Hey Everyone,
Not sure if some remember me, but I've posted here before. If anyone has had a second LIS please, please, please message me or post.
I had surgery on Aug. 16th for LIS. I also have been diagnosed with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. 3 Months after surgery I moved from my home and commuted 2 hours every session for therapy (2-3 times per week) to try to find relief to no avail. Now my fissure is back (or maybe never completely left and my rectal pressure,heaviness aching is at its worst! I'm scheduled for surgery on Feb. 4th.
My questions are:
1. Has anyone here had 2 LIS surgeries? What were your symptoms? Did you feel somewhat better after #1 and then symptoms returned with a vengeance?
2. Has anyone experienced minor leakage after a LIS? After a BM, I wipe, and wipe and wipe and wipe. My CRS says that is because : A) I have too loose of a movement, B)pelvic floor dysfunction and cannot evacuate properly, or C) there is a slight curve in my rectum from surgery and then it seeps out. I'm scared to death that the second surgery will make that problem worse! It only happens after a BM and can last for hours though. If I don't BM for a day, no probs. Any advice? My CRS doesn't see any other option other than living in pain other than surgery.
3. Does anyone have incontinence (gas/stool) over 6 weeks post surgery?
4. Anyone have a rectal/vaginal fistula ever? Not sure if I do, but maybe and they are going to look for it during the LIS.
5. Those of you with pfd, how long until you were asymptomatic/better. What measures did you take? What were your symptoms like? Were they concurrent with a fissure?
HELP! And thanks for taking the time to reply.
Desperate

Hey there, I only had LIS once but did have mild leakage for a while afterward. The kind of stuff that would leave "skid marks" in the underwear. It lasted maybe 2 months or so, possibly slightly more. I think most people do to some extent, but usually it stops sooner than that.
I know at least member Fissulyna has had LIS twice. If I recall right, her first LIS was too conservative and didn't fully solve the problem, but she healed for the long term following the second LIS. She's around every so often and can hopefully tell you more. But it's definitely not unheard of.
We've had a couple of members here that have had fistulas. Off the top of my head, I think afugh and PaulsPain both did. I had a perianal abscess (which was drained surgically) a few weeks after LIS, but no fistula that I'm aware of.
I don't know anything about pelvic floor dysfunction personally, but I think our admin cherylk had it and got it treated at the Mayo Clinic. Her fissure healed nicely without surgery.

I had LIS once but had leakage for months after, probably like NG says 2 months or so, it's so damn annoying constantly wiping and there's more and more fecal matter there, I actually stayed in for months because I always felt unclean, the only real thing that put a stop to it was coming off Movicol and firming up my stool with Fybogel, strangely it hurt less to pass a harder stool than a soft one which I still can't understand.
I'm currently experiencing pain/blood again, I had my surgery on August 4th 2010 and am now wondering if that was actually a success, anyway if I don't get right soon then I'll be seeing my CRS.

I was just looking back through posts, and saw that you were going in for LIS February 4th. Did you go through with this?
Wishing you a successful recovery, especially considering this is your 2nd LIS...

Crazy story.....
2 days before my surgery I met with my surgeon....yet again to tell him I was confused about whether or not my fissure is my pain source and to tell him I was scared of the second surgery. I also asked him about pain clinics here in manitoba that deal with pelvic pain and nerve problems. Basically he examined me and said I still had a fissure and after surgery he would consider sending me to Toronto for nerve blocks as it might be a fissure in conjunction with levator ani/and or pudendal neuralgia. That being said he promised to only look first and then do the surgery if needed. He said he was hoping that if he fixed my fissure the levetor ani problem would go away.
So.... I go in for surgery that Friday was put in a semi-conscious state and could feel my ass being frozen over and over. Woke up 3 minutes later to find out he didn't do it!!!!!!! Started to bawl on the operating table when told he didn't do anything. I asked him if he used an anoscope and he just stared at me. When I woke up in the recovery room, the pain oh the pain! My bum bled for the next three days. Got into see him the following Tuesday. I convinced him to reexamine me and he appologized as he saw the fissure yet again. I'm so confused. When I asked him why he didn't see it, he said "well you told me you really didn't want it done" and that he was sorry and "admired my tenacity for not giving up".
I explained how I've been misdiagnosed with my medical problems since birthing my son (separation of pubic bone - took several exrays and ct until evidence showed as they kept giving me the wrong type of exrays). I was diagnosed with "hemeroids" when this was my fissure at its worst for months too. I've been called paranoid and a hypochondriac from every family doctor in my small town.... This pain has taken its toll and I'm now on leave from work as I can't take it anymore.
He rescheduled me for March and asked his secretary to bump another patient while I was standing there. Still not sure if this is the right decision as I cannot understand why he saw it three weeks ago, not at the time of surgery and then 4 days later. I also don't bleed anymore with bowel movements, just minor pain as it is coming out and for a few minutes later. What completely grates my nerves is that pressure/aching sensation 24/7 along with lower stomach pain that can either be muscle pain or endometriosis. That being said, when I look in the mirror, I can see a small fissure (1 cm) more on the inside, wherease before you could totally see it on the outside as well. Any advice? Does everyone else's fissures bleed all the time?

My fissures don't bleed every time. More often that not, they do, but sometimes there's just pain and no bleeding. It doesn't make any sense, what a baffling condition!
I can't believe the surgeon put you through that! I'm confused too!??? Have you tried for a second opinion from someone else? It seems like this guy is a bad communicator at best. Or a total flake! What kind of reputation does he have as a surgeon?
Childbirth can be so rough. All my fissure probs started after having my third daughter. Now, when I see someone with 5 kids all I can think is, I wonder how their ass is doing?
Keep doing what you need to do to find a solution, everyone here knows you're not crazy.

Hey there,
I'm thinking if you haven't already had one, you need a second opinion too!!!
Was you first LIS about 6 months ago? Did he say why that's not working? I don't get his answer to you about not seeing it before?! I don't think I would let someone cut on my butt again who see's a fissure and doesn't see a fissure depending on the day. I believe a good CRS wants to communicate with you and answers your questions.
Hang in there!

Hey dh, I had my LIS in August 2010 and was kind of healing but about 5 months after, I started with slight discomfort followed by more pain after BM which still hasn't subsided, I've been told by my GP that it's just nerve pain and who knows when it will heal, if ever! I don't even want to think that way but am currently considering having a second LIS or a different type of anal surgery in the near future to hopefully resolve it, but that's if I can get a CRS to do another.

I am so sorry for your pain! i hope your hanging in there.
I argree with the others get a 2nd opinion, you want to be sure that what you need is right and the crs is 100% sure of that.
hugs

Thanks for the support everyone!
I opened my mail today and my new surgery is March 4th. I'm scared but can't live like this anymore so I have to take the chance. I agree with everyone about getting the second opinion unfortunately I live in Canada and our health care system sucks. It may be "free" but with costs (I've spent thousands of dollars travelling to appointments as I live 8 hours away from the capital city where specialists are) and I waited 5 months to get into see my current CRS and only got in that soon because I phoned the secretary and cried to her on a weekly basis. The typical wait time is 8 months for non-cancerous issues. So I can't fathom waiting with this for another 8 months and then being told they can fit me in for non-urgent surgery in another 4 months. It is a risk though in case that isn't my main problemo but I guess I'm willing to take it. My CRS told me there is a surgery they can do if it goes bad and that there is a 2% chance of flatulance or minor soiling - no actual pooping your pants. Apparently they can do plastic surgery on your rectum if it is too loose. So that sealed the deal for me. Only 2% chance of something going wrong, and then there is a surgery to fix it if it does.
Apparently my CRS is one of the best according to my doctors. I looked him up on rate my doctor and he had a 4.5 out of 5. Some of the reasons he was rated poorly is that he refused surgeries on some people when he didn't think they were necessary (not sure what the surgeries were for though) and that he was rude - that he can be. My last few visitis he's been good though.
Anyway, when I saw him before my surgery I had asked him for injections of lidocaine or botox into my muscles in case it was all from pelvic floor dysfunction. He adamantly told me he doesn't do that on several occassions when I told him my problems of pressure/heaviness/aching went away for 6 weeks in the summer after he lanced my thrombosed hemmeroid and I thought that maybe it was the lidocaine that froze my nerves. Now I'm wondering if he did what I asked when I went in for surgery (as he shot me full of lidocaine) and then looked and saw "nothing". Still makes no sense. What do you think?