Hi everyone, I have been viewing the posts on this forum for quite a few months now but this is my first actual contribution so would like to say thanks in advance, this website has been helpful in knowing we are not alone in these awful times. Here is to everyone getting well sooner than later.
My situation is that I have been suffering with a fissure now for about two years. Early last year I went through all the creams/ointments given to me by my GP but still didn't improve much. I had to constantly put up with the sharp pain every morning after BM and then a dull numbing pain for 4-6 hours after. This is not very pleasant when you can't sit (not that I could as I would stand) on the bus or train that you have to take each morning to work and then try to sit through meetings with clients (I would have to sit and just swallow hard in these instances, would look a bit silly standing in a meeting with clients). My diet became very strict and to be honest has put stress on my life as I can't just eat and drink what I want anymore. It’s now at the point I choose to eat things based on their fibre content at restaurants rather than what I like, I don't drink much socially which my friends are all mythed about and I don't eat takeaways with family so I can't really relax.
Anyhow I digress; I was recommended for surgery late last year and had Botox in early December 09. The pain following was the worst I have ever experienced. I was not really able to move much for a week and wouldn't want to go through it all again. Since then I have improved, so much so that I have exercised 3 times a week, every week (CV and weights) since January. I can't however say that I feel 100% healed and know there is still a fissure there. After BM I still feel a bit of pain and can feel slight numbing pain for a couple of hours after. But I can now sit on the train and don’t take any pain killers. I told this to my surgeon in mid February after my 2 month re-assessment and he stated it should be completely healed and I should not have any pain at all. After a visual inspection he recommended that I have LIS to get blood flow to the fissure and help heal me fully. I now have a date for the op in mid April.
My question is should I pursue this, will it make me 100%, would my body still need time to heal naturally or is this the only option if I want to go back to 'normality' otherwise I may have this pain and have to be on my guard about what I eat and drink for the rest of my life? Has anyone been through these stages and could they help or give me advice. I feel happy at the moment with my progress but must admit I would like to be back to the way I was if that is ever an option again and would go through with LIS if that was a strong possibility. I'm worried however that this will just take me back to stage 1 and may make things worse as in effect you are cutting a cut. I don't want to go through all the pain and drop out of excursive and feel crap again if this is not going to help and that if I have a chance to heal naturally as I am.
I have to sign my op paperwork but am in two minds, any help from all the vast experience on this site would be much appreciated.
Thx

hi pain in the ass,
you do have a lot to think about.
on one hand you are experiencing some progress but still not where you want to be.
you have made tremendous gains in regaining the activities you want to do that you couldn't.
yet you are not where you want to be.
LIS or not?
whichever way you go, just be realistic that this is surgery and there is going to be a wound to heal.
with this in mind, please allow yourself 6-8 months for the wound itself to make any progress. LIS is not an instant cure all and you won't feel as if nothing happened a week later.
when i was considering LIS and booked it, i was told that it would take about 1 year if to get back to normal but about 6-8 months for the wound to fully heal. based on what people's experiences have been on this board, many of whom have benefited from LIS, they fall within these parameters of healing.
many have initially complained that healing wasn't fast enough but then again, 4 weeks isn't really realistic.
before getting your dates fixed, perhaps a second opinion is in order just to make sure if you have exhausted all your possibilities. after all, you are signing papers to consent to surgery.
good luck.

Hi Happy Ass,
I'm guessing from the name that LIS did the trick for you? Have you now fully recovered and feel back to 'normal'? Did you go through Botox to begin with and if so did you experience the same results as me?
If I knew that my fissure has a possibility (preferably in the high percentages) of healing naturally through a strict diet followed for a year (the same time as LIS would take to heal) then I would be willing to make the sacrifice. I just haven't had any advice concerning this, my surgeon just suggested that blood won't be able to get to the fissure to heal therefore LIS is recommended. He didn't actually say anything about a year of healing time but then again I suppose that was my fault for not asking. But I really don't want to go through a year of healing as my whole life will be knocked out of balance again, not that it’s at 100% but at least it is livable and I can enjoy sports and life a lot more than I have in the past.
I will seek a second opinion but not sure how I get that as it already took me 3 months just to see anyone at the hospital let alone try and see someone else!
I know it must be hard to give individuals advice as everyone is different but your comments have been appreciated and it’s helpful to relate to someone who has been through the surgery rather than someone who is only administering it.

actually painintheass, i was scheduled for an LIS, fistulotomy, and a colonoscopy - all about 1.5 months ahead of time.
the fistulotomy had me spooked and after i had scheduled the appt to have all 3 done, i had already a book on macrobiotics. well, that fistulotomy (since i only thought i had a fissure), scared the "crap" right out of me and i converted to a die-hard macrobiotic person overnight doing what i could and gathering all the essentials.
it wasn't easy as there are things on there difficult to find and tastes of certain things aren't what you are used to but you adapt.
needless to say, the week before operation, i had a pre-op visit and the doctor was amused, amazed and cancelled the LIS and fistulotomy all together. we kept the colonscopy. he was baffled as to what happened.
the fissure was healing really well and there was no sign of that fistula (either he misdiagnosed it or it was the beginning stages of one....i have not clue about this diagnosis as watching the surgery on a fistula was enough to scare me into drastically committing to macrobiotics).
the colonoscopy came out beautifully and i don't know if he did anything else while down there but i had great improvements once i committed to macrobiotics.
i am truly happy that i went down that road as i had had my fissure problems already for close to 4 years and i had enough at the end that i even consulted to do the LIS...even after knowing about it years ahead.....but the doc was very conservative and he gave me time to want to have it, not just have it.
so I did macrobiotics for a period of eight months and slowly started to reintroduce normal foods back into my diet and I've been good since 2008.
no LIS. but almost four years of torture. anything can happen!

pain in the ass i am with you i am to have LIS april 13 im not sure i want to go through with it i had fissureectomy oct 09 that did not do the whole trick but pain is not too bad i am worried about side affects

fisher...I haven't had a fissurectomy, but i did just get the LIS done March 30th. I have no pain whatsoever, except a bit sore when i sit in a chair for an extended period of time. Everytime I go potty i wince out of habit and wait for the pain to come, but it never does...Its a beautiful thing. But, thats just MY story. *shrug*

just brit yaaay glad your went well.you dont have any type of incot. or gas control issues?

uhm...ya, its there but not too too bad..its getting better.