5 hours post LIS, here's my trip report

So after switching from Colace 2 days ago to Miralax and feeling for the past two days like my knight in shining armor had arrived, I felt so good this morning I was thinking on my way to the surgery center that perhaps, just perhaps I could heal on my own the Miralax way since I'm only a about 8 or so weeks into this. *But* of course remembering the posts here about how they wasted time doing the home remedy game, etc. I thought of my kids who have no mother and that I should just do it, praying that I don't become permanently incontinent and that this will enable me to walk again, all day. So I told the surgeon that I was really feeling better, he paused for a moment, but we went ahead with the surgery. Of couse I'm thinking all along after several attempts to not be able to get my i.v. in that this is a sign, it just wasn't meant to be. The anesthesiologist couldn't get it in, then finally a nurse did. Darn.

So while being wheeled in and begging to please knock me out with something, I was still having second thoughts. Then woke up from and the surgeon told me (who has been in practice 35 years) the fissure was huge huge huge and stopped short of saying the biggest he's ever seen. OMG, now I'm in tears again wondering IF it will heal being the biggest on record. He says it will. But hey, I've been told a lot of things the past month or so, but different practitioners. The first CRS told me it was very small and I could heal on my own.

So I'm at home, took one percocet, trying not to take any more, but I really could use a valium/xanax/ativan right about now. I'm in a panic wondering what will happen if this doesn't heal?????? And he also told me to take Miralax for the rest of my life, otherwise the fissure would reappear. That of course brings me to tears.

I've never really eaten junk food, but do like a piece of pizza with my kids. I'm missing a nice rib roast now that it's Christmas and Christmas cookies, but I'm pretty much a vegan, (except when it comes to holiday rib roasts - and not a vegan by choice, due to allergies) I got into this mess by being impacted by 3 days of taking CoQ10.

So I'm taking it all one day at a time. At least my kids got to school today. Tomorrow is another day.

Congrats on ur lis. But dont stress just relax and recover. The chance of it not working are soooooooooo slim like 2% or something i was told. Dont stress about ur first bm either as we all have and then went on to say it was nothing compared to wot we thought it was going to be.

Just rest as much as u can, have u got help with ur kids?

Take it easy, keep taking regular baths and stick with the stool softeners and you'll kick start the healing process, don't worry about having to take Miralax for life as it poses no threat to your health, it can only help with pooping.

Maybe you'll be a fast healer, we are all different, NG was at 6 months before he felt next to no pain, I'm currently at 4 months post-op and still have pain/discomfort but things are significantly different than before LIS, pooping is easier, you just need to manage stool consistency, too watery/runny = more burning and stinging pain, too hard = also pain, although I can pass hardish stools with no pain and soft stools hurt, that is why everyone is different.


Good luck

Cagirl,
You've got to stay positive ...Your fissure is going to heal.
There are people on here who have had 3 fissures and healed. Look at busymoms post from yesterday.
As Steve said we all heal at a different pace. You may be a fast healer. Right now is the time to really stay calm and take care of yourself. I honestly believe your state of mind and staying positive is really important with healing!

Take each day as it comes. Things are going to be really weird with your butt for the first few weeks no matter if you're a slow healer or not, but just roll with it girl!

Don't sweat the miralax either. Many doctors, such as mine don't even want me taking it. So there is probably a good chance that you won't need it forever and like Steve said it's safe. There are worse things than that though....

Good luck!! Take care:)

pss... I don't know about the rib roast but I can almost guarantee you that a few cookies in a couple of weeks aren't going to hurt you...Just keep the high fiber diet up.
I've been eating sweets since week 2 along with my softeners and high fiber diet.

Thank you all so much. It was a rough night of no sleep and a lot of pain. I did take 1 percocet (per NG thank you). Then came the morning bm. Shouldn't I have pooped out that planet that's supposedly in there? Will I know if I do? I don't know if I did. At first it was small and soft then explosive! Probably not the way it should be? Maybe I should add some Benefiber? I could really go for another percocet and a valium at this point. I had to call the CRS last night to ask what to do with breakthrough pain when the percocet was wearing off after 4-5 hours. This is rather painful and uncomfortable.

Deep breaths, deep breaths...


Newmum - yes I definitely have help with the kids. They don't sleep through the night and are just so high maintenance. DH is home thru Monday and the sitter comes all day next week. The CRS' receptionist says I'd be driving Monday, lol!!! No way on earth that's happening.

If percocet is like vicodin, it will wear off in 4 hours. You can take it every 4 hours.

LOL, Cagirl, your description of hoping they couldn't get the IV in is HILARIOUS I was hoping for the same thing before LIS as the nurse was poking around, I thought I was the only one!

Anyhow yup as Dawn says, you can take more Percocet when the painkilling effect wears off. I've taken Percocet for other things and it lasts about as long as Vicodin, it's just stronger. I took Vicodin for a while after LIS.

Regarding taking Miralax forever: it can't be counted out as a possibility, but I wouldn't take the doctor's words as law. They don't know it all, and they certainly can't predict the future. I'd personally play it safe by taking Miralax for the next few months as you recover from LIS, and then revisit the matter after you completely recover. Not everyone who's had a fissure needs to take Miralax forever. There are plenty -- I'd say the majority really -- who go on to not need any stool softeners whatsoever. This is one of those individual things that varies from person to person. If I recall correctly, you're 26 right now, and if the doctor is implying that he can see what'll happen 40, 50, or 60 years into the future, then I'd like to see his crystal ball! Besides, the doctor didn't even tell you to take Miralax in the first place, and now he's saying you'll need it forever??? Something odd about that.

BTW even big fissures can be healed. You'll be all good in a few months, you'll see. Members here have had multiple big fissures that have healed following LIS. Doctors like to say all sorts of things so don't let it bother you. One CRS said it was a small fissure, the surgeon said it was a huge fissure, that's how opinions go... Fact is, you had a fissure, and you've taken the appropriate measure to cure it, and that's all that matters. Even big cuts on your hands or legs or elsewhere on the body heal, right? Same with cuts in the anus.

Oh, also, I know what you mean about the Ativan, Valium, etc. haha I don't know many docs who will prescribe benzos like those after surgery (only before surgery for anxiety) but many docs will prescribe sleeping aids like Lunesta or Ambien after surgery if you tell them the pain is causing you sleeping problems. These are "z-drugs" which are related to benzos and act on some of the same receptors, so they also have sedative and tranquilizing effects. Could be worth asking about if you're feeling real bothered.

Since you're a few days post-op, try not to worry about too much just yet. There will be ups and downs but nearly everyone is better off in the long term

Hang in their Cagirl!! We're on our way to healing!!

Thank you everyone and NG. Unfortunately, I'm not 26, as I sit here eating prunes and looking through a magnifying glass I am reminded of my age, but still *think* that I'm 26, ha! I think my 3 and 5 year olds think I'm 26 and I keep reminding them that I'm not either.

Thanks for the stool softener support. It's definitely not something I want to continue life long, but I don't want an AF life long either.

I really could use a hypnotic, but I have sleep walking issues. You may like this story: so on our honeymoon, for some reason (and I only typically sleep walk when I'm sick) in the middle of the night, I flung open our stateroom door, standing there in my honeymoon lingerie and then "woke up" when passengers standing at the elevator were pointing and staring.

Next question: so I still think I have that junk in the trunk and haven't expelled it yet. Wouldn't I know it if I did? The nurse at the CRS' office said to call tomorrow if I don't think it's gone. Ugh. That in itself, is making me lose sleep.

Have u had a bm yet, mine came out then. Same here i stressed more about the stuiped thing up my a*s when all the rest. It was a lot smaller then i thought i remembered the dr telling me it desolves.

I had to laugh at ur sleep walking story, my hubby sleep walks saometimes i have woke to him knocking on the dooor wants to get back in coz he went for a walk in the boxer shorts. To this day we still dont know where he went. Oh back then we lived next to a pub hahahahaha

Hang in there u will have good days and bad, bath also when ur in pain it will help.

Yes, newmum, had a bm every day since LIS. Very small and pencil thin and soft, I'm sure you were wondering, lol. So I'm not quite sure what is going on. I sure hate to have to go back to the CRS and bare my nether regions again. I really have no modesty anymore, shameful isn't it?

How are you doing and how is your baby doing? Are you up and around? I thought of you the other day. My daughter wants an Angelina Ballerina themed birthday party and of course they don't sell a thing here so I had to order all the party supplies from the U.K. Don't even ask how much that cost and then a tax also on my credit card bill, for an international purchase. My bum hurt so bad then I didn't really care.

Cagirl and Newmum, I feel so much for those of you who have this and have small children. It must be so difficult and I'm glad to hear you have help.
I haven't had LIS (at least yet!)- I had botox about 3 weeks ago and it seemed better but now I've had a return to pain and some bleeding. So we'll see...
You sleepwalking stories were funny! I took Ambien a couple of years ago for a while (I had taken it previously only during the week of my mother's funeral). I act pretty goofy, from what they tell me. And my thing seems to be getting up and emailing people and then barely remembering it. It all turned out to be in the funny range and nothing too strange, but I didn't like feeling out of control! My hubbie takes it though and has none of that.
My daughter still talks about the strange email her mother sent her (basically telling her where all our financial stuff was, the safety deposit keys, in case we had a wreck or something on a trip we were taking the next day). Oh cheerful mother!

Hahaha bambi the things u do!

Cagirl its been 3 weeks to day and i am typing this sitting on the couch with no real pain, we went shopping for 2 hrs yesterday was a little sore but still ok. I have all that bday stuff to look forward to atleast my daughter cant tell me what she want for a few yrs yet.

My bms were weird to start with and i think a lot of others were as well, so just go with the flow. I alway went twice a day but the last week its only once a day and everything seems ok i have cut my fibre down a little as well. I stressed about everything the first week then 2nd week i was just over it haha. Now i am over taking baths haha. I really cant wait for the day i dont have to bath all the time.

Do u still feel like the padding is still there? I know once i passed the padding i still had heaps of pressure.

LOL NewMum, DH and I were laughing hysterically at your dh's sleepwalking episode! I was choking when I got to the pub part!!

Yes Bambi, this has been difficult beyond words for me and my family. DH is sick today and the kids were sick last weekend and he has been taking care of all of us (he is also a 5 year cancer survivor). The mental anguish is beyond words. Not to mention the financial toll of a full time babysitter. (My mother can't come because she has breast cancer). I have refused so far to miss any of my kids' functions such as plays and field trips. I went on a field trip of all things with one class; took a bunch of Aleve and paid for it from then on. Now I'm on the couch until my daughter's Christmas program which I refuse to miss also. I have two weeks of Christmas break to make up for any setbacks. I have the inlaws coming too. DH's father is terminal with Leukemia and I had to tell them about my surgery so they weren't expecting much of me while here. But I just can't cancel that either. It could be dh's last visit with his dad. It's just full of drama here and I can't even sugar coat anything anymore. It is what it is.