37F and just had LIS!

Are you having, or have you had a Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy (LIS)? Please share your experiences here, or ask any questions.

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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 19 Nov 2021, 15:37

Post LIS day 5 (Friday 19th November)

Another good sleep last night - took pain meds before bed to cover me just in case. Then awoke with feeling bm was coming soon. Which it did.

Things felt easier today than yesterday with regards to stinging - it had dropped down a notch and didn’t go through me. Also didn’t last for very long, a bit like day 2 and 3 again. So hoping yesterday was a blip.

There wasn’t a lot though (but more formed) and expected to go again later but didn’t. Also I didn’t take any pain meds before and was fine :) first time I’ve not had to prep with pain relief for this basic bodily function in about 3 months!

I’m finding cleaning up a bit laborious. Things are still on their way to becoming more formed so it can be a bit tricky to get sorted afterwards which makes me anxious about infection. Today I tried using a wipe in the bath and that seemed to work well despite being annoying to have to do!

Aside from that, day as usual. Worked from the sofa and got ready for being back to work full time on Monday (I’m working from home, I think I’d be taking another week if I had to physically go into work just because of all the bathing I want to do for the next week. Bathed 3 times today and think I will probably do that for another week - if not baths then sitz baths.

Did some more light housework today - some laundry and a quick clean of the bathroom. Then after lunch I was feeling good so I actually washed my car would you believe?? 5 days post surgery and I’m outside with a sponge, bucket and hose cleaning the car. Rested afterwards but only because I was tired from the activity, not because I was sore.

Food today has been:

Breakfast - small portion of oats with blueberries and ground flaxseeds
Lunch - smoked salmon and avocado on toasted brown bread
Dinner - 1/2 baked potato with left over bolognese
1/2 laxido sachet and the recommended amount of water (and some tea)

So a good day today with no pain medication. Looking forward to the weekend. Won’t be doing much bar pottering around the house but it will be good to not lose the time by not being able to get out of bed due to pain, which is how I’ve spent a lot of my weekends since around August.

Onwards and upwards to day 6…
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby DarkJediFury » 19 Nov 2021, 16:17

Thanks Conifer. I've decided to go for the LIS. Have to inform the CRS on Thursday when I arrive. Just had enough now. Been in agony most of the day. After first BM it's not too bad, but an hour or so later and needed another and the spasms are excruciating. Fissure pain is now permanent. Glad your recovery is going well.
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Nov 2020 Diltizem
Jun 2021 Hem banding/botox
Oct 2021 Diltiazem
Nov 2021 LIS/botox
May 2022 RH Inguinal hernia
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 19 Nov 2021, 17:13

Hi there, I’m glad you have come to a decision about this and given you’ve tried Botox already, it’s a sensible option I think. I used to be crippled with spasms so understand how you feel - it’s just awful. Sometime it was so bad I couldn’t speak through them as all my focus was on the pain. The last time I felt this though was just before the general anaesthetic knocked me out and I have not had a spasm since. It’s really the most incredible feeling and I really hope this is what you experience too. I hope you are feeling more comfortable now after what sounds like a difficult day
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 20 Nov 2021, 15:32

Post LIS day 6 (Saturday 20th November)

Today was on the whole good though started out a bit uncomfortably. I woke up feeling a bit of discomfort from skin tag site and just knew that bm was going to be a bit sore though didn’t take any pain meds.

This mornings bm was perfect - soft and formed and what we are all aiming for. However it was a bit scratchy on way out and then there was quite a bit of blood when cleaning up. Whilst I didn’t have the usual intensity of stinging it was still there but also very achey. I wonder if this is just the muscle at the incision site given things are now formed.

In the bath at about a 3-4/10 pain level which was really disappointing. This dropped things quickly to about 2/10 and decided to take some pain meds after bath just to see me through. It was quite sore though - I wouldn’t say painful, just a dull background ache that I’ve read a number of times about on the forum so think this is pretty normal.

I want to keep focussing on the positives though and the important thing was that there was no spasms to speak of. A bm like that would have had me in pain for the whole day and probably night pre-LIS.

To take my mind off it I went out with my husband in the car as a passenger to run some errands and felt fine. It actually distracted me totally from my bum and felt completely fine in the end.

Came home and did a bit of very neglected and much needed housework and then had a quieter day than yesterday with no car washing! Friends came to visit for the afternoon to watch the rugby and felt great. Made a pot of soup for lunch and then made our dinner this evening. Felt super to be back in the kitchen, standing up in no pain and cooking.

Food today was-

Breakfast - two small slices of wholewheat toast with vegemite
Lunch - bowl of veg soup plus a sneaky bite of a sausage roll
Dinner - salmon fish cake and salad
Lots of water and mixed it up with diluting juice, plus some cups of tea.
1/2 laxido but will see what tomorrow bm is like as might need to up to 2/3 or a sachet - feels a bit like Goldilocks - too much then too little!

I think I will do one more detailed update tomorrow as I will be 7 days post surgery but then will drop to every few days for a while as think some of this is probably going to become a bit repetitive!

Looking forward to celebrating day 7 tomorrow…
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby DarkJediFury » 20 Nov 2021, 15:39

Thanks Conifer. Were you able to sit up on the first few days? Or mainly laying down or on your side?
DarkJediFury

Sep 2017 Bilateral inguinal hernia
Jun 2018 Epigastric hernia
Hemmies & AF
Feb 2020 Diltiazem
Jun 2020 Botox
Nov 2020 Diltizem
Jun 2021 Hem banding/botox
Oct 2021 Diltiazem
Nov 2021 LIS/botox
May 2022 RH Inguinal hernia
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 20 Nov 2021, 15:52

Hi there. I’ve been sitting from probably day 2 or 3. Though I should say that this is not sitting bolt upright on an office chair or anything like that but on the sofa (and today car seat). I kind of lean slightly to the side to avoid direct pressure. And that’s only because I am being careful, not because I am in pain. I will be back to sitting on desk chair on Monday though will likely add a cushion again just to be careful for a while.
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Worstyear » 21 Nov 2021, 09:36

Conifer, I've scheduled LIS for february (if everything goes just fine), after vacations.
You make me feel better about all of this, I was really scared and now I just want to do it. My surgery will be exactly as yours.
Thanks for everything, please keep your posts coming! ❤
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 21 Nov 2021, 15:47

Hi worstyear. Well done on making a decision on what you are going to do. Obviously everyone is different but the likelihood of things going well is very much in your favour. I would do surgery again a million times over - no regrets at all. Drop me a message if you have questions as happy to share anything that might help if I haven’t already
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby Conifer2 » 21 Nov 2021, 15:47

Post LIS day 7 (Sunday 21st November)

It’s been a week since surgery and I can very happily and confidently say that after marrying my husband this is the best decision I have made in my life. It is crazy that at no point after surgery, being left with 3 open wounds in that specific area, have I felt any kind of pain bar some discomfort. I don’t think this will ever stop blowing my mind.

After one week I have my normal life back - doing housework, cooking food, going to buy groceries, spending time with friends and family, eating three meals a day - basic things everyone does without thinking that I haven’t fully done since August when the pain started to get really bad. I can make plans for next weekend, for during the week, for Christmas - again all things I’ve not been able to do for months.

There have been some minor bumps in the road and I expect there will be more to come - it’s only day 7 after all. But I feel confident in how to deal with them.

Today for example my bm was again perfect - well formed, soft, mostly easy. However was really scratchy on way out and a tiny bit like glass which made me wince slightly and there was blood on cleaning up. This made me remember I still have a huge open fissure and that this will likely still be sore and will bleed. So I think I will go back to keeping things softer as being more formed is aggravating the wound. There was no stinging today though which was a first. Did sitz whilst waiting for bath to run that was really effective for cleaning then into bath pain free and happy.

Going forward this week I will continue with morning and evening baths but will sub out lunchtime bath for sitz. Gauze every day has less and less spotting but still picking up wound fluid. Things look healthy in terms of colour and odour but will keep switching gauze every few hours to track for infection. Antibiotics finished today so conscious of that too.

I will keep eating light this week but conscious i do need to gain some weight back. I expect this will happen slowly as I’m not planning any blow outs! Today’s food has been:

Breakfast - oats, flaxseed and blueberries
Lunch - smoked salmon and salad then activia yoghurt
Dinner- chicken fahitas (using lettuce for the wrap instead of an actual wrap - this was a fissure substitution earlier in the year but one i will keep as i actually prefer using lettuce)
All the fluids as usual and 1 full laxido sachet due to the reasons above. I also had a glass of red wine tonight as a mini celebration :) hoping I don’t regret this!

Today we went to my mums (short journey) to see my little niece who was visiting. Missed her last visit due to fissure pain leaving me stuck in bed so this was quite special for me to see her. Then did some jobs around the house and all was good. I’m still aware of a sensation down there but it is never painful or even uncomfortable. It’s almost like i have a bit of Velcro against the skin and I can feel a bit scratchy from time to time.

So I will leave the detailed daily updates here. I will keep updating every few days for the next short while and then plan to post milestones - a month out, follow up appointment at beginning of January, 3 months etc. There might be some set backs along the way and will update on any that occur. Again this was all Information I was seeking out myself so hope it might be useful to someone.

Im sending so many good thoughts to you all and for those in pain, I really understand how difficult it is and it makes me feel really quite upset thinking about it and what other people might be going through with this. It might lead to making a decision you don’t want to make (ie surgery) however sometimes you just have to accept that’s the only way and it’s not admitting defeat, it’s making a choice that you are in control of to heal quickly and with 95-98% certainty! Hang on in there - this truly doesn’t last forever (though I can hardly believe I’m now the one saying this!).
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Re: 37F and just had LIS!

Postby DarkJediFury » 22 Nov 2021, 05:26

Same thing happens to me every week. I have 3/4 of a day with no pain aside from slight pain of the fissure and begin to waiver as to whether to have the LIS again.... Yesterday was the best day I've had in 2 weeks. I think I need to remain firm in my decision!
DarkJediFury

Sep 2017 Bilateral inguinal hernia
Jun 2018 Epigastric hernia
Hemmies & AF
Feb 2020 Diltiazem
Jun 2020 Botox
Nov 2020 Diltizem
Jun 2021 Hem banding/botox
Oct 2021 Diltiazem
Nov 2021 LIS/botox
May 2022 RH Inguinal hernia
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