I just had LIS on Thursday afternoon (2 days ago) and thought I would share my experience here, as I was obsessed with reading others' stories before surgery. Long story short, I got my fissure in late November 2012, tried nifedipine for a few months starting in April with some improvement, and by late June decided I was ready for LIS (I didn't want to waste time/money on botox after reading so many negative stories on here). I was terrified of surgery (not of surgery itself, but recovery) but just hoped for the best.
Prior to surgery I also developed a small abscess that hadn't completely gone away with antibiotics. My CRS said she would do whatever necessary to take care of it during surgery. When I woke up, the nurse told me I had LIS and a fistulotomy, which terrified me thinking of how much worse it would surely make my recovery. I was in a little bit of pain when I woke up, but actually hurt less than when I went into surgery. I was immediately given a pain pill, told to take 2 more 4 hours later before the numbness wore off and sent on my way home. I was in the hospital less than 3 hours.
By the time I got home, I was pretty much pain free. I went ahead & took 2 more pain pills 4 hours later as directed, but probably didn't need them. I felt no pain all night. I also took my normal fiber supplement & drank a ton of water that night. The next morning (yesterday) I took 1 teaspoon of milk of mag, as directed by my CRS (yes, only 1 teaspoon, less than a full dose). I had a very small BM with virtually no pain and just a little blood. I was pretty much pain free all day. Honestly, I probably could've gone to work yesterday.
My husband & I took our dogs for a short walk during the afternoon. After about 15 minutes, the fistulotomy site started getting a little irritated (only because I have to keep gauze on it and it was rubbing a little - I think my fistula must have been very minor & superficial because I don't have stitches or anything).
I've had 2 decent BMs today, both with a little pain & blood during and mild pain (2/10) after. Both times I've taken half a pain pill, just because I have them & didn't want to take a chance on the pain getting worse. My husband & I ran some errands this afternoon and then went out to eat.
Overall, I feel fantastic. So far (knock on wood) recovery has been easier than I had even imagined as best case scenario. I haven't had any incontinence whatsoever, not even gas, and very little pain. Aside from a handul of painless days here & there while using the nifedipine, the past 2 days have been the best I've had since the start of this whole ordeal. Fingers crossed that things continue in the same way! My husband & I are going camping and hiking at the Grand Canyon at the end of September and it looks like I just might get to enjoy it afterall!
If you're contemplating LIS, all I can say is do it! Two days in and I'm already so thankful I did it.