Really positive LIS experience, 3 days post-op

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Really positive LIS experience, 3 days post-op

Postby forrestgump » 07 Jan 2012, 07:39

Well, I've finally gone and done it! I'm 3 days post-LIS and feeling really good. My experience of the operation and the after-effects has been really positive so I thought I'd post about it.
Before finally going for surgery, I had about 3 months of fairly significant pain. I think my AF started in the summer (put pain down to HMs) and by the time I saw a CRS in early November, was already chronic. In the two weeks leading up to that first consultation, things were already going downhill fast. The first CRS (Mr A) put me on Diltiazem and lactulose (later I changed to movicol) and although I had a couple of better days, in general things continued to get worse and worse. Over the last 8 weeks, I have barely left the house, each day revolving around the first BM and its after-effects. Spasms have lasted anything from 20 minutes to 12 hours, sometimes moderate background pain, but quite often the more severe spasms which would have me curled up on the floor, literally shouting with pain. I got used to this as a way of life. Over in the UK, our NHS moves slowly, and my next assessment date had been set for 20 February 2012. But by mid-December, I had had enough and decided to go private. There was a bit of a problem as my new CRS (MR F) couldn't find space for me on a surgery list before Xmas, and he tried to get the NHS involved (which turned into a saga), so for a while I sat it out again. Just before Xmas, I went to see another (third) CRS (Mr C), who came recommended by a friend, who was very anti-surgery. He said that I should continue with Diltiazem for another 8 weeks and do everything possible to avoid LIS. To further complicate, within 24 hours, I was then given an NHS appointment for LIS by Mr F, the private CRS, for 17 January (apparently word had got back to him about the NHS saga and he was trying to make amends). So at this stage, I was still unsure which way to go, but as it was literally a couple of days before Xmas, I just decided to wait and see what happened. At the worst, at least Mr C’s plan of more Diltiazem would get another couple of weeks.
Xmas and NY came and went with bad days and worse. Boxing Day was spent in A&E farcically trying to get better pain relief, but most of the time was spent lying on the sofa with either a hot water bottle or ice-pack against my bum. My GP prescribed Diazepam before Xmas to help with the general anxiety and try to help reduce spasms. I think it helped a bit.
The day that changed everything was this Tuesday. My Mum and Dad had come over to help with the little ones and this coincided with me having the worst spasm so far. I had a bad BM at 10am or so and then shortly after the spasms started. I'd had some fairly painful times with my AF, low point crying in the bath in front of my partner, but nothing to compare with Tuesday. I was literally doubled up in agony on the bedroom floor, shaking and sobbing. For my Mum and Dad, who'd not seen a bad spasm before, it was quite frightening and (thank God) my Mum went into 'lioness' mode. She's in her 70s, but was on the phone in minutes to the consultant and demanded action, explaining it was a genuine emergency. Within half an hour, she's booked in a LIS for the following day (it helped that she spoke to Mr F who had seen me only two weeks previously and knew all about my situation).
So, in the end, having 'ummed' and 'ahhed' about LIS and when and if to do it, we ended up at St Anthony's Hospital in Cheam at 11am on Wednesday, both me and my other half feeling very upbeat. The pain of the previous day had convinced me an operation was essential, so I wasn't really that nervous. I went down to theatre with a smile at 1pm and was back in my room by 2.45pm. First couple of hours passed in a bit of a daze (kept falling asleep). I felt some soreness but more a general 'post-op' tenderness than anything specific. What I can say is that the pain from the fissure and any spasm pain was gone. Completely. I stayed in overnight (helpful to my OH as we have a very busy household with 4 kids) and got home at lunchtime on Thursday.
Most of Thursday was spent asleep. I had a bath early evening and ate well whenever awake. Lots of meds to take (antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, lactulose) and kept fluid levels up. I didn’t have a BM on Thursday, so went to bed a bit worried, although slept nearly 10 hours.
Friday was mostly spent worrying about the first BM. I’d read the odd horror story before my op, so didn’t know what to expect. Having had a couple of previous ops (prostate-related) I know that the urinary tract post-op is incredibly sore, so I was really more than a little bit worried. I ran a bath when I knew things were close and spent a very nervous hour sitting on the toilet. In the end, I needn’t have worried at all. The first BM was almost totally pain-free. A bit tight (my bum is very bruised from the surgery) at first, but no sharp pain, no AF pain and no pain at all from the site of the LIS incision. In short, it was absolutely fine. I used the sitz bath for a quick slosh rather than wiping, then straight into the bath. I spent 20 minutes just having a soak, and while there was a little bit of an itchy, tender feeling towards the end (it was quite a big BM actually), nothing bad. I took some painkillers and went to bed for a nap.
So now it’s Saturday morning, day 3 after the operation, and I feel incredibly positive. The hospital gave me some dressings for my bum (to catch blood and discharge after the op) and each day they have become progressively cleaner (very little discharge overnight). I’m still a little sore from the op, movement is a bit restricted (sitting, lying down), but I think this is as much from the stuff they have to do to ‘get access’, forceps etc as from anything internal. It’s not ‘bad’ pain anyway. Spasm pain from my AF was usually between 6 and 10 out of 10. This post-op pain is about 1 or 2 and mainly when I move about. As soon as I get comfortable, I’m fine. I took my last pain meds this morning, and touch wood, I don’t think I’ll need any more.
The last 8-10 weeks have been a huge learning curve. In October, I didn’t know what an anal fissure was. I’ve spent most of the last two months in moderate to acute pain, been housebound for almost all of it. Work has suffered (thankfully I’m self-employed) and I know I don’t need to tell anyone here how bad it can get or how excruciating and debilitating the pain can be. I read loads and this forum was the biggest help of all. I worried about the LIS and the risks involved and while of course it’s early days, my experience so far is 100% positive. Especially the post-operative pain and the first BM. I feel like I’m on my way back to normal and getting my life back is just round the corner.
forrestgump
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Re: Really positive LIS experience, 3 days post-op

Postby Guest » 08 Jan 2012, 19:39

Thank you so much for posting! :) This will be so encouraging for others! Wishing you continued healing!
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Re: Really positive LIS experience, 3 days post-op

Postby grannymaria » 09 Jan 2012, 12:25

Image
Dawn wrote:Thank you so much for posting! :) This will be so encouraging for others! Wishing you continued healing!
Ditto.. glad your doing better Forrest :) Take care Image
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