this friday it will be 4 weeks since my 2nd LIS surgery. i think i'm making progress, though ever so slooowly. :roll: i went almost all of last week with no pain (before, during, or after bm; i didn't have the usual pain from standing after sitting) but then this monday i had a semi-painful bm and that seems to have set me back a bit. it wasn't hard at all, just a bit bigger than in the past few weeks. i think i was getting over-confident that things were healing and ate more than i should've over the weekend. regardless, things are still not as bad as they were before surgery...i haven't had the guts to look down there with a hand mirror. i'm afraid if i can still see it i'll get discouraged.
i'm taking 800mg of ibuprofen everyday after bm, around 8am. i'm not sure if that's just masking the pain or not, but by 1pm i have almost no pain at all and the ibuprofen has definitely worn off by then. (my dr said 800mg would last about 4 hours).
i know it's a slow process, 2 steps forward 1 step back, so i'm not losing hope yet. but it felt sooo good last week to not think about my butt all day. i literally felt ALIVE again for the first time in over a year. it's only been 4 weeks so i still have hope. :D

You are getting there, Juney. And fast.
A semi-painful BM probably was not a setback. try hard to stay on the diet now more than ever! This is perhaps the most critical time in your healing process.
But with the LIS done, even setbacks can be overcome, but they can take a week or more to overcome.
Keep at it!

I am glad to hear of your overall progress. I hate that one bad BM can seem to put us back on an otherwise positive streak. I have had that happen many a time. But with your surgery you will overcome these things quickly and your bad days will be like your good days used to be. (That is what Kim told me once upon a time when I was in a rut and it really helps me to see the whole picture).
You have survived the worst of this. You are an AF survivor and champion! Don't back down now. You are just about there!

Juney that is wonderful and exciting news to share!
Yes you are in the tango stages of healing and there will always be more bad BM moments but you will see that your anus will adapt and feel much better quicker in no time.
I am glad you had a great week and felt alive. This is a very good sign.
Just keep doing what you need to do to keep things going down there and you'll be as good as new. It will take a while and expect a good 6 months of tangoing and a good year to really experience the complete healing.

Great News Juney!
Gareth gives some great advice...there will always be a few set backs, but we need to focus on the big picture.
I'm glad your doing better. I just found out a family member of mine had to have LIS twice before it worked, so don't feel bad.

thanks all! i am definitely hoping the surgery will do the trick this time. fingers crossed!
chris, that's interesting about your family member. i haven't told anyone, aside from my parents and boyfriend, about what i've been going through... but sometimes i wonder if i was more open about it, would i find out people close to me have gone thru it too? it's definitely one of those things you never hear about, not cuz it's uncommon but cuz people don't want to talk about it. interesting. btw, how are you doing after your cauterization, chris?
anyway i'll let everyone know how i do the next couple weeks...hopefully i'll be even closer to being healed by thanksgiving!

ughhh today was the first day since just after the surgery that i have not had a bowel movement. i've been anxious and worried about it all day and i don't think that's helping... i took 2 tablespoons of MOM a few hours ago but it hasn't worked so far. hopefully i'll go tomorrow! i know you all understand how frustrating it is to miss a day when you're trying to stay regular...i do not want to delay or prevent my healing at all.
i must admit i really messed up yesterday - ice cream AND pizza and only a little spinach. i'm totally kicking myself now.

oh Juney : (, I can only imagine how frustrated you are : (((. Can you take some Miralax too? Or some other stimulant ??? I know i would freak out too, so I am sending you a big hug : (((. Don't be so mad at yourself - it is only human to try to feel healthy again after so much pain. How about drinking combo of coffee and prune juice and some fresh fruit afterwards (like black cherries )- it would purge me 5 times in a row !!!
Wishing you early morning ultra soft BM !!!!!!

It will get back to normal. I know when I take MOM I don't go until the next day. Maybe see the day off as a day your butt gets a break.
Let us know how it goes!

whew...i went first thing this morning. thank goodness! the MOM definitely helps, the bm was liquidy but not painful. i remember, before the fissure (and probably the reason for the fissure) i used to go once or maybe twice A WEEK. i thought that was normal if you can believe it!! now i miss 1 day and i practically have a panic attack.
anyway, i took a hot bath after and 3 ibprofen. the pain isn't too bad now, but i just got to work and have to sit the rest of the day... i'll go home on my lunch and take another warm bath. it's been almost 5 weeks since my surgery, but i'll probably continue with the baths until the end of the year!
fissulyna, your combo of coffee and prune juice sounds yucky! do you mix them together? and does it really work for you?