Hi Andy,
I am hoping things have improved for you now and the antibiotics have worked. You seemed to be improving well before the infection so it would be ashame if you have to return because of this.
Let us know how you are
Davo

Any news Andy? How are you feeling now?

Hi Dave,
thanks for the message. Hope you are doing well.
Well after a pretty rotten few weeks, i eventually turned the corner about a week and a half ago, and seem to be back on the road to recovery.
Basically what happened with my surgery wound was my stitches came undone, so instead of it healing how an incision usually heals, i was left with what looked like a hole, about the size of a bean, and deep enough that i could not see the bottom.
So i essentially had an open wound, and when that happens it has to heal from the bottom up. Much more painful and much more risk of infection. The wound is now starting to fill, and I can now see the bottom of it, and its starting to look more pink as opposed to very red and pussy.
I am back at work now, and whilst sitting is uncomfortable, it is bearable.
The good news is that i have had no fissure pain since the surgery. I have been having some very large bms lately aswell, not sure why as i am drinking plenty, eating lots of fibre and taking movical, but there we go. The only fissure sensation i have had, is a possibly itchy feeling when bms are particularly big, but no feelings of tears.
Still showering the wound about 3 times a day which is getting very tiresome, but i reckon 2-3 more weeks the wound should be healed.
Not sure what to do once the incision heals diet wise. I am sick of taking movical, but the thought of stopping makes me feel a bit nervous. It is also so ingrained in me now to drink loads of water and avoid unhealthy food. The problem is though I have lost about a stone and a half in the last two years, so i really want to get back to pre fissure days.

Andy,
So glad to hear from you!
I am relieved to hear you are finally turning that corner.. What bad luck to have your stitches come out so soon... You poor thing.
Bigger bms is probably due to the fact that things are not so tight and in spasm any more. I would see that as a good sign.
On wards and upwards!!
OMB x

Hi Andy,
Ohhh that's a shame about your stitches but i'm glad that is all it was rather than infection. Did you have to return to London or did a local GP confirm this for you?
You must be really close to finally closing this chapter of your life now so i hope the next few weeks go nice and smoothly for you.
I understand what you are saying about the Movicol - I started to rely on it after a while myself. It may be an idea to reduce your intake to half a sachet per day first however if it was me i would stop taking them all together and increase my water & fruit intake to compensate for this. If you feel things are a little strained or dry then there is no harm in taking the odd one or two when required. I still have a box handy and always take them with me when i am away from home just to be on the safe side.
If you're the same as me the junk food came naturally and in abundance.... just don't go overboard!
OMB - do you have any further news on your surgery date yet?
Davo

Davo,
No.... They have received the referral through, and said I should expect a call from admitions some time this week! Things seem to be on a go-slow!!
Thanks for asking!!
OMB x

Nothing is quick in the NHS - I am sure it will be worth the wait once the surgery has been completed.
I'm looking forward to the healing party in London already!
Davo

So I am now at 8 weeks post op, and i am pretty much totally pain free.
As i said before my stitches tore at week 2, leaving me with what looked like a hole. This was an exposed wound and so was very sore and got infected. Last time I posted it had finally turned a corner, and now it seems to be healed. I looked at it with a mirror yesterday for the first time in a while, and all that is left now is a pink dent in the skin.
I also managed to get an appointment on the NHS last week and he said it is 90 pecent healed. He didnt actualy check my fissure which is a shame, as he said he didnt want to interfere too much but he said i can assume its healed as it hasnt hurt since the surgery.
So now I am pretty much feeling normal. A slight tenderness around the wound towards the end of my work day (after 8 hours of sitting) but I probably wouldnt even notice it if i wasnt so aware of everything down there.
Funily enough the surgoen i saw (in north wales) said he used to work for mr windsor in london. He seemed in awe of him, asking me loads of questions about how he was, and asking if i could send my regards if i spoke to him again. He said he is an excellent surgoen, and the most famous colo rectal surgeon in the country, so owmybum, hopefully that provides some comfort you are with the right man.
Feeling really good at the moment, but after my hiccup in recovery, i am still feeling quite weary. Still on a fissure friendly diet, I havent eaten anything unhealthy, and I am still taking a small amount of movical each day. I am hoping to stop taking it soon, but feeling quite anxious about doing this.
I am struggling getting my head around actually being healed. I have got so used to re tearing no matter what I do. Assuming I continue to remain fissure free I will post an update in a couple of months. I intend to make a thread in the success stories, hopefully offering advice for those who had an initial failed surgery.
owmybum I just read that you have a surgery date now, so im really pleased for you that the wheels are in motion. I will be checking to see how you are.

davo just a quick question,
in terms of diet, what is yours like now? I literally cant imagine eating unhealthy food with out worrying about it.
Are you now in a position where you wouldnt think twice about having a pizza, no worries the next day before you go to the toilet? Pardon the personal question, but are you able to pass large bms now with out worrying? I have actually had a few hard bms and I didnt tear, so i guess i should be ok, but im finding it very difficult to stray from a fissure friendly diet.
I am assuming I should be in a similar situation to you though, seeing as though we both had deep fissure previously, same surgeon, and roughly same amount of sphincter cut. Did mr windsor tell you at your post op that you could eat what you want, or is it just something we should always be slightly careful about?

Hi Andy,
That's great news about your recovery and I am so relieved everything turned out well in the end for you. I probably would have felt really guilty had you used the same surgeon and not had a positive result like me!!
When i first healed things felt a bit funny - I know this may sound strange but i felt something was missing from my life, i was so used to having this fissure and now it was gone it didn't feel right :D However that brief phase soon passed and I started to enjoy my life again.
How is my diet now? Seriously i wouldn't ask!!! But as you did, well i eat absolutely anything i want. The (ex)fissure is never a consideration with my food choices so i eat steak, pizza, indian, chinese, junk food, i drink beer, etc.
There are times when i have had large or dry BMs and in fact i recently got bunged up for about 4 days in Thailand. After many laxatives and lots of water i finally did manage to go and actually thought how bad it would be had i still had a fissure but i was completely fine.
Mr Windsor actually told me on the surgery day that if i take care i could heal in 10-14 days. He also said at my one month post-op consultation that i could fairly much eat what i wanted again.
At your stage now Andy food shouldn't really be a concern. It's nearly the weekend so why don't you have a healthy breakfast and lunch on Friday, drink lots of water throughout the day and take a movicol or two. Then on the evening get a takeaway pizza (maybe avoid the spicy ones for now) and have a few beers at the same time. I can almost guarantee it wont have any affect on you (apart from the waistline of course)
Again congratulations on your surgery pal, i am genuinely over the moon for you
Davo