Ok, so my LIS surgery is scheduled for Thursday August 11th. I'd like to return to work as soon as possible, I was hoping by that Monday August 15th. Or maybe at the latest Tuesday August the 16th. Does this seem realistic? I work at a sit-down job all day, so there's no lifting or anything like that, but I will be SITTING, which is the site of the incision etc... The CRS told me that within 3 days or so I should able to return to work.... I'm just trying to gauge this based off experiences from people like you guys who have actually had the LIS surgery. Being that I sit down all day at work, I was thinking of maybe getting some sort of pads, or like a diaper thing to wear in my underwear as a cushion for my desk chair at work..... feels a bit feminine, but I think it could help maybe? I'll have about 6 days of time by the day of my surgery, but I'd rather not use all of it just to recover from surgery. I was looking into "short term disability" in order to take time off... but I doubt I'd get it and all the red tape you need to go through to get anything like that approved seems almost not worth it... I doubt they'd even take an AF seriously and consider it a condition that would qualify for short term disability and/or FMLA act. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Oh man ... not the "you'll be fine in a few days thing" again :) (Note that my sentiment is for your CRS, not you personally.)
I'm short on time at the moment, but I'm sure others will chime in with the same comments: yes, it's possible to recover in that time frame. Some people have done it. But no, it's not common, and in many cases (I'd personally say most), it's an absolutely ludicrous and unrealistic recovery timeline.
In a nutshell: hope for the best but plan for the worst. I would definitely budget more time than that. A couple of weeks minimum, and leave yourself some slack after that just in case.
P.S.
I work a desk job and just sit in an office all day. There is no way I would've been able to return to work in just 3 days. Zero, zilch, nada, completely not possible. I worked from home for a while after LIS (LIS only, no fissurectomy or skin tag removal) because driving and sitting were both rather uncomfortable for a while.

I think it depends on the type of work schedule you have. For my job, I am either sitting at a desk or a lab bench. I have no set time that I need to be at work or can work from home if I decide that day - very flexible. So I took it day by day after my surgeries. I am in the minority around here but I was back sitting at my desk in three days. I had the surgery(LIS, 2 fissurotomy, skin tag, and fistula layed open) on Friday and was sitting at my desk on Tuesday. I did take my time getting into work for several weeks afterwards. I wanted to make sure I soaked and had the area very clean before leaving the house. Sitting wasn't to much of an issue for me. The pain was the same as if I was laying down. I wore thick pads for probably the first week for blood and drainage then went to thin panty liners.
So if you don't have a lot of flexibility it might be worth planning for the worst case as NG mentioned. It seems 2-3 weeks seems the norm that people mention for time off work.
Good luck and I hope things go well.

One thing to bear in mind is that Paul is ONE TOUGH DUDE due to all the rough stuff he's been through with his Crohn's (hope you don't mind my sharing that Paul) though :) I think the work schedule is a good point. I did have "windows" where I felt well in the days following LIS, but they didn't last long, and were unpredictable. If I could arrange to only work during those windows of wellness, I probably would've been able to return earlier (although I'd need a ride since driving for me was still bad).
I wore thin cotton pads (the square kind you can find in the cosmetics section of the drug store) in my underwear for the first few weeks following surgery and also switched to panty liners later. It was needed to catch the drainage and helped for sure. When I eventually got back to work I also brought a squirt bottle filled with water for rinsing the ol' anus off after taking an in-office dump. That thing was awesome and still travels with me everywhere I go just in case :) Look up "peri bottle" if you want to order a cheap one online.

Hey there,
just wanted to chime in and give you different perspectives. There's no way I could have went back to work at three days post-op. I had LIS and a skin tag removed. I remember really being sore for a little over two weeks. Right before 3 weeks, I felt pretty good.
Like NG mentioned, I also had a lot of leakage in that time and had to rinse and take baths quite a bit through out the day. It's not that you can't function but you are sore and without a lot of proper cleaning things can get really irritated from the leakage in the beginning.
I stayed off of my rear for over 2 weeks, not because I couldn't set on it, but I knew it was swollen and the less pressure I put on it would probably be the best for healing. I always thought of it like any other part of my body when it came to healing. If my ankle was swollen, I wouldn't walk on it and expect the swellling to go down :roll: I just wanted to have the best, quickest recovery possible.
Paul is one tough guy!

Thanks for the info guys. I think now I will definitely plan on being out for much longer... 3 days didn't seem that realistic to me either, especially considering sitting on it for 8+ hours a day after 3 days! So I will follow through with getting on FMLA (here in the States) so that my job is secure while I am out. Not very much looking forward to being out of work that long, but I will try and make the best of it and maybe break out a good TV series box set or something and relax.

Oh wow. I was wondering this same thing. I am a photographer in a studio and do alot of bending,standing,sitting,lifting,pushing hmmm perhaps I should look into FMLA as well should I need the surgery. I am only into day 3 of diagnosis and praying for healing. Taking a few days off now just to relax and treat this condition properly.ie. cleansing,medicating etc.

kristiblue wrote:Oh wow. I was wondering this same thing. I am a photographer in a studio and do alot of bending,standing,sitting,lifting,pushing hmmm perhaps I should look into FMLA as well should I need the surgery. I am only into day 3 of diagnosis and praying for healing. Taking a few days off now just to relax and treat this condition properly.ie. cleansing,medicating etc.

Definitely look into FMLA if you get surgery. This way if you get the surgery, you can stay home to heal in the time necessary and your employer can't fire you for it! Also, best advice I can give you.. and I'm sure you've already read this throughout these forums.. but LOTS of water, take a fiber supplement... I take a couple stool softeners before bed (absolute life savers). Try and stay positive... my fissure REALLY affected my quality of life this summer, and it is quite depressing, but just remember there is a light at the end of tunnel. I had to go to work every day even when my fissure was at it's worst.. I learned to time my BM's for the morning so I had adequate time afterwards for a sitz bath.... going at work was not an option for me anymore! Oh yeah, another tip and this is so great, I learned this here on the forums is to dry with a blow dryer set to the "Cool" setting. I cannot imagine having to get a towel in there to dry myself with a fissure! And it's very important to keep the area dry. Best of luck to you kristiblue.

Take NOTE:
Since you won't be eating prior to the surgery..
Make sure the first thing you eat after surgery and the last thing you eat before surgery is very mushy and full of fiber..
Drink lots of liquids and have metamucil..
Also (critical) before your first BM lube the area with corn oil or whatever you choose.
The First BM is not fun... It will be bloody from the surgery and it will be hard and dry...
After that first one stay off any red meat or anything rough and stick with the metamucil...
You should be fine after a few days.. but everyone is different.. Just listen to your body.
Good luck..!

more...
I meant to say that chances are you'll be fine in a few days to work and kind of feel like you did before the surgery.. The true time for your fissure to heal can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a year...
So hang in there..