Hey Dave, I take Fybogel (3.5g Ispaghula husk) sachets once a day, sometimes twice if needed, I always take them half an hour or so before I eat a meal, either before breakfast or mid afternoon, bearing in mind I already intake fibre from other foods too

Hi all, just an update from my side. Went through some bad patches where I had a stomach bug...not pleasant. I'm now 6 weeks down the line since surgery and the pain during a bm is not a lot - I manage to keep my stools relatively soft and the bleeding is also minimal. Lost 7 kg since surgery because of diet changes and also eating less I suppose. Downside is that the spasms are still there - and yesterday and today its been much more intense than during last week. The pain med that I take now doesnt take it away sometimes. Really frustrating that I still experience that - I chatted to another lady few weeks ago who also had LIS and experienced spasms for a full year after the surgery! Amazing.
Luckily my mood is a bit better now - I tried some a/d's (prescribed) which had very very bad side effects on me - stopped it after a few days and had such a bad one that I think I'm over any suggestion of a depression!
Anyway, the mess continues - hopefully someday somehow everything will come together and I will be healed. Anyone else who also experience the chronic spasms?

I had post-op spasms which lasted quite a while, they wasn't as painful as pre-LIS but felt really weird, sometimes I still get the odd twinge from the sphincter but I wouldn't really class it as a spasm, and yeah I can fully understand how the spasms can last a year after LIS since I'm not healed 7 months after the fact.. anything is possible.

hi Dave- I had LIS and skin tag removal on Feb. 17. I see you are having less bleeding now but my CRS's post op instructions said in writing that it would be considered "normal" to possibly have bleeding for 4-6 weeks post-surgery. That has not been the case with me, although I am certainly not 100% at this point- my skin tag removal site seems to be dragging in the healing process. But I would certainly think that having the hemorroids as well did not help you.
Bambi

Dave, do you still experience the pressure sensation that you mentioned earlier? If so, is it episodic or constant? What about trying the nifediprine ointment for your pain while you wait for it to go away?

Desperate - I experience the pressure sensations from time to time but not regularly. It is a more constant sensation when it does happen.
In general the spasms are very weird - the location of the dull pain is not close to where the fissure or internal sphincter is located. Its more forward where my prostate is. I had some tests done just to make sure that I dont have any other infections - nothing. I had the same dull ache before LIS as well - its just more regular now. Some days the pain med help (like today) and I experience almost no pain - yesterday it was bad however. So i dont really know if its a spasm - thats just the only logical explanation that I could find up to now anywhere. And the pain is not related to how the BM was on a particular day. Although I mostly have soft BM's now and get everything out within seconds and no strain, the pain is still there. Sometimes it starts two hours after the BM and last for 2 hours - sometimes there is very little pain during the day and then at night it would start. Strange, strange, strange - even the surgeon doesnt have a clearcut "this is the cause" explanation... So I dont know if the nitro-ointment will help? He doesnt want to prescribe valium or any other related med at all....

Just an update: its now 3.5 months since surgery and still the fissure is not healed. The surgeon tells me that it is smaller in width than before the surgery but the last 2.5mm or so wont close. I went overseas to Europe recently and experienced a setback there when the bleeding got worse during an afternoon (second) stool. Before I went everything was more manageable and I could even go for a jog every day. Now its worse than before the trip. And I've definitely developed depression and anxiety now - started to take meds for that during last week. Somehow I think the stuff is related....experience a lot of stress and I'm really down because of this thing not healing. Surgeon now wants to talk to overseas colleagues and is considering botox. Anyone else had botox after LIS????

Hi Dave - I have not had botox. I just got LIS four days ago, so I'm sorry that I can be much help to you. I just wanted to let you know that I undestand what you are talking about with the depression/anxiety and all the grief that comes with fissures. I really sympathize with your situation. I am happy, though, that your surgeon is so committed to your healing. The botox may very well be that extra boost you need to heal. Also, it's not completely unheard of for people to need a second LIS, so that might still be an option for you if all else fails. I am so sorry you are going through this - but don't give up hope! From what you describe, it looks like there is one stubborn area that doesn't want to heal completey, which suggests that you have been doing some healing at least. One way or another, you will beat this!

Thanks HopetoHeal. The pain that I experience uring bm's are much less - its more the uncomfortable feeling during the day and then the strangest spasms (more constant pain closer to my prostate) that I get which gets worse when I'm under stress. The surgeon is very conservative and doesnt want to consider a second LIS - in the state that I am in now I also dont want to take it up now - will rather wait another 3 months for my mood to stabilize and then maybe go for a second opinion. I think however that he would consider the botox - just not sure that he's got a lot of experience in applying it....

I would be concerned with docs experience in injecting Botox only because when I got Botox it made everything worse for me, but this was months before LIS. Also, my doc said nothing could be done after that until the Botox wore off! 6 weeks to 3 months. Now, from what I can tell, the number of shots should be four, I had two, in all four quadrants to paralyze the entire muscle, those who get it this way seem to get relief, the way I had it done I think the other half of the muscle spasmed more to compensate for the paralyzed half... Just a self diagnosed guess here, tho. The MOST relief I got was from a Valium type muscle relaxant, a less addictive and slow release called oxazepam. I could still function with these as well. I really hope you find some relief soon, it must b so frustrating to have gone through the surgery yet still suffer this crazy pain! Good luck, I hope u find your solution soon!