Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

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Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

Postby daffodil_in_pain » 26 Aug 2013, 22:37

I had LIS done 6 days ago. I wasn't in much pain after, though I did take etoricoxib (selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) every am.
The problem is, I hurt every BM. I always dread the start because my stools are always hard at the beginning. The LIS had stopped the spasm but I feel the sharp stab as the hard stool makes its way past the fissure and the surgery site.. Feels like I am tearing every BM still Image 
Because of the pain, I don't think I empty my bowels in that first BM. I usually need to go again a few hours later.. which is again painful. Even though the pain doesn't last as long as it did pre-op (up to 10 hours at its worst), I still feel very discouraged.
I am sticking to a fissure-friendly diet, with mineral oil at night that had been so helpful previously. Yesterday I added metamucil, magnesium, and this am, in desperation, I am taking olive oil with my breakfast oatmeal, and have added lactulose (Miralax to some of you). I had been hesitant with lactulose because of my IBS - I alternate between diarrhea and constipation, and is often gassy. On bad days, within the same BM, my stools swing from one end of the Bristol stool chart to the other. I am hoping that lactulose will not trigger the diarrhea bouts and excessive gas, or throw my delicate system off. (prunes did just that - gave me abdo pain + lots of smelly gas).
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Re: Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

Postby resume » 27 Aug 2013, 06:39

It's still quite early in your recovery daffodil. I had LIS and 2 fissuectomies and it was at least 3 weeks before the pain at the fissure site started going away. I had that familiar pinching sharp feeling with every bm. It wasn't as bad as before the fissure but it was still there.
It sounds like your doing all the right things with your diet. I don't have IBS so I can only imagine how tough is is to get the right consistency with your stools.
Don't be discouraged daffodil! Keep up with your routine and follow the doctors orders and you'll be just fine. It just takes a little time! :)
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Re: Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

Postby daffodil_in_pain » 27 Aug 2013, 08:58

Thank you Resume. I guess I just needed the reassurance that BM pain post-LIS can be normal. Sometimes when I get up from lying/sitting position, I too feel the sharp stab at the surgery wound site, and then I wonder if I'd torn the stitches or something, haha.
As a follow-up, the half-dose lactulose I took earlier made me a lot more gassy than usual. It also made me feel like I need to have a BM late evening, which is unusual for me. I squatted till my legs got numb but nothing came out.. Save for two drops of fresh blood. I am starting to panic about tomorrow's BM, because if there indeed is stool in the rectum, this will only get harder overnight.. :(((
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Re: Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

Postby resume » 27 Aug 2013, 12:05

Ah yes. I remember that feeling. I think it goes away when the stitches do. I know in the early stages of recovery it can be tough to tell the difference between gas and a bm.
Are you drinking a lot of water? I know some stool softeners don't work very well unless you drink a lot of water with them. Don't panic.. I'm sure it will be fine. And even if it is hard you will get through it. Keep your chin up daffodil!
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Re: Painful BM since LIS - why??!!!!

Postby daffodil_in_pain » 29 Aug 2013, 21:05

Just as a follow-up - I stopped taking lactulose after that one dose. Other than the gas, it also gave me abdominal discomfort/pain. I upped the olive oil intake and metamucil, which resulted in stools that aren't as hard though not ideal yet.
Yesterday as I was browsing through this forum, I came across the suggestion of supporting the posterior perineum during BM in those who have 6 o'clock tears. It made a lot of sense to me, since in normal vaginal birth, we support the perineum between the vagina and anus as the baby's head crowns, to help prevent an uncontrollable tear downwards during the actual birth.
So I tried it this am, using 3 fingers to press hard against the area just below the coccyx (lowest end of spine) when I had a BM. Well! My BM glided out smoothly without the tearing pain previously experienced! I am going to try this out from now.. hopefully this will help with my recovery..
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