To schedule or not to schedule?

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To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby slhall » 21 Feb 2011, 08:29

Hello - I'm a newbie here, but have benefited from reading all the posts. I've had my fissure for at least 5 years. Additionally, I've had about 6 surgeries for thrombosed hemorrhoids in the last 15 years! I had an abnormal anorectal manometry a few years ago. Have had the fissure open, heal, open, heal...blah. I am again currently using some fancy suppositories and cream that were compounded for me. Went to see the colorectal surgeon and he said yes, I have fissure, skin tag and scar tissue. I am scared to death to have this surgery! I could right a book on butt pain and spasms. I take valium daily lately in addition to suppositories. I eat a very strict diet and take what would make most people crap their pants in order to have a good poo! I also have some nerve damage or impingment from multiple abdominal surgeries for endometriosis that play into all of this. I'm looking for encouragement, courage and advice on the surgery. I havent's scheduled it yet out of fear of it being even more awful (as if, right)... but honestly, my life revolves around pooping and pain in my butt right now!
WOuld love to hear anything anyone has to say.
Thanks!
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby Island girl » 21 Feb 2011, 09:37

Hey..I just joined as well. I am in the same boat as you..I have had mine under control for about ten years..but in the last 3 to 4 months it has come back with a vengance!! I am in pain all the time..going to the bathroom is sheer hell. I too am petrified to do the surgery..and keep hoping for the magic cure! Look at some of the responses i just got..there is definitley lots of good advice here. I am also waiting to see someone say the surgery really fixed it...same fears as you! I so feel your pain..and I hope we can both come to a decision on what to do...and finally have healty Butts!! I will watch to see your responses..take care..Island Girl
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby happyass » 21 Feb 2011, 10:31

hi slhall,
welcome to the analfissure board!
as you, many of us are at the mercy of the poop!
you are in the right place to find encouragement, courage, and advice - altho all advice is not from doctors but personal experiences. we all have different stories and have pursued various paths to find that "magic" cure and unfortunately, there is no instant, quick magic cure.
i wish there truly was.
there are many options, there are many solutions, there are many doors - ie, any which way you want to think of it, you have choices.
some are hard.
some are easy.
but whatever they may be, it's not an easy path nor a quick one.
all of hard work, patience, and determination is needed to deal with a fissure.
who knew?
there are numerous peeps on the board - some who are still around and some who have moved on, that have benefited from LIS.
dawn, who is recent, has a good outcome.
fissulyna, who pops in here and there, had to have it twice, but she is also healed.
kim, all gracious admin, had LIS and although a bumpy road, he is healed.
many of the recent posts you will be encounter now are from people that just had surgery in the last few months. we are still healing.
you opt for surgery, you will need to put in a good six months of time at least to heal the fissure and feeling completely comfortable with bms and moving on with your life. some will do it under six months, some will need a year.
we are at the mercy of what we eat, how our bodies react, stress, what we do, what we don't do.
all you have to decide is that whatever you put your heart into, put it all in it and be determined.
i am sure you needed to approach your other surgeries this way so i am sure you are very familiar with having to make the most of the situation, especially with the thrombosed hemmies!
hang in there!
i went into my surgery for LIS, skin tag removal, and HPV excisions. lots of work down there. everything is working itself out and i wouldn't have changed a thing. perhaps for me, i would have liked to see the skin tag removal maybe done a different way if possible but that seems to be my challenge for now.
i am no longer dealing with the pain of fissure and skin tag upsets during or after bms. so despite healing slowly, i am pleased with how everything is coming together. but it is a lot of work.
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby cherylk » 21 Feb 2011, 10:55

Happy,
Nice post with good advice! Image Do you miss your former companions "Laverne and Shirley"???
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby Guest » 21 Feb 2011, 20:01

Hey there,
I'd like to say I had a good experience with LIS. I've read of many others on this board who have also. Cheryl who created this board, Gizmo, Tabby, etc... Many of the older posters and newer ones have had great outcomes.
As others have said LIS is not a quick fix. It will set you up for the best chance to heal your fissure. We have to do our best to keep the bm's soft, rest, baths and diet while this is taking place and hopefully help the healing happen. It took my fissure 6 weeks to heal. I've kept my diet very strict with a few bites here and there of things that aren't considered fissure diet since the day of my surgery. It will take awhile to regain strength in that area so I plan to be cautious for 7 & 1/2 more months which will be a year post-op for me. I am now 4 & 1/2 months post-op. I ate a Big Mac snack wrap yesterday to celebrate with no problems!
I am very happy with the outcome of my surgery! I haven't had fissure pain since my surgery. I have been sore but nothing like having the fissure and spasms.
You've found a wonderful place for support and advice and we all understand revolving your life around pooping
Image
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby slhall » 10 Mar 2011, 10:31

Thanks all - I did have the surgery 2 days ago. the doc said I had TWO fissures, not just one. And a skin tag. And a hemorrhoid, which he didn't remove because it wasn't thrombosed and he didn't want to cause more trauma. My bumm hole feels all swollen. I haven't pooped and don't know when to expect to! I'm taking mineral oil, magnesium, fiber, tons of water... Before the surgery I couldn't even poo without using a glycerin suppository, so I'm not sure WHAT to do now... waiting to hear back from the doc. I am on Norco - like a strong vicoden, Naproxen and Valium. And of course the sits baths. Any advise from you who have survived? I feel like I need to poo, it just wont' come out.
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby StevePain » 10 Mar 2011, 15:49

Hey there, don't worry about not pooping for two days, you'll have plenty of swelling down there which will mimic the feeling of wanting to go but you can't, keep up with the fibre and water and let things happen naturally, it will come out when ready and you'll feel relieved, try not to stress too much over it.
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby slhall » 10 Mar 2011, 18:52

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying not to stress about it... it was a stressful event for me before the surgery, now it's even more! :) I'm going to try some milk of magnesia tonite... took a small little walk outside in the fresh air and I"m just trying to chill. Thanks for the advice and encouragement!! I know I can't quit pain pills yet, as soon as my 4-5 hour time period is up, I start feelign those sharp pains... so, lots of water, fiber and prayer!!
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby Bambi » 10 Mar 2011, 20:00

Hi Sihall-
I am at 3 weeks post LIS and skin tag removal today. it sounds like you are doing the right things. My CRS's post-op instructions said to take Milk of Magesia on the third night post surgery if no BM had occurred. I didn't end up needing to do that, but it was getting close. I kept trying to time my first poop so that I had my pain meds "on board", but that's hard to achieve since our bodies are going to do what they do. For the first BM, it started to hurt and I pulled a page from a magazine and squatted on the floor and then it didn't hurt very much at all. Sorry to be graphic- certainly not something I was planning on doing, but I had read of others who routinely do so on the board. It definitely helped me get through the first one. I will say some prayers for you tonight.
When I was reading of your questions about whether to do the surgery or not just now, I was going to chime in with what one of my best friends said to me a week or two before surgery when I finally confessed to her everything that had been going on. I was concerned about the fact that I knew the surgery would give me more pain for a while because my fissure had gotten so it bothered me about every week for 2-3 days and I was not wanting to hurt more again. She's very practical and she just said- well if you are going to end up having to have the surgery eventually anyway, you may as well get started on that healing process now if it is going to take some time. And I thought- "duh" to myself. As others have said, I now realize that as Happy put it, surgery is one "door" to recovery but is not "instant" and requires patience. I feel like I am getting more patient as the time goes by rather than less, even though there are still days when something hurts a little more or something and I am still not completely over it yet. Good luck and I hope all goes well tonight and tomorrow!
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Re: To schedule or not to schedule?

Postby slhall » 10 Mar 2011, 21:40

Oh, thank you Bambi. I kept thinking the same thing as your friend... it's gonna hurt either way, but I might as well get the real healing started. But I was scared as poop!! I'm going to take the milk of Magnesia tonite... it's so, really tommorow will be day 3. I know what you mean by having the pain meds in your system when you finallyy do poo.. but right, the body will do what it will do!! I don't get the magazine part though..you don't have to worry about being to graphic with me... I've been through it all and can talk about just about anything! Do you mean the urge just came and that's what you had to do to take advantage of the situation right then?? I appreciate all encouragement and stories, advices and successes!!
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