by NeuropathicGuy » 22 Jun 2011, 22:45
Hey there, first things first: NICE avatar! Hahahaha. Man that's gotta be top 5 ever on this forum :)
Regarding the fistula: you're not the first one who had a fissure develop into a fistula. It can happen, unfortunately. Hopefully it was caught early on and dealt with appropriately (sounds like it has).
Do take the Percocet as needed, or even around the clock to stay ahead of the pain if it's very severe. One thing to be sure of is to take effective stool softeners, as otherwise Percocet can be very constipating (I take it for other conditions on occasion). Also, if Percocet causes any bad side effects for you, it is generally safe to take both opiates like Percocet and NSAIDs like ibuprofen together (the main instance when this wouldn't be true would be if you have ulcers or kidney issues that are contraindicated for NSAIDs). In fact the painkilling effects of opiates and ibuprofen are synergistic when combined. That may allow you to reduce your Percocet usage and thereby constipation.
I don't know your backstory (sorry) but if you had a fistula, then surgery ABSOLUTELY was the right thing to do. Zero question there, period. You had to do it and really had no other viable choice. Did your surgeon call it just LIS or was it also with a fistulotomy? Just curious.
Many of us have ups and downs following LIS, so do expect there to be some bad days and some good days. And hey, some people bounce right back, so it's possible that you'll be one of those nice clean textbook cases!
Hope tomorrow brings a better day for you, and do keep us posted on how things go as you progress through recovery!