I've tried lying propped up on my back with the laptop on my "lap" and sometimes it's bearable!
Is your fissure pain at the fissure site, like a burning, or heaven forbid is it spasms?

Val,
Do you live away from a big city? That just sounds so frustrating with your national health care system over there. I hope we don't get something similar here as I think Obama will be our next pres and he wants to get something like that started for so many of the uninsured in this country. If I didn't have health insurance, I would probably be inclined to vote for him if he would promise me that I would get what I didn't have. I hope that you feel better soon.
Cheryl

Val I am so sorry for you, and as you say it is a bad circle. You have to take pain med., which constipates you and also you cannot move a lot and that can cause constipation as well. I think you are treated so badly. Have you tried to tell them that you having the fissure should be a reason for them to do the surgery earlier? Could you try Botox, because that is less dramatic than fissure surgery for you in the state you are in now....?
And just to clear up things about national healthcare, because it can be so many things. We have NHC in Norway, and it is not like the British one. The British national healtcare (Val - correct me if I am wrong...) was changed during the conservative reign of Margaret Thatcher to become more like the American one with more privatization, etc. (As a lot of other things were sold out and privatized during her Iron Lady reign).
No national healthcare system is perfect, but it is much more fair than what you have for example in the USA were poor people who cannot afford health insurance experience big problems when they become sick and need help.
We have NHC in Norway, and it is not perfect, but you get help almost cost free. It is expensive and we pay taxes, but it is fair and people are treated with more dignity that in a privatized system. This is of course because everyone is treated, not only those who can afford it!
I just had to say this, I know this isn't the best arena for politial statements, but I'm not the only one I see :) . And as long as I am on it: To rebuild the US reputation in the world, for the sake of US foreign policy and world peace ( + a lot of other reasons) - I hope Obama wins in November. Have to stop now, I could really go on about this...
Val, take care; I guess we all think about you as you have so much going on. Don't give up! Remember that 6 months - 1 year are just a small part of your 80 year long life
Corsica

Kim - no, the pain is on the opposite side to what it was before and feels sore - no spasms thank God. The site of my original fissure was sore and bleeding, but now the other side has taken over and is more sore :gah:This is the first time the opposite side has ever given me any trouble!
Cheryl, no I live in a sleepy seaside town where everyone goes to retire, London is about 80 miles away. They are very backward with healthcare here, although when I went privately they were a lot more helpful and knowledgable.
Corsi - yeah, I told him on thursday that I was waiting for the fissure operation, but it didnt make the slightest difference unfortunately!
I dont know if botox is available here, and I have had LIS, my next op was to be "exploratory surgery", with him putting right whatever is wrong in there,
I dont know ANYTHING about politics :oops: but you're probably right about Maggie Thatcher, and I agree that our health service is fair to rich and poor alike. But I do think its very unfair that if I had Ј12,000 to pay the very same surgeon that is doing my disc replacementon NHS, then I could have it done next week - that seems very unfair.A lot of people die unecessarily because of the wait for their operations, and in that respect, it isnt any different to the USA- people are sick because they cant afford to be treated. I often think we havent really come a long way in hundreds of years - there is still a huge divide between rich and poor.
I suppose you're right that a year isnt really that long, it just seems that way. And I feel so terrible not being able to do much for my family. I feel as a mum, i should do everything so its very difficult not too. And i have a newborn baby grandson that i can barely even hold because of my arm :(
its so nice to have the support of all you guys! xx

I am sorry Val. I will be here the rest of the day if you want to call.

I have health insurance but I still think there should be a way to cover everybody. I still think that those with means and money will have access to private care but for those who are less fortunate (and it really could be any of us someday), there need to be a way to have it be affordable so that people aren't going to the ER and putting off necessary treatment like prenatal care for instance.

I have private health insurance but we pay $500 a month for a family of four and then each one of us has to meet a deductible of $2000 and also pay a co-pay. This has been a financial burden on us and we are white collar professionals. We have had to take a second mortgage out on the house to cover what or insurance pays.

I think "the haves" in the world are afraid that they won't have as much if Obama is elected. But I believe that if the have nots have a bit more, there will be less crime, drugs, poverty (of course) and people will feel more empowered if they know that everything they work for won't be taken away if they have a catastrophic illness.

Lecia wrote:I think "the haves" in the world are afraid that they won't have as much if Obama is elected. But I believe that if the have nots have a bit more, there will be less crime, drugs, poverty (of course) and people will feel more empowered if they know that everything they work for won't be taken away if they have a catastrophic illness.

Love you girl !!
Val love you too!! I love politics so much that I studied it at university, but I will shut up here :) Look at Lecias answer.
Corsica

We'll no doubt get national health care (if he can get it passed) because I think Obama is going to win especially after McCain's VP pick.

Obama rules :IMO:
Val -sweetness, I do not understand why you have to go of Elavil to get Gbapentine - it is standard mix for nerve pain- especially for Burning Mouth Syndrome that I have. If you need a proof to show them I will find links for you !!!! Your doctors make me angry even more than my doctors !!!! They are all insane !!!!!!!
LOVE YOU BUDDY - HANG IN

Cheryl
Why don't you like his VP pick? I don't know a lot about Sarah P., besides she being Governor of Alaska, 5 kids, conservative, little experience, etc.
I have seen the CNN documentaries on Obama and McCain, and they were very interesting, both of them.
I really have problems understanding why Mc Cain has such an appeal with the conservative christians in the USA?
He cheated on his first wife, not with one woman, but several other women - the last one was Cindy, the one he is married to now. What does that say about his character???
And she (Cindy Mc Cain) ended up stealing drugs, from the charity organization she worked for, so she could continue her drug abuse (I am not taking a stand for/against drug abuse - I guess that can happen to anyone).
Another thing I don't understand is the reason for her to look like she is much younger than she is. She must have had all the facelifts, cosmetic surgeries and botox treatments available.
Why on earth can't people embrace their age? To me that shows much more character than joining this shallow and stupid struggle for fake perfection.
Sadly, it has come more and more to Europe as well, but still very few do it. It is not as accepted here.
So Fissydear, I have to agree with you - Obama rules. (I hope you have written about your surgery, I will read it now).
Corsica

:ack: by me, as well as others....
Botox update:
Yesterday I allowed myself to eat a little bit more so that I could feel more full and less hungry. Bad girl! Stupid girl! I didn't eat anything wrong, only more.
My butt is hurting today, and I feel sore. Another thing is that I think that the Botox had made me a bit incontinent, because I have to run for it when I'm having a BM :flush: I almost always have BMs in the morning and I guess that that's when I will be incontinent? Hope so....or else I will have to stay home - even more than I have done the last months
(Val, we van chat all day long....).
My CSR told me I could become incontinent, but it isn't permanent.
Anybody who knows what happens to the Botox in our bodies? How does it get rid of it?
I don't think I will ever get rid of this fissure thing, it seems to be everlasting.
Corsica