by Guest » 19 Jun 2007, 10:37
There is a lot of good information in this thread. I think one of the most important things is to get the most information as possible from your appointment with your CRS. I always come prepared with a list of questions.
I've been to two different CRS in the past month, both with over 22 years experience and here is some of the information that I was surprised to find out:
1. Everyone has hemorrhoids. The difference or not is if they become inflamed or irritated thus giving rise to the condition we all commonly refer to as "hemorrhoids." Other may know this, but it was new information to me.
2. There are two different types of LIS. Open and closed. After having this explained to me, it seems open LIS is a better option for ensuring the lowest probability of having incontinence as a side effect. In a nutshell, open LIS is where the CRS exposes the muscle to see how much they are actually cutting, where closed LIS is where the CRS does it by "feel." As you might imagine, open LIS has a bigger cut to heal from as well. But this also comes down to how the CRS was trained. Older CRS will usually be trained on open LIS.
3. Having a chronic AF is not the end of the world. "Chronic" refers to the length of time one has had the AF, not the condition of the AF. Be sure to ask your CRS the condition and have him/her rate it on a scale of 1-10. Then ask the CRS what is the prognosis for heeling a AF of that caliber without surgery.
4. It's been my experience that a really good CRS will allot an extended period of time for your first visit. He or she will want to go over your complete diet and all supplements you are taking. One of my CRS' took 2 hours with me on my first visit and told me ahead of time to plan for that amount of time and bring all my supplementation and medication for review. WOW!
5. Both encouraged me to eat pretty much whatever I wanted, within reason. They both focused on getting enough fiber and water. After that, food was fair came. They did say to stay away from anything that could scratch the rectum during a BM like nuts and popcorn. I'm still afraid to test this one out.
Here are the differences I found between the two CRS, on being "old school" with 33 years of experience and the other being "new" school" with 22 years experience was:
1. Wiping after BM:
Old school (OS) - No
New School (NS) - use wet, soft toilet paper
My experience so far (Me) - I do a combo, depends on the movement, but I usually clean it out with a squirt bottle. At this point, why take chances.
2. Exercise that could stretch the area:
OS - No, stick to walking, jogging and upper body exercises
NS - try it and see how it feels.
Me - Toss up. I feel that OS is right to a degree, but I've had this for 3 years and continued to exercise normally with periods of remission, so it's hard to say.
3. Taking Fiber supplements:
OS - Once a day, large dose
NS - Try twice a day, once at beginning and once at end
Me - NS was right.
4. Using lube for BM:
OS - Don't use any
NS - Use only KY jelly because it's water based. Anything else is bad for the condition.
Me - NS was right, but I still didn't have a really bad time trying it natural either. I just feel more protected with the NS recommendation.
Anyway, thanks for all the good information from everyone in this thread!