I had LIS surgery on May 15, I am almost four weeks out. Three days ago I think I had a re-tear of my fissure. I had been healing very well but know I feel I'm back to square one! It's not as bad as when I first had the fissure but pretty close. Back to the burning, stinging pain after BM's that last all day. Has anyone else experienced a setback and if so did it heal faster since you had LIS? I am so frustrated and disappointed. Please if anyone has experienced this, share your insight with me. I was starting to get back to normalcy and now I'm back in the bed.

Hi jd,
Sorry to hear of this set-back :( ....I experienced a set-back as well after lis...slightly different though. I was 7 weeks out when I got a new tear, not a re-tear. But, It was the exact same symptoms all over again for me too, initially. I will tell you that as soon as I knew something went terribly wrong, I got in to see my crs immediately..I was worried I may have an infection or re-tear..but I definitely wanted my crs' confirmation as to what was going on. When she saw the new fissure (1st one was practically healed at this point), she immediately put me back on dilitziem...and informed me that at any point, if I wasn't satisfied with how this one new was healing, or just if I didn't even want to give it a go on my own any longer, she'd be ready to go back in with me for 2nd lis. First time around the cut was very conservative, yet it did heal my fissure. So there was room to go back in, without reservation, and cut some more. It's 8 weeks later..my fissure is now officially "chronic", but the symptoms subsided tremendously in this period. I'm not in any kind of horrible pain at all....it's gotten to a manageable uncomfortableness, and even that's not constant :D . I'm still riding this out if and until the real pain comes back...then it's right back to the cutting board.
These set-backs do occur to many after surgery. I believe the odds are in our favor though for healing when they do happen, of course because we've been loosened up after lis. So, I'd say of course, check in with your crs to confirm the re-tear, and nothing else....you'll probably be put back on your previous course of treatment (whichever ointment you had), follow-through with the diet/water/supplements/sitz regime, and there is a very good possibility that this will heal itself back up. The pain should begin to subside, soon after you get back on the ointment...I never really felt the benefits of the cream before surgery, but I do feel it's helped me big time this time around. Like I said, I've made huge strides since this first tore, in regards to my pain level and crs confirmed just a few weeks back that there is progress with the healing....it's just takin more time than I hoped.
I wish you all the best and hope you'll soon be back on track towards healing and recovery. Please let us know how things go.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers,
Angel

Yes, you have greater chance for healing because you had a LIS ! It is also good it happened so soon after the LIS since your muscle is still pretty relaxed (later with time it regains a LOT of its strength back, unfortunately .
Please be very careful in this crucial period of healing - make sure your diet is super healthy and full of fiber and continue with hot soaks and butt pampering until you fully heal !!! Do not forget that healing (closing of a fissure) happens in 8-12 weeks BUT for regaining full resilience that place needs MANY MONTHS !!! (once I found in some research paper it needs up to 8 months )
MY CRS told me that the biggest mistake new LIS-sers do is to become too confident when they start feeling great and than have a re-tear soon after :(
BTW- do you have any idea what caused a re-tear ???
Wishing you fast and complete recovery !!!

Thanks for both of your responses! I will definitely start back on my nitro. I am doing all the water, miralax, sitz bath regimen. I talked to my CRS today via email, as he is 2 1/2 hours away, and he said he thought I might have torn some of the scar tissue. It wasn't from my poo's :oops: It happened while I was exercising. I think I started back to soon for that!
I had another question, with your fissure, did the pain ever radiate down your leg? The pain is with mine, that is why I think I did re-tear it and not scar tissue. That's how it felt the first time. I have not had any blood, which I only bled with the initial one when it happened and that was all. I know I have been very blessed in that aspect. Just very depressed and frustrated from the setback. It is so good to be able to come on here and speak with people who are going through the same thing. I hope you both have pain free days ahead!!

I am sorry to hear the bad news. But I'm sure this will get sorted out and there will be a path to recovery. Where is your fissure located (posterior or anterior)? Was it deep to begin with? I am 7 days post LIS and I am curious on when i can work out again. I was going to ask my CRS at my follow up. I just do some light curls right now. I want to resume jogging at some point this summer.

My fissure is located on right side. It is not located in the normal place most get fissures. I'm not sure how deep it was. On the working out again, all I can tell you is to not rush anything. I thought just listening to my body would be enough but I guess I was wrong. I really over did it. So my advice is to ask your doctor at you next checkup but whatever you do go slow. Good luck on your healing! The LIS does work, as long as you give yourself ample time to heal. How is your pain? Are you seeing great results?

jd,
My fissure is located anterior, facing towards my belly. I'm sorry to hear about your set back, I hope it continues to heal like it did prior to the possible retear. The problem is my doctor seems more confident than me lol. He's also the same guy that said I could do back to work the next day after LIS if I needed too, that was sooo not true. But he said to me at one point prior to LIS that I could eat whatever and run as long as I continue my high fiber diet. He claims I wouldnt retear it. I'm not sure if that's him being optimistic, giving me an honest opinion based on my situation, or just lying lol. We'll see. My fissure does not hurt much. It has only bled alot, burned a bit and created a weird feeling of pressure in the anal area.