How are you doing Cheryl? Any update?

Thanks for checking in on me! I am doing pretty good. I've seen the CSR twice since my surgery as while it's healing, it appears to be healing slowly (she thinks this is due to my Crohn's disease). The first check-up the fissure was still apparent and causing some pain, but the fistula site was healing well. This last check up I had was just earlier this week so it's 8 weeks post-surgery...again fistula is healing, she did mention 'granulated scar tissue' that is near the fissure. I am still having a little bit of discomfort and she's not sure if it's that scar tissue or the fissure (which while still apparent is not anywhere near as bad as it used to be!). So now I have go back in another couple of weeks for a check-up. She said I should be taking sitz baths still after every bowel movement which sounds great in theory but kind of hard to do when I'm back to working full time!

I feel like this has been such a long drawn out process and I worry for the day that the fissure either starts to hurt like heck again or another one happens.

Thanks for coming back to let us know how you are doing. Glad to hear things are on the mend. Is your CRS still recommending botox? I know what you mean about that fear. I hope it never gets worse again for you and things continue on the right track, even if it is slow.

What tests have you had done to look for IBD? Are there any definitive tests or is it often diagnosed based on symptoms?

At my first follow-up after the surgery when the fissure was still there and didn't appear to have improved at all she said that we might still need to do the Botox but not until the fistula had healed up some more. This last appt she seemed to think I might not need at all, so hopefully that's the case. I am just hoping the scar tissue doesn't cause too much of an issue...I read some info on here yesterday about some CSRs using silver nitrate to get rid of the tissue...she didn't mention that at the time.

As for IBD - I was diagnosed as having IBS-D when I was a teenager. I've had a number of colonoscopies and when this fissure problem started I winded up switching to another gastro - I had been with the same practice for a number of years and had seen 3 different docs there but never really felt like they were doing much to help my issues. My new gastro ran a series of labwork and one of the #s came back high which is indicative of Crohn's. (My memory is failing me at the moment but it was IgA or Ig something....something with antibodies). OK I had to google...LOL Here it is:

http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/ ... code=83022

Anyway they also saw some inflammation during the colonoscopy so based on that, the bloodwork, and all the issues I was having he started me on Pentasa. He said that there was other testing he could do but right now it wouldn't change his treatment plan.

I am very slow to heal down there too and don't know if it's my pelvic floor problems and IBS or if something else may be going on. My CRS doesn't think so but never offered to do any testing either. I certainly would not be volunteering for a colonoscopy at this point, and I suppose that is the main means of diagnosis.

I hope you have a great healing 2 weeks. My fingers are crosses. Let us know how your appointment goes.