Kim, if I remember correctly you healed 100% after LIS. However your healing process was slowlier than usually. Am I right? Please let me know, how long after the surgery you had pain during BMs? For how long you felt soreness? Just let us know everything concerning your healing process.

Cindy,
I healed relatively fast. I felt back to normal in about a month. I had constipation upon leaving the hospital and my BMs were rough for about 5 or six days. I went back to work in a week and a half.
It was hell for the first three days or so, primarily because of the constipation, and when I had to take laxatives they worked but I always stung real badly with loose stools. What helped me most was taking my mepergan before my BM and getting in a hot hottub right after the BM. That was such a relief!! I hate for Lars that he has no way to get hot soaking tub baths after his BM/surgery because it helps so much!
I still had occasional bleeding for about 6-7 months. I considered my fissure to be mostly healed, though in about 6 weeks which is about right for most people.
It has been going on two years now since my surgery, and I think I am 99% healed. If I have a large, hard stool I still see a little blood and always whine here about that, but even that has been a while!
My CRS told me the recovery was 2-3 weeks and I would hate him for about a week after the surgery. He was right!

Yes, all medical papers state that most people heal in 6-8 week period. I read so many studies I lost the count. Some patients that did not heal did in 8- 12 week check-up, and about 1-2 % had trouble healing at all. This is all regarding doing only the LIS. If more is done, longer period of healing is expected. LIS with fissurectomy needs 12 to 16 weeks. LIS, fissurectomy, 2 tags removed and 3 centennial piles 16 weeks or more LOL , although could already happen , maybe not, maybe yes : ) , can't say anything because of "the spell" LOL.
BUT - as you can see, Cindy - our Buttgirl needed 6 months just for a LIS, so everybody is different.

Kim,did you have any soreness or pain after and during BMs after the first month after LIS?i still have some soreness after BMs and mild pain if the stools are not very soft.for how many months did you sit in warm baths?do you use TP now or still wash?sorry if im asking too many silly questions.

Oh Pinky! Now you know the only silly ones are the questions you *don't* ask!
I had little if any real soreness or pain after my first month was over. I considered myself pretty much back to normal. I quit the baths after about three weeks, so less than a month. I stopped stool softeners at one month.
I pretty much always used regular TP. I remember mentioning that to Lecia when she first joined this board, and she and a few others were simply aghast at the thought of ever using TP on their butts! I did use baby wipes for a while before my surgery and right after. .
Now, before the surgery, I took warm baths most every day. But usually in response to pain, not as a healing aid.
I wish I could give you travel advice - can you shift from cheek to cheek? Can you start sitting more often before the trip and try to build up some tone?

Thanks kim.you stopped stool softeners after a month?do you take any laxatives now?even i want to stop movicol once the fissure heals.not sure if i should.

Hi Pinky! No, I haven't taken any stool softeners or laxatives for almost two years now. My thoughts were that I needed a butt that could handle a normal stool, so babying my anus was a no-no for me. Not to mention all that constant intake of chemicals having unknown long-term consequence. That's not to say I don't watch my diet and I don't eat the cr@p I used to, it's mostly fruits and veggies with bit of meat and whole grain. But no more donuts, potato chips, cokes and all the other unhealthy snack foods that I used to ingest regularly and daily.
That's not to say that many other people may need the stool softeners long term but I would think that's for someone with persistent and chronic anal maladies. But if a person's CRS says they are healed, and there is nothing else wrong, I think it's always best to leave off any daily dependency for them. I'd save them for mild constipation or related needs.
Good luck on your forthcoming flight to India!

Whatever you do Pinky - do it gradually . I am now off all of the supplements , including Metamucil. My poop stayed very nice and soft though, so I was able to do it. If I saw any big changes in opposite direction , I would go back on Metamucil . It is all so individual , you have to find what works best for you. I was never prone to constipation , so my transition now going without problem is not surprise for me . I also NEVER ate junk food in my life - before or after the fissure. Just on my last CRS exam my surgeon told me that he, for example, NEVER saw Eastern European or Asian with a divertriculitis. Diet has a major impact to our GI , so be very careful of what you eat and you will probably be able to have normal healthy high fiber diet once you heal completely.

fissy do you think you're healed now? that's brave of you to stop all the supplements!

Hey Juney - I was not brave at all - my BMs were too mushy so I actually HAD to stop and see if I would finally get formed poop. It turned out that it is perfect consistency - nice an soft but not mushy now, so I was able to just "drop" everything I don't think I would ever be confident enough to the rest of my life to say that I healed LOL , and I will conceder myself healed if I have NO sensation down there whatsoever - and I am not at that point. Since I had that bout of really mushy poop because of Fe supplements - I still have some irritation down there. Not much , but it should not be there if all was dandy . Before Fe episode , my butt was completely fine, no burning, no itching, no pinching - NADA !!!!! ZILCH!!! So, I know very well how "perfect butt" feels like , and it is not perfect now : (. BUT, I am grateful that it is not like before this second LIS - it is much better now and my CRS told me that I should not even expect to feel back to normal until the beginning of the next year, since I had 7 cuts done all together and all is still very fragile and membranes very thin and that butt mucosal tissue need eons to recover and heal in general .
Hope you are feeling much better Juney and that you are keeping that "high" from last week going on