I've been lurking around here for months and figured I should share. Thanks to those who run this thing...it's been amazingly helpful.
Long story short I've had a chronic fissure for about 5 years. It would get "better" and then retear after a few months. The last retear following a wicked stomach bug gave me a second fissure and multiplied the pain factor by about 14,000 percent. I started missing work and social engagments. After a lot of digging I found a CRS I felt really good about (not the CRS I saw last summer who talked too much and didn't listen enough).
Showed up yesterday morning. Doctor ordered no enima prep because he said "it would be too painful" (no kidding!). Normal IV, to sleep, 5-10 minute proceedure, woke up, groggy (and am told I sang a fun rendition of "pants on the ground" for the nurses as my wife helped me get dressed), back in the car for the ride home.
My CRS told my wife post op that my fissures were so bad there was no chance of them healing without surgery. I'd tried nitro, nefedipine, and a few others. Nefedipine worked best for me...but proved to be short term. Made me feel better about my decision to have it.
So here I am 28 hours later...no significant pain to speak of. Not that it's all been roses and puppy dogs. I'm waiting with some anxiety for my first post-op BM. Just hoping is isn't any worse than my pre-op BMs of the last two months. I'm doing my combo of metamucil, colace, and high fiber (soft food) diet with as much water as I can stand. Considering a little MOM to be safe. I've used my pain meds sparingly over the past day (4, 1/2 doses). So far my main complication seems to be swelling and/or hemmy that is causing some discomfort and anxiety but no real pain. I'm using some ice and sitz baths as well.
Hoping I get to soon say "I'm better and wish I'd done this years ago" like many of the LIS success stories I've read here. More updates later.

Hope you feel better soon. Let us all know as there are an awful lot of boardies who need support and information from someone Post Operative like you!

A big THANK YOU sharing!! I have been suffering for almost 3 years and this last episode is by far the worst!!! I called the surgeon today. I am going for consultation. I am scared to death. I live in a small area in MD and we don't have any CRS's locally. I would have to go to Annapolis or Baltimore for a CRS and then a 2 hour ride home after surgery. I love this surgeon, though I am torn...(in more ways than one..lol) Did u have a skin tag too or just LIS?? Please keep is posted on your progress!! Heal well and hopefully pain free!!

@Sue, I only had about a 30-40 minute ride home, but it was nothing compared to the ride there, with the pain medicine you get plus the lingering effects of being put under, I think you will do better than you think. Plus you will have what ever pain meds they give you by IV in your system too. Or let them know you have a 2 hour drive home, they may be willing to take that into consideration for what they are giving you .

Well I can def report that day 2 pretty much sucked for me. It started ok, but was down hill by mid day. It became obvious to me that constipation was a real danger. The irony of surgery is that you become dehydrated (no food or drink for 12ish hours before), then get filled with all kinds of constipating drugs, and then get sent home with more costipating drugs. I realize I'm not the first to make this observation, but it is worth repeating. So that was issue number 1.
Issue number 2 is a brand new, really annoying and somewhat painful hemmy (at this point I think it's accounting for 50% of my pain/discomfort). A little more research tells me this isn't abnormal. By mid-day and through the night it was really uncomfortable. Not sharp pain but the dull discomfort that comes with a hemmy. I am happy to report that after literally 4-5 hours in the tub over the last 24 hours it seems to be subsiding a bit (at least not getting bigger for now).
Issue number 3 is the brusing. It doesn't really hurt but I guess I didn't really expect it.
Issue number 4 would be a handful of quick but painful spasms in the middle of the night (while I was actually getting my 4-5 hours of sleep). Again, not terrible, but not the best way to wake up.
The good news. I can report that I had my first post-op BM about 2 hours ago. It was the least cooperative BM I've had in 2 months. Big and firm. I was indeed constipated (hopefully that is over). I wish I'd stuck to my guns and not used any pain meds after I got home. The nurses and my wife made me promise to use them a bit on day 1, so I did. Bad idea (for me).
So how is that good news? With that said BM 1 was only 1/2 as painful as my pre-op BM's over the last couple months. The bleeding was no worse (maybe even less) than my last pre-op BM. I can only imagine how easy it could have been if I hadn't become constipated.
So forward I go. Today will be lots of time in the bathtub, lots of water, and fiber friendly food. NO MORE PAIN MEDS!
Thanks for the well wishes. I'll keep updating throughout the weekend. Oh, and my drive to the surgery center was a little over 1 hour. It's worth the drive/ride to get the right CRS. I had closer options, but not better ones (in my opinion).

Two words: thrombosed hemorrhoid (aka: railroad spike driven into my behind)
Needless to say I'm pretty miserable. Called my CRS yesterday and he said 3 soaks a day and come see him Mon/Tues if I'm not feeling better. That sounds about right based on my reading. I figure there is a 50% chance I'll be feeling some better by Sunday evening. I had really planned to go back to work Monday, so hopefully this thing will cooperate. Right now there is no comfortable position for me. Can't sit, stand, walk, or even lay down in any confortable position. So you can imagine I'm not sleeping all that well.
Still waiting on post-op BM #2. Which is not suprising since I haven't been eating as much as normal. Probably a combonation of lack of movement and a little depression/anxiety about this whole thing. Hopefully it is not a continuation of constipation.
So no smooth and easy recovery for me. Maybe this is just a bump in the road (bad hemmy pun intended...I'm trying hard to keep a sense of humor...it's getting tougher to do). But I'm still very hopeful that long-term the LIS decision was a good one.

Is the hemmy from the surgery or did you have it before? Is that the biggest issue with your recovery?

I'm sorry that your recovery isn't going so smooth. Hopefully once you get things softened up you'll feel better. Have you tried Mirilax for the constipation? Dawn suggested it to me and it is the only thing that has ever worked.

Oh My!!! I am so sorry to hear that you have had this set back. I had a thrombosed hemi and was in active fissure mode about 2 years ago. I was two days away from boarding a 5 hour flight to Vegas for vacation. I don't know which hurt the most. I was in severe pain!! I called my Dr and he told me to come in immediately. He numbed me and lanced the clot out. I still went to Vegas and rode a motorcycle for 10 days....most miserable vacation ever!! and that was from the fissure!! The only thing that saved me was the huge jacuzzi tub in my hotel room. It was heaven. I am thinking if you get rid of this you will feel sooo much better and heal faster. It can take several weeks for a thrombosed hemi to go away on it's own. Go to your CRS on Monday and get rid of it!!! I still have not had surgery, but have been in severe pain for 9 days. I am doing it this time!!! Hope you feel better soon.

The hemmy is new since surgery. My CRS told me there is always a chance of it when you do surgery down there.
Mirilax is my next step. But I've had 2 BM's since this morning (post-op 2 & 3). The first one of the day was pretty frustrating and uncomfortable. But the second one was really easy. I think I'm finally past the surgery/pain meds in my system. I'm hoping this helps with the hemmy situation. But yes, if it isn't a lot better by Monday morning I'm heading back to my CRS. I really need to get back to work...
Sue I can't imagine a worse way to spend 10 days when you are in our "condition"...yikes!