Almost 1:00AM and just had my BM. Was painful and had to actually take a break before I can go back and finish cleanup. It's a burning sensation feels like at the fissure site itself. Tried best I could not to strain or push.

Awoke about 15 minutes ago needing to empty bladder. Can't remember whether pain subsided or whether I fell asleep in spite of pain. Currently feeling only discomfort. Tucks had some fecal matter on it. Wiping brought on localized pain as I wiped. Re-applied new Tucks temporarily to record this. As I am now awake, I'm going to jump into shower once this is posted so I can give virtual sitzbath via shower's hose and wand. No current feeling/desire to take a dump.

Hope that you are going as easy on yourself as you can, Rob, as SB said. I have not had anything done yet, and I really take it easy with pain, wiping, BMs, etc. You want to do everything to aid in the healing. I never wipe by the way, only dab with cottonelle soft toilet paper, to get all 'residue'. I find that really helps to relieve that feeling of pain when something is left behind...good pun there.
I am aiming - with hope - for the standardized anal dilation. So that is my route.
Good luck with your healing.
Sav

Surgery Day +4 Report:
Went through time at Day Hospital program with only minor pain. Changed out Tucks pad a couple times. There was pink spotting, but no signs of poop. Got home about an hour ago, and now the cycle is beginning. I start by feeling a burning sensation, and then like I need to make a BM, but when I go to the toilet, nothing happens.
I hope this doesn't keep me up as it did last night. Oh yes, I had soup and cooked veggies at lunch, with a small bit of Mac-N-Cheese. For dinner, I had a couple Cod fillets with a bit of fairly bland potato salad.
Thanks again for all the encouragement guys.
Rob

almost a week now Rob,
are the BMs any better?
still swollen?
Hope things are much improved.
-Tanya

WOI, actually, I had two of them today, one in the morning, and another about an hour ago. There has been some pain and a bit of spasmming, but the level of pain has not been that bad like before!

Ras,
Basically from reading many LIS threads its seems the first three days following surgery seem to be the worst and then things seem to improve.
Is this the case with you?
Davo

Davo,
Last Monday at this time, I was awakening from a combination of lack of sleep combined with a sedative they'd given me prior to the epidural. My son was sitting in a chair, and a friend who works at the hospital was just getting off from her shift and coming to visit on her way home. I still could not move my right leg from the epidural, and the left was just starting to move.
The first BM was scary, because even with all I'd read, we're all just a bit different, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I've documented those first few days in previous posts in this thread.
Currently, I feel some discomfort (I wouldn't call it pain) most of the time. It's very minor, and more a small reminder that I've recently had surgery and am still a bit swolen. Things do physically feel just a bit different down there.
When I get the urge to go, it is accompanied by some level of pain. The bowel movement itself is slightly painful, and as I have mentioned, there is some notable spasm, although all of this is at a level far decreased from pre-surgery levels.
As noted in my above posts, I've been fine with Ibuprofen for the pain, and half the time now, I am not even taking that.
No, I'm not like I was pre-fissure, but then I hardly expected to be only a week after getting cut. If I am getting close to normal two months out, I will be happy. Most of what I have read puts full recovery approximately one year or so after surgery.
I've kept up with my AF specific diet so far, and don't even contemplating any changes.
Hope this posts finds you doing well.
Rob

Hi Ras,
Maybe i worded things badly and i understand that a fissure and sphincter healing takes considerably longer than 3 days to get back to normal.
I just meant is the bulk of the pain in the first three days following surgery or is it still very painful days 4, 5, 6 and so on?
From what i have read from various reports is pain for three days and then discomfort and annoyance going forward until full healing has taken place.
Davo

When the feeling comes on that I need to take a dump, I get pain. The actual BM itself has some pain accompanying it. Afterward, there is some pain from spasm.
I just had a BM, so I can tell you this is accurate to the moment!
What has changed, is the degree of the pain, and in the cases of the spasms, the length of time they affect me. Both of these have improved TREMENDOUSLY, but they are still present. To give you an idea of the difference, pre surgery, I was taking a class 2 narcotic and still wanting to end my life the pain was SO fierce. Now? I haven't had so much as an Ibuprofen in the past 24hrs. It is that much better, but I am yet to be pain free.
Rob