Hi All,
I think i am losing it.......
So i am waiting to hear back from doctors to see if he can do a Lis next monday (in 1 week). My plan was to wait till early next year but the doctor on the phone said just to get it over and done with. I thought if i wait i would stress over christmas but if i do it next week will i be healed enough to travel to my family 4hrs away.
I have read so my posts (thank you by the way) of peoples lis storys but i still dont feel confident about this which i know most people prob felt this way. This is way harder then child birth!
at the moment i feel pretty good pain wise with really no spasms i am still using rectogesic. all the docs say i will feel much better straight after the lis. which i dont think will be the case because i am really not in any pain.
Is there anything i need to do b4 the lis things i should get for my healing???
i will need to have a emena and do this myself has anyone done this and was it ok?
as u can guess i worry about everything
THanks
New mum

I forgot also. at the moment i am only taking fibre sups, should i start taking a stool softener to see if it works before the procedure???
cheers

Hey New mum,
I'm so happy you have decided to get lis. You won't regret it. You're right, we were all scared and that is normal. But I think you will be surprised that the procedure is nothing like fissure pain.
If I were you, I would get some miralax(movicol) and maybe something milder like docusate sodium stool softener and maybe give them a try, although many crs only want us to take the fiber supplements. If your poop is soft just using the fiber supplement, then that may be all that you need, especially if you have been going daily and doing well with that already.
There are a few things you may find helpful for your recovery- I bought a huge bag of cotton balls and some q-tips just incase you may need them for gentle cleaning, but if you have a removable shower wand that you can rinse gently on a low stream after bm's and then take a warm bath, it works well. I also bought tylenol and ibuprofen( over the counter pain meds) so as soon as I felt well enough (which was the 2nd day after my surgery), I stopped the prescription pain meds). Also be sure that you have plenty of water if you buy bottled water and all the high fiber healthy foods that you usually eat.
Another thing I did which really isn't necessary but I bought some of those puppy pad things to lay on my bed at night so that I could go without panties at night and let my butt air as much as possible and I also wore my robe or night gown without bottoms a lot in the day, just to let it air. If you have a blow dryer , you can put it on cool setting to dry your bottom after baths. I did not use baby wipes but if you do, get fragrance free or either rinse them with warm water to gently clean with.
I did not have to use and enema but maybe you could use a little vaseline before using to help.
Good luck!! I think you are going to be very surprised with how much easier this surgery is than the fissure. Take care of your self, rest a lot , eat well and as soon as you can take the baths, do :)
You will be sore but it's not like fissure pain. I'm 3 weeks post op tomorrow and I'm so happy.

Ps.
You will be so glad you did this before Christmas. It will be the best Christmas present you can give yourself. :)
Keep up the good diet and all should go well.

thanks Dawn for you advice! one other question did u need pads/or (hate to say it) nappies after?

Your welcome!! And to answer your question, I didn't have to use pads but I was able to stay at home during my whole recovery. The only reason I used pads because after a few days after my surgery, my period came
I had some leakage but nothing like a regular bowel movement, and I had a little blood because I had the skin tag removed also, but I really tried to let that area air as much as I could without anything on. I had a lot of privacy because my kids were at school and I was at home alone during recovering. I'd say to be sure and rinse often if you get leakage because it can make your butt cheeks a little raw. I don't believe and was also told not to put anything on the anus because it needs to air , but I did use some vaseline and A&D ointment on the inside of my butt cheeks, NOT the anal area to help with irritation. Many people don't get leakage at all, so that may not be a problem for you, but just know if it happens that it's temporary, so don't panic.
I think the best advice I took from reading others post before my LIS was to not panic during your recovery. Stay calm and relax as much as you can. Take it day by day and count weeks, not days and you should see from week to week that you will see a difference.
Ps... ask anything you want:) That's what this boards for and I asked plenty of questions myself. :)

thanks again Dawn, 1 more thing were you taking movicol before ur lis? I am only taking a fibre sup twice a day but just went and got some movicol i am unsure if i should start to use it now or just wait till the day???
what was the worst part of the lis for you???
thanks again you have been so much help
p.s i am due for my period that day as well :( and i am breastfeeding i joked to my hubby this arvo that i will be leaking from everywhere haha

Hey New mum,
I started taking movicol after lis but I had tried it a few times while having my fissure. If I were you, I'd try it just to make sure it's not to strong for you... I never took fiber supplements. I ate about 20-25 grams of fiber in my food.
If your supplements are producing soft stools, you may not need a stool softener. I would definitely keep the movicol just incase you need it because sometimes the pain meds( prescription) can cause harder stools or even constipate if you take too many without a stool softener.
The worst part about my lis was the FEAR.... Especially the first BM. I was so scared but it wans't no where near what I expected. It was basically painless. For me no fissure pain just sore.
You will be sore just like most surgeries, so take it easy and no heavy lifting or setting on your bottom a lot. Take your pain meds, hot baths and lay around do nothing.

I want to add, don't lift the baby while you're recovering. It will put too much pressure on your bottom and thats why I say don't set on it. You want to let the blood flow and no pressure on that booty while the swelling needs to go down. If possible, breast feed your baby laying down or prop up on your side or something. :)