I just got back and am feeling pretty good. Pain a level 0, so that is encouraging. Some minor bleeding, but nothing too major. My CRS said that I have 3, yes count them, 3 good-sized fissures. He said it's "highly unusual" and was concerned about Crohn's disease but thought that it might be anal stenosis/anal stricture. Anyone heard of that? I haven't had time to google it. Anyway, I'm just resting, drinking tons of water, and about to take my 800 mg of ibuprofen. Thanks for all your support and encouraging words!

Stenosis is a narrowing of the anal canal, I'm not sure about strictures but it might be the same thing?
I'm impressed that you're back on the computer (and coherent :)) right after surgery! Congrats!
You already had multiple colonoscopies to rule out Crohn's right?

Yeah, I feel great! And coherent! (I am coherent, right?) Yes, I've had 4 colonoscopies, but I have to say that I do have more than half of the symptoms of Crohn's. I'm hoping that these will clear up now and that the fissures will leave too.
How's the prep coming? Is your colonoscopy tomorrow? I hope you have the same positive experience that I've had with it. It always seems to help me feel better when I clean out my system!

What did you just say? Just kidding, yup you're coherent as far as I can tell :)
Yeah my colonoscopy is tomorrow morning bright and early at 8 AM. So far I've only taken the bisacodyl tablets for the first part of the prep and they haven't done anything but make my abdomen a bit cramped. Maybe because I already had 3 big BMs this morning from my usual nightly Miralax dose haha. I'm starting the second step of the prep -- the big jug of nasty stuff -- in a few hours so I guess that'll be the fun part.
I'm glad it's almost here and over with but I did speak with the surgical center today and they indicate that they don't usually knock people out completely for colonoscopies, so I'm a bit anxious there. We'll see, I guess, if others had it done then no reason I should be a sissy about it.
I'll wait eagerly to see how your LIS turns out, sounds good so far!

NG,
I don't think I was "knocked out completely"! I think they call it twilight (not GA), but I can remember no details nor anything bad about the procedure! I think "knocked out" means GA.
Anna,
Glad your procedure went so well! Three fissures! No wonder you hurt!!

Here's the scoop: I went in yesterday around 11am. I hadn't eaten anything or had anything to drink since the night before, so I was pretty parched! I drink a lot of water and I could really feel the effects of not having any. I couldn't do any enemas and they had said not to worry about it. Went in, checked in, waited for a bit with my husband, and then went to surgery prep. Gotta love those awesome gowns! It was pretty normal prep stuff - BP, ht/wt, pulse, urine sample, blood sample, etc. Waited some more, and then finally around 12:15 got on the gurney and said goodbye to my husband. I have to admit, my anxiety level was at a 10!
Went into the OR, told my dr. that I just wanted him to make me "pain-free!" He replied, "Absolutely! That's why I'm here!" The anesthesiologist told me that after I was out he would intubate me because the surgery would be done while I was on my stomach. I hate that sore scratchy throat feeling afterwards! Started the IV, put on the oxygen mask, breathed deeply, and I was out. The next thing I knew, I was being wheeled into the recovery room. My dr. went and talked to my husband, who was shocked that it had only been about 15 - 20 minutes since he saw me! My dr. is pretty funny, and he was like, "Hey, this isn't brain surgery! I work on butts!" So he was concerned about the 3 fissures, saying that it's highly unusual. He told my husband that I was "one tough woman" so that was awesome, but it did validate the amount of pain I had experienced. Still going to check again for Crohn's, but it may just be an anal stenosis or stricture (narrowing of the anal canal) which can be caused by many things, including IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). So the mess continues.
Anyway, I woke up, had some ice chips, felt great! Went to a little private room to really wake up, drank some orange slurpee, and then nature called. I was not excited to urinate, but knew that I had to in order to leave. So I went, and it was fine! A little minor bleeding but when the nurse checked she couldn't see anything happening. A few minutes later, I was unhooked from the IV, got dressed and went home. The whole thing took from 11am - 2pm total. And I felt great!
I took 800 mg ibuprofen around 3:30 and have been taking it every 8 hours since then. I've had some minor stomach cramping and diarrhea, but it didn't burn or anything. I still have some numbness that hasn't worn off, which makes diarrhea interesting. I can hear it but I can't totally feel it. At first I was freaking out about it because I thought worst case scenario - I'm totally incontinent and I can't feel anything! But then I remembered that my dr. had said he was going to numb me really well. I'm sure it's worn off, but I still don't feel any pain.
I've only had a few slices of toast and some rice, had tons of water, and am just feeling like I should rest today and not push myself too hard. The downside is that my 17 year old may be coming down with swine flu today! Hopefully he can just sleep for awhile and then we can go check him out this afternoon. I do NOT need to get this right now!
I will let you know how the rest of the week goes. Hopefully this will help someone out there! This forum has been wonderful for me to get advice, information and support for this horrible pain and problem! A million thanks to all of you!

Anna,
I said a prayer for you this am. Thanks for sharing and hope you don't get the Swine Flu! We are all in this wonderful situation together!!

Hi I have anal stenosis too. It's a narrowing caused by scar tissue, mine was from having a large baby and hemmie surgery years ago. The problem with the stenosis for me is that even after I had LIS I kind of tightened up again. I have to be very careful to keep things soft and regular. My CRS would like to do a slidng flap anoplasty on one side to make the narrowing a little wider but for now I don't like the idea. It's a painful surgery and if it doesn't work they try the other side. I'm just not up for that right now. The success rate is like around 80% and there are some risks so this is something I'd have to really think about. I hope you LIS works well for you. Keep your bms soft forever and you should be in good shape. All the best Suzy.

Suzy -
Thanks so much for responding! I am slowly learning more and this helps me a ton. I had 4 large babies, so that would make sense. I really, really hope that I don't tighten up again. Have you been checked for endometriosis? I'm thinking of getting rechecked for that, as my symptoms really flair up during my period. Maybe that could be it as well? Right now, I am just concentrating on stool softeners and laxatives and keeping things soft, smooth and easy!

Hi, I had to have a hysterectomy because of severe endometriosis years ago. That also leaves you with scarring. And as I've learned scar tissue doesn't stretch. I was diagnosed with pelvic floor disorder after that. The muscles in that area including the anal sphincter don't always work the way they're supposed to so sometimes when they are supposed to relax they don't and if you are having a bm at the time I guess you could tear. I had problems for a long time but didn't quite know what was going on until I got my second fissure that wouldn't heal. The LIS I had a year ago did heal the big fissure I had but I've since gotten some smaller tears. With careful diet and lots of liquids, fiber and miralax and benefiber I do okay. What upsets me are the visits to the CRS and when he insists on doing a digital exam. The last time I had a small tear and his exam made things worse. I got so mad I told him I didn't see the point of the exam if we already know the area is tight and I tense up more during the exam which makes it tighter. So no more digital exams for me unless I'm sedated. It took me about a month after my last visit to heal up where it was comfortable to sit again so I'm serious when I say no more digital exams. I have to say most of the people in this group know more about how to treat fissures than most doctors. They are so kind and helpful. For me what helps and is miralax, benefiber, shredded wheat 2 X a day, lubricating before a bm and my hubby installed a hand held shower bidet on each toilet, so no toilet paper. That's a lifesaver for me. Warm water to clean your bum is so much better than toilet paper. I hope you continue to heal and I'm so glad you're not having much pain. Try to keep a positive attitude and you already know you have lots of help here. Suzy