I am 4 days post op from my fissurectomy, sphincterotomy with supposed sentinel tag removal. Today is the first day I have actually visualized the anus since my surgery. I noticed today that I felt something very swollen down there. Upon looking, my anal area looks unchanged from what it did pre surgery, except what looks like the sentinel tags that were supposed to be removed look a lot larger. I had the surgery for an anal fissure, but I was also told by my surgeon that by removing the sentinel tags, it would look more like a "normal anus". Is it normal to see the surgical area look so swollen and like the tags were not removed? Will this go away soon? If so, how long? Do you ever get the "normal anus" look or was that just the surgeon trying to make me feel better about having the procedure? Like I said before, didn't have the surgery for a cosmetic purpose, but when the doctor tells you something and it doesn't look like that at all, makes me concerned something is wrong or he didn't remove what he should have.

Hi, and welcome to forum.

Yes swollen area is normal after surgery. Perhaps by today is it a way better already. How are you doing now?
Everything you got should give good post operation period and quick healing. Especially sphincterotomy.

Went to my two week post op appt today. Still have 2-3 large skin tags that are full of blood. Still having blood with bowel movements. And without a laxative, a bm feels like childbirth. My dr says the pain is from the engorged skin tags because the fissure has healed well. He's hoping that the skin tags will decrease in size over time and that with the decrease in size, pain should get better too. If not, says another sphincterotomy maybe in my future. If they do decrease, he may remove the skin tags in the office if they are still protruding or causing issues. I'm hoping the continue to decrease and there is no need for further surgery or skin tag removal. Am I hoping for too much? Is it possible that the skin tags may decrease and flatten out, thus decreasing pain with bm's?

Sounds strange as skin tags themselves should not bring any pain. The wound or fissure should.

Do you have an opportunity for someone to take a look over there wife or husband, perhaps?

Hey Cathlarn, I am a bit in a similar situation. I had one skin tag before surgery, plus a swollen hemorrhoid (external) right next to the fissure. The doc said it's swollen because of the fissure.
After LIS those hems and the skin tag were super swollen, and painful. I now know they were thrombosed. They decreased in size a bit, but they are now hard lumps, the biggest one of them still bloody, because the skin tore. When i push during BM it gets bad, so I TRY not to push.
Here is what I am thinking: A thrombosed external hemorrhoid, if not cut out within 72 hours, is usually left on its own and the blood clot will be reabsorbed by the body (can take 8 weeks). But then skin tags remain. I know skin tags can be removed, but what about those blood vessels leading to those skin tags, which dumped all the blood in there in the first place? Wouldn't they still put pressure on?
Wondering if you had similar thoughts and how things are going for you now. Your surgery was 17 days before mine.