Well I thought I would start another thread chronicling my post LIS surgery. I have read many from others on here and although as it has been pointed out here by others, everyone recovers a little different, it helps when you find someone who has gone through such a terrible time and survived. First I would like to say that finding this site was the single best thing for me getting better. It kept me going forward even when the medical profession didn’t seem to know or care how this was effecting my quality of life. Sharing my experience I hope helps others who need answers to what is happening to them. Even after you finally get the procedure to alleviate the pain, the Docs seem to give you the most basic generic information about recovery – you will be sore a few days, maybe weeks, you may have a little bleeding, you may not, you may have a little leakage, you may not. – It would be an understatement to say I have learned more on this forum from people going through what I have been and coming out on the other side then from any of the 5 Doctors I have seen about this problem.
For those interested on how I got to this point you may want to refer to my other thread “Pain seems unbearable” you may find it useful and you may even identify with some of the difficulties I had dealing with Doctors who don’t seem to understand what you are going through and how debilitating it can be. For those that have been following my particular case you will know I was at a desperate time where I had an aborted LIS surgical attempt at the Rudd Clinic, which specializes in rectal problems but is best described as more of a fast food restaurant approach to medical care for those requiring colorectal treatments. Great place to get to see someone quick as they have 3 locations and up to 23 CRS Doctors at each. They take a no frills approach and while their experience is quite extensive don’t expect too much pampering. Your first visit will not only be a consult and examination but if they feel a surgical procedure is warranted they will recommend not only you have it done but they will do it right then and there in the exam room. Don’t expect anaesthesia though, you won’t get more than a local freezing. I am sure that is because having an anaesthesiologist on staff and the time and effort to put someone under would greatly reduce the amount of people and procedures they could do in a day. I think If they weren’t on the 8th floor they would have a drive-thru window for those not wanting to get out of the car!….just kidding!.....back to my story. So my first visit I unfortunately was seen by very uncaring Doc who I think was long past his expiration date and seemed to be numb to what patients are going through with this affliction. He tried to do LIS for me but because I was in such pain he could not even prepare me for the freezing needles since I continually flinched and jumped because of my sensitivity. He gave up and told me I would have to go have it done somewhere else under General Anaesthesia and sent me on my way. After that I went to my GP and was told I was being put back in the cue to have a consult with yet another CRS( which was going to take months). Hearing that I was ready to jump in front of a train!...... once I calmed down I came up with a plan to try and get to see another Doctor at the Rudd clinic as they were my best bet since the wait time to see someone there was weeks instead of months. Since I was there once already from my GP referral I called to say I was making a follow up appointment. They tried to set me up with the same grumpy Doc that sent me away previous. I told them I preferred to see someone else since I wanted a second opinion. This resulted in them giving me an end of day appointment with a Doc that another member here (Hopetoheal) had and who she had a good experience with.
Knowing that if I didn’t have a BM the day of my appointment my chances were much better that I would be able to endure the exam and prep for the freezing needles I attempted to adjust me diet so my last BM would be the night before my appointment. I also wanted to prepare myself for that first BM after the procedure so 3 days before my appointment I ate the following
Breakfast = bowl of Bran cereal, coffee with Miralax
Mid morning snack = banana
Lunch = pea soup (kinda too much sodium but easily expelled)
Afternoon snack = banana
Dinner = bowl of bran cereal
Evening Snack = yogurt or pudding
I also drank at least 4-5 glasses of water
The evening before my appointment I took a dose of Sodium Phosphate so that I had a BM before I went to bed. This would be so I don’t have a BM in the morning and risk being in pain when going to the appointment.
As I said, the last trip to try and have this done got aborted because I couldn’t take the prodding and poking from the exam and prep so this time I took 2 Percocet right before going in the office. I hoped it would kick in around the time I was being examined. When I did get in to be seen I told the Doc of my previous visit and my troubles. He examined me and said I definitely had a fissure and it was next to some scare tissue. Probably from the banding I had last fall. Anyway, I told him about taking the pain killers and he recommended we do the LIS right then. He explained the risks and made me sign a release and then I laid on the table face down and up my rear went. I will be honest when he started sticking in the needles to freeze the area I was loosing it. It was so painful and by the time he was sticking the 4th one in I thought I was going to pass out. I got through it though. Now that I was frozen he could take a better look and he said I seem to have a piece of tissue that looked like it was probable rubbing against the fissure. He said he would take care of that as well. He left the room for a minute or 2 and came back with another Doc who he wanted a second opinion from. This was Doctor Rudd who the clinic is named for and is obviously the big cheese. He had a look and said I had a somewhat unusual case with the tissue rubbing against the open fissure. He said he was going to remove the problem by banding the tissue and then using a cryogen spray to freeze the tissue and cause it to fall off. Then the other Doc cut the sphincter muscle and performed the LIS. I could feel the tugging and pulling on my rectum but the pain was tolerable. I was relieved to know I had 2 Docs with such experience working on me. They continually reassured the worst was over and I would feel much better soon. After it was all done the Doc went over how to care for the wound and told me to make sure I kept it dry as moisture would be my worst enemy and combined with not keeping things clean, would be the most likely source of infection. He told me I probably not drive home and recommend I take a cab. I agreed even though I knew I was not going to take a cab as my car was there and I lived a good hour north of the city. I felt ok since I had freezing in my rear that was expected to last another hour or 2 and I still had the Percocet in my system.
The ride home was slow because of traffic but I made it in about an hour and a half. I hadn’t had anything to eat so I heated up some homemade chicken noodle soup I pre-pared earlier that had over cooked small shredded chicken pieces and overcooked noodles. I then went to lay on the couch and rest. The freezing began to wear off and I could feel the pain begin to creep in. I took 2 more Percocet and the first thing I noticed was the pain was very different from before. It felt more like an open wound raw kind of feeling then the burning glass chard feeling I had before. I would say the pain was a 5-6 unlike the 8-9 I would get for 6-7 hours after a BM. Around 9 pm I took out the packing and attempted to clean things as the Doc told me to do. After using a couple wet wipes and getting things as clean as possible. The Doc told me to keep a piece of gauze with corn flour on it against the wound to keep it dry and absorb any discharge. I got a small bowl and put some corn starch in it. I then used one of the several squares of gauze the Doc gave me and like he told me I patted it in the corn starch and then put it between my cheeks and against my rectum. Before bed I took another dose of Miralax and had a banana.

Day 2 – I awoke early in the morning and had an urge to urinate. My butt was sore but again more of a achy open wound sore that was tolerable. I tried to go pee but found it difficult. After 2 or 3 trips to the bathroom I finally went. I think the swelling and trauma to the lower area was causing my problems urinating. I would say my pain was still 5-6 and hurt more when moving around then when I would lay down on my side.I changed the gauze which had some discharged blood and stuff put a fresh piece of gauze and corn starch after cleaning things up. I then had a bowl of bran cereal and my Miralax in coffee for breakfast. Then I laid on the couch and watched TV. Around 10am I had the dreaded urge to have my first BM. I went in the bathroom and prepared for the worst. To my surprise it was not painful at all and was soft and slender (thank you Miralax and Bananas!). Volume was not a lot but then again I was not eating large amounts either. After gently trying to clean up I jumped in the shower to give myself the once over. I still had pain but nothing like what I was use to. After getting out of the shower I went to the bed room and laid face down with 4 or 5 pillows under my pelvis and my but in the air facing a fan. I used this method to make sure I was dry. After that I went and again used gauze and corn starch on the area. For lunch I had a can of pork and beans trying to have things I figured I could expel easily. In the early afternoon I had a hot bath for 30 minutes. I dried off and applied the gauze as previously mentioned. My plans were to take 2 baths and shower after every BM and before bed. For dinner I had a bowl of bran cereal and a banana.
Day3 – Cleaned up from the minor discharge through the night. Had my usual ban cereal and Miralax and coffee. Pain is probably 2-3 now and does not increase in intensity after a BM which to me is a huge step forward from where I was before LIS. I continue with the same routine for baths, cleaning after BMs and drying my rectal area. Things are looking up and I am not taking any pain meds now. I can deal with the 2-3 and prefer not taking anything that could cause constipation. Same routine for breakfast, lunch was pea soup and dinner was same as breakfast. Also eating 2-3 bananas a day. BMs are still soft, slender and pain free. Yay me!
Day4- Same routine for breakfast and after BM clean up. Still having minor amount of discharge I notice when doing gauze changes. I have virtually no pain while laying down except a weird sharp pain sensation that comes and goes instantly. Happens every 20 minutes or so. Not sure what it is. Just some sort of spasm I guess. Not intense enough or bothersome enough to be concern with at this point. After my morning bath I thought I would lay on the bed on my side with my knees bent into my chest as much as possible and with the fan blowing on my bottom. I put a towel under me in case of any leakage but I wanted to just air things out for an hour or 2 while I watched TV. Pain is still only at a 2-3 and mainly only when I move around too much. I tried doing some laundry and really felt pain so I laid down and it went away. My plan for dinner is to start venturing beyond my comfort zone and BBQ a piece of chicken breast, BBQ some zucchini and also a baked potato. Hope this doesn’t set me back as I think my recovery has been going very well up to now.

Awesome info. RC. There are going to be many people who come along who appreciate all that you have shared.
I hope you enjoy your chicken, zucchini and baked potato. Sounds really good and I think it would be safe. :)

Wow!...Dr. Sternthal who did my operation on Thursday just gave me a call at home (Sunday evening) to see how I am doing. I was impressed and thankful when he gave me his pager number after the procedure and told me to page him on the weekend if I had any problems. I didn't bother since things were going well. And I sure didn't expect him to call me. I think going to the effort to check on me says a lot. I am glad Hopetoheal gave me the thumbs up after she saw him which made me again give it a shot after my first ordeal went so wrong at the Rudd.

Great report, Redcharger! It sounds like you are doing very well - way to go! :D
I am SO impressed with Dr. Sternthal!! Wow! He actually called you! What a difference from McKenna! He just cut my ass and pretty much told me to get lost.
I'm so happy that you ended up with Sternthal and that you are getting good care, and especially that you are doing so well. You really suffered enough. Here's to healing! :D

Day 5 - woke up with same mild pain mostly when i roll over or move around. This is the first morning that i have had the urge to have a BM right after waking, still had a bit of discomfort and mild pain, maybe 1-2, while having BM. I try not sitting too long so I had small volume of BM and then I cleaned up. By the time I was done I had the urge to go again. This time I had same soft slender small volume. Jumped in the shower and cleaned up. Still have a achy swollen feeling in my bum but the pain is very mild and only when sit wrong or walk around too much. Had my morning coffee and miralx as well as a banana. It is great to not have the debilitating pain I once had after a BM but I still do not feel things are anywhere near normal which I am sure is to be expected. I am in Sales so today I am going to work from home and just make calls, do some emails and reports from the couch. I have to fly to New Jersy for a 2 day business trip Thurs and Fri this week so I am hoping my recovery will be further along by then. I am going to take it easy at home till then.
EDIT:
Had another BM around noon. Very loose and not solid No pain during but a throbbing kinda pressure pain after. Going to jump into the tub and see if it gives me some relief.

Day 9 - life has almost returned to normal for me. YAY! I had a business trip I was a little concerned about because it was only a week after my surgery. I knew I not only had to endure a 2 hour flight each way but also all day meetings for 2 days. I have skipped out on so many trips and meetings in the last 6 months because of my AF I could not skip this one. My employer did not know about my AF or surgery because for me, being in sales, it was better to keep them in the dark and just work from home both when I was suffering and during recovery. If they knew the number of days and half days I spent in bed in pain being unable to function I am sure my job would have been in jeopardy. Anyway, I am pleased to report all is well. I feel much better in the last 3 or for days. Other than a little pain during BM I am pain free. I still have a very minor amount of discharge and I continue to put a piece of gauze between my cheeks to absorb this. This operation for me has been a HUGE gain in returning my quality of life back to normal. Anyone suffering like I or many others have should not hesitate to have this procedure done with an experienced CRS IMO

I felt exactly the same way and it just keeps getting better Red! Congrats!!

Yay Redcharger!!!
I am so happy for you! It's wonderful that you are feeling so good. Please be careful to still look after yourself very well for the next few months. Soon this will all be a distant memory! :D

Well, it will be 1 month tomorrow since my LIS. I feel great and have had zero fissure pain since the operation. I did have some recovery pain and bleeding for a week or so but I have been back to normal life the last 2-3 weeks. I haven't been back to the Doc for a follow up because I am so glad to be rid of rear end pain and I don't want any more poking and prodding.