LIS surgery tomorrow - My story and post surgery journal

Are you having, or have you had a Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy (LIS)? Please share your experiences here, or ask any questions.

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Day 10

Postby tojo78 » 03 Mar 2013, 18:16

I am soaking in the tub as I write my day 10 update. Things all and all were good today. The pain in general is getting less and less everyday. It's really not an issue at all right now. Taking 2-3 sitz baths a day and that had help a lot! I took a look up in that area today via a mirror and I am amazed it all look so tidy. I can see where my hemmie site is just because the skin protrudes a tiny bit. It's the same color as the rest of the area so that's good news. My BM today was still a bit irregular (narrow) but the same thing happened as I was recovering before the hemmie and my BMs got more normal each day. So I am hoping for improvement in the coming days. Just alittle pain after my BM but I jumped in the tub right after and that did the trick.
Hoping I am finally over the hump and on recovery road!
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Re: LIS surgery tomorrow - My story and post surgery journal

Postby Tash » 04 Mar 2013, 07:35

Hi tojo78
Glad to hear you are starting to feel better again. Hopefully it will be smooth from here out. After your LIS were you given any cream to use? I was on ditelizem before the surgery and the dr told me I can still use it if I want to but not sure if I should or just let it air and heal on its own.
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Re: LIS surgery tomorrow - My story and post surgery journal

Postby tojo78 » 04 Mar 2013, 20:15

Tash.. CRS didn't prescribe any cream just pain killers. Hopefully wont need any creams! We will find out on March 13 when I have my 3 week check up with my CRS.
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Day 11

Postby tojo78 » 04 Mar 2013, 20:24

Got back on my normal BM schedule today. I have always been a 6:30am guy but got thrown off after surgery. BM was alittle better today too. Did not have any pain during BM but was alittle irritated afterwards. Didn't have time for a bath this morning but luckily our shower head detached into a wand so I was able to use that instead for alittle extra cleaning. Went back to work today again. Sitting was a bit uncomfortable at times in the AM but got better through the day. Got up and walked around a bit at work to get the blood flowing. Got home and jumped in the tub for a nice 20 min soak. That did the trick! Had a but of itching afterwards but that didnt last too long.
All in all I think today was an improvement over yesterday. That's all I can ask for!
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Day 12

Postby tojo78 » 05 Mar 2013, 20:49

Today was a fairly decent day except for my morning BM. The first part of the BM was somewhat hard and dry which caused some sharp pain as it passed the hemmie site. The rest of the BM was soft and passed with no issue. One theory I have is that the stitches at the hemmie site are not allowing the skin and muscle there to expand when the BM passes by there causing some pain. I think some of the discomfort has to be attributed to the stitches but its not a huge deal really. I jumped in the bath for alittle less than 10 min and that made it feel better. I really don't have any pain at all throughout the day. Just get a very small amount of discomfort when I sit, move suddenly or flex my anal muscle. It feels slightly better every day. Taking 2 warms baths a day on work days and 3 a day on weekends. The baths help a lot!
I don't have any fissure pain or spasms that I can tell. Just the very small amount of discomfort from the incision/stitches at the hemmie site. I am continuing to take 2 fiber therapy pills and a gel cap stool softener in the AM and the same in the PM. That's all for today!
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Day 13

Postby tojo78 » 06 Mar 2013, 21:24

Today was the best day yet! My morning BM hurt alittle due to the hemmie site getting irritated. My BM was soft but was large. Jumped in the tub for a bit afterwards which made things feel better. Had a second BM 3 hours later that was painless. I noticed later in the day that the little bit of pain from the hemmie site was nearly non-existent. It's definitely improving. Took another longer bath when I got home. Everything feels pretty good right now and I am hoping any pain during BM starts to get better too. It's not really a big deal but definitely there. I am one week away from my first official check up. Hoping to get a thumbs up from my CRS then!
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Day 14

Postby tojo78 » 07 Mar 2013, 21:11

Today was almost an exact duplicate of yesterday so I don't have much to report. I am going to start taking my 2nd stool softener earlier in the PM in hopes in voiding a dryer stool in the AM. Otherwise all I have to report is more steady progress!
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Re: LIS surgery tomorrow - My story and post surgery journal

Postby SteveR » 07 Mar 2013, 23:53

Hey - good to hear that things are going well. I'm on almost the same day following my LIS. I find that the would now has generally stopped bleeding and only really weeps now and again. I am very positive that by the end of week 3 the LIS site will be totally healed.
I have also now started my reduction of my stool softeners. Unlike you I was taking far far too many. So this will take some time for me. Also I had been taking then for a year, so I think I have developed a little dependence upon them. So I have set out a 5 week reduction programme. I have to say, I have huge apprehension about reducing them.
On the fissures themselves. Well I had two. I really don't know about how they are doing and I won't know until I have come off the softeners. Presently I haven't bled from them nor had any pain from them - which means really nothing for me at this stage. Really I assume I won't know until my BM is much firmer. I am hoping that they are healing at the same rate as the LIS site. I have read that they should heal within 2 to 4 weeks too? But that sometimes they might take longer to heal? I really don't know? What have you been told?
Either way - you would never believe how much I am looking forward to having my life back. To being able to cycle, run, play sport, drink with friends, eat meals out again, have red meat, go on holiday without worrying - the list just goes on.
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Re: LIS surgery tomorrow - My story and post surgery journal

Postby tojo78 » 08 Mar 2013, 09:25

SteveR - Glad to hear things are going well! As far as fissure healing time, it really depends. I have read some people healing in 2 weeks and some in 2 months. I read a study that said the median is about 3 weeks. I am not expecting to be healed at my CRS follow-up next week simply because I have had mine for so long that I think its going to take some extra time. Hopefully not 2 months! Overall I am feeling pretty good too. Having the hemmie complication that I did doesn't allow me to give a real good analysis of whats going on with my LIS or fissure. Right now the only thing that is bothering me (an very little at that) is where the hemmie was removed. I have not had any fissure pain that I can recall over the past 2 weeks since surgery. Heres to continued healing!
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State of my Sphincter - Two week post op report

Postby tojo78 » 08 Mar 2013, 10:06

This is kinda like the State of the Union, except for my sphincter :D
I am not going to post my usual update any more as I think I have pass through the initial healing phase. Instead, I will be providing periodic updates on how I am doing. So I wanted to post this to recap things that have happened and lessons learned.
My LIS was on Feb 21st and was a breeze. On the 22nd, I felt like I could have gone to work, but I knew this was not a good idea and stayed home until the 26th. My first BM was a non-event and did not cause any real issues. On the night of the 25th I had some pizza that did not agree with me and ended up having diarrhea. On the 26th I returned to work and while my bottom was sore, it wasn't really a big deal until later in the day when it started to hurt more and the pain was not going away. I checked myself that night and found a small lump just on the inslide of my anus that hurt. I began to panic thinking I had an infection. The next day I saw my CRS and he told me I had a hemmie with a blood clot in it. It was removed via a short surgery in his office. This pretty much set me back to square one.
Since my hemmie surgery I take 4 Walgreen's Fiber Therapy pills a day, 2 gel cap stool softeners a day and take 2-3 warm bath a day. I have 1 to 2 BMs a day and I'd say at this point about 50% are painless. The ones where I have pain are at the hemmie site (there are stiches there too). But I know its healing as it feels better every day. Typical recovery for the hemmie is 2-3 weeks and I think thats realistic given where I am at right now. I have had only very minor bleeding when cleaning myself a couple days after the LIS and some bleeding right after the hemmie removal. Otherwise I have been blood free.
So as I look back now, I can say that the LIS has helped with my fissure issues to date. I haven't had any fissure related pain or spasms since surgery. My problem with my fissure wasn't necessarily pain during a BM, but the pain after and some bleeding when I wiped. Rarely would I have some blood in the toilet too. Itching was an issue too sometimes.
So my advice for those recently post op or considering surgery is this:
- Do not accept living with pain! There are options out there that can help you! Find a good CRS and get checked out. If you live in the central Illinois area or dont mind traveling to that area and want to see a really good CRS, PM me and I will give you the information on the ne that did my surgery
- Don't fear surgery! Its really not that bad at all and you should be in and out in about 4 hours. My CRS told me that the surgery literally takes 5 minutes once he's in there.
- Take a week off of work if you can post op. While you might feel like you could go back earlier, you need to baby your butt for awhile. Just take it easy and let yourself heal up!
- Be VERY careful of the pain meds as they can and will back you up. This can cause unnecessary pressure on your anus which can cause issues. Take your stool softeners and fiber exactly how your CRS tells you to. There is a reason they want you to take this stuff.
- Sitz baths are a lifesaver! They will not only reduce pain but they also keep the area clean and promote healing through better blood flow.
- Watch what you eat for the first couple weeks. Try to keep to high fiber stuff. Don't eat anything that might upset your stomach as it could cause diarrhea. I learned the hard way about this and got a hemmie as my punishment.
- Drink lots of water. Not coffee, not soda, not juice, plain old water. This helps keep your stools soft and BMs as easy as possible. Very important!
- and lastly, don't get discouraged if you are not healing as fast as you want. It does take some time to heal after surgery and people heal at different rates. Gradual improvement is what you are looking for. If things are worse post op compared to where you were pre-op, give your CRS a call right away.
Thats it for now. I will probably post again early next week or if anyone has any questions in the mean time
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