Hi again,
I'm recovering well from my surgery, this morning I woke up feeling the least pain I have . I'm just taking 2 advil every 6 hours and it is working fine. My only complaint is that i'm still having AF burning/bad pain during my movements. I"ve been on a good diet, but am having hard but formed stools that sink. I think this is why I am having the pain. My nurse at the hospital said to avoid gas producing foods, so i haven't been eating my usual beans, cabbage, tons of berries usual diet. I think cutting back on the fiber (but i am still getting a lot of it) might be the problem-- i'm going to try a higher fiber diet and see if that helps
Could the advil be giving me constipation? Also, i take one colace at night and about a teaspoon of metamucil at night (i find my bm's get too bulky if i take more than that at night).
When my stool was looser after surgery the pain was less, so I guess that is a sign. I know it will take 1-2 months for the fissure to heal, but it is frustrating to feel like my surgery wound is fine but my fissure pain is stilll bad and getting worse over the last 3 days ( i think i re-tore the fissure in the last few days).
I am having very little bleeding, didn't have any starting day 2 after the surgery, but since the AF pain started up again (2 days ago) the bleeding is back, but it is VERY little, like a few dots. Even though the pain is the same as before, the bleeding is less then when I had AF pain before my surgery.
Do you all agree that i need to fiber load my diet more then I am to make my stoll more loose? I am drinknig plenty of liquid....
Also, those who have had the surgery, did you still have AF pain afterwards? At the same level during BMs that you had before?
Thanks for any thoughts on this!!
S

Hey Suzy,
Sorry to hear you are having one of those "downer" kind of weeks when you think you are on the right track and then you have a series of bad days. I think that is normal and seems to be pretty typical of healing and recovery in this area!
I think you should go back to your fiber diet you were on presurgery with your berries, cabbage, beans etc. I don't know if there is any benefit at this point in avoiding those foods. I eat berries and cabbage just about every day!
Do you eat a high fiber cereal once a day? I know I sound like a broken record about these All Bran Buds but I think it really is a great way to get a huge part of the RDV of fiber a day.
One thing that helps me with formed stools that are too hard it to take flax seed or fish oil capsules. It helps keep the digestive track lubricated and easy to go to the bathroom.
I don't think advil is causing the constipation. I think it is probably the dietary changes of your not eating what worked for you before the surgery.
Have you tried taking acidopholis or eating yogurt everyday? That can also promote regularity and I take it everyday.
Just some ideas I had. I am sure this is a minor bump and you will be feeling better soon.
Take care,
Lecia

Do you all agree that i need to fiber load my diet more then I am to make my stool more loose? I am drinking plenty of liquid....
The fair warning is this is not qualified medical advice I offer, myself, just suggestions from a fellow AF sufferer. But I honestly think you should be getting just the normal amount of fiber for your weight that is necessary and RDA recommended. *Maybe* a tad bit more. I see no need to stress your colon/sphincter etc. with too much excess fiber. Yet, most folks probably don't get enough fiber, so naturally you don't want to drop below the RDA, under normal circumstances.
I have learned that every AF case has many similarities and some differences. One difference in your post-surgery experience and mine is that I got the burning from watery stools that were too loose. I had this happen twice, but it was immediately after the surgery (a couple days) not later. The burn was awful, intense, and painful but only lasted a few minutes. The bath remedied it fast.
As for your other question for those of us who've had surgery...the burning seemed to be pretty much the last of my AF pains. I did have a couple incidents about 3-4 weeks after the surgery when I did an unexpected sharp pain down there, but it went away in < minute. Worrisome at the time, but we've had others on the board who had that happen too. I had been sitting directly on me arse, so that was probably what caused my later pains.

Thanks Lecia for your reply!
I do eat a high fiber cereal in the morning (usually Kashi, sometimes steel oats) and that helps--- i haven't been having Kashi this week because I didn't want to overwhelm my system, but i'm back on it daily as of this AM. 8g fiber...i am staying away from the super high fiber cereals (1o+) because I get so much fruit and veg during the day that it overwhelms me.
I used to do flax seed in my oatmeal, i should go back to that. I do eat a lot of yogurt (plain, 2% greek style).
I just ate vegetarian indian food today so that should get some things moving- spinach, lentils and peas, yum!
It is just such a fine line for me between having too runny a stool and too bulky of a movement. Strangely enough, runny stools are much more comfortable for me to pass....but i read on this board that runny stools are bad?
I don't know where these hard stool came from, very frustrating! hard stool is rarely my problem.
You don't think it could be the colace, do you? This week is my first time on colace and i know it is supposed to loosen the movement so this wouldn't make much sense, would it!
S

Well, I can't imagine that it is the colace. That should be having the opposite effect. I never really got any results with colace. Sometimes a little miralax (OTC now) can help but don't start out with the full dose. In the past I would just add a very small amount in water and see how I did. But I really think that it is just a change in how you had been eating and not getting the same amount of fiber your body had been used to. Kim is right-you don't want to go crazy with fiber but really should be at the higher recommended amount or a tad over.
I wonder if you take a little aloe vera juice that might help. Also flax seed oil (1 tablespoon in the am and pm can work wonders.) But don't add all these things at once because I don't want you to be at the other extreme either!

I think runny stools can burn but they aren't bad in and of themselves. At least for me if there is any residue it can burn for hours.
Hope that helps!
Take care,
L.

Thanks you guys.
Kim, thanks for sharing your post surgery experience! It is upsetting me that I am having the same AF pain as I did when I signed up for the surgery----i just have to hope it gets better now that I have had surgery. By the time my surgery came around I wasn't having this kind of pain that i am having now during movements---i had used diltiazem to treat it. That is what is extra annoying. I go to the dr on Tuesday which will be helpful.
What I think happened is my diet, while good, was not fiber filled enough compared to my usual after the surgery and on Friday (today is sunday) i felt the fissure tear a bit and now i'm having bad fissure pain during movements....and also my bottom still hurts and i went to the bathroom 8 hours ago! I think it is probably surgery pain mixed with fissure pain. But i'm not having much bleeding, so maybe this is a good sign?
Frustrating but i'm hopeful this fissure pain will subside when i start eating beans and high fiber cereal again.
S

Yes, I think that it is a good sign that you aren't bleeding. To me I would take that to mean that the fissure isn't active and you are continuing to heal.
I think it will be good to hear what the doctor says and how it is healing. Even though you have had the surgery you are still having to heal from both the surgical incision and the fissure itself. I am sure your visit with him will be reassuring.
Let us know what he has to say and don't worry!
Lecia

No itch yet, Suzy?

Suzy,
My Doc told me to continue the miralax which is a stool softener/lax and to take 100mg of colace twice 2x a day. I have been doing that and it has pretty well kept things soft. I did not have anyone tell me to stay away from gas causing foods ie fiber after the surgery. The colace has nothing to do with fiber or volume (as i understand it ) it draws water to the content of the colon and thereby the stool as does the miralax.
I started getting too much fiber (I think) 40 to 50 grams I think and it caused me to have 5 to 6 BMs yesterday. None of which were diarhetic (sp) .
Therefore I would give some serious thought to fetting more fiber and take a minimum of 200 mg of colace per day. If it makes your stool to soft ie runny and that causes pain stop or cut back on the colace.
The Doc also said that post surgery I would have to continue the healing treatment ie high fiber , soft stool , lots of water to heal the fissure and that it would take a month or two to heal completely.
Good Luck and GOD Bless!!

Thanks you guys!
Lecia, i agree the doctor visit will be a reassuring!
Kim, no itch yet! I have been using a blowdryer after every bath and shower (so around 4 times a day), plus wearing loose pants or just a robe to air the area out.
MB- i think I may start a Colace in the am, right now i'm just taking 1 at night.
I just had my second bm for the day. It hurt badly during, but i think a little less than this morning. However, i had more blood- like my usual AF bleeding, one wipe pretty bright. I think my fissure is just sore right now because it was agrivated by my hard stool this AM. I"m going to have to really watch the fiber/water intake to get over this "hump" and i'm hoping that is all it is. I hope I can come around, i have faith that if I can get my stool a little softer it will help.
Cross your fingers for me!!!
S