I had my Fissurectomy with botox 3 weeks ago, how long should I experience pain after?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I am so happy to have found this forum. After nearly 2 years of suffering on and off with my fissure, It has been so heart warming to have people to share the experience with. It firstly starts with not being able to share it with just anybody. It's not like saying I have a migraine, right. It is quite embarrassing. I had suffered with piles since my first pregnancy 27 years ago and suffered every child since, it would be triggered if i missed a BM, so have always been aware of my routine, if I missed a BM I knew I could trigger it all. So have always been careful.
The first time I got this different pain was a few short months after losing my father, I had been under considerable stress for 2 years prior, caring for him full time the last 12 months , the death hit me harder than I could have imagined. I believe this was the trigger for the fissure now.
I had never felt pain like it (worse than childbirth) and as I have read on this forum the term razor blades sounds quite spot on, the burning and constant pain, not alleviating even after pain killers and lasting hours was completely debilitating. After going to the GP, it was diagnosed to be a fissure, I had not ever even heard of it. I was lucky to get an appointment within 10 days where my consultant put me on the first lot of creams. After 8 months I was discharged, being diagnosed with IBS and changing my diet quite considerably, they felt the 2 different types of creams had finally worked. I was in a lot less pain and could get on with normal activities quite soon after a BM. I was always still nervous about that first BM so never organised anything too early, trips/flights always in the afternoon so not to disrupt my schedule.
Fast forward to April 2020. I had started to feel better in the latter part of 2019, get past the anniversary of my father and look forward to a brighter future BUT it was back. I was so saddened but played it down, taking pain killers every morning and just pretending to myself it was all in my head.It didn't help that I moved house at end of August and for some crazy stupid reason not only the move but thought I needed to decorate the whole house in a week before we moved in!!! I am rubbish with knowing my limits and push myself/body too hard. By September I was back at my consultants in even worse state than the year before and had got to the stage where I would just cry for hours after a BM, not being able to move until at least 3pm. It was hideous.
I had my fissurectomy with Botox on the 16th October, I am coming up to 3 weeks post Op. I can now say, yes the acute, razor blade, burning rolled up in a ball crying pain has gone but I am left with this different pain. I am now having sometimes 3 BM in the morning!! I am absolutely scared stiff for it to be too hard so eating loads of fruit, water and prune juice. Only still on soup and soft food generally. I have stitches up there so as you can imagine don't want them to spilt!!
The pain I have now is this dragging, pulling down aching feeling, still debilitating to the point where I can't do anything, but at least I can hold a conversation albeit constantly fidgeting trying to get a comfortable position which doesn't come till at least 3pm. If I stand for more than 5 minutes I need to sit urgently as I feel everything is falling out of me!! It's not. This is leaving me still unable to go out or even do simple tasks, like walking the dog.
I have been googling and have read it can take up to 10 weeks but this forum has been so comforting, I now don't feel so alone. I am waiting for my consultant to get in touch to give me his medical opinion and if this is part of the healing process. My life has come to a complete standstill along with any intimacy, thankfully I have been married well over 20 years and my husband is very understanding but also I am so scared of it too when things hopefully start feeling better. Any other words of experience would be appreciated, thank you all for reading and I agree with someone that wrote it should be put on a higher tear of emergency, or at least talked about more, it is the most excruciating pain, absolutely soul destroying, leaves you completely helpless and isolated.
I am wondering if anyone else had this Op and if this is normal?
Thank you.
1 like, 5 replies
scott76581 sep99
Posted
I had a chronic anal fissure for 4 months before I had my fissurectomy and botox. I had tried nifedipine cream for 6 weeks prior to the surgery and while I had slight improvement (false hope), a couple of hard bowel movements set me back big time.
I had the fissurectomy with botox a little over 2 weeks ago. My surgeon described it as a "nasty fissure" and the severity sounds about right given how it came with a bout of diarrhea and feeling like the inside of my rectum ripping apart when I first developed the fissure.
Post op day 3, I had a bowel movement with the worst spasms I have ever experienced in my life. I had my 2 week appointment with my surgeon canceled because of weather and honestly, I was reaching my limit with how this has taken over my life. I've lost weight, I've skipped breakfast and coffee and caffeine entirely. Caffeine vasoconstricts blood vessels so it will delay healing. I've had to prepare myself everyday for my bowel movements as I would need to sit or lay down for an hour with a heating pad under my behind to bring some warmth, much like a sitz bath. I couldn't stand for longer than 10minutes straight before feeling the sharp glass pain or the intense dull burning sensation. Fiber supplements after every meal, paracetamol around the clock. Everything. Right at the 2 week point, a day after my canceled appointment, I woke up without any sensation in my rectum. And no discomfort for at least a few hours. It gave me hope that there might actually be healing. The next few days were the same. Bowel movement at night and even if it was somewhat hard, I'd have some pain after but the next day, I feel like some of my life is coming back to me.
I am hopeful that I can make a full recovery as I am only a little over 2 weeks post op but I hope you can find some signs of healing yourself and get some hope. Sometimes I felt tingling in the rectum area, not itching. Makes me wonder if that's my body repairing. Good luck.
scott76581
Posted
Welp, 6 weeks out now and while some days were good, many were a return to the anal fissure pain filled day. I moved on to a different CRS and we decided to move forward with the LIS. She will perform an open partial LIS. I hope it works...
scott76581
Posted
Well LIS worked. Had a partial LIS done. Had only about a 1cm cut. Barely any pain post op and had a great recovery to being about 100% by week1 postop. I know this doesn't happen for everyone but I am glad I am fine again. I hope this can give the rest of you more hope because I know I was starting to lose hope during my ordeal. Take care. Stay safe. And I hope your pains can be ephemeral.
CAl30733 sep99
Posted
I am considering the surgery as well. The pain after surgery sounds terrifying. However, my life has been at a complete standstill since mid November. Can you provide an update? Also, how has the botox affected you?
Rich44 CAl30733
Posted
I had a fissure for 6 years. The colorectal surgeon said he had seen worse which was good. Botox was mentioned but he said all it does it TEMPORARILY help and then you are back to fissure hell. He suggested doing an LIS and get it all fixed forever. My main problem was my sphincter was so tight that even doing a lateral internal sphincterectomy may not work but there was nothing to lose as cutting the muscle was not going to make me incontinent (based on the anal manometry test I did - they said I could crack open a walnut - that's how strong my sphincter was). He did the LIS (no stitches) and removed some skin tags. I laughed at them when they offered me pain killers. There was no way the pain from the surgery would be any worse than what I had endured for 6 years and for me I was right. The post-op pain was minimal and within a week I was feeling fine. The surgery was 100% successful too. Fissure is long gone!!! WHY did I wait so long?!! That's the first thing ALL of his patients tell him. Don't be a wimp. Get it done.