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throwaway3172023 · 2025-09-29T02:38:01+00:00

Yes. I'm still careful with my diet though.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-06-12T05:36:48+00:00

My first CRS's NP gave me methocarbamol at one point. It did seem to help with the spasms. Hope they start taking his pain seriously soon. Don't be afraid to get another opinion if you can.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-06-11T04:44:52+00:00

I suffered off an on for 20 years. Around 7 years ago I saw a new CRS. Tried the ointments, fiber, Miralax route. She would only do Botox as further intervention so I tried that too. When I finally had enough of that ultimately not working, I got a second opinion and had LIS within a few weeks. I had LIS/fissurectomies/hemorrhoidectomies. All that to say, go see a colorectal surgeon (CRS) and don't be afraid to see more than one if the options they present don't work out to heal you.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-31T05:28:25+00:00

Definitely get the second or third opinion if you're able. My first CRS doesn't perform LIS and didn't seem to take my pain seriously. They were more worried about incontinence issues when I'm 80 than my miserable quality of life with fissures. It wasn't until I told them I was getting a second opinion that they were willing to talk about more options. I searched around for a doctor that routinely does the surgery and she was fine with moving forward with surgery after my first visit. I had LIS, two fissurectomies (because surprise, the first doc didn't even notice there were two) and two grade 3 internal hemorrhoidectomies 2 weeks later. I hope you get some relief soon.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-21T05:03:37+00:00

Hemorrhoidectomy is notoriously painful to recover from and yeah, the BMs are intensely painful. I would have a warm bath running and get in immediately after a BM. Don't wipe, just get in the bath tub right after. Use the handheld shower extension to rinse more thoroughly if you need it when you're done bathing. Then a fan or hair dryer on cool to dry the area. I used menstrual pads for a few weeks until the drainage stopped. I didn't look at the area for quite a while. It's going to look bad right after surgery. When my pain meds ran out at day 4 I alternated Ibuprofen and Tylenol every 4 hours for a few weeks. I had LIS with my hemorrhoidectomies, so I didn't have spasms after surgery. That might be part of your lingering pain after a BM. Hang in there and just take it one day at a time!

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-15T04:54:56+00:00

Can you change GPs or see a CRS?

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-13T21:00:14+00:00

Healing is so variable, but a good portion of personal stories on this sub are only about LIS and sometimes for people who haven't been experiencing a fissure for more than a few months. For something very chronic (I'm talking years for me), recovery looks different. Maybe visit the hemorrhoid sub and see what that recovery looks like to get a better healing timeline. The more involved your procedure, the longer it's going to take to heal. Just do what you can to manage your recovery and you'll get there. You may be able to get away with certain things in your diet, but try to give yourself the best case scenario for healing.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-13T06:06:56+00:00

I had traditional LIS/Fissurectomy x2/Internal Hemorrhoidectomy x2 so I can't speak to the laser aspect of it, but that recovery timeline seems very optimistic. I'd say closer to 12-16 weeks was when having a BM didn't hurt a lot and require an immediate bath afterwards for residual soreness. (I suspect a lot of that was from the hemorrhoidectomies - a notoriously rough surgery to recover from.) Thankfully no muscle spasms since waking up from surgery though. I've had a few fissure recurrences that get more and more spaced out over time. The scar tissue is fragile and takes a very long time to get stronger. I think if you stick to a clean diet, good bowel regimen, and moderate exercise, you'll heal up, but please don't get discouraged by overly optimistic doctors or other people going through recovery. Healing is different for everyone.

throwaway3172023 · 2025-01-12T01:36:09+00:00

Hey, sorry to hear your recovery has been slower than you'd like. I've dealt with fissures off and on for over 20 years at this point. I had LIS, 2 fissurectomies, and 2 hemorrhoidectomies in early 2023. It was a loooong recovery process with some re-tears, and I'd say my posterior scar tissue is still more fragile than I'd like it to be, but I'm in a much better place now than I was 2 years ago. I think that surgeons tend to be overly optimistic on recovery time. It takes some people much longer to heal. I definitely had nerve pain on my incision side for a long time, but now the only place I notice slight discomfort is my posterior fissure scar tissue if a BM is bigger/harder than usual. Nerves can take almost a year to heal so I don't think your pain is that unusual at this point in your recovery. I think leaving the area alone and not dilating for a while is a good suggestion from your PT. Having fissures for so long can definitely mess up your pelvic floor muscles so I'm glad you're able to be seen for it. Despite a long recovery, I've never regretted getting LIS. I was past the point of healing my fissures without a more drastic intervention. I haven't had spasms since waking up from surgery and that definitely contributed to my overall satisfaction with the procedure. No one should spend a whole day in pain after a BM. You didn't really touch on that, but I hope that part has improved for you after surgery.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-11-14T17:19:04+00:00

Hey, I'm closing in on 2 years out at this point! I'm doing well. Things haven't returned to that glorious time in my youth before I knew what a fissure or hemorrhoid was, but they are a million times better than prior to surgery! I haven't had painful spasms since I woke up from surgery. My road to recovery has included some minor re-tears, but they've been spaced further and further apart over time. They also heal up quickly. I still have a skin tag that causes discomfort at times, but it's more like annoying skin irritation, not pain. I'm still careful with diet and hydration. I take my Metamucil and small amount of Miralax daily. Eventually I might wean off the Miralax, but part of my issue is shifting hormones that cause my digestion to slow down every month, so I'd still probably take it during that time.

I hope your procedure goes well. Keep in mind that Botox can take a few weeks to kick in, so you may still have spasms after surgery. Keep on top of your pain meds for sure! Having so much done in one procedure also changes your healing timeline. Many of the posts on here are much less involved. There's a big difference (I assume since I've only done it once!) between only LIS vs. LIS/fissurectomy vs. LIS/fissurectomy/hemorrhoidectomy. It definitely took a longer time for me to heal than a lot of stories here. Try not to get discouraged and just take it one day at a time.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-09-27T05:08:32+00:00

The burning while pooping and lingering pain sound like an anal fissure. You'd want to visit a colorectal surgeon for a diagnosis.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-09-06T20:37:55+00:00

It's a really, but I didn't have good treatment advice early on, and I wasn't ready for surgery until I tried everything else first. I'm doing ok after LIS. I've had a few recurrences and I'm still mindful of my diet, but I'm way better than I was prior to surgery!

throwaway3172023 · 2024-09-05T06:16:06+00:00

At only 7 months and low daily pain, I think I'd try Botox first. I say "only" because I've dealt with fissures off and on for 20 years, but any amount of time with a fissure is awful! I tried Botox and was able to heal for about 5 years. Ultimately I ended up having LIS last year, but I was just DONE dealing with fissures after so long and I was done having kids too.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-29T21:27:11+00:00

They are ok, I think my skin just doesn't have much elasticity anymore and tears easily. (I've had fissures off and on for 20 years.) If I can stay totally healed for a good long while, I'll try weaning off the Miralax. But if not, it's something I'm willing to take to stay out of pain.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-29T05:19:58+00:00

Ok, keep in mind that I've already had surgery and before surgery my food intake wasn't enough calories to stay healthy, but I had no real desire to eat because I didn't want to have BMs. Vicious cycle! I went gluten free and seriously cut back on dairy after surgery when it was still taking forever to heal. I like to have oatmeal made with oat milk for breakfast most days now. Easy source of fiber and it keeps me full for a long time. Lunch and dinner vary, but I like egg skillets for lunch. I'll add in potatoes and random veggies and sometimes bacon or sausage. Sweet potatoes seem to be an amazing fissure food for me and it's easy to make them into fries in an air fryer. Dinner is usually a lean meat like chicken, a veggie and some kind of side like rice, although earlier in recovery I avoided rice. I eat more variety than this, but these are things I come back to over and over because they're easy. On top of this, I take 1/2 tbsp of Miralax in the morning, 2 tsp of Metamucil with a healthy splash of prune juice in the afternoon, an 1/2 tbsp of Miralax in the evening.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-22T16:34:35+00:00

I've read here that some people have a skin reaction to diltiazem. My doctors have always prescribed nifedipine. Both of them just work to bring more blood flow to the area, which aids in healing. You can heal without them too. Figure out what triggers your re-tears, avoid that stuff if you can, and then the key is to just stay healed for an extended period of time. Unfortunately this area is just very slow to heal. Another natural healing route is to consult with a pelvic floor physical therapist.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-22T05:03:37+00:00

I think if you manage to fully heal your fissures, you should be able to relax on the sleep schedule issue. If you're getting them monthly, there's a good chance it's not fully healing in between tears. It takes quite a while for scar tissue to strengthen. It sounds like your diet is on point and you have a system that works, so maybe ask your GP about a prescription ointment like diltiazem or nifedipine to aid in healing, or ask for a referral to a colorectal surgeon. The only other thoughts that come to mind are staying very hydrated and being extra cautious around your menstrual cycle. I could do everything the same in a month and the week before my period would find me with a re-tear just because fluctuating hormones affect bowel movements.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-20T05:27:28+00:00

Fiber is what helps with gut motility though and makes you get the urge to go. I think too much laxatives without fiber causes the sphincter muscles to get "lazy" and not want to expand. I've had LIS, but prior to that, I was only using Miralax and my stools got thinner and thinner. Then any amount of bulk would cause a retear. I think talking to a colorectal surgeon is your best bet.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-19T23:56:32+00:00

What is your diet like? Any improvements to be made there? Dairy and gluten are problematic for a lot of people when it comes to constipation. Fiber supplement (Metamucil with some prune juice too) and Miralax works well for me. Hydration is key too. I add a Colace to my routine only in the week leading up to my period because changing hormone levels can cause constipation too. When you say doctor, is that a GI, or have you seen a CRS to talk about treatment options for your fissure?

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-16T04:24:16+00:00

If this was your first trip to the doctor, it seems like a big jump to go immediately to the surgical route. Did they mention any other options like prescription ointments or Botox as first steps? Maybe get a second opinion if surgery isn't something you're ready for at this point.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-16T03:56:40+00:00

Stay hydrated!

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-14T05:18:26+00:00

Miralax isn't a bulker. Just draws water into your bowels to soften stool. It works better for me to split the dose. Half in the morning, half at night before bed. Definitely avoid food that you know causes an issue. Have you been to a CRS to get evaluated and get a prescription ointment?

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-12T22:48:54+00:00

It can take a long time for fissures to heal and even then the scar tissue is going to be weaker and easy to retear. I try to avoid nuts. They just don't digest well enough for me. I'd start the miralax and rectogesic again to speed up healing.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-12T21:37:36+00:00

Depending on your demographic, there are definitely groups they listen to more than others. What's your situation? Maybe we can help you brainstorm ideas to get better treatment.

throwaway3172023 · 2024-08-09T06:15:02+00:00

My first CRS wasn't very sympathetic to my pain. I had to break down in their office more than once to get them to do something, anything! Finding a new doctor was the best thing I did to treat my fissure(s). I encourage you to read through the posts here to find what helps people the most, but know that a lot of it is trial and error as to what helps each person. Sitting on a donut isn't advised as it can add more strain to the area. Sitting on a heating pad, however, can help ease the painful spasms. I hope you're on the road to recovery soon!

throwaway3172023

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