I can only "third" what Fire and Cheryl said - meditation and prayers do wonders for me !!!!!!
I actually had 2 miracles happening in my family that could not be explained any other way and I am always reluctant to share that because I do not want to sound as a "spiritual freak" LMAO But, I guess one has to experience them to believe them *sigh I was raised as an atheist , but after things that happened - I am strong believer in the positive energy, healing and the power of a prayer

NP - before you get discouraged, remember my story...(albeit my story is pretty discouraging in itself. LOL)
i think i kinda left before you started posting but you can check the archives regarding my first LIS experience back in may 2007.
since that time, i've had 2 LIS, skin tag removal, a fissurectomy, 1 round of botox, numerous internet "remedies", prescription creams, etc, etc. and i'm going back for another round of botox next week. you're not that unusual honestly, i've talked to SOOO many people who didn't heal from LIS or healed very SLOWLY. don't get discouraged man, it hasn't been that long.
i seriously didn't leave my house for WEEKS after each LIS and then for about 3 MONTHS after fissurectomy. not to mention, i didn't feel like doing anything at all. i've taken ibuprofen everyday for fissure pain for years...dont' worry about still taking it 1 month after surgery if you still need it. this is a slow and frustrating process. very few are lucky to heal immediately after LIS, especially if they've suffered a long time before. give it lots of time and try to be patient....i know it's hard.

Thanks Juney for posting here It is so much of importance to hear first hand that healing is NOT something that has a strict time line and that we all are different but that at the end it DOES happen

Hi, I understand your frustration. I had LIS in October 2008. I wasn't one of the lucky ones that had instant relief. Don't get me wrong, the pain was definitely less after the surgery but still there. I had good days and bad one. Sometimes I'd go for a month and feel pretty good and then I get a setback and it would hurt again. I also got a new type of pain almost like a charlie horse up the bum. This would come on suddenly and was horrible. It would last anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour. I was very frustrated and went back to by CRS. He wanted to do further surgery. My fissure healed but a have stenosis from a previous surgery and he wanted to do a flap to make the opening more stretchable. I have to say I wasn't up for it. I kept waiting and hoping things would get better. I went in to see my gastro doc and we had a long talk. I told her about my concerns of repeated surgery and she actually agreed with me. She thought it might be best to reserve further surgery as a last resort. Too much surgery in that very small and delicate area can cause even further problems. I decided not to have the surgery for now. I changed my diet a little. I've added more fiber (which you have to add slowly or it messes up your stomach) but I can still eat food I like. Basically I make sure I have bran flakes with fruit for breakfast and I found a wonderful bread (doesn't taste like wood chips) that I have for toast and or on a sandwich for lunch. I love the skinny cow ice cream and that has fiber in it and fruits and veggies but just an average amount. I bought myself 2 water bottles that I make sure I drink each day. I religiously use benefiber 3 times a day and miralax at bedtime. I like the miralax because you can adjust the dose to your needs. But now I can have pizza or chip or even my biggest vice chocolate. For me it took over a year to recover from LIS. I know that sounds like a long time but everyone heals differently. I still have times when I go through a rough spot. I think little tears are a part of life for some of us even after LIS but at least things seem more relaxed in that area and with all the help from people in this group I've learned how to manage. Give it time. When your bum really aches try sitting on a warm heating pad. It did wonders for me plus the heat relaxes the muscle. I wish you all the best and hope you don't have further setbacks but even if you do hold on, things will get better. Suzy

oh NP, another thing I wanted to mention was that sometimes one LIS isn't enough. I know several people who've had 2 and i think there's one person on this board or the yahoo forum who's even had 3. I still have the tighest a** my dr's ever seen and i've had 2 LIS...for some people it doesn't do the trick just once. I know that may sound discouraging but i just want you to know that you're not alone.

Thanks guys for all of your support :) You guys are wwwaaayyy too kind.
I actually haven't felt much from my fissure for a while. The discomfort these days is basically entirely from the LIS incision site: some tenderness/soreness, and still some discharge. I can tell because the fissure and incision are on opposite sides. Not much to do now except wait and see, I just wish I knew how it's all going to turn out.
I'm sorry that you guys had slow healing after LIS too. But I'll admit, it is somewhat comforting, even though that sounds messed up. Was it the fissure that was slow to heal or the LIS incision? Just curious.
I've read each of your posts over and over when I haven't been feeling too happy and truly, TRULY appreciate every one of them!

NG,
I hope you feel better soon!!

Thank you so much Cheryl. I hope either the yeast infection (still baffles the mind that I have one!) or the pain/discharge from the LIS incision stops without surgery for either one. If I have to get surgery again, at least hopefully it's just for one rather than both! Not sure which surgery would freak me out more at this point...
In non "male organ" and non butt related whining today, we just saw my son's neurologist and he said my son almost certainly has athetoid cerebal palsy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy#Athetoid.2Fdyskinetic

NG,
I'm unfamiliar with the exact diagnosis that your son has been given although there is a guy who lives in my son's group home that has CP. Joey's problem is basically musculature in nature, I think. Is there a blood test for that diagnosis to confirm???

So sorry about your baby , NP ... But do not loose hope of him being able to function and enjoy some aspects of life. My daughter is volunteering at the horse camp near San Jose that specializes in physical therapy for disabled children. She was so inspired actually seeing the will and joy of those severely disabled kids that she is now considering being a physical therapist and work with kids with special needs. Every time she comes home she describes excitedly how some boy or girl was smiling at the horse and having fun even though they had to have special big braces just to keep them sitting in the saddle and "doughnuts" holding the head steady . Some had trouble holding a head up but still were trying to participate in games and navigating a horse - just amazing is a human spirit in those kids- they radiate special strength coming from inside and make us all ashamed of complaining about ANYTHING really !!!!! They find joy and happiness in things that we forget are around us all the time but we never notice them hidden in the cloud of fog of everyday life.
How blessed are those souls - and we see them as "handicapped" when it is actually us that are short of grace in appreciating life and living it fully ...