A Haemorrhoid Story

A HEMORRHOID STORY

My experience 3 months after my first operation, a haemorrhoidoctomy and 5 weeks after my second operation, a sphincterotomy. (And some advice).

I guess if you’re reading this, you’re considering hemorrhoid surgery, or you’ve had it and looking for answers your surgeon hasn’t given you. Hopefully this story may give you some answers.

My tale of woe started 12 weeks ago with a routine colonoscopy (which was fine), but the bowel prep the night before caused a haemorrhoid. The upper- gastro surgeon suggested we go back into surgery the following week and remove it, which we did, and this is where the problems started.

I went through 7 weeks of debilitating agony, blood & pus, although most of the blood & agony was in the first 2 weeks. This included 3 return visits to the surgeon, who assured me I was fine, and a trip to the hospital emergency department on Christmas Day, plus four visits to my GP.

Due to the yellow pus that started two weeks after surgery, both my GP and the surgeon thought I had an infection so prescribed 3 different types of antibiotics over the following weeks, none of which had any effect on the pus discharge.

At week 5 the upper gastro surgeon said I wasn’t healing as I should (I tried to tell him that at week 2) and sent me to get an MRI. The results came back at week 6 saying that I had an Anal Fistula. This was out of the upper gastro surgeons league, so he referred me to a Colorectal Specialist.

The colorectal surgeon stated that I required more exploratory surgery as he wasn’t convinced by the MRI that it was a fistula. He booked me in for surgery the following week, 7 weeks after the initial surgery. I was pleased to finally have the problem dealt with, although I was dreading going back under the scalpel.

So, week 7 and my second surgery. Colorectal guy goes in and does his stuff. After coming out of surgery the surgeon said that I didn’t have a fistula, but I did have a fissure caused by the initial surgery. He also debrided the original hemorrhoid surgery site, and performed a sphincterotomy, to help heal the fissure.

He assured me the pain would be nowhere near as bad as the first surgery - it was just as bad as the first.

I used a hand mirror and a torch when I got home to hav a look, and it was nasty; my entire buttocks and anus were black & purple with bruising where the forceps had pryed me open, and stayed that way for two weeks.

I was all the way back to square one - agony, blood, and once again yellow pus.

Another 3 weeks of laying on my stomach, showering after every BM, and sitting in a hot bath three times a day. The bleeding stopped after BMs on the second week, but once again the yellow pus started. Back to my GP and back on to antibiotics, with two days of intravenous antibiotics followed by two weeks of tablets - and once again it looks like they haven’t worked. I’ve had 3 swab tests done on the yellow pus discharge and all of them have come back negative to infection - which is confounding both my GP and the colorectal surgeon who is sure that there is no fistula that he could detect.

At week 4 after my second surgery the 3 sitz baths per day are now down to 1 each evening, and the pain level has dropped from agony to painful, down to very uncomfortably sore, especially when walking, sitting or laying down. I also had my first follow up visit with my colorectal surgeon. After some very painful probing he says the original hemorrhoid site which he debrided has nearly healed, but I still have a way to go and he’s still unsure about the pus discharge, although it does appear to be decreasing. His decision was to give it another 3 weeks to see what happens. If I improve, all good and well, if not ?

Im now at week 12 after my first surgery and week 5 after my second.

They yellowish pus discharge is still there but seems to be decreasing. No real pain during BMs but I’m certainly not healed. It’s still very uncomfortable to sit, lay down, or walk and very frustrated at the slow pace of healing.

Saw my GP today for a review. He said to stop taking the antibiotics as I’ve been on them now for just over three weeks, I’m now on Ibuprofen 3 times a day for a week as an anti inflammatory to see if that helps.

So far the antibiotics I’ve tried over the past 3 months are:

Metronidazole 200mg for one week,

Metronidazole 400mg for one week,

Metronidazole 5% cream for one week,

Cefriaxone 1g intravenous for 2 days, and

Clindamycin for 3 weeks.

All with little or no effect. My gut feeling is that it’s not an infection as they’re extremely rare with this type of surgery, but a natural, although uncommon part of the healing process. Scouring this site I’ve found numerous references to people having yellowish/pus like discharge for weeks, sometimes months after haemorrhoid surgery that eventually stops, but with no real explanation why.

I guess the next step for me will be when I see the colorectal surgeon in just under 3 week’s time. If my condition hasn’t improved, I’ll ask him to go in with a rectal camera which is less invasive than prying me open again with forceps.

Time will tell…..

A few things I’ve found helpful over these past few months:

1. Hot sitz baths are a god send. Three times a day for 15-20 minutes.
2. Showering after BMs is better than trying to wipe. Followed by a sitz bath.
3. Take Benefiber or it’s equivalent. 2 teaspoons in a glass each evening. In addition to this you can also take two Coloxyl tablets, at least for the first two weeks. They are both great stool softeners, and you’ll find yourself going to the toilet about 10 after getting up in the morning.

   4.Plain wet-wipes work much better than toilet paper when you’re able to wipe.

4. Consider cutting back on alcohol as it inhibits wound healing. I’ve been having a few zero alcohol beers each evening while having a sitz bath - not ideal, but better than nothing.
5. Use sanitary pads, especially in the first few weeks.
6. If you have chafing due to blood & other discharges, consider using Vaseline as it contains no steroids like most other creams.
7. Watch your diet - the last thing you want is constipation.
8. Don’t panic if you have bright red blood after BMs around week two, it’s quite normal. I was told it was due to the scab coming off the newly healing wound.

Finally: Don’t give up or give in to despair - you will heal.

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