I understand. I was a normal, happy girl with a great family. Then this. I got really anxious and actually took Ativan for a couple of weeks at night to sleep. I then started Zoloft to help me. I was so depressed as it was Christmas and I was in pain. And it never ended. Then after I got home from the hospital I couldn't pee and had to have a cathedar put in for two days to "shock my bladder" back into working. I thought then please let me die if this is how I have to live. Luckily after that everything seemed to go back to normal (except the nasty fissure).
I know my surgeon has been doing it for 25 years and has seen much worse than me. He was nice but just seemed to shrug his shoulders and shuffle me out. I am giving it time before going to someone else in a bigger city. I am scared to death to have anyone look or do anyting to that area...
Is the fistula still there? So you didn't have a flap replacement but he stiched the fissure itself up? Man that sounds like it would have worked.
What is your regimen now (food)?

i'm going to private msg you macy

Hi Macy!
Sorry it took me a while to get baack to you - Yes, I can eat whatever I want with caution. I always have ate really healthy. Tonight I had veggies and tofu, not because of my fissure, but because that is just the type of food I enjoy eating. Sometimes, when I eat something bad, like sweets or red meat, I will take MOM or miralax because I am scared of my BM. I may not even have to do that, but I am scared to go natural and I figure if I don't take laxatives often, it's ok.
What kind of pain do you have now? Do you have blood still? Do you still have hemmie problems?
Jen

No I don't have hemmie problems. No blood either. Just a burning, achy feeling back there right at the fissure site. I get some small spasms but only right at my period time. I get some burning with a BM but that isn't too bad. It's just the constant aching back there that drives me nuts. I feel I should be grateful not to be where I was three months ago, but at the same time disappointed it's not all better. It just still astounds me that one tear can take so long to heal.

Hi Tracy ,
I am sorry to hear that you are still in discomfort and pain , but for some people it takes more than standard 8-12 weeks to get healed .
If your discomfort continues for more than 6 months (when it is expected that the whole area gets to the final "look and feel"), than you should ask for second opinion definitely. At that point I would ask for manometry test - to measure your inner resting sphincter pressure and if it proves to be high you might need the second LIS procedure done. I had to have second LIS and I finally healed (KTW).
CRSs try to be very conservative when cutting female sphincters since they assume it must be weaker after childbirth and it is anatomically smaller and shorter than man's , so it is not unusual that first LIS proves to be insufficient.
Please don't despair too ealry - there is a good chance that you might heal in couple of months and if not you have other options to consider. In the meantime, just keep your BMs soft, but not mushy (they should be formed but "playable"- sorry for the visuals LOL), take soaks, and don't forget that it is not "forbidden" to use Nitro or Nefidapine after the LIS during spasm periods.
Best of luck

Thanks, I am sure hoping to avoid another LIS..for me it was a nightmare in a lot of ways. It is better than it was, which makes me think it is healing, but very very slowly. I am not even sure of the healing process, how does it heal so slowly? Does it just get a little better each week/month and then go away for good? How was yours?

It takes a month after complete healing for the skin to be 40% as strong as originally and 1 year for the skin to be 80% as strong as originally.
Makes sense right ! These were the stats i was looking for

So if not completely healed then what? Arg!

So if not completely healed then what? Arg! dunno
That's hard to answer but it is still too early to be thinking the worst. Believe in yourself and in your healing, that can go a long way..!!!

After my first LIS , my fissure closed in about 8 weeks. Every week was some improvement and than all discomfort was gone. I had my fissure act-up about 5 -6 months post-op - my sphincter regained it's original tightness. I immediately started contemplating another LIS and I had it done 3 months later . At that time I had also fissurectomy, skin tags removed, and internal centennial piles removed . Recovery was more painful and slower than just a LIS - I needed 4 months to heal completely, but I did. Again, progress was seen every week until all discomfort was gone.
Do not think about non-healing so soon - and as I said - if after 6 months you do not feel 100 %- than ask for second opinion. I needed to ask for third, forth and fifth until I found a doctor who knew exactly what was going on !!!! Just never give up !!!!