Finally some good news to report. Last night and this morning I had complete BMs instead of the usual small pieces falling out before the muscle clenched too tight. I think this helped tremendously because I only went once today, and while it did still hurt it was nothing two sitz baths couldn't handle. I was supposed to go back to work today but passed on that but I'll try going tomorrow. So far what seems to be working for me the best is lots of fiber and water (duh), a 250mg stool softener, and sitz bath after the deed. The nifedipine also helps post-bm pain but I'm not sure how much. I will say that Valium and to a lesser extent percocet were useless for me unless I took double doses of them at the same time (which just made me fall asleep). So hopefully the progress will continue, not only for me but all my fellow ass sufferers!

Hey Mike, congrats on your monkey tail turd! I know the feeling of just having a nice huge single piece evacuate all at once and that's it hahaha. It's a great feeling, and one that's under-appreciated by most folks!
The 250 mg stool softener is docusate sodium (AKA Colace) I presume? That's a popular one and often recommended by doctors, so sounds like you're in good hands there.
Double doses of Valium and Percocet will definitely knock you out :) I'm surprised you needed that much ... are you a big dude at all? I don't mean that in any bad way -- just curious because when I first started taking opiates and benzos, even small amounts would do a number on me. If I doubled up I'd probably dose off for like half a week haha. It's great that you don't need them, though, I wish I could say the same :)
Cheers to more happy friendly ass days ahead for us all!

Well, seems I spoke too soon. Although yesterday was fine, this morning I had a decent BM with some pain but went to work for the first time in 8 days. Just walking into the office I broke out in sweats from pain and couldn't sit comfortably and almost passed out. So I'm back home now and on Percocet. 7 days of recovery wasn't enough I guess.
NPGuy: I'm pretty average, about 6ft, 175lbs. I'm still not sure if the Valium helps much but I guess Percocet does something because I didn't make it too long today without it.

Hey Mike - I'm sorry you had such a rough day. IMO 7 days is definitely not enough time to recover. Give yourself two weeks, if you can. Butt surgery requires time and patience, so take good care of yourself for the time being. You willl get better, just not right away.
I'm going to be requried to take my own advice very soon - I'm going in for more surgery on Monday, so I definitely sympathize with you!

Hi Mike,
yeah, one thing you will learn with this.. is patience! It's a horrible recovery - as soon as you think you're getting over it and you have a good day, the next day arrives and it starts all over again.
It will get better, but it does take time, it's not a quick-heal operation, unfortunately.
Rest a lot, and pamper yourself.
Sending healing vibes your way.

For as bad as I felt this morning I feel really good now. No random spasms lately; it's just the BMs that cause pain and the more time I can put between them the less pain I'm in. But one thing I've definitely learned in the past week is don't take anything for granted; things can change quickly during recovery.

That's a hard lesson many of us have learned! I'm so glad you're feeling better. The trick is not to push yourself. Soon the good days will outnumber the bad days and then the bad days will be gone for good.