I know a lot of us develop a fear around pooping, with or without the surgery. I'm already feeling nervous about tomorrow. I just had the surgery and my poop was so painful that I passed out very briefly. (The world went black and I started to fall, but I was back before I even hit the ground.)
Understandably, I'm afraid about tomorrow. I'm also convinced that the fear is going to make things worse and delay healing.
What do you do when you are fearing the poo? Any tricks or suggestions?
I'm considering developing a guided meditation tape just for AFers. How fun would that be?

Hi Coconut, Your sense of humour hasnt left so that is a good thing. Fact is if you dont poop you die so it has gotta come out. You are doing all the good things to ensure it is not hard and number two will be better than the first post op one. Pain threshholds are much lower when you are relaxed. You are on the homeward stretch. I am thinking about changing from facebook junkie to arsebook junkie.

PIA wrote:Hi Coconut, Your sense of humour hasnt left so that is a good thing. Fact is if you dont poop you die so it has gotta come out. You are doing all the good things to ensure it is not hard and number two will be better than the first post op one. Pain threshholds are much lower when you are relaxed. You are on the homeward stretch. I am thinking about changing from facebook junkie to arsebook junkie.

The anal fissure support forum has become my Arsebook. Its the one place where I can talk about what's really on my mind. Usually, in one way or another, my head is up my butt. lol
I don't think reminding myself that if I don't poop I'll die has exactly the kind of warm-fuzzy vibe I was looking for, lol, but I'll keep it in mind.

Sorry :o I am on an honesty is the best policy at the moment. I will see if I can pull a warm fuzzy one out after my next BM. Which as it happens I am still waiting on the train to come into the station. Wonder how many carriages it will have. I hope it is full of money XX

PIA wrote:Sorry :o I am on an honesty is the best policy at the moment. I will see if I can pull a warm fuzzy one out after my next BM. Which as it happens I am still waiting on the train to come into the station. Wonder how many carriages it will have. I hope it is full of money XX

Oh, my. That's going in the guided meditation. "Imagine your poo to be a train, gently pulling out of the station of your arse."

My train was speeding. It scared me

I've developed a variety of meditations and relaxation exercises. I also believe in being mindful during a BM, contrary to what a lot of people try to do (distracting themselves with reading, etc.). To me, focused breathing, meditations, being present in each and every moment without worrying about the next moment or distracting myself work far better at keeping me grounded in reality, rather than chasing scary thoughts into the wilderness, which only increase my own suffering.
The hardest part is not carrying the trauma of a previous BM into this one. Just because the last one passed me out doesn't mean this one is going to. I just keep returning to reality in this moment, over and over. It's just as much about a mindful practice as it is about supporting myself physically.

I stare at a happy picture in a magazine while squatting and take deep breathes

I'm with Jnr on this one.
Distraction does not work for me - I start thinking about other things and realise I could have been sat (well, squatting) waiting for longer than necessary!
I completely concentrate on the release, taking deep breaths and almost "will" each BM to come out smoothly and effortlessly and 9/10 times it works everytime. I am completely in the moment and actually feel a great sense of satisfaction that it's complete and I have a few hours before having to repeat the procedure!
Coconut - Hoping it's not as bad as you feared! :)

I completely agree with VIP and Jr2. I try to concentrate on the BM by taking long even breaths. It helps me get done with it faster.
On another note, my CRS prescribed Lidocaine and suggested that I used it before BM if the pain is unbearable. The idea behind that being the anesthetic element in the cream will ensure you can just "go" without feeling much pain. I have never tried it though because I feel I might end up pushing/straining too much if I can't feel what's happening down there. However, I haven't had such unbearable pain after I visited my CRS, so I didn't have a strong enough reason to try it.