Hello! This is my first post. To be brief, I developed a fissure in July 2015 after the birth of my daughter. I eventually had the LIS in September 2016. It's almost 4 months later and it has failed. I'm not in quite as much pain when I go to the bathroom, but it's still noticeable. (Fyi--I don't spasm and never did, just bleed and have pain.) My surgeon has now prescribed me some calcium channel blocker that starts with a D. I'm about to start that, and I'm thinking about adding self-dilation, too. Given this protocol and the fact that I had a recent LIS, do you think I have a good chance at healing? This whole thing has been such a depressing nightmare.

Hi Witty,
Sorry to hear your LIS hasn't worked...did you have a high sphincter tone before ? Have you had any healing at all? Do you have any other issues that could be delaying healing?
I had LIS and my pain didn't even decrease at all for 6 weeks. I was still getting level 10 spasms for 24 hours after a BM. But when I went for my 6 week check I was 30% healed.
Diliatzem will help you I tried it but was allergic so I use GTN even after my LIS to help the healing and to reduce pain. Most people try the creams before the surgery.
My surgeon said that in some cases full healing can take up to a year and there are other options you can try if LIS doesn't work. I would have loved LIS to be my miracle cure but for some of us it takes longer
Don't give up hope you will get better we all heal at different rates I have had this now for 18 months so we have to remain positive
Good luck

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

I had a difficult time healing from the surgery--ended up with a stitch abscess, so the stitch had to be removed. I did have some initial healing at the fissure site, but it now seems just as terrible as it was previously. It feels like I am back to square one.

I did not have any measurements for tone done at all. My surgeon is now saying she wants to run tests. It is like, thanks for finally thinking of that... She cut one-third of the muscle during surgery and told me she likes to be conservative. I think now maybe she did not cut enough. My fissure is located at like, the 7:30 position, if that makes a difference! I do not have any other issues that should interfere with healing--I healed from my c-section very well and had a ton of bloodwork done during my very healthy pregnancy.

Very depressing to go through the trial of surgery for nothing. I am under the impression now that I will have this for the rest of my life. It sucks, but I have had the fissure now for 17 months and a lot of good things have happened during that time. I have to keep reminding myself that!

Good luck with your healing. You sound like you have a very positive attitude!

Dilation is a good idea. What I did and Suzljank does. Search posts in the search engine between FAQ and Portal under the photo, left side. Search by topic there. Sorry bit rushed now.

Thanks!

Hi WittyJoke, I'm in the same situation, having a new fissure after a LIS. Also wondering what to do now..

My CRS put me on Miralax right now to try to help it heal. Are you taking that? I know it's frustrating.

WJAMB, Me too.. had LIS about 3 months ago. Still in pain from the fissure. The burning and stinging is excruciating sometimes. Especially late in the day. Like you, I never had spasms. I tried Diltazam before my surgery. After about 3 weeks, it stared stinging so stopped. But everyone is different. And it has been effective for a lot of people. Hopefully it will help you...My CRS has examined me 3 times since the surgery and says he can't see the fissure. He now wants me to see another CRS which is a few hours away...That said: I did start GTN a little over two weeks ago. I seem to be a little better in the mornings and first part of the day...

Re miralax: I take around a half dose at night along with two teaspones of mineral oil. You have to experiment with the amount of miralax. Maybe start with a third to a half of a dose. You want your stools to be soft and easy to pass (avoid straining) miralax is great for this. But you also want to avoid diarrhea or going too often. That's why you have to experiment a little.

I so hope you find relief cause I know exactly what you are going through