how are you doing now? Hoping all is improving!

Thanks leanne27 and scientist, for the good thoughts and well wishes!

The last couple of days I have felt major improvement: pain levels are back down to manageable without taking anything for it, swelling and sensitivity are reduced, stool consistency is back under control, and overall I am just feeling "better". I'm able to sit for brief periods on a heating pad, and last night I cooked dinner and washed a load of dishes.

I've been really enjoying my time off work, doing arts and crafts, snuggling with the kitties and doggies, relaxing. I think part of the reason I am able to see such healing is that I have been able to create a stress-free bubble to be in. I focus on mentally encouraging my body to heal and visualize myself doing the things I liked to do before I had this fissure. I focus on gratitude for the little good things that happen. Little by little I'm getting better, and I might even be ready to go back to work sooner that I'd thought. We'll have to see :)

Today is a snow day for a lot of people in my part of the world and it's coming down. There are a million birds in the big tree behind my house - starlings and pigeons and seagulls and crows and sparrows and cardinals - and they're all chattering up a storm in the snow. I went out with some bread and laid it all along the balcony rail in the snow. Came back inside and a half an hour later half of the bread was gone and there were starlings on the porch. I wanted to take a picture of them but they were camera shy, so I left them to their breakfast, and you'll just have to take my word for how cute they were. Poor things, it's cold out there, and doesn't usually snow here at this time of year.

I keep telling myself to log my daily food intake here but I can't seem to bring myself to actually do it because it's just so pitifully repetitive. Mashed acorn squash, mashed baked sweet potato, brown rice, apple without skin, banana, almond butter, cashews, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried prunes, smoked salmon, boiled chicken, baked fish, greek yogurt. I can't complain too much, because I feel lucky that I've found a formula for soft stools that works for me, but sometimes I just want to eat a hamburger or some pizza. I don't want to be in pain, though, so I'm sticking with what works for now.

Today the pain is really not bad. Occasional extreme itching and stinging are the worst that I'm dealing with now, but those are occasional and not ongoing. Slight burning in the anus but nothing too horrible. That first week was rough, but I am so encouraged by the improvement I'm already seeing, that the unpleasant sensations in that area aren't bothering me.

I'm still taking 3-4 showers each day, which is kind of a pain because it's so cold in my bathroom, but the water gets warm pretty quickly. BMs have been all over the place - a few days ago I was really constipated and that sucked, but went away. Now it's just a bit painful, but nothing too bad. After I am still getting some spasms but the heating pad is helping with that.

So overall I am improving - still have a ways to go, but I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. No pun intended.

Lovely post, thanks WhoKnew.
Glad you are feeling better. Doesn't it feel wonderful to be even a little bit better? I still have intense moments of gratitude for a pain-free life.
Just don't over-do it! It's all very well to wash dishes, but that doesn't mean you can suddenly be mopping the floor or anything rash like that. . Speaking from experience, sadly!

Thanks Scientist! Especially for the reminder to not over-do it... You probably prevented me from being a victim of my own enthusiasm!

Last night I got together with my friends who live downstairs. I was able to sit on the sofa for about 10 minutes before pain started, but then they let me just lie on the sofa with a heating blanket, so I was able to hang out for a few hours. We ordered dinner and I had a bit of hummus on pita and a spinach salad, followed by a few heavenly bites of raspberry cheesecake :)

This morning's BM was soft and did not hurt to pass. Rather, I am dealing with the stinging-itching. It's not too bad, but I'm still getting some dull aching for a few hours afterward, and sitting is still not really an option. When I finished my second shower of the day, I noticed that the cat had dragged my heating pad under the bed and was laying on it. I can't blame her! It's unseasonably cold today!

Today I'm working on starting to get mentally refreshed. 10 days in bed on drugs watching Netflix nonstop has really made me dull. I have another 11 days before I have to return to work, and I don't want to waste them in a Netflix stupor if I can help it. Now that the pain isn't so bad, I want to get my head clear and see what I can accomplish before it's time to return to work.

One thing I wanted to start is a list of fissure-friendly recipes to share in the Food section of this forum. I guess I will start on that now!

How are things going for you now? I'm hoping that no posts means good news.

Hi leanne! You are right - as always on the AF board, no news is good news :)

I'm not going to say anything crazy like "I'm totally healed" because I'd be selling both of us a line... we all know it takes more than 3 weeks after LIS to be totally healed. But I am doing surprisingly well.

Healing really took off for me by the end of week two. Week one was intense, most of week two also not very fun. But by the end of the week I was feeling a lot better, very little pain, no meds needed. No bleeding, almost no discharge, no pain with BM, no spasms, no fecal matter hiding out for later. Almost like my butt is back to normal.

Note I said almost! I still am taking Miralax 1/2 dose with each meal, though I am starting to wean off of it. I am still being careful with my diet, but not totally 100% sticking with mush foods. Learning to regulate sugar and ice cream and, of all things, kale!

The other day I woke up feeling kind of icky, so I wanted something light for breakfast. I had a bit of fish, some sauteed kale, and some brown rice. Lunch time rolls around and I'm out on a walk in the neighborhood. I think, I'll stop by the health food cafe and pick up lunch. I go, everything sounds good, but the most delicious thing on the menu was a kale salad with ginger and peanuts. I get it, take it home, eat this ridiculously giant amount of kale and cabbage with a million peanuts and then I realize - I just ate a ton of insoluble fiber today, oh no, what is going to happen?? Sure enough, it felt like I had a baseball in my gut. I have been feeling it roll slowly through my intestines for the past two days and finally it's reached the end. So, note to self (and others) - don't eat too much kale, no matter how delicious it sounds!

I go back to work on Sunday, so now I'm just trying to enjoy life as much as I can while I still have my freedom.

Now that I'm on the other side of it, I would not hesitate to recommend LIS to someone suffering with the pain and spasms of an anal fissure. The first couple of weeks are hard, but then you start to heal, and it's like magic!

This is awesome news, WhoKnew/HooNoo.
I am so happy for you!

How are you doing now? I'm sure it's still good new!

I laughed at your "Diary of Pooping" comment on the previous page as that's really what this all boils down to. An ailment usually caused by pooping, exacerbated by pooping and a recovery gauged by pooping. Did anyone here ever imagine their life being so centered on pooping? It's a horrible, painful thing but the latent 9 year-old boy that lurks in all grown men, me being no exception, just wants to giggle about it all.

I've enjoyed your posts and am glad to see that you're on the road to recovery. An update would be great as you appear to be about 1 week ahead of my LIS schedule. Continued success!