Has anyone on this board healed their fissure for good, either by LIS or using conservative treatments?
We all know how easy it is to re-tear after weeks or even months of feeling better.
When do you know you are really healed? Does it take years?

Hey there Hope,
I healed my fissure with LIS. It took 6 weeks. I haven't seen blood(knock on wood) or had a re-tear since my surgery nearly 8 months ago. I've read where others have said it can take a couple of years to fully regain strength down there like it never happened. I seriously believe that to be true. I think keeping up with the diet,etc... for awhile is probably needed. I still get some irritation that reminds me how delicate and how long it takes to fully become normal down there again.

I'd like to add:
Hope, Cherylk healed using conservative treatment and I believe she said it took 2 years. I think I recall her saying she didn't have a problem with the spasms. I may be wrong.
I read some of your older post and would like to say I am sorry you are suffering and have been for sometime now...

Dawn,
Thank you so very much for your response. I am not sure what my next step is. I wrote before, that the CRS refused to talk about surgery, I am going to see another one in about 3 weeks. However, I doubt I'll hear different opinion. The reason for the refusal (after he tried to scare me with the incontinence) was that I simply do not have the spasm, based on his examination, therefor there is no point in getting LIS since its sole purpose is to relax the muscle and remove the spasm that is preventing the fissure from healing.
It is not clear what is preventing the fissure from healing if there is no spasm...
I am so glad to hear you are doing well, it means there is hope! I just want to know what to do next because this life is barely worth living :)

Dear Hope. So sorry that you are having a lousy time of it. Has your CRS actually measured the pressure of the spincter? I haven't had that done, but if you haven't it might be worth a mention. In the notes that I got from my visit to a CRS, his last words after the various suggestions that he had that 'sometimes the anal canal is tight and nothing further can be done'. Personally, I think that's a load of codswallop, and there is a reason. They have just not found it. Don't despair. Just share the pain as we are here to listen. have you tried Valium for a bit to help with the spasms? I am about to for mine. It is lousy, hours of spasms, but just keep pushing the docs. Thinking of you. Em

Dawn wrote:I'd like to add:
Hope, Cherylk healed using conservative treatment and I believe she said it took 2 years. I think I recall her saying she didn't have a problem with the spasms. I may be wrong.

I maybe had 2 or 3 spasms, but, yes, it was up and down for about 2 years using Diliatzem when necessary!

Hope,
I would imagine that your sphincter is too tight or you wouldn't keep having the re-tears. The incontinence issue is really unheard of. I think it's a blessing that a CRS who thinks that would be a problem wont do your surgery! Just crazy. There have been many post on this board of ups and downs of LIS but I have yet to read of anyone being incontinent.
I hope that the new CRS will give you the option of surgery. You deserve to have that choice. Some times older doctors are not the best. I agree that having an experienced CRS is a good thing but some are so old and still do things the "old way". There is a good chance that you will get a whole different report from this new CRS. I found that to be the case with 2 of mine who were in the same group. The second one gave me the proper diagnosis and she did my surgery.
You hang in there and like Em said we are here to help you through this.

Dear Em and Dawn and Cheryl,
Thank you all for responding.
Em, I don't feel any spasms at all, just pain, sharp during BM then dull all day till next BM. Plus horrible itch which comes suddenly at any point. May be the CRS is right and there is no spasm, but then, as Dawn mentioned, something has to be tight or it wouldn't re-tear (every two weeks for me).
Dawn, I too am hoping the new CRS has something else to say. I find Miralax very helpful, but I am afraid I am getting used to it and I absolutely avoid fiber, it seems to make things worse for me. As far as conservative methods go, I tried them all. Also, it was odd that the current CRS took me off all topical creams, just told me to use sitz baths. No mention of Botox.
Thank you again for the support, it means a lot!

Your very welcome Hope :)
I know what you mean about the miralax too. I have reduced mine slowly since my surgery and so far there hasn't been any problems. I couldn't take fiber supplements with my fissure and I haven't tried them since my LIS but I try to get around 20 grams in food a day.
When I first got my fissure, I had no idea that what I was having was spasms. I had a tightening and as NG described once in an old post, it was like a puckering up of the anus. It felt like it was expanding and turning inside out, then there were days later on that it was a dull ache or like a knife being jabbed. There seemed to be phases with my spasms as my fissure got older. The biggest problem for me was I couldn't have a complete bm. The muscle just wouldn't relax.
I've read of many people who thought they weren't having spasms but were told differently by a CRS. The dull ache and pain you describe sounds like spasms could be possible.
It makes no sense to me why your CRS would take you off the ointments. That is the least that could have done to help you out. Praying that you get more options with the next CRS!!
Hang in there:) There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hope, I don't know about spasms. To tell you the truth, I couldn't feel a "spasm" before my LIS -- all I could feel was excruciating agony during a bowel movement, and unbelievable pain for hours afterward. Was it from a spasm? I don't know. What I do know is that I was in almost constant pain before LIS, and have had NO PAIN for 3 months since my LIS. Out of curiosity, where do you live?