Morning everyone....hope your all feeling not to sore today...

4 days to go......8.02am (yes hope i spose it was 4.5 days last night lol)
So my day started with a BM and pain from the sore fistula which is slowly filling and getting ready to yet again burst...guessing that will be tomorrow...we kind of get used to the feeling of it all cus we all put up with these things for so long..and like many others we just feel like we should put up with it until someone says different or it gets to painful to bear anymore. (feeling daft that i put up with it for 9 months tbh) but I did have a good read of the forum pages this morning..prob something i should have done alot more of from the start of finding this forum....and wow you have all been through so much pain!!!
Hope....ty for explaining about the differences between a fistula and a fissure, seems daft i didnt cotton on in the start but the more i read the more confused i got as to the differences??
Ok so i got to thinking after i read what hope explained and it seems a little weird that fissure sufferes have a tear and fistula sufferes have to have a cut to clean out the tube which leave an open wound?? i take it this is because it is a controlled surgical cut that isnt as deep as a fissure and will heal...so im going with that otherwise i might go into panic mode again
Also i was thinking about the double surgery i am having.....fistualotomy and banding.....and i am now thinking it would be a daft idea to have (in such a small, tight, squashed up space) a long open cut running from high up inside to just outside my anus with 2 tight banded balls pushing on the now open wound up inside?? surely this will make the healing process harder for my fistula?? so im going to ring and cancel the baning to be done at a later date..i think this is best for now. :)
Can i just say that you are all completely bonkers! and ive loved reading more and more posts from you all....from being a wreck, panicing, crying and feeling sick ive come to today feeling happy that im having this surgery and confident..infact i wish it was today so i can just get it sorted...youve all made so many people feel like i feel now...
Anyway thats enough gushy stuff....i have a sorting day today...but still trying to leave some jobs to do to keep me active when i get home after friday....trying to get the physical jobs done and leave the little ones...normally the other way round i have to admit...but the cakes were lovely yesterday and i froze a bunch for when im feeling like i need cake after the op...got to have cake! I even made some with prunes and walnuts in to keep me regular but then i read to avoid nuts incase the scrape on the way out!!. i was gutted :( i eat nuts and seeds everyday...defo gona miss them for a week or 2
I also read about the veg and i do get very gasy from veg so im going to avoid the gasy veg and stick to the not so much gasy veg....i eat salad alot but as its raw should i stear clear of this also??
It can get i little confusing....so im getting a little stuck on whats good and what to avoid but im defo not going to be eatting any red meat or bread or pasta or potatoes....rice and cereals is going to be about my limit i think for the carbs...so thinking back to the meal planing idea and leaving it until my partner says, "oh no we didnt do the food list" is prob not a wise move...i think i need to go shopping lol :roll:
Time for me to make a move now....hope the sun is shining for you all today....its beautiful here :)

Di xx

i'm so glad you are feeling better about your surgery! It's going to be just fine and you'll be so happy you did it when you are healed! :D
There will be a cut where the fistula was - a fistulotomy basically "deroofs" low fistulas, so just a bit of skin is taken off the top of the tunnel so that you have an open wound that can heal properly from the inside (or bottom of the wound) out. It does heal! It can take some time, but it really does. :D
I understand your concerns about the banding, and you should definitely do what your feel comfortable doing; but do you think it's a good idea to ask your surgeon if having hemmies will interfere with healing less than the banding? Maybe the pros and cons of the banding can be discussed, and then you can decide. That's just my opinion and I'm sure that if you choose not to do the banding, that's not a problem. Some surgeons like to do one procedure at a time, others prefer to get everything done with at once. But ultimately, it's up to you. :D
If raw veggies make you gassy, you might want to avoid them for the first few days after the surgery, and then try just a little bit to see how they affect you. I agree that it's a good idea to create a list with your hubby now. Folks here ate a lot of soup (there are good ideas for high fiber soup in the diet tips forum). Many of us steamed our veggies pretty good for the first little while. If you steam your veggies until they are soft, they will be easier to digest and likely cause less gas. I had veggies on brown rice (not white rice - that can bung ya up!). Anyway, there are lots and lots of great meal ideas here.
I think you should get as many jobs done now as you can. You might not feel like doing much other than stay on the couch and watch movies for the first week. And if you are taking pain killers, you probably won't have much energy. You don't want to push yourself too hard after the operation, even if you are feeling good. There's no reason to have a set back when you are on the road to healing permanently! Again, that's just my opinion.
Butt problems are definitely confusing! But don't worry. Your surgery is pretty straight forward. No muscle cutting, just taking a wee bit of skin off the roof of a tunnel. It's not fun, but it's not too horrible either. And we'll be here to help out with the recovery.

Hope...yet another post of wonderfulness....(shes great isnt she)

3 days to go....7.59am
Well i will defo do the soup idea that sounds like good advice....(I dont even like soup but needs must lol)
Rang hosp for advice yesterday about the double sugery and the nurse (im sorry to say) wasnt much use and kept saying i should talk to my GP about if and she also said "I cant advise you without seeing your notes" and "what do you want me to tell you" and "you can speak to the consultant just before the op" ok but i was told if i had any question to just ring??? so in the end i said very nicely but very upset, " all i would like is to be comfortable about knowing what i am having done, i dont really want to decide on the day of the op otherwise im going to get myself all upset and confused..i would just like some advice on whether to have the double or not please" the reply to that was " i think you prob need to talk to your consultant before the op dont you" (slaps head) Anyway...my consultant will be ringing me back today to have a little chat about it hopefully
Right....off to have a nice day out with my 3 girls...well 4 if you count the lol
Thanks for the reply hope...ive still got plenty of reading to do on here yet!!
Di xx

Argh! Yes, medical people can be very unhelpful sometimes! You should certainly be able to ask questions about your surgery! Sheesh! It is good that your consultant will ring you to chat. I really don't think you should worry too much.
I think that either way you will come out ahead. If you get the banding, then it should only take a few days to a week for the hemmies to shrivel up and drop off/disappear - it'll take your fistula wound 6 to 8 weeks to heal at least. That's lots of time after the banding for the fistula wound to heal.
Alternatively, if you chose not to get the banding done at the same time, then you can just do it later if you want. What I'm suggesting is that it may very well be six of one, half dozen of the other and it won't matter if you must make the decision on the day of the surgery. You should be fine either way, so if you do make the decision the day of your surgery, just tell yourself that there's no reason to be upset because either option will be fine.
Of course, I'm not a doctor, and it's quite possible your consultant will give you good reasons to have the banding done at the same time. But I would really be very surprised if those reasons are a very big deal. I'm still glad that you can talk to your consultant about it, though, since you should be allowed to make an informed choice!
Please let us know what your cosultant says. I hope you have a great day with your littles ones! :D

Maybe they just want to get everything done at the same time? Cost may be an issue too with the lovely NHS!!
I think if it were me I would rather get it over and done with in the same operation, then I'd know that it was all over and I wouldn't have to go in again. But that's just my opinion, it's a personal choice - we're all different.
Have a good day with your kids!

Thanks Val....yes i thought the same as you...infact i was all for getting it done all in one go :D when i was told 2 weeks ago that i would be having an op ..but since then, and reading up on here alot more i spose i got to thinking about having both and thought that for me..(personally) it may be the best option...with work..to stagger the banding to give the fistulotomy the best chance posible to heal on its own....i spose im just so looking forward to starting my new job at the begining of sept i just dont want to let them down for any longer than i have to...but like you say..if it wasnt for this then yes i agree with you Val..id much rather just get it all done and out of the way!! :D

2 days to go.....6.26am
Morning everyone....so my consultant rang yesterday and he was very helpful...i explained my thoughts and he said that this was not a problem and he agreed with me and suggested i come in 6 weeks after the op for a check up and he would book me in to have the banding done just as i start another school holiday :D so im happy with that and feel better for knowing that its ok to do it this way...he did agree this would shorten the healing time of the fistula and would give it a better chance of healing and feeling less uncomfortable as i do need to stand and walk around a fair bit in my work...so i spose we just see how it all pans out after but i feel more relaxed after talking to him.
Hope (and Val)....Yes i did think he might say...well we like to get it all done in one go...cost/medical reasons...etc...but it seems he is an actual person with good intentions for each person and not just treating us like a number as so very often happens these days
My partner and i did sit and talk about the food list last night much to my shock lol but he was very good with it...mind you he was having a well earned beer at the time :D so i think we have that sorted....i just need to go and do some shopping now and get some nice fish and some chicken....gona miss my beef for a while...not that i eat alot of it but i do like a nice steak!!!
I had a lovely day yesterday with the 3 girls...we did denby and pizza hut...felt so weird that we were all sitting round that table (the 4 of us) knowing that will be the last time it will only be the 4 of us...next time we do it it will be 5!!! cant wait to hold my little granchild :D
Off shoe and food shopping today...hope you all have a good day and good healing days to all you who are recovering....xxx
Di xxx

Hey Di - it's wonderful that your consultant worked so well with you to come up with a plan that works for you. I'm so happy that you are obviously more comfortable with the surgery you are getting. It's also really great that you partner is so helpful. :D
You are so calm and positive - and that is the best way to go into the healing phase now. Good for you! You should feel very good about how everything is going. I hope you have a great day shopping!

1 day to go.....8.23am

Feeling ok this morning....got a busy day ahead so that should keep my mind off the op tomorrow...taking daughter to get exam results..then taking them to pot painting while i go into work to catch up and meet new teachers i will be working with...then got one daughter having injections....then off to pick up partners motor bike.....blimey!! so ive had my shower, shaved legs (cant have hairy legs for op, arnt we daft lol) washed hair as im thinking i will only be able to do this over the bath for a few weeks as dont want soap running onto the wound site, but i must admit im not really feeling hungry at all...maybe im still a bit worried inside?? so no breakfast today as yet.
Had a lovely day shoe and clothes shopping yesterday....walked into asda to get food shop, came out with 3 tops and a coat but no food lol we spent so much time looking at the clothes we had no time left to get food as we had to leave to get daughter to mid wife lol :D so we were foodless when partner got home from work...opps...but i did buy him some new shoes lol :D
Yes hope...hes been a good man about the op and i also got some little post it notes from my middle daughter yesterday saying how much they all love me...think shes the most worried about it all and keeps hugging me lots! :D
So next time i write it will be over and done..no idea what i will feel like after op so bear with me on the countdown/after surgey bit but as soon as im settled home and not to sleepy i'll call in.
Thank you for all your support...it has made alot of difference to me and im sure to alot of others too.

Di xx

Out and home...wonderful staff...bit sore and sleepy but feeling ok at the moment...will write more tomorrow xx

congratulations! You did it!
Hope you feel better soon.