by NeuropathicGuy » 12 Feb 2011, 04:15
Lorazepam is Ativan here in the States (not sure what it's branded overseas), and is a relatively strong short acting benzo (same class of drugs as Valium). All benzos share the same basic intrinsic properties (muscle relaxing, amnesic, anti-anxiety, tranquilizing, CNS depressant), just to different extents. Valium is commonly used for both anxiety and muscle spasms, whereas Ativan is mostly used for anxiety -- it'll likely still help with spasms, but the effect won't be as intense and it'll be shorter in duration. If your doc gave you Ativan, then they'll likely have no problem giving you Valium, as Ativan is generally considered a "bigger gun" than Valium as far as benzos go :)
As Dawn correctly remembered (good memory Dawn!), I did have problems (well more like annoyances) with small unsatisfying poops for a few days after surgery. I'd feel like I had to go, but when it was all said and done, I'd only be able to squeeze out a pathetic sliver of a turd. Really annoying. And the process would repeat numerous times a day. I think it was because the anesthesia did a number on my system and kind of slowed everything down. Luckily things returned to mostly normal within a couple of days. I'd say to don't stress it just yet, and don't overreact by making any radical changes to your fissure diet regimen until you've given your body a few days to recover from the enviable adventure it just went through.
I had closed LIS and there wasn't much to see after the procedure other than the swelling and bruising. And yep, I had leakage/discharge too ... wore pantiliners for a month or two afterward :)