lateral internal sphincterotomy…. boom!

Instead of getting in on existing conversation I have hopes that this post will get read more as a new topic.  

I, just like anyone on this forum am a sufferer of chronic anal fissures.  Im a 30 year old otherwise super healthy and fit male.  Ive been suffering from fissures for 12 years. Let me clarify that over the 12 years it wasnt a constant ordeal.  Some years id only be affected for a week, two weeks, or maybe three. In the beginning it was a little blood here and there and a sore  rear for a couple of days. As the years went on the occurances became more frequent and heal times were growing in length.  Battled it with the common suggestions: lean light diet, high fiber intake, supplemental fiber, and gallons of water.  All are great things but when the problem becomes chronic the requirements to obtain health (in my case) were more than that.  This year has been the worst... i own my own small business and am fourtinate that things had been going exceptionally well (and im penny mc pincher and save every dollar i can) because 3 weeks ago i reached a point to where i could not work any longer.  A year ago in my mind surgery was out of the question.  Im a control freak (hence me working for myself) and the thought of being put under while someone with a scalpel operates on an area that is of up most sensitivity was out of the question. Plus the fear of the unknown just scared me to death.  3 weeks ago i came to the realization that there were no other options... unless i could make a living doing construction while laying on my couch... Went to my general physician because i needed a refferal to get to a specialist.  No problem there, he hooks me up with a surgeon and i make a consultation appointment.  That appointment took place this past Monday at 7 am.  I meet him, instantly like him.  Hes a busy man so he was to the point.  That was fine with me.  Didnt need a hug from a doctor, i needed a doctor to look me in my eyes and tell me he could help me.  He did just that, in fact he told me it would only take him 15 minutes (the procedure ended up taking 20 becasue i had a polyp he removed as well) to help me and that i was going to be very upset with myself for letting this rob me of my quality of life over the last 12 years.  Since the procedure is so short he scheduled me for the next morning at 7AM.  He typically didnt get to work until 8 but wanted to help me so he began his day an hour early to take care of me.  What a blessing!  I was there early, got hooked up with a good nurse and at 7:15 they knocked me out.  I woke up in what felt like 5 seconds but was actually 2 hours and it was over.  I didnt get to see the surgeon again because he was so busy but he told my mom that i was in much worse shape than hed originally thought.  Told her he didnt see how i was living my life!  By 1130 AM i was back at home on my couch!!!  Nauseous from the drugs but local numbing shots had the rear end feeling no pain at all!  They gave me a perscription of 25 325 MG hydrocodones (not super strong) pain pills.  I know that pain pills can and will constipate you so i went into this whole thing with the goal of ONLY taking them if i absolutely NEEDED them. if you have a fissure youve dealt with pain.  so the day of the operation i ate nothing, didnt want too.  Numbness wore off that night at 930 and it was rough but nothing i hadnt dealt with before. Actually i defined it as a 7/10 as to where the day before i was an 8 or 9/10 after a bowel movement.  I took one pill that night (they wanted me taking 1-2 every four hours) to go to sleep.  Day two still didnt eat.  Some of that was fear of making myself go to the bathroom part of it my stomach just wasnt feeling it.  Day two i did not go to the bathroom either.  Had me super nervous because im SUPER regular.  I go every morning within 20 of being awake.  I chocked it up to the fact i hadnt eaten either day and that i hadnt eaten much the two days before the procedure.  I was also soaking in the tub 3 times every day... tub is amazing!  I took one pain pill night two to help me sleep.  Day 3 i woke up and could tell i was headed in the right direction.  Ate oatmeal for breakfast and bounced from the couch to the tub.  That night i did use the bathroom some.  Of course i was scared to death, new stitches, a sore in an area thats been miserably painful!  Just like he said,  the feces never once hurt my fissure.  Sure, it felt weird going having stitches there and yes there was some blood at the incision site but after the BM i got in the tub and it helped relax it all.  I also ate a huge salad that night.  If i am taking stool softners i always take them before the meal then a serving of mineral oil after the meal.  Never took a pain pill on day 3.  Day 4 i woke up and the bowels wanted their regularity back.  Scared to death but cant hold it in for ever (hahaha) i went, and i went a lot.  Again, absolutely NO fissure pain.  Just that odd pressure from having the stitches.  That specific BM took me 50 minutes but it wasnt anything more than a 3/10 on the pain scale!  Then, 30 minutes after that BM pain hit me.  But, id just really stretched that area out for the first time so it was to be expected.  I instantly took two pain pills and got in the tub.  Sat in the tub for 45 min.  By the time i got out of the tub the pills were working and it wasnt a big deal.  probably a 4/10.  The rest of the day was all good.  Tub to couch, couch to tub.  I didnt even have to take a pill to sleep and slept pretty good.  Today is the 5th day after the procedure and the bowels were regular again this morning... went a lot again.  So instead of waiting on things to hurt again i took 2 pills and a bath.  Boom! same result.  Now its 6:15 in the evening, my pain hasnt been over a 3 today (last week every freakin day was a freakin 8!!!!!! a 10 being my a$$ is going to the hospital).  Yesterday i ate a squash fried in heavy olive oil and today ive eaten a big salad again.  Its crazy where i was mentally (where you all are now) a week ago.  Just the fear and the lack of trust is what kept me from doing this years ago.  If your problem is chronic i find it very doubtful that diet, fiber, and water are going to fix it.  My problem... plain and simple... my hole was too small.  Nothing was going to fix that except for a surgeon and a scapel.  Im a big believer in God and prayed heavily on this for a long time.  The way it went for me was sent from him.  Everything from start to finish.  I tell you what else helped me a lot, i met someone two years ago on a job and he saw me drinking my fiber and asked why i did.  long story short he had the same problems and had the surgery 6 years ago... hes never had a problem since and he swore to me that the surgery (if performed correctly) was absolutely nothing compared to dealing with it daily.  He was 100% right and i was very thankful to have him on my side.  Ive bombarded him with questions and hes been amazing about it.  Very thankful for him.  

See a specialist

Make sure you like your specialist (as soon as i met mine i liked him)

If they can confidently look at you and tell you they can help you let them help you

Pray ( you should do that every morning and night anyway )

Ive used Calmoseptime ointment a lot, before going as a lubricant, after going as a soother.  Ive even been using it after the procedure because it is a skin protectant from infection (get it on your finger one time and youll see what i mean haha).

Be strict about what you eat, that has never been a problem of mine but im sure it is for some people.  If you put it in the top its gonna come out the bottom and you can control what goes in, in turn, means you can control what comes out.  You eat salads daily your gonna be better off than eating steaks daily... duh.  Good luck everyone!  Tomorrow morning i start my 6th day of recovery and I havent had a smile like this on my face in months.  GET  THE  SURGERY  

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