Since I'm not bad enough to have the surgery and the Nifedipine seems to only be helping slightly better then nothing at all, I'm scuedled for botox this coming Monday with a colonoscopy. I'll let you guys know how it goes and give updates.

Wow, that is still a big step. A big step forward! At least you'll be getting pain relief, and if your cards come out right, you'll heal.
Good luck!

Good for you. It really seemed to help me. hopefully it will be the same for you. (My husband wans't teribbly pleased with it though because I farted quite a lot for the first few days after the injection).

chris, definitely let us know how it goes! my new CRS wants to do a full exam under anesthesia and a botox shot at the same time in a few months if i'm not doing better. the whole needle in the butt idea scares me, even though i've had LIS twice. what a baby huh??

how are you feeling now, aside from the blood i read in another post? what's your pain like?

Good for you- I think you will be pleased. It seems like it sure has helped a lot of people here!

[how are you feeling now, aside from the blood i read in another post? what's your pain like?[/quote]
Thanks for asking Juney! :D
You know, my fissure, knock on wood, was never really that bad as far as pain went...it just won't heal. I know I have some other condition going on that is preventing me from healing properly. My doctor first throught it was a bad abdominal strain, but I'm now convinced it has something to do with my colon. Crohns and Celiac run in my family. I was putting off the colonoscopy because I had two CT scans of the abdomen that came up clean and I didn't want to go through the prep and exam.
Due to this "other" problem, I started seeing a new Internist as my old one told me it was "all mental." This new doctor convinced me I should see a GI doc instead of a surgeon (CRS) and I had an inital appointment where the GI doc told me a colonsocopy wasn't an option anymore and then he carefully explained his technique for botox injection. I was more then a little impressed.
For anyone out there who is thinking about it, maybe you could use this information for a more informed discussion with your Dr, if you are going the botox route. Basically, he said alot of Drs don't administer the botox correctly because they are making "educated" guesses where the sphincter muscle is when inserting the injection, and this can lead to poor administration. While out cold, he inserts a flex scope and loops it back to get a good look at your muscles down there. Then he tests the areas by gently pressing on them to find the one with the proper tecture...muscle versus soft tissue. He administers the botox in a few spots and then he massages the areas with his finger to ensure dispurse penatration. It made me feel like he had alot of experience at this and did it enough that he had what sounded like a pretty good technique. Now watch...I'll get an infection or something. :shock:
After today's little event with more blood then I'm used too, I decided it's time to take this step. I hope this wasn't too much info.