Here's both very-assuring-news and a not-so-terrific-news update.
I recently had my 6 week post surgical update for my LIS/Hem's/Sentinel tag operation from Dec 2nd.
The CRS was very pleased with the LIS results, said I have "the bottom of a person twenty years younger" (why yes, flattery will get you everywhere Doctor!) and said the fissure is healed, as is LIS site. There is practically zero puffiness of LIS site, only when hard BM, just a bit for not very long.
So, yay, right? Not so fast.
When I went to the CRS I had a 50/50 feeling he might have told me I had a new fissure. Major fissure style of pain started the last few days of December, causing me to dial way back activity. I could see what looked like a fissure, but it was right beside the surgical incision line, so I thought I might have somehow aggravated the area. This is indeed the case.
CRS figures a hard BM slightly opened up the incision site (no stitches used) and although not yet 100% healed it was well on the way. This checkup would have been about 11 days from the new injury. To complicate the matter the Sentinel tag which has also been causing a lot of discomfort, and is still relatively lumpy, at times, yet nowhere near as bad as first month, pretty much rests upon/aggravates the exact spot of incision site/new injury.
Unfortunately, it seems over the past few days I've further aggravated the incision site, as renewed pain (still no pain upon BM which is nice) and I can see the site looks more "open" then before. It's my left side, about 7 o'clock. I'm hoping in another 6 weeks or sooner all this will be behind me.
Here's one thing I'm very curious about, and will be asking CRS. He examined the area but did not do an internal exam. How common is it to NOT do an internal exam? Would it have been because of the Hem's? A large part of the decision to do the LIS was to loosen my tight end, so curious he wouldn't check. Any ideas?
I am happy no fissure pain, but frankly, the renewed pain of the incision site (which is pretty much akin to how painful it was healing first few weeks post operation) with the sentinel tag being right there, is a bit wearisome. I'm trying to use just one prescription pain pill daily, along w/Tylenol 3's. I'm concerned about outer scar tissue on/near incision site could cause problems in future? Turn into fissure?
On top of this I've been struggling with some harder tipped stools and had to start up again with 1- 2 laxatives and MOM daily. I'm stopping the MOM today actually, have started a regime of probiotics (Ultimate Flora), and, at the advice of a Naturopath -- yep, saw a Naturopath just yesterday, more on that another time -- I'm going to begin to take aloe vera juice (Lily of the Desert.) as soon as I pick it up later today.
Thanks for listening! That's my story and I'm sticking with it <grin>