I too would want to know if this is standard follow-up for post-op patients. I don't think that it is so I would wonder why he needs to poke you every week. Maybe he does feel a fistula and want to deroof the wound every week to make sure you aren't getting one. It could be the same idea behind using packing. When I had my fistula surgery I had to change the packing every day to keep it open so that it healed from the bottom up.
I agree with modifying your exercise. It wouldn't hurt not to ride your bike and see if that would make a difference.

i had silver nitrate applied to my unhealed fissure and it was THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER and i've had 3 anal surgeries so that's saying a lot. it stung and hurt so bad i became nauseous and pale and almost passed out in the office. the dr who did it was a total b*tch and didn't understand my pain, so i think she did something wrong. i had dark discharge leaking from the wound for a few days after and intense pain so bad i had to miss work b/c i couldn't sit at all. i would recommend against silver nitrate personally.
also - riding a bike....that sounds like a bad idea. i haven't been on a bike in 2 1 /2 years and never plan to again. it seems like it could only hinder your healing.

Why does he want to poke you every week?that could be hindering your healing.my crs just examined me from outside to see the wound gently.i think its common sense not to stretch or meddle with the wound when its healing.
I have used silver nitrate to cauterise a bleeding point but havent seen it being used on the healing wound.poor Juney,on your fissure?Oh my GOD!
Agree with Kim.its best to avoid biking.im 5 months post LIS and still dont sit on the bike.

I do not know what your CRS sees and wants to check and re-check every week , but as Lecia says - if there is no fistula - I do not see either why he would poke you all the time :( It must be very frustrating !!!! I also found that some CRSs have very gentle hand and some ripped me apart just like that Maybe it is time to ask for second opinion and perhaps find "a gentle hand". When I was examined by gentle CRSs , I would actually feel better after exam since anoscop would stretch my stupid sphincter and made it nice and loose for a day or two !!!! So, really, no need to subject yourself to extra pain - in my opinion I would also stay away from bike - your doctor obviously never had anorectal pain in his life - but he will one day. Sooner or later , everybody experiences problem down there ! Or maybe he will not if he is obsessed like one of my CRSs who was drinking Benefiber non stop just " to not risk to be like her patients" - yeah- poor us lepers

I wish you fast healing and always listen to your intuition and never shy from asking for second, third or twelfth opinion :paddysmiley1:

Hi everyone,
Thanks again for all of your advice. I've taken it -- and haven't been riding my bike to work. I went to the doctor yesterday and basically told him to cool it. That I had trouble sitting down for a day and a half after the scope and silver nitrate treatment last week, and that he needed to be really gentle. He did a fairly gentle exam, said he was a little concerned my fissurectomy incision might be roofing over again, and that he'd seen a tiny drop of pus. I got dressed and went to his office to discuss.
He said he's still a little puzzled as to why I'm not healing as quickly as most patients do, but he's not too worried because I'm not hurting or discharging. One of my options, he said, was to go back into the OR under anesthesia so he could get a really good look, and lay it open and clean it up if necessary. He could also do another scope on a day where I didn't have to be anyplace afterwards, though he didn't notice anything through the scope last week. Another option was that he'd just brought another surgeon into his practice, and would be happy to have him take a look. A fourth was the exact opposite of the hands-on, aggressive approach he'd been taking with the silver nitrate and the weekly exams -- just to let it alone for awhile and see what happens.
The doctor said a number of times in his career, patients have just gone away for a little while and come back perfectly healed. He said there's really no downside to this approach, since the other two options he named would still be a possibility in time, with no long-term risk to my health or healing. I told him that's the way I'd like to go, and he agreed to see me again in five weeks. If I had any pain, bleeding, complications, etc., I should come in sooner. I should continue the baths, but not necessarily every day.
So I'm relieved that he agrees with my initial inclination that we should just leave the d*mn thing alone and see how it goes. Seems to me that the less you antagonize an open wound, especially one that doesn't bleed or hurt much, the better it's likely to get on its own. I've also noticed that a return to something resembling a normal routine helps my psyche, and I know the mind has a powerful impact on the body's ability to heal.
That's the deal. Thanks again to you all for your support, and happy healing to you as well!

buttmachine wrote: So I'm relieved that he agrees with my initial inclination that we should just leave the d*mn thing alone and see how it goes. Seems to me that the less you antagonize an open wound, especially one that doesn't bleed or hurt much, the better it's likely to get on its own. I've also noticed that a return to something resembling a normal routine helps my psyche, and I know the mind has a powerful impact on the body's ability to heal.

I agree with both, and esp. the last one. You feel that you live when you try to do more normal stuff!

That all sounds very cool to me. I have a feeling you'll be back on that bike in no time at all!
Fissures can heal spontaneously, but the longer they last, the less likely that is to happen, for sure.

I am worried about pus "thingy" and "roofing" Just keep close look on any discharge or sudden change of pain level .
Wishing you super fast healing :paddysmiley1:

I am glad your doctor gave you so many options. He sounds like he is concerned and knows what he is doing.
What do you mean by the term "roofing"? I have never heard that term before.

Jen - I might be wrong, but I think he implied that fissure was not healing inside-out , but started to make some scar tissue on the top edges and made it look like small "roof" . But who knows . It is not closing in regular way - that is what worries me , but again, I worry all the time about everything