly on food. Little meals are good.
As far as swelling goes it's normal. It made me feel like I had to have a bm but it does get better. Just take care of yourself and rest. I'm so glad you are now on the road to recovery. All the best Suzy.

Congrats on your surgery I hope your recovery goes well. Look forward to your diary over nx few days. Did you have tags removed too? I'm having LIS & tag removal nx Wednesday I'm so scared but can't wait to feel normal again.
Take it easy over nx few days

I am doing well. I started with percocet every 5 hours, then bumped it to four. Read on my dr.d orders page that I can have the valium every 6 hours, so right now I'm taking the percocet and valium at the same time with 600-800 mg. motrin at the 3 hour interval between the Rx meds.
The local began wearing off some last night. The tub is still my best friend.
Having difficulty finding the opening for applying the cream I have...all the "landmarks" are gone. HaHa.
After my tub soaks, I use the hair dryer to dry the area, apply the cream externally, then wait about 15 minutes and try to insert the cream. The stitches scare me...but it's more knowing that they are there than actually feeling them tugging. I'm black and blue today, but I expected that.
I feel pretty good.
I wasn't given any hard and fast rules for diet, so I started with broth and toast (dipped in the broth), jello, and canned soup, and very thin oatmeal.
Today canned peaches, oatmeal,soup, graham crackers with meds.
Have had a very small, very loose bm and the gas is passing some. Actually looking forward to my first real bm. Expect it to be very loose. Still using miralax, soluble fiber supplement, and drinking loads of liquids.
Initially, I had difficulty urinating, and when I did it was very slow going. As the local wears off and the valium and cream kick in, I can have almost normal urine flow.
Feeling better than I expected and hoping that I will notice when to increase my percocets to 2 every 6 or 1 every four. I plan to stay on top of the pain, using alarm clock at night to be sure I don't wake up in misery.
Dry mouth has been terrible from one of the nausea meds they gave me intravenously. Throat is sore from intubation and extubation, but not badly.
Thanks for the encouragement. I must say, I had worse pain with the spasms when I first figured out what was going on than what I'm experiencing now.
I think if I'd only had the LIS I'd be almost pain free..but all those stitches...I'm a baby when it comes to stitches.
Best wishes again, Edel.
Juls, hope you are having a decent recovery too!

Hi momof7,
So glad to hear you are doing so well, my fear if LIS is fading a tiny bit when I read your recovery so far. As my hubby keeps saying can't be any worse than the spasms. Thank you for well wishes 😊
I hope you continue your healing.
Take care

I really am a cry baby when it comes to stitches...I had one stitch on the very tip of a finger right nest to the fingernail. It made me cry, and aggravated me forever, even when the stitch was gone, the "numb" left from the scar was strange for me.
I even had a BM this morning (while standing in the tub), then took my percocet and soaked about 15 minutes. I still feel better than I did with the worst spasms. (There were some small blood clots... just from having been in the rectum and not passing, and the BM, (very loose but not watery) was also red with blood, but not enough to frighten me.
I think you will do fine. Not everyone does, but many find instant relief with LIS. We have to remember as we read the this board...those of us who post are a minority of people with fissures. The others heal and are on their merry way. Or, they come for a bit, then when they are better, forget to post their happy ending.
Your hubby is right...this has been absolutely no worse than some of the spasm episodes I had.
I am more sore today than yesterday, but from stitches, not spasms or pressure. Still no tears. And the spasms had in me tears quite often.
Edel, you are going to do fine. I truly believe it!

Hi Mom..so glad to hear you are doing well. I also have been inspired by Suzy's story, It is so important to read an account like hers- it makes it easier when we are so scared.
I did not have an LIS, but a fissurectomy and a hemmoroid removed. MY CRS spoke to me briefly when I woke up and said I had another small hemmoroid- I dont think he removed it? And he said that my fissure would never have healed without the surgery- so I endured 4 months of pain. My surgery was super fast, I went in at 10:30 AM and by 1PM was home in bed. I am truly grateful for that.I am having some discomfort for sure- mainly day 1 ( at night) and yesterday. I have ben diligent in taking pain med at four hour intervals, I am sure that helps. I actually prefer 3 Advil over Percoset, so I am trying to alternate at each interval. I haven't had a bm yet, but I am not eating much and I did have one the morning before the surgery. I started back on the Miralax yesterday. Fiber supplements did not agree with me so I am trying to eat my fiber, whatever I am eating.
I will say that so far Thanks to God, this is not as horrific as I was reading. Thats not to say that people don't have bad experiences, I just think those are the ones that are more inclined to post those stories. I wish more would post positive ones so that people wont be afraid. At the end of the day, we are all different. Thanks to all of the support on this forum, and the honesty in their stories I got the courage to have surgery- thank God I did. I would like to add that my CRS did not say that before surgery- he actually had me try conservative measures first. I guess even he couldn't tell until I was under and he could really get in there. Wishing you many blessings for a speedy recovery- and to all of you on here that are still struggling,

Sounds like we both have good docs. We started out conservative, but he also knew I had already been dealing with the pain for weeks before I came to him. He would have been glad to do the surgery sooner, but I really wanted to make it through the school year on the bus. So...I made it, and am glad. I will still be paid over the summer and I only missed one afternoon and one morning route. (Now I'll be able to pay the bills.)

I went ahead and began eating after surgery because I knew I wanted to get the first bm out of the way. The first and second weren't bad at all, but the third was more substantial. I had taken my usual bedtime miralax, and a laxative a little earlier in the daybeforehand. I do NOT want the narcotics to make me constipated.
I finally got the terrible pain that almost made me cry, but it still wasn't as bad as the spasms I had been having in April.
My surgery didn't take but an hour, but I was in recovery for a bit. I had wonderful nurses.
Are your calves sore from all the climbing in and out of the tub, and squatting instead of sitting? Mine sure are.
I have getting in and out down to a science. Can even lie on my side if need be.
Doc said for me to continue metamucil...but it actually tends to constipate me, and it isn't for lack of fluids, so until my stitches heal, it's miralax and benefiber (soluble fiber, no roughage).
I try to remember that even when I am hurting, God intends to use it for good.
Stay rested!