Sorry for the bad news.
A 2nd opinion is a great idea. Make sure they are very qualified to do the surgery. LIS sounds helpful. Please question the Hemorridectomy, I had that surgery and it is VERY painful and hard to recover from. It also has caused all my butt problems and fissure. It may be easier to recover from combined with LIS because there should be less anal pressure.

Jo

I also agree to reconsider the Hemorridectomy. I have never had one, but they are more difficult to recover from than LIS. How bad are your hemmies? I had Rubber band ligation and I am very happy with the results. The best part is - it is almost completely painless!

I would get a second opinion. That is a lot of surgery to endure. I had a hemorrhoidectomy in January and a fistula repair in March. I would say if you aren't having symptoms associated with the hemorrhoids that you not do the hemmie surgery. I do not regret having mine done though because I had a lot of problems for years and it was wrecking my life. It took a long time to recover from but for me I had tried everything else and knew it was just time.

I think more conservative therapies are important to try before you jump into surgery, like botox, RBL, etc.

I am sorry the news wasn't better. I really thought you were doing pretty well and the visit would confirm that you were healing.

Hang in there!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I was not considering the hemmiectomy until my Dr. recommended today. Im not sure why he is recommending that particular procedure and intend to question it further. Needless to say my disappointment coupled with the prospect of surgery rendered me a bit speechless. I had thought I was on my way to healing (I have had a number of ok days in a row) so I was pretty shocked to hear his assessment. I did ask a number of questions and intend to ask more. Part of me wants to just get it over a done and part of me wants to keep fighting this evil affliction with less invasive measures. Where's the magic pill when you need one. I have not had a drink since this started although I sure could use one now butt I know that will just by hard on me LOL. Keeping the faith that someday I will be "normal" again.

you will be normal again somday BA, or close enough to it. If you are feeling better you could try waiting....or maybe you could just request LIS without hemmieectomy.
i wish there was a magic pill for you...maybe if you just drink your milk... (OK sorry.. a BA barakas/A-team joke. I promise you won't end up on a plane)

For many, the LIS is a choice dangling in front of us, the last resort -- "I give up!!!" That's how it was for me, and I know of several others who "caved" so to speak.
While you don't sound ready to cave, remember that a few good days can be meaningless with AF. A few good weeks would tell the tale. Maybe! That's not what a lot of people want to hear, but it could possibly save a lot of despair.
I have to say that I would do it again in a heartbeat. And the success stories here on the board, they leave and you don't hear them as much as with others who still suffer and stick around. No one on this board has yet to state the LIS made them incontinent, that's pretty promising. There are some who either don't heal or heal slowly with more bumps along the way.
One thing to consider is overall, how was your rectal health before the fissure. If you'd always had a sturdy anus up until the fissure, then it's a safer bet you'll do well with LIS. But if you were already beset with other problems down there, then healing is probably not going to be as straightforward.
Good luck with whichever choice you make.

Thanks BG. Reading some great post op posts giving me hope. Surgery is scheduled for 6/17 giving me enough time to weigh my options. Im looking for all the opinions and advice I can get. At this point Im least sure about what to do about the Hemmies. Im researching that issue now.
Kim you are on the money and although I haven't "caved" I have read enough and hurt enough to know the beast only rests and never quits. I started a journal the day I got the "official" diagnosis to track pain, food, BM,etc so I could see how I was progressing. I can see the cycles of pain. So Im leaning toward surgery b/c no matter what kind of day Im having the pain is always with me. I have affectionatly dubbed my AF "Witme" and have used that name in vain many times!

I kept an excel file that I could graph based on how severe or good each day was. My healing curve was actually going up nicely right before I was scheduled for surgery. I wanted to chicken out but it was a holiday and my cancellation message did not get through the right channels. I went ahead and had the LIS and got my ass back! I have to say that this board really helped a lot!

Badass , i am glad you are getting a second opinion this will give you a better understanding i am sure...
If you have felt an improvement stick with whatever it is you have been doing....Goodluck
Kim - I know all about that chart ! Mines is the calender and a jotter !

Tabby wrote:Kim - I know all about that chart ! Mines is the calender and a jotter !

I'm so visual, Tabby! I liked seeing the computer spit out that chart showing I was getting better (when in reality I probably wasn't!)