I had LIS surgery on Friday the 6th. The doctor said to eat lots of fiber, so I did. Oatmeal, high fiber blueberry muffins from my mother, fruit, veggies, Friday afternoon and Saturday were all about fiber. I did not have a bowel movement until Sunday the 8th, and since then it has been a terrible ordeal. Every movement I have is an struggle, painfully forcing out chocolate chip sized lumps of granular poo. Monday the 9th I stopped taking the Vicodin they had prescribed and went back to the Tramadol they had given me for the fissure itself. I am afraid to eat anything more substantial than applesauce, am drinking lots of water, doing my Tramadol twice a day, sitting in my sitz bath or the tub several times a day, taking milk of magnesia nightly, everything I'm supposed to do. I constantly feel like I have to go, but sometimes it gets urgent and I push out another tiny nugget. There is swelling around the hole and a lot of irritation and pain. I can't sleep for more than two hours at a time.
Help me. What is going on? How do I fix it?

I just want to encourage you to keep on keeping on. It is taking me a long time in getting back to normal but am seeing the gold at the end of the rainbow now, finally. I had the surgery on the 21st of June and at about 1.5 weeks after was starting to feel better. I think the trick is to figure out how your body can make the stools softest. I am now using mineral oil (1 Tbsp. at night and in the morning) and metamucil in the morning and at night with LOTS and LOTS of water. It seems to be doing the trick. At about 1.5 weeks I was yo-yoing between feeling good and having really bad days. Today is my 2nd day with having BMs that haven't sent me into pain for the whole day. I am almost feeling normal. Maybe it's what I'm doing or it's just finally healing, IDK. As far as the swelling, I had that also and it's really getting back to normal also. I also was taking oxycodeine for the pain but was trying to get off so at the end, I was breaking it and taking only a half, if that helps you as well. I would suggest the mineral oil for a time. I think that's really been helpful and my dr. suggested it as well. Hang in there, you'll be fine but it takes much patience!! :)

Thank you so much for the response! I keep seeing these posts with people having successful bm's the day after surgery and thinking something must really be wrong in my case. Glad to know I'm not the only one who can't manage to get it going most of a week into recovery. Oh, and congratulations on your road to recovery!

Hi puupas:
Congratulations on your surgery!
I know it can be difficult when you read success stories from others who have had the same procedure as you and your recovery isn't as smooth, but everybody heals as a different pace. You are doing all of the rights things.
I'm surprised your doctor gave you Vicodin, as it can definitely cause constipation and mess with your bowels (which is the last thing you want right now). In my experience, the Tramadol does not cause constipation, so I would stick with the Tramadol. Are you able to take ibuprofen? If so, that may help with the swelling, as it is an anti-inflammatory. If your stomach can't handle ibuprofen, you may want to ask your doctor for a prescription of Celebrex.
Have you tried Miralax? For many of us here on the forum, it has been a lifesaver. It will help keep your stools nice and soft. If you aren't taking Miralax now, I would definitely add it to your diet right away. I take a full dose every morning and it works great. Keep in mind it may take a couple days before it works. In the meantime, I would keep eating soft foods (pudding, jello, yogurt, applesauce, etc.). Make sure you are eating enough, however, or you definitely won't have a substantial bowel movement.
You may have to experiment with the dosage of Miralax - some people take less than a full dose; some people take more. I would start with the recommended dose and see how that goes. Of course, you should always check with your doctor before taking any medication, but Miralax is available over-the-counter and my CRS said it is safe to take long-term. I will probably take it for life, it is so gentle and effective (no cramping; works consistently)!
Good luck on your continued recovery!

Thank you for the support, I will be sure to add yogurt and Miralax to the list of things to try. I am pleasantly surprised at how active and helpful this community is.

I did it! It was enormous and fuzzy, changed the way my whole abdomen feels, and it was less painful than all of the little micro-sized ones I've been pushing out. I lost a pound and a half. Seriously, I happened to weigh myself earlier today and did it again afterwards. I really hope this is the turning point I was waiting for.
I feel like ibuprofen, milk of magnesia, yogurt, applesauce, and patience were all big factors. I was running short on that last one and didn't know about some of the others until I came here. You people rock!

Hey Puupas
The first week or so following my surgery all my bowel movements were excruciatingly painful and it took me three days to have that first bm. I had my surgery on Friday 22 June and it was Day 15 before I had a pain free bm.
You just need to hang in there. It gets better. Just keep experimenting with the food, laxatives, intake of water and pain killers till you get the combo that works for you. This forum is awesome, i have got some great advice from here.
I am now day 23 and I feel like I am 90% of the way there. I have my first post surgery appointment with the doctor who did the surgery this Thursday and am hoping he will tell me it's healed nicely. Fingers crossed.
I wish you fast healing and a full recovery.