P.S.
If I were getting ass surgery from any of the Star Trek doctors, I think I'd go with the hologram dude from Voyager though! Guy seems like he knows his stuff the best, and I'd bet his hands are more stable than ol' Beverly Crusher hahaha.

P.P.S. And not to thread crap too much, but one other fav I forgot: when the Enterprise took the cloaking device from the USS Pegasus and used it to escape the asteroid field during a battle with the Romulans. It's the only episode in TNG where a USS starship ever cloaked! (Until the Defiant started doing it all the time in DS9!)

You'll be fine with the recovery Hope! Really, I'm sure you'll find it much easier than the LIS recovery - I'm not just saying that to comfort you, it really will be easier. We've both found that the fistula doesn't hurt so much as the fissure, yet having one sounds so terrifying!
Yeah, it certainly would be nice to know why I keep getting them! I do everything "right", and still get them! Maybe it's overwashing and oversoaking that causes them!
Things are a bit better today, thanks! Yay, no tramadol for me today. I know from past experience not to get too excited about lessening pain - tomorrow could be worse again!

Oh wow, NG! That freakin fissure sure messed up a lot for you! I really hope the circumcision fixes the problem. Did the doc give you any idea of the recovery process? Oh yes, a functioning penis is very important – many of us want one!
:D
I also hope your endoscopy goes well. I’m sure it will. I’ve never had one, but from what I’ve heard, it’s not too terrible. Or maybe I’m just biased now because the worst thing I can think of is a butt-probe (I used to think it would be nice to meet aliens, but now not so much!). You must keep us posted.

Data is definitely my favourite character! I love it when he tries humour, or accesses his data bank to understand an obscure reference. Captain Picard to very cool too. I’m not big on Deanna Troi – she’s a bit flakey; but pre-Romulan Tasha was great. I also like Guinan - she's the only one who can put Picard in his place. My favs: Worf keeps popping up in different possible worlds; the enterprise is stuck in a time loop and they have to find a way to communicate with themselves or the enterprise explodes; the first time they meet the Borg. I like the Picard- Loquitous episode too ... actually, there are too many to mention! I’d trust Dr. Crusher with my butt – she seems so compassionate. I also don’t know anybody from DS9.
I just love the most recent Star Trek movie too – I’ve seen it about 6 times! Yep, getting major Star Trek overload. A friend of mine says I should check out Battlestar Galactica, but I’ve heard that’s a bit heavy, and I might need lighter entertainment for post-op recovery.

Thanks so much, Val. It really helps to hear from people who have been through it. I do expect to be in pain, but the worst pain I had before was from the fissure spasms, so I'm thinking that as long as the burning isn't an issue, I will be able to handle the post-surgery pain (tough talk now!). About how long did it take you to recovery from your first one, in the sense of being able to do things again?
It really would be good to know why this keeps happening to you, Val. You've been through so much, it would be so nice to see you healed for good. I suppose over-washing can make the tissue friable, but perhaps the fistula form from another poorly healed fissure? Did your doc give you any idea of why this one is higher than the other one? Man, it is so frustrating when there's no explanation, especially when you do everything right.
I'm so glad you're not in as much pain today. That's wonderful. I know you're right that tomorrow can be bad again, but the good days will start to outnumber the bad days. (Yeah, easy for me to say! I'll try to keep that in mind when it's my turn!)
I'll keep telling myself that recovery will be easier than what I've already been through. That does seem to be the consensus from the posts here. I'm sure I'll be whining a lot here, though, because I really don't like pain!
I can't even express how much I appreciate your support and all the help I've gotten from the forum - you guys are lifesavers!

I'm not too sure really how long it took, as I had LIS and the skintag removed at the same time, so I'm not too sure which part was hurting! If I had to guess, I would say the tag removal was the worst part of it because there were stitches, and they felt tight and sore somehow, until they were all out. And the LIS got rid of those awful spasms, so I was on a high about that!
And we kind of forget pain after it's happened don't we! We tell a very different story when we're straight out of surgery!
I think it took maybe a couple of weeks to get back to doing things the way I was.
My hubby went back to work yesterday so I managed to cook dinner and do laundry ect today - in between flaking out on the sofa of course!

Hey wow! You're a rock star! cooking dinner and doing laundry already! I'm so impressed. Man, you sure had a lot done that first time. That must have been quite a recovery process. The skin tags really are the nasty ones to try to heal. That seems quite common, and mine took quite some time too, but thankfully not too long. I'm so glad you're having a decent day today. Good for you flaking out on the couch! I hope you get to do that a lot tomorrow too, and that you enjoy another day of no-need for painkillers. :D

Just chiming in for support for the surgery: it will be a total breeze compared to what you've been through before. Injection->sleep->wake up->done. Also, it's great that you've found an amazing doctor and I can relate to a much lower extent, as the gastro I saw first had no problem moving his finger over my fissure while i was sweating from pain and then the crs, after touching it briefly during the examination, came over, smiled, apologized and said he'll never do it again. It's amazing how much difference a compassionate doc can make!
offtopic: I was also a huge trekkie, have seen all series and movies at least 4 times in different languages and played most of the games :). Too bad they delayed the next movie scheduled for next year. In more recent years one other scifi series I can definitely recommend is Battlestar Galactica, the first couple of seasons are amazing. Also, if you enjoy scifi books I could recommend a few for the post-op period

Thanks Dexterdude! You're right that the doc makes all the difference. I'm so glad that I have a new surgeon now. Your description of injection > sleep > wake up > done sure beats my LIS experience of needles in the ass > scream > burn skin tags > scream > cut sphincter > scream > cry > throw up You guys sure make me feel much better about the surgery - thanks! :D
I watched the original Star Trek as a kid and loved it. I've seen all the movies too, but I'm definitely not nearly the trekkie you are! I think Wil Wheaton has a great sense of humour. He's great as Sheldon Cooper's nemesis on The Big Bang Theory. I'll definitely check out Battlestar Galactica, since you recommend it. That'll help diversity my recovery TV viewing. I'm also happy to get any post-op recovery sci-fi books too. I quite like John Scalzi's Old Man's War and Ghost Brigades. Any suggestions for reading material are definitely welcome! :D

Hi Hope...I popped in today to see what's going on and was sad to read that you've had a set back. That sucks!
I don't know what a fistula is but it does not sound pleasant. I am glad you found a good doc finally and I hope you can calm the anxiety because we know how that can hurt.
Good thoughts comin' your way...