Here's the scoop: I went in yesterday around 11am. I hadn't eaten anything or had anything to drink since the night before, so I was pretty parched! I drink a lot of water and I could really feel the effects of not having any. I couldn't do any enemas and they had said not to worry about it. Went in, checked in, waited for a bit with my husband, and then went to surgery prep. Gotta love those awesome gowns! It was pretty normal prep stuff - BP, ht/wt, pulse, urine sample, blood sample, etc. Waited some more, and then finally around 12:15 got on the gurney and said goodbye to my husband. I have to admit, my anxiety level was at a 10!
Went into the OR, told my dr. that I just wanted him to make me "pain-free!" He replied, "Absolutely! That's why I'm here!" The anesthesiologist told me that after I was out he would intubate me because the surgery would be done while I was on my stomach. I hate that sore scratchy throat feeling afterwards! Started the IV, put on the oxygen mask, breathed deeply, and I was out. The next thing I knew, I was being wheeled into the recovery room. My dr. went and talked to my husband, who was shocked that it had only been about 15 - 20 minutes since he saw me! My dr. is pretty funny, and he was like, "Hey, this isn't brain surgery! I work on butts!" So he was concerned about the 3 fissures, saying that it's highly unusual. He told my husband that I was "one tough woman" so that was awesome, but it did validate the amount of pain I had experienced. Still going to check again for Crohn's, but it may just be an anal stenosis or stricture (narrowing of the anal canal) which can be caused by many things, including IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). So the mess continues.
Anyway, I woke up, had some ice chips, felt great! Went to a little private room to really wake up, drank some orange slurpee, and then nature called. I was not excited to urinate, but knew that I had to in order to leave. So I went, and it was fine! A little minor bleeding but when the nurse checked she couldn't see anything happening. A few minutes later, I was unhooked from the IV, got dressed and went home. The whole thing took from 11am - 2pm total. And I felt great!
I took 800 mg ibuprofen around 3:30 and have been taking it every 8 hours since then. I've had some minor stomach cramping and diarrhea, but it didn't burn or anything. I still have some numbness that hasn't worn off, which makes diarrhea interesting. I can hear it but I can't totally feel it. At first I was freaking out about it because I thought worst case scenario - I'm totally incontinent and I can't feel anything! But then I remembered that my dr. had said he was going to numb me really well. I'm sure it's worn off, but I still don't feel any pain.
I've only had a few slices of toast and some rice, had tons of water, and am just feeling like I should rest today and not push myself too hard. The downside is that my 17 year old may be coming down with swine flu today! Hopefully he can just sleep for awhile and then we can go check him out this afternoon. I do NOT need to get this right now!
I will let you know how the rest of the week goes. Hopefully this will help someone out there! This forum has been wonderful for me to get advice, information and support for this horrible pain and problem! A million thanks to all of you!