Scared of outcomes

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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Scared of outcomes

Postby Beeanc » 07 May 2013, 08:33

Hi everyone, I guess I will give you a background of myself. I'm 20 never had any of these problems before, I was always fine with going to the toilet. In July 2012 I went overseas for a month and that's where the problem started, I hardly used the toilet and when I did I strained which caused my fissure. Upon coming back home I had an immense amount of pain I told the doctor about it and she told me to change my diet. I did that and took 'movicol' a disgusting drink here in Australia, which was fine and I took laxatives but stopped as it snuck up on me and I was scared. After I felt the healing I stopped all these methods, ate normally again and the fissure did not seem to appear however at the start of April 2013 the fissure reappeared much to my dismay, the pain is 10 times worse. 5 weeks ago I saw my GP who again recommended I change my diet and had osmo lax with my water, however it's not working and tonight I passed was was the most painful thing I have ever endured in my life, I was crying:( rectogesic is great but the headache is annoying, I made another appt with my GP as I want to see a specialist to discuss surgery. Here's what I'm mot worried about and need advice please:
After the LIS, is your first stool painful, is the wound painful therefore blood will come out and pain will be bad?
Will the stool be soft?
Will I feel pain when sitting down?
I'm scared of surgery much like anyone but I'm worried about that first poo after surgery.
Thanks so much everyone!
Beeanc
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby ravians » 07 May 2013, 09:46

sorry to hear about ur present condition dear.
I had the same q for my crs n I took 4 different opinions to satisfy myself n also read posts on this forum. n answers that I found out for the same q are:
1. if the stool is soft n normal meaning not constipated or watery it usually doesn't hurt n goes without giving u any pain. cz surgery relaxes the sphincter n spasm is no more there way is open n bm is quite painless. incision is on the outer rim of the anus not inside so there will be no extra wounds other than already existing fissure.
2. stool consistency depends upon ur routine stool if it's soft in routine it will be soft post op. but u will have to b on strict diet plan as u r now.
3. yes u will feel pain at incision site. but that can b managed by taking pain killer.but recommended is not to sit on ur bum n put strain on incision site. but I have read posts where people said that pain of surgery is usually less than fissure pain if it is closed LIS.
Surgeon usually plug anus with some sort of bandage cloth that results in some uncomfortable feeling but that will come usually v easily with ur first bm.
fear of surgery is far greater than surgery itself. it's a minor procedure hardly takes 20 min. do select a professional n experienced crs as pain, success of LIS all depends on how well surgery is done. n afterwards how well n delicately u handle yourself n keep ur hygiene.
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby ravians » 07 May 2013, 09:56

http://anal-fissure.org/t4589-my-lis-diary-march-2012-fully-healed-in-4-weeks
read this link. it is an ideal account of post LIS but keep thus thing in urind every body has its own healing time. you will definitely be benefited by ur age as ur body will recover soon.
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Ceeteefeebs » 07 May 2013, 11:40

Hi Beeanc,
I'm so sorry you've had this setback- I know how extremely frustrating it is. I just had surgery last Monday, and so the memory of LIS is fresh enough in my mind to answer for you (based on my experience). Of course everyone is different- different pain thresholds, preexisting conditions, severity of fissure, etc. But in my opinion the surgery and immediate recovery were no big deal (the frustrating part for me has been that surgery didn't immediately "fix" me). I was scared to death of rectal bleeding and leaking feces. The blood was very minimal- I think that as a woman, my monthly visitor helped prep me for what I'd see. It's nowhere near as bad as a period- there was slight (blood) soiling of the gauze and bandages they placed on me at the hospital, and some very minor blood in the toilet and sitz bath. My CRS tells me blood could well reappear as I heal, but I have been lucky enough not to see any since the evening after surgery. I wore a maxi pad for three or four days after surgery, and I never once removed it with blood or feces on it. I have also retained full control of my bowels (some toots slipped out at first, but that isn't uncommon for any surgery!). The short of it: my fears about the gore were completely unfounded. Maybe I've been extremely lucky, or maybe I'm your average case. I think it all depends on how your CRS operates and how much they cut the muscle, etc.
As far as pain goes, the surgical incision didn't hurt half so bad as the fissure itself. I took Percoset for perhaps 18 hours, and then switched over to OTC ibuprofen (400 mg). A week later, and I'm off all pain meds.
Now this isn't to say the fissure pain magically goes away (or at least it didn't for me). I've still got that and the spasms (fewer and less potent). But my CRS tells me I'm healing up nicely (fingers crossed!!!!!). I'd rather handle one or two crappy weeks than suffer like I had been for months. I think it depends on your assessment of your current quality of life... How much pain are you in? What remedies have you tried? How long have you been suffering? What sort of life are you able to live?
And to answer your BM question: yes, the first one is scary (or at least the anticipation of it). But as an AF sufferer, you know what pain during a BM is like. And guess what? It won't kill you, no matter how bad it may (or may not!) hurt. That's how I got through my first post-op BM... I said a prayer, had my husband rub my back, and I internally repeated: I can do this, I can do this. You can too (if you go the LIS route).
As it turned out for me, my CRS said my fissure wasn't going to heal on its own- it was healing incorrectly and incompletely and had to be reopened during surgery. So I'm very glad I went this route.
Hugs to you, ct-f
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Beeanc » 07 May 2013, 17:52

Thanks so much ct-f! And ravians
This really helps. I guess it's frustrating because I know that between Christmas and new year til end of march it wasn't evident the fissure must have healed itself but coming back I believe I strained and that's how it reappeared however I feel this is more pain then ever, it's definitely been present for over six weeks meaning its chronic, the pain is like what any one has experienced, I feel like im being stabbed every time I go, the remedies two powders for drinks, laxatives and incorporate more fruit and veggie into my diet. I also heard sport can help and I'm very active do soccer training 3 times a week and a game. I considered LIS more than anything last night because of the immense pain I was in, I have honestly never felt anything like it in this whole time I've been suffering.
Upon reading as well, many take a Botox path. What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Will LIS keep me out of sport for a few weeks?
There are times when it is hard to stick to the fruit and veg and to remember to put the osmo lax powder in my drink and then I BM and remember why I should have taken it. It's so comforting to know a fair few people are going through it, I got laughed at by my boyfriend because he had never heard of such thing, nobody around me really knows that I feel like I'm passing broken glass :(
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby ravians » 08 May 2013, 00:55

Sorry to hear that u were in pain but it's all part of fissure life going down n then flaring up. you will have to keep monitoring that which things n what activities flare it up.so avoid it.
sports can be helpful cz it increases blood circulation but if it will stretch the area n put strain on it then it Will worsen up the things.
yes it LIS will keep u out of sports for few weeks.
people do opt for botox but I don't give weight to it over LIS as success rates r lower than LIS. however it doesn't carry surgical risk factors as LIS.
stay strictly with ur diet plan. n take sitz bath when u r in pain or take brufen like pain killers.
take care
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Ceeteefeebs » 08 May 2013, 13:57

Hi Beeanc!
LIS would keep you out of sports for at least a couple weeks (to be on the safe side). I didn't give Botox a try because the success rates aren't nearly as high as LIS, and the relief it provides is temporary. It's such a delicate balance, because you need to stay active, but there are certain activities you should avoid to prevent aggravating, retearing, or worsening an existing fissure. I gave myself a mega fissure by squatting to put groceries away in the fridge (and I'm only 31, not 71!). I remember running over to the couch, curling up in the fetal position, and calling my husband to tell him I thought I just tore myself a new a-- (and I did). So be careful when playing soccer until you're properly healed (and that can take a year, even if you're not experiencing any symptoms). If you're prone to tears- which as a chronic AF sufferer you are- you may find that one day you will opt for the LIS. Done properly, they can prevent future tears. Since you're an active person, that would be ideal.
In the meantime you should make an appointment to see a specialist. They can prescribe ointments for you to help minimize the spasms (those awful shards of glass).
And good for you for telling your bf about it. If more people talked about it, we wouldn't feel so alone and stigmatized. Once this happened to me, I found out that THREE of my friends had gotten them from childbirth. They never once mentioned it to me! So it's much more common than you think.
Keep us posted if you have any other questions! We're all happy to help.
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Beeanc » 09 May 2013, 09:07

Thanks so much again. I have an appointment with my GP on Monday and he will give me a referral for my specialist. I'm quite scared but I want to find out as much as I can. Since the awful pain two days ago I have not used the bathroom but have upped the dose on my powder in the drink, about scoops rather than two twice daily. I have also cut down on white bread. It's usually my snack ill go to the cupboard and grab three slices and I think that's a big contribution to my fissures as the stool has been so solid.
I use rectogesic but that stuff gives a headache instantly and it calms the spasms so much I take a painkiller at the same time to stop the headache. My sister in law said she had it from child birth but it went (lucky bitches)
Yes I will have to carefully consider the timing if I opt for Surgery as I play most of the winter here and im a goalkeeper which means lots of diving and leg movement.
I would never wish this pain on anyone. I went for a walk yesterday and felt like a shard of glass was poking at my backside. A tiny tiny hemarroid has grown what does this mean for me now?
Thanks!
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Kristy38 » 11 May 2013, 10:17

Hi Beeanc,
I'm sorry you are going through such a hard time. I can completely relate. I've had 2 hemorrhoidectomies, I have an anal fissure, and an anal fistula. I've been in agony for 6 months now, with 5 surgeries so far, and 7 hospital admissions. I am having my first LIS surgery on Thursday, so I'm pretty scared about it, and have no idea what to expect!
I'm in Australia, and I just wanted to talk to you about the laxatives I use to keep everything as soft as I can. I suffer from chronic constipation, and I have now found the combination that works for me, although it's pretty full-on!
Every day, I take in the morning, 1 sachet of Movicol (apparently you can get chocolate flavour now, which is nicer?), I have 20mls of Actilax (lactulose), and I have 40mls of Parachoc (which is Paraffin oil). Then at night I have another sachet of Movicol.
It is the only combination that works for me, and I find that if I remove any of these, that I get constipated again. I refuse to change this, as I am terrified of getting constipated. Having said that, I am taking Oxycodone, Targin and anti-inflammatories for the pain, and Oxycodone is very constipating.
This laxative routine was what they had me on in hospital previously, and I found it worked well. So maybe you could give it a try, sounds like you need a bit more to boost it up!
I use rectogesic too, and I always get an instant headache from it. It says that the longer you use it, the less headaches you get. I have found that if I use a glove or gladwrap on my finger to put it on, the headache is less, because you absorb it through the skin on your finger too. And make sure you don't use any more than one centimeter's worth, or it's too much.
I hope I helped even a little bit, and if you have any advice for me, I'd appreciate it!
Kristy :)
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Re: Scared of outcomes

Postby Beeanc » 14 May 2013, 02:38

Thanks so much! Well I just got referred to a specialist here in sydney after my GP appointment yesterday.
Basically since my big whirl of pain last week, the only thing I've been doing is putting osmo lax in my drink. It's recommended 2 scoops a day, I throughout the day have about 8 and have made my mum make soup almost every second night. I haven't had a hard stool for a week, but I'm scared to change the routine in fear of feeling the pain. I don't know if it will heal and I guess it will take only a matter of time before I feel it again.
I'm sorry to hear of your surgeries, it's so frustrating. Osmo lax is very good and does not taste like movicol, I find it hard to down movicol it tastes so disgusting. I stopped laxatives as I didn't want any surprises especially because of the amount of sport I play.
Thanks so much for sharing its good to speak to someone here
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