Hi everybody, I'm new to this forum....
I finally had the LIS procedure yesterday after suffering with chronic anal fissures on and off for about 3 years. I felt OK immediately following the surgery and just rested yesterday with no bowel movements. I made sure I drank plenty of water and was very careful about what I ate.
This morning I've felt like I was working my way up to going to the toilet so I sat and waited. I wasn't given any stool softener by the hospital and I've been mainly relying on my diet to keep my stools soft for some time now.
When I started going the stool was the same as it has been for ages - heavy, bulky and not so soft at the start (the most difficult stage of the movement and painful) and then all coming out in one go but the rest of it being soft. It's never the case that the whole stool is soft and easy to pass - it's like I can't get the beginning of it to be the same as the rest. I only go once a day as well and the time of it is not very predictable.
Anyway, as I started going there was a LOT of blood. More than there ever was pre-surgery. It was literally dripping and I was quite worried. The process was the same as always - slow at the beginning and then woooosh it all comes out quite fast. I was just so disturbed by all the blood and suprised by the pain and difficulty as I was hoping the experience would be better.
So I got straight in the bath, made sure the area was clean and now I'm sat wondering if and when the horrible aching pain is going to arrive. But I'm thinking the whole point of the LIS is so that you don't get that spasm. But because the BM was quite traumatic and there was so much blood I'm wondering if something is wrong. I was wondering if I was going to be calling an ambulance!!
I've got an appointment with my GP later today so maybe I should ask for something to help? I really am trying to keep my stools soft but something isn't working somewhere and I'm worried each BM is going to be the same.
Thanks for letting me vent and for any advice you might have!!

Have you tried MIRALAX? Stool softeners NEVER worked for me, but MIRALAX has worked wonders at keeping my stool consistently soft with no side effects. I started out taking a full dose, but now I am able to take a half dose a day along with 9 grams of Benefiber and my stools are now soft yet formed and much, much, much easier to pass.

Hi there, and welcome. You have come to the right place, though none of us want to be here, but it is definitely a helpful board with a lot of people who have been through surgery.
I haven't had surgery, and possibly your GP has now given you some ideas. I think that bleeding is not unexpected after surgery, if you have stitches there. 
A good idea is to look back on the forum, in the very part that you have written your post, and look especially at the posts of the guys who have had surgery, though thewho there are a lot of 'girl's' who have gone through it, and have moved on with their lives now. 
You will read about Movicol/Macrogol, which I believe is what Miralax is named in the UK...I am presuming that is where you are, but could of course be London, Canada! Miralax/Movicol/Macrogol info can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movicol
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/digestive-health/medicines/movicol.html
Hope this of some help, and wishing you all the best along the road to healing and a fissure-free life!

Thanks both for your replies!!
Just got back from my GP and she has prescribed me some Movicol so hopefully that along with watching my diet and getting plenty of fluids will make movements over the next few days much easier.
Even though going to the toilet for the first time post-surgery was pretty horrendous earlier, I haven't had any of the burning itching spasms which usually came after. The kind where you just didn't know what to do with yourself.... so that is enough to make me half way happy!
Fingers crossed the next few days sees more improvement
Thanks again :)

Hi London,
I am presuming you actually had your surgery in London? If so which hospital did you attend?
Davo

Please keep us updated on your progress. We'll all be thinking about you. After all, we are all in this "nightmare" together! It's always nice to know that you are not going through this alone.

Davo - I had mine at St George's Hospital in South London yesterday
Will keep you updated. Even though my BM today was like having a baby it's been so nice not to have the mind numbing pain for hours afterwards.
Soft stools are the way forward!

Update day 3 after surgery....
Been on the Movicol (3 sachet's per day) since Friday afternoon and was a bit concerned there was no BM on Saturday at all.
But this morning (Sunday) I went and even though it wasn't half as bad as the first one after the Surgery last week and the stool was easier to pass there was still bleeding. So I hopped in the bath for a bit straight after, took some pain killers and now I'm feeling fine again. Just a little bit of stinging.
Should I be worried if I go a whole day without a BM? And when can I expect the bleeding to stop or at least significantly reduce? Because that would mean the fissures are healing right?

Day 4 after surgery.
The movicol is awesome. I had 4 sachet's yesterday (Sunday) after being a bit concerned there was no BM at all on Saturday.
Well this morning at roughly the same time as yesterday's BM I went again. Soft, easy to pass and I was over the moon to see there was no blood whatsoever!!! The stool was soft, maybe a bit too soft, but I was just relieved there obviously wasn't any tear to the fissure as there was no bleeding.
I still had to hop in the bath for a while because there was pain but this felt more like pain muscular pain inside (maybe something to do with the surgery) but wasnt the stinging burning pain of the fissure.
But this pain only lasted a few minutes and was gone.
So things seem to be looking up!! :-)

That's great news! PLEASE keep posting with updates. If you had it to do all over again, would you do anything differently? Would you have started taking the Movicol sooner? Any other advice to those who may be thinking about going through the same surgery? Are you glad you had the surgery?