Hey Steve sounds like we're in the same boat. It's been 6, almost 7 months now since my LIS and things aren't perfect and continue to flare up from time to time.
Keep in mind what Val said...it tends to rear its ugly head for sure! I'm taking a quarter teaspoon of Miralax every day again. I know that sounds like a ridiculously low amount, but I am super-sensitive to that stuff and it works for me. It seems to be preventing more retears, along with a fiber supplement.
I remember reading in another thread (by Jas) that his surgeon told him he didn't need to see him every time he retore--that things should heal up pretty fast on their own now since he'd had the LIS. Maybe faster healing and less flareups are the best some of us can hope for, unless we're willing to take on another surgery.
I agree that it doesn't seem possible to get back to where you were before the fissure ever happened. Or maybe it just takes years...sphincters do get looser with age, right?

Steve,
Sorry to hear your in pain again.....
I hope that you are able to heal it up quickly now.

How are things Steve, any better??

alpinestrawberry wrote:Hey Steve sounds like we're in the same boat. It's been 6, almost 7 months now since my LIS and things aren't perfect and continue to flare up from time to time.
Keep in mind what Val said...it tends to rear its ugly head for sure! I'm taking a quarter teaspoon of Miralax every day again. I know that sounds like a ridiculously low amount, but I am super-sensitive to that stuff and it works for me. It seems to be preventing more retears, along with a fiber supplement.
I remember reading in another thread (by Jas) that his surgeon told him he didn't need to see him every time he retore--that things should heal up pretty fast on their own now since he'd had the LIS. Maybe faster healing and less flareups are the best some of us can hope for, unless we're willing to take on another surgery.
I agree that it doesn't seem possible to get back to where you were before the fissure ever happened. Or maybe it just takes years...sphincters do get looser with age, right?

Hang on there alpine, you are approaching the stage (8 months) where I started to get improvement, let's hope the same thing happens to you, fingers crossed!
I do believe that we can heal faster after a re-tear because of LIS just as long as we attack it as soon as it starts, I have bombarded my system with water and Movicol everyday since the symptoms started, I'm now at a comfortable stage again with slight discomfort after BM that lingers, classic really.
I was kinda hoping that my sphincter would stay slack but when I put a finger up there it feels a bit tighter than usual, maybe this is only due to the recent tear, hopefully...

Hi Val, I'm in a more comfortable place for now, I'm hoping I can knock this thing on the head quickly as I don't want scar tissue to start building up again!
How are you feeling?

Hey Steve!
How are things going today? was it an easy exit? Im confused I thought LIS was supposed to fix all of this? and if you can re tear that easy then whats the point of even getting LIS!!!??? Hope your feeling better Steve

I was kinda hoping that my sphincter would stay slack but when I put a finger up there it feels a bit tighter than usual, maybe this is only due to the recent tear, hopefully...

Yes, I noticed the same thing actually right before my last retear--the darn thing just went all tight on me. So I started taking magnesium now, because I've read that can help relax all the muscles in your body. I would love to have my magnesium level tested, actually. The supplement I've been taking is called Slow-Mag. It's magnesium chloride. The mag oxide supplements are as good as useless, unless you like diarrhea and stomach pain.
It seems to have helped, I don't feel as tight now and the last couple of days I've had some challenging harder BM's that haven't retorn me, KOW.
It might be worth a try if you can find a good supplement. Probably can't hurt anyway.

JR--I forgot to address your question--
For some of us, I think LIS becomes less optional over time, like when you tear with every single (small) BM every day, over and over no matter what ointment you're using or what you're eating. That's where I was at a year ago. The only thing that prevented it was taking Miralax every day, but that did NOT fix the underlying issue of tight sphincter.
Also for some of us, it may take more than one LIS to finally loosen the sphincter enough that you stop tearing for good.
So what's the point of LIS if you can still tear? Well, for most people one LIS will do the trick and they WON'T tear ever again. The point of LIS for me, even though I still have to be careful about tearing, is that I don't have chronic burning, spasm pain that lasts all day anymore (at all) and I rarely tear now. And when I do tear, it heals faster and it's less of an issue. Without LIS, I'd still be going through hell every day.

I'm still having discomfort after BM... It's not agonizing but still quite sore, I'm using Movicol @ 1 sachet per day and at least 1 litre of water, I have also drastically changed my diet which consists of soup and vegetable stews, I do have the occasional "normal" meal but have stopped all junk like crisps, chocolate and cheese, I still have milk though but it's not a lot..
I'm hoping that these measures will heal the tear without medical intervention as after last time I really don't think I could go through it all again, LIS has definitely helped me but hasn't cured me, I feel that the sphincter regains some strength over time which could hamper the healing of any re-tears, anyway, here's to hoping!

Have a DR's appointment scheduled for this afternoon 2pm, I will try my best to get a referral to see a CRS, I'm not happy to leave things the way they are, I'm definitely thinking a re-tear of the old fissure as the pain is in the same place as pre-LIS, don't know what else to do, I can't see a CRS performing a second LIS and don't want another Fissurectomy under any circumstances, I may ask about Anoplasty.