hello, i posted a couple times a couple months ago, but haven't been back much.
just wanted to come back and possibly reassure some people about LIS surgery.
let me start with a little history. i had my son in 2007. i tore real bad, which is what caused my "superficial cuts" in my rectum. i suffered in pain for over 2 years before asking for a referral to a colon and rectal surgeon. i was so afraid and embarrassed to go to the doc. but my quality of life was just not there. i was so depressed and the thought of leaving the house made me extremely anxious to point of having several panic attacks. i finally couldn't take the pain and depression and anxiety anymore, so i made my appt.
i did research on my doc before i went to him. i found out that he had been practicing for 25 years and even read on one website several reviews of him by people that also had anal fissures cured by him.
when i first went to him he wanted me to try stool softeners and metamucil before he operated on me. i tried it for a couple weeks but things were not getting any better. i called him back up and he scheduled me a few days later for LIS surgery.
the surgery was a breeze. i went in real early in the morning and was out and back home just a few hours later. i was prescribed vicodin for the pain, but i have problems with vicodin making me sick to my stomach so he prescribed me darvocet, which worked wonders.
i already knew going into the surgery that pain killers can constipate so i was fully prepared when i came home to drink lots of water and to keep taking my metamucil and stool softeners.
the pain was very manageable as long as i took my pain killers on time. by day 6 i was just taking regular motrin cuz the pain wasn't very bad.
for the first couple months or so i would have some pain at the incision site, but it wasn't bad. i was so afraid of those first few bowel movements, but there was no pain, and it was so easy to push my bowel movements out.
i did not experience incontinence of any kind.
it has been a little over 3 months since my surgery and i would say i am between 95 and 98% back to normal now. i don't say 100% only because every once in a while i'll get a little twinge of pain for no reason in that area, i'm not sure if it is the incision site or if it is the scar tissue in that area caused while giving birth. also for some reason around "that time of the month" i think my hormones cause that area to get more stiff for some reason and it can be slightly uncomfortable after bowel movements for a few days.
but there is no pain during bowel movements and there is no blood. and i feel like i have my life back.
i am so happy I got LIS surgery done and do not regret it what so ever. the only thing i do regret is not getting it done sooner. i could have been enjoying my life as a new mom so much more if i had just gotten over my fear and embarrassment so much sooner.
my CRS talked to me like anal fissures are very common. he said he does around 200 LIS surgeries a year. he said back in the 90's he wrote an article that was published in a medical journal on anal fissures and LIS surgery and said back then the success rate was in the 90th percentile and he said nowadays it is near 100 percent successful. he said he has only ever had 1 person who's LIS surgery did not heal their fissure.
he was/is a great doctor, very reassuring, knew exactly what he was talking about.
sorry for making this such a long post! i know when i was contemplating surgery i would have loved to hear from someone who had LIS surgery and said it was a success.
i know i read awhile back on a forum that most people don't come back after their surgery because they are healed and no longer care anymore, but i think about all the people dealing with fissures for months and years and want to try to help them get their lives back. i can't not come back to these forums, it just doesn't seem right not to
anywho, hope i have helped reassure some of you that are afraid to get the surgery done. you can have you life back! the little bit of pain in the first few days after surgery is SOOOOO worth it!

yay LIS!!!!

thanks for the positive post about LIS!

Nice, thanks! Always good to hear more encouraging LIS experiences :) I'm glad that everyone feels nervous going in, at least that means it's perfectly normal to feel that way. I haven't heard of too many terrible experiences yet so it all seems pretty positive so far.

Hey March37,
I recall that you're supposed to get LIS on April 15th. Just wanted to wish you good luck if you're still on for it! Let us know how it goes.

NG,
How is your son doing? What shook out from all of that???

Yup, I am getting the surgery on the 15th so I will keep you all updated on my status.. I really havent had any problems lately. So I was having 2nd thoughts... I know as soon as I cancel I will feel bad again... Im going for it. Yeah

Cheryl, it's not going too hot, but at least we got out of the hospital today. It's a bit of a long story :(
Marsh, hope things go well for you on Thursday! We'll be thinking of you and eager to hear how everything went. Fingers crossed that this nips the issue in the bud for good.

Good luck Marsh, i'm sure you'll emerge a new person, with a normal bum!!

Thanks Steve if my experience is anything like Britts I will be up moving around in a couple of days.. Im a little nervous. I will keep the whole gang updated...