Thanks, Elphie for the info about laxaday - I'll definitely look into that.
Had another hard stool this morning, which caused some pain and bleeding :(
The second BM, however, was wonderfully fluffy and soft! I never thought I would develop such a deep appreciation for particular stool consistency!
I was in more pain this morning than I have been in for a few days, which bummed me out a bit. But, I remember people telling me that the recovery process has it's ups and downs, so I'll just take things as they come and work on producing the perfect poo - I think that's a worthwhile life goal for me right now! :D
I'm trying not to put myself on a strict timeline for healing, but man, that is difficult! I'm going to continue with the Restoralax and keep a positive attitude.
I can't imagine that you would feel like a whimy weakling! Anybody who has given birth should get medals for bravery and being a seriously tough cookie ... and anybody who has also had a fissure should get even more medals and a parade!
I'm so glad your evil dragon is disappearing into a distant memory ... that makes my day!

Hope...I looked on Amazon.com today at bath pillows and they have a good selection of shapes and sizes (not too expensive either.) I know it probably takes a week or so to get them though.

Thanks so much, Frustrated! My hubby's been out looking for a good bath pillow with no luck. I didn't think to check amazon - thanks :)
how are you doing these days?

Hopetoheal:
Hang in there, some days sound rough, but overall it sounds like you are doing better. I must say that you have a great attitude and are remarkably kind and concerned about other people when you yourself have been through so much especially with the mad surgeon operating on you. A good attitude is key to a good butt recovery and you definitely have that in your favor. Thanks for your support and happy wishes for your bum!

hi hopetoheal,
well today is the 25th! so i hope you are continuing to do good.
i too had some tricky BMs post-LIS. although i didn't think they were super hard, they required a bit of a push to get out and thus pressure around the whole surgery site!
since you are in canada, i am sure you must be able to get some Metamucil Wafers (they come in apple and cinnamon); they are delicious and i thought it would unpleasant to take....but no, they are perfect with your favorite hot tea, some peanut butter or maybe nonfat soy yogurt with some fruit!
you can eat up to 3 packets per day; but i would recommend to eat 1 packet like the first 3 days, then up it to 2 packets the next 3 days, and then you can enjoy 3 packets moving forward.
just simply adding this to my diet helped improve a lot the smoothness and ease of BMs.
i don't have 3 packets a day any more but i do love to snack on them at work with lots of water.....
yes, just make sure you drink lots of water when eating a packet, even if it is just one!
i hope this can help alleviate the hard BMs for you. it made a world of difference for me. i was too chicken to get on the miralax.
also, when you feel that you are going to have a very challenging BM, i definitely recommend you to practice yogic breathing and squat to eliminate that particular BM. it makes releasing it much easier.....but push with your deeper breathing - so the pushing is coming in from the diaphragm and not from your anal muscles below!

Hope...I second what rockpine wrote...you are "remarkably kind and concerned." 208 posts in less than 2 months. You have been so helpful to so many even while going through some rough stuff.
I hope you heal up better than ever...
Are you still losing weight? I think about you when I am getting in the bath tub because it can be uncomfortable on my bony ass and spine. I think I've stabilized at 115, but I haven't been able to exercise since surgery (4 wks and 2 days). When I had the fissure I could ski and hike (not too strenuously but still...), but this skin tag incision is different and I have only this past week been able to take the dog for a walk.
I have my post op appt. tomorrow morning. It will be the first time I've seen the surgeon since before surgery.
I think he'll probably tell me it looks good but still needs a couple of weeks before the incision is closed.
I can sit now...especially at night since I'm down to one BM in the AM.
Take it easy....

Thank you all for your kind words and great advice - this forum has saved me so many times I really hope I can repay the kindness and support I've received from all of you :D
Happyass - thanks for the advice about the yoga techniques. I did that this morning and it really does help to take deep breaths. I'm going to track down the Metamucil wafers too - they actually sound quite yummy!
Frustrated - I found a good bath pillow on amazon and expect it to arrive any day now. Thanks for the suggestion! My husband insists on weighing me every morning, but so far I'm not gaining. I really don't want to look so frail and sickly anymore. I'm really impressed that you could ski and hike with a fissure! I could bearly walk. I'm not able to exercise right now either. The skin tag site is still pretty raw and the fissure is still pretty tender, so I'm spending most of my time on the couch and moving very carefully.
I'm so glad you can sit now - I can sit for short periods of time, but I get uncomfortable if I sit too long.
I also have my follow-up tomorow. It will have only been two weeks, so the best I expect to hear is "you are healing ok". I'll be satisfied with that. You're right that the skin tag excision will take a while to heal, so I'm trying to be patient (urg! that's difficult!). I'll post an update tomorrow.
I really hope you get good news from your doc. Please let us know how it goes. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow!
Thank you, Rockpine, for your good wishes. I'm convinced that good wishes and support facilitate healing. :D
I will definitely try to maintain a positive attitude - one day we will all be able to say that our butts are being good to us!

hi hopetoheal,
good luck with your first post-op check up!
here's something i will share with you - and you will see on my notes from the past.....
on my first official post-op check up, it was a bit hard. it came about 3.5 weeks after surgery and well, the hardest part was doing the "anoscope" exam. twice!
after looking inside, my CRS was a bit negative in saying how slowly i was healing and that it may be possible to have to have another LIS.
not quite what you want to hear.
anyway, just to show you, on my 3.5 month visit, all was healed and the skin tag was closed!
so whatever news you get tomorrow, remember time can change it all!
my skin tag excision took about 3 months to finally heal and that is with the help of another ointment that i sought out. i am not sure if it would have closed that quickly on it's own. strange because i had other excisions around my anus and those healed up pretty good...they just weren't in a location that was always needing to stretch!
now it's all good!
i always have commented on the boards, there is no overnight 'everything is perfect' after surgery. it takes at least a good four to six months to completely heal.
it will happen!

Thanks HappyAss - I've been fretting a bit today kinda worrying about what the surgeon will say. I will definitely keep what you've said in mind. I've learned a lot from your posts and many others here - this is not a quick fix for most of us and I will try not to be discouraged if the healing goes a bit slowly. What I mostly worry about is some kind of complication, like an infection. But I'm trying to keep my head in a good place :)
thanks so much for your insight and encouragement! It's
really great that you're around to help us early LISers through all this - thank you!