Ive been a nervous wreck the past couple days. Ive had the weekend to do more research online and im getting scared. Im scared that maybe I didnt choose the right Dr. He seemed very knowledgeable, patient, and felt confident he could help me. He did disclose all the possible side-effects. I was definitely in a bit of a brain fog. Part of me was slowly coming to grips with the fact I need surgical intervention. I was impulsive and said lets do it ASAP. I didnt bother to ask him how many of these hes done. I checked his qualifications on the website. Here was his bio:
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Dr. Liam R. Smith

"Was born and raised in Bel Air, MD. He attended Hamilton College, graduating in 2000 with a degree in Biochemistry. He then moved to Baltimore, MD, performing basic science research at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health as well as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, earning a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry. He then moved to Norfolk, VA to attend Eastern Virginia Medical School.
After earning his medical degree in 2007, Dr. Smith stayed in Norfolk and completed a 5-year residency in General Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He then moved on to the Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA to complete a residency in Colon and Rectal Surgery. During training Dr. Smith presented research at national meetings, earning both local and national awards.
Dr. Smith’s interests and expertise are in the diagnosis, management and surgery of the colon, rectum and anus. He has particular interest and training in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, complex ano-rectal disease, cancer of the colon and rectum and the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease. He also performs colonoscopy as well as a wide array of minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat diseases of the colon and rectum. Dr. Smith is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and joined Princeton Surgical Associates in 2013."
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Does this look good? I asked him if this could be done under local anethesia (scare to death of going under) and he made it seem there was no way. He stated it would be extremely uncomfortable and nearly impossible. Ive read posts where people have had it done this way. Does that mean there surgeon is better at this procedure?

Im worried about the post-op pain.............worried about incontinence........worried about going under. I keep saving screenshots of posts online from positive outcomes after the surgery. Ive become obsessed with telling myself I will make it through this. I keep watching YouTube videos (some over and over again) and it seems so straight forward. He wants to perform a CLOSED LIS. Im a nervous wreck and need some support. Anyone out there........I owe this forum so much already for getting me this far. I just want my life back. PLEASE HELP!!!

He sounds excellent to me. Not many have LIS under local. Please, try not to worry and just think how you will soon be 'done' and on that great recovery road!! We will be here when it's all over!! Relax, think good positive thoughts as that will be so much more helpful to you and your recovery afterwards.

You still have time on Monday to call and ask how many such surgeries he performs per month. If it's several a month, then that should calm you down. While mine was done under local, most of these are performed under full anesthesia. Except for the external thrombosed hemorrhoids which I developed after surgery my experience with closed LIS has been excellent. I had pain the first day, but there are pills for that. I had no pain the following days and most importantly, no pain during BMs. After LIS you WILL get better. Just make sure to follow care instructions and take the sitz baths religiously. That keeps the wound clean, and that's really important. Also, plan on doing a lot of reading the first week. Even though I did not have pain I made a point of resting and only moving around the house when needed. The more you rest during that first week, the better your body heals.
Keep in mind also that people with positive outcomes don't post as much on forums. They just move on with their lives. I was glued to this topic just like you are now, but all those horror stories kept scaring the sh*t out of me. In hindsight, it was a walk in the park compared to the expectations I had had.

Savaici & Happy Ending.......thank you so much for those replies. I received a call from my Dr & the Anesthesiologist today and they really helped to calm me down. I know I will probably wonder why I worried so much when its all over. I wanted to ask you each a question. I realize I should probably reach out to my surgery center but wanted to get your opinion. I was told to take a Fleet Anema (1 hr before I leave my house). I have to be at the surgery center at 11:30 (Surgery is at 12:30). This means I have to leave at 10:30 which means I should take this at 9:30? I have always gone twice every day. I go as soon as I wake (at 4:30-5am) and then another time bout 2-3 hrs later. If I already go twice should I still take the Anema. Not sure I will have anything that needs to come out. I never took an Anema so dont want to be miserable on the way to the surgery center. Thanks you two..... : )

Good question, but sorry I am the wrong one to ask, since I didn't have to do that. i think it's only needed for full anesthesia, which i didn't have. I have never done an anema in my life.