hey, i had sum questions that have been on my mind and im hoping u guys can help. i am due to start the nitro cream(sud of started it ages ago-been putting it off for AGES but i think after tonight i gotta do sumthing) but the surgeon told me as ive had this fissure for so long theres a big chance the cream wont touch it. so i wanted sum info on what to expect re:surgery. i have read sum stuff written below...do u have to take a laxative b4 the op?? what did they give u b4 the op? ive had tests dun for my butt before and ive had picolax etc and the stuffs horrid. also i sufffer quite badly with emetophobia(fear of sickness) and im terrified to have a GA, but i guess i will have to. :-( my question is did the drugs they give afterwards or the GA make anyone really sick? i know everyones different but im just wondering. Also another big wry is that i am on a very strict diet due to my severe ibs (or colitis) and so i cant tolerate fibre well at all. i am already loose pretty much with most my stools so does that mean my usual diet after the op wud be ok or will i be in trouble? also do u stay in over night or can u ask to leave as a day patient?? also if i do nothing to the fissure will it get any worse or do they just stay constantly how they are now? i mean can further complications occur if i dont get it treated? wow thats a lot of questions-sry!!
thanks for ur replies, im sure i will think of more questions yet. its just nice to speak to people who've been through it all.
thanks guys.
xx

Good on you Grace for asking questions, ill try my best to answer as many as i can.
I squirted a lax enima up my butt just prior to surgery, it was not as scary as i had worked it up to be... i think they just need to clear you out before they work on you.. Its a little uncomfortable when you get the urge to go, and it feels like your tummy/bowels are wretching but if you just sit on the loo and relax and dont strain, it doesnt last too long.
I have a tendancy to get nauseas after a GA, thats just me.. it was not very pleasant, but they can give you tablets to counteract it. There are several different types, i know maxillon does not work with me, i *believe* (much to the dr's disbelifs) that maxillon made me feel worse. I ended up on another one (sorry but i dont know the name) which was ok. A good tip is not to guzzle water, even if you are thirsty, just take ity bity sips, or they may even just give you crushed ice.
Loose stools sound like why you are in pain?? I thought ideally you want soft fluffy BM's.. refer to the Bristol Poop chart.. but buggered if i can find it - its on the board somewhere!
Fibre is the key to getting the right consistency, but if you cant eat any fibre, im stumped.. sorry
I hope someone here can help you with the fibre thing..
regarding leaving the fissure and not doing anything... well i did that for 6 years and it only got worse... perhaps it is time to consider LIS...
goodluck Grace
XX
C

o yeah i found the bristol stool chart .hehe ace chart. does everyone have an enema b4 it then? how long does it make u go for? im worried it will hurt like hell cos of my issue with soft stools.lol. maybe if i explain to them my fear of sickness they can give me sumthin gentle to kcokc me out. im guessing theres different types of GAs. do they ever just sedate people or is that too risky? is it true also that when u have a GA u have the tube down ur throat to help u breathe? with u cheryl did u find the pain killers they gave u afterwards made u sick or anything nasty? i think ur rite i think i really do need to consider it. the pains been there all nite and isnt going away. had it for 3 yrs now and i think maybe its time to say enough is enough, ust wish i wasnt so scared of the surgery :pale:

well i had my fissure for a little over 3.5 years.
the only creams i used were over the counter as my doc never prescribed anything:
1. palmers cocoa butter with vitamin e (for post-shower and blow dry)
2. herrods hemmy cream (a UK product, for pain of an area that was thought to be a thrombosed hemmy but later diagnosed as a fistula but i still think it is/was a thrombosed hemmy)
3. palmers cocoa butter body oil (for lubing before BMs)
other over the counter products that i used at one point or another during the 3.5 years:
1. prep H suppositories (my first year)
2. tucks pads (a big no-no as the CRS told me nothing with witch hazel should touch the fissure)
3. benefiber chewy tabs (late last year)
4. all bran bran buds (used a lot in 2006; because of macrobiotics, i have used it on alternative days for breakfast or snack)
now i don't use toilet paper but baby wipes.
blow dry butt after shower every day.
squat on toilet rather than sit on it.
began incorporating macrobiotics in my diet rather than concentrating solely on fiber to help me.
****
i've had tremendous pain due to the fissure. bleeding on toilet paper and saw clots on the toilet water. fear of going to BM. dreading to BM. lasting pain after BM days. throbbing anus days. couldn't enjoy doing things that i loved - driving and going to the movies. my joy of eating anything that i wanted came to a halt.
****
if you think you have tried everything, and if you see anything you haven't tried above, i invite you to think about it.
with your IBS, perhaps getting some googling done with macrobiotics and IBS can help you.

Well, I just had the surgery so here is my perspective on as many of these questions as I can answer.
I did not have to take any laxatives or do any preparation before the op other than not eating or drinking anything after midnight on the day of the operation. The surgery itself wasnt the hard part, its the recovery that is really going to knock you down for awhile. I think the GA made me just a little sick the first night. I tried to eat something and I felt really nauseous but that was gone the next day.
For me, the procedure was an outpatient one. It may depend on where in the world you are. Here in the states, I think its routinely an outpatient procedure.
As for your diet, I think you would have to talk to your cooperating surgeon about that. Right now I have no restrictions on my diet, but I am still trying to eat high fiber things (black bean burritos, turkey soup with lots of cooked veggies in it etc.) and they have me on stool softeners, milk of magnesia :| and oxycodone. Oxycodone gave me trouble the first night, it would make me really dizzy, made my vision patchy, and gave me the sweats, but again, I think it might have been a slight interaction with the GA because the next day, and ever since, I havent had a problem.
As for not treating the condition, well, I cant say that I know what would happen if you didnt treat it. I know that the fissure can get bigger and deeper, and I know that I wouldnt want that. I think that treating it is the best thing to do, and while I know this is scary, I think my best advice to you would be, during your recovery, always have someone around. Someone to talk to, cuddle with, play games with and watch movies with. Video games are a god send too, if your into that kind of thing. My mom has been my "go to" person since I had this done, and it has helped a huge amount, just to have someone to give me hugs and tell me Im going to get better soon really helped when I was feeling my worst.
I think you should talk to your doctor further, as to what the specific consequences for you would be, if you didnt treat this fissure. I hope that I've helped a bit. I am on recovery day 4 after my surgery, and Im feeling pretty good :)

kate

>do u have to take a laxative b4 the op??
if doc plans to do a sigmoidoscopy then u'll need to take enema before the op. I had to take a couple of enema. my first in life.
> im terrified to have a GA, but i guess i will have to. :-( my question is >did the drugs they give afterwards or the GA make anyone really >sick?
GA can actually be a nice experience if u are not nauseated by it. make sure u do not eat/drink anything after midnight before the op.

thanks so much for all ur replies. ive decided i need to stop being a wimp and get on with it. im going to start the cream today and if it doesnt work then i will go for the surgery. all ur advice has really really helped me.
small flower did the GA actually make u sick or just feel it? cos ive heard a few people say u feel it. also i hope ur recovery continues ok. have u had ur first bm yet? i hope its not been too bad if u have. computer games-yes i love them!! i like to keep fairly active but i guess the surgery knocks u off for a few days.
happyass whats macrobiotics?never heard of them??
and fissure101 whats a sigmoidoscopy? well i think its like a mini scope but whats the reason for doing it?is it to see how bad the fissure is??
anyway thanks a lot guys for ur replies.
xx

sigmoidoscopy is like colonoscopy but the doc will only go upto the sigmoid part of the colon (the part right after the rectum).
sometimes fissures (specially if u have multiple) may be the by-product of some other disease of the colon (like crohn's disease). that's why sometime docs take a look inside the colon to make sure there is no other problem.

hi marmite,
there is a great web site dedicated to wonderful information on the world of macrobiotics. www.macrobiotics.co.uk
it would be worth your while to visit it and just soak in some information. you don't have to decide anything about doing it or not but just see the information; the wisdom for it. if there is some principles that you liked there that you think you can begin incorporating now, then do so. little steps. no one expects you to get 100% macrobiotic overnight.
i am going to have the same type of sedation as an LIS on monday so i will share with you what my experience is/was. the only difference, is that i won't be having the "anal" numbing that goes along with the LIS.