Yea, I've been pretty healthy all my life, never took painkillers before so I could not really imagine they are so effective...but there you go.
About the packing, I'm not sure it's the same packing everyone else had. It seems to dissolve a bit more after each shower I take, so maybe that's the way it should be?...
I also have been experiencing some kind of discharge, since yesterday and through today: brownish/reddish, not sure if it's blood, stool or a mixture. Not too much, but enough to stain. From what I've been reading around this is normal, I guess from the wound itself, but still makes me nervous. It seems odourless far as I can tell.
Good news is there's still no pain, but I popped a Panadol just in case (and also for its anti-inflammatory properties). And I'm also trying to take things very slowly, laying down a lot, walking in slo-mo etc. Too bad tomorrow I have to drive a bit to see the doc, but I feel lucky to be able to see him at all

Dexterdude it sounds like you're doing great! I don't know about the packing, but I think as long as it's coming out nicely, there's no problem there. Also, the discharge sounds like normal exudate to me. If it doesn't smell and doesn't look like pus, then it's just normal wound discharge (proteins and cellular material and whatnot). It's great that there's no pain! I'm glad you can just rest and look after yourself too. I hope your drive to the doc isn't too uncomfortable.
Doing good Dude! :D

Don't want to sound gross, but I would say the discharge smell is interesting. It's a bit salty, maybe a bit fishy, and a touch wooden...not that one would make a perfume with these notes out of it :)
It does look brown red, the fresher one looks redder, maybe like a diluted blood of sorts. Probably as you say hope, normal wound exudate. I will ask the doc about it as he said, as a rule, if I have bleeding for more than 5 hrs at any time, go to the ER. While I can't really count this as bleeding, it's making me anxious cause as far as I know the area is better dry than wet.
..but hey, I AM a big baby :)

hmmm ... ode du exudate! :D
That smell sounds familiar, actually. I had only a very little bit of the brownish/red stuff the first few days. The rest was just clear and I never really smelled anything bad. But then I did develop an abscess at the incision site about 4 weeks post-op, so it really is hard to tell from smell and color alone. I could tell when things started infecting, though, because the itch stopped feeling like a healing itch and started feeling more like a sharper itch. And the area got painful in an "I'm infected" kinda way.
But those were symptoms a little more than four weeks out. Before that I had all kinds of strange sensations and things were healing very well. My problem was likely that the incision healed too quickly from the top and it took a while for the lovely pus-stuff to accumulate. (There! We can get into a gross-out competition!)
What you describe does sound normal, from what I've read from other posts too. Of course, it never hurts to double-check with your doc. I don't call that being a baby - I call it being a conscientious and prudent patient (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

After my LIS I was bleeding that diluted blood stuff for quite a while. It got lesser and lesser and then just stopped.
A baby - definitely not - ass surgery HURTS! And it's a good thing to be aware of what's happening to your behind, at least you can deal with any problems as and if they arise.

P.S.
If you need to take an anti-inflammatory, you would be better off with ibruprofen. Panadol is paracetamol, which is a fever reducer, and contains hardly any anti-inflammatory properties.

Met the doc today for some more questions, here are some interesting insights, in no particular order:
1. The road to recovery is ups and downs, one day it might bleed, another not, one it might be swollen, another not etc. Be aware, but try not to obsess about it.
2. Generally one should start to feel better (as in less pain) in 1.5-2 weeks
3. Botox kicks in 2-3 days, although it paralyzes the sphincter immediately upon injection, but after a few days it's the strongest effect. Lasts 1-2 months.
4. Loose stools which might remain over the wound do not cause infections. Of course it helps to wash away if possible, but the body is aware of what's going on and if the wound is open, it should not get infected.
5. In case after 6 weeks the procedure didn't work, we might do just another round of botox. He REALLY hates doing LIS :)
6. Taking painkillers everyday is ok and recommended. He even told me to take them regularly, preferably BEFORE pain and going to the bathroom.
7. Leakage is normal, as after botox there is a slight incontinence and the wound + bowels secrete stuff anyway which comes out. It should go away in a few days/week.
8. NO creams are to be used. Just water.
9. It's important to try to mentally "forget" about the area/wound/pain and just let things run their course. In my case the stepping stone is next week when I get the histology results to rule out any bigger problems (cancer). He said it's very unlikely to be something else, but we have to know for sure, and after that I really DO need to try to move on with my daily life.
10. I can eat whatever I want. Really? Really! Well, except spicy foods :) (note: I still will take it easy with the diet, despite what he said; having mostly fruit/vegetables/soup these days)
11. There should be no pain during BMs, but it's normal to "burn" afterwards. This is exactly what I'm feeling: I was totally amazed today when I had two BMs with no pain while passing, but pretty bad pain immediately after.
12. The packing used was something with glycerin, which sticks but dissolves away on its own in time.
13. It's better for healing that the wound itself is moist, but the outside area is dry. As it is right now for me, it's already kind of doing this on its own, so I can just leave it alone.
14. Botox was shot at 4 points, one for each quadrant. Some ultrasound guidance was used to determine how deep to inject it.
If I remember some more stuff I will post. Feel free to ask more and maybe it will trigger memories :)

wow Dexterdude! That's great information - it will be so helpful to people here. You're very thorough! I'm sorry your still getting the post-BM pain, but hopefully that will go away soon.
I hope you're having a good day today!

Another day, another BM. Pain is the same, makes me shake and my teeth clatter. And it only comes immediately after BM, not during. There was fresh blood also, not much, but it was there.
Luckily the agony lasts only about 10 minutes, after which the painkiller brings it down to a bearable level. It's funny, the pain, and how we react to it: as soon as I feel the painkiller kicking in and the shaking begins to stop, I have an uncontrolled reaction where I just seem to laugh inside as the waves of pain subside a bit. Amazing, the human mind
Hopefully it will get better as days go by.

I'm with you there, Dexterdude!
The shaking stopped yesterday though, as the pain was quite mild compared to previous days - then today BAM, back it came again! I stopped the tramadol, today I feel like taking it again, but I wont as I need to drive!
It does get better, hang in there dude!