Hi my name is Lee. I am so happy to have found a group of people who I can talk to about AF, who know exactly what I am talking about, and just how horrible this whole thing is. I have had fissures on and off for about 12 years now, and they all have happened after a bout of diahorea. Which didn't make sense to me at first but learnt from my doctor that half of people who get fissures are due to diahorea. I had the surgery 1 year and six months ago after an extremely painful fissure that left me hospitalised. The surgery went well and I healed quickly but now I have another fissure I thought that after surgery I would never get another fissure again. I am so downhearted. Anyway so thats me. Thankyou for this wonderful support forum

Welcome to the forum Lee !
Sorry to read about your long battle with anal fissures
What is the pain like this time round, do you have the spasms ??
I hope you can get back on track soon do you take any stool softeners ?
We all have to be so vigilant about diet and lifestyle, we understand that only too well here..
I am sure you will find this forum a great support Lee !

Welcome Lee!
The surgery is not for preventing fissures and can't do that. What it does is loosen the anal area up so blood can flow properly and healing can take place.
Hopefully you are not tight down there anymore and you will heal "on time" from this and subsequent fissures!
I got my fissure from diarrhea, too! I had LIS over two years ago and I'm still pretty loose down there so I fell like if I get another fissure, it will at least heal like it should.
Good luck!

Welcome Lee! You sure sound like you have been through a lot. I have pelvic floor issues too from childbirth. Unfortunately the LIS surgery won't prevent future fissures but it should make them heal a lot more quickly since you have improved blood flow to the area.

Lee,
I just wanted to say welcome. We're one big happy family sharing our past and current experiences and things we have learned along the way with others.

Thankyou so much for the welcome!
I understand about the surgery now. So I can continue through this setback without thinking, `how could it happen again?' The spasms have gone or atleast have stopped in a big way which is great! So the surgery was definitely a good thing for me. The pain is still bad though, but there is some relief between BM unlike last time. I am using the creams my Dr prescribed after surgery which is Xylocaine 5% ointment, but most of all Celestone M Cream 0.02% 100g. Also 1 sachet of Movicol. I'm not sure if I should add Benefibre to this routine yet?
Thanks again! :)

there are quite a few of us on here who've had 1 surgery or more and still continue to have problems, so you're not alone! unfortunately that area probably becomes so compromised after all the trauma that most of us have to be super careful forever.
what does your pain feel like? how long does it last? hopefully you've modified your diet and drink lots of fluids. benefiber would probably be good to add to your routine.
what is celestone cream?

Lee,
I see you are from Australia. Also, my middle name is Lee and my BIL's first name is Lee. We had a month-long trip to Australia and NZ planned for '07, but had to cancel because of my digestive and butt issues!
Benefiber has helped me keep my Movicol regulated against being too loose with the Movicol. Welcome to our little miniclub of Movicol users. One must be intelligent and good looking to be part of our miniclub, so feel priviledged.

Hi Juney,
Although I wish no one had to live with this dreaded thing, it's good to be able to share experiences. My pain at the moment feels like the fissure is opening again on each bm, even though the bm is soft. then im straight in the bath with salt and then back to my creams. Celestone is a form of anti-flammatory and I couldn't be without it. The Xylocaine is an anaesthesia of mucous membranes, so together they work well for me. I don't like rectogesic much because of the headaches, but I still use it.
Hi Cheryl,
I'm sorry you had to cancel your holiday, it's so unfair! I hope you will be able to get out here in the near future. I hope to get to NZ also one day. I like our name coincidences! And believe me I do feel priviledged!
Thankyou all for your words of wisdom and encouragement :D

Hey Lee- I was in your position a few months ago wondering WHY did I get another fissure! Has the doctor done an Anal Manometry test to see if you have high resting pressures?? That test is a good way to determine if it is your diet, activites, etc. that is causing the fissure or if it is something your body is doing that you cannot control. However, if you have high resting pressures you would be having a lot of spasms. I have had 2 LIS and an Advanced Flap surgery. I had high resting pressures and nothing to do with my diet etc. Something to think about...hope you feel better soon! :D