Have dreaded this for 20 yrs. Going into surgery soon. Pls. respond

hi jbutt, have u done ur surgery? just did mine today and now recovering at home. I not only remove hems but also a big ball of polyp. apparent my hems are not big but the polyp is the problematic one. thank god, they are removed now.

all went well so far for Day 0 and I even pooped a little in the evening after dinner and NO PAIN during poop. probably because stool is very soft & little and also maybe because I took paceco tablet right before pooping. I also passed alot of wind while pooping. wonder is it because I drank 1 ltr of water during in recovery observation ward that I manage to poop on day 0.

Doc told me she only injected local anesthesia on area of incision. I have internal stitches as well as cauterized wound. After woke up from GA, i felt pain of scale 6-7. but within like 30 minutes, pain scale went down hill like maybe 2-3.

Doc said my local anesthesia will only last around 4hrs. it's been already 12 hours. and I can say my pain scale is 1 or 0.

Day 0 has been going well for me. I pray that tomorrow will be same or even better.

hope to hear your progress too.

Drug350,

Thank you for responding to me. I am trying to figure out how to P.M. you. I am new to this site and not computer savvy.

In my extensive research, I would never have the PPH. It is advertised to be less painful/shorter recovery time, but from what I have seen this is very much often not the case. The complications from PPH are quite severe and the recurrence rate is quite high after 10 years. It appears that people that undergo PPH or traditional surgery are in extreme pain for the same amount of time.

I eagerly pursued THD/Halo after my initial consult with first surgeon ( geeze, I would pursue anything to get these taken care of as painfree as possible). It was very hard to find a surgeon who performs this procedure close to me and they never called me back. My original surgeon also stated that he did not think i was a candidate for THD due to the size of one hem on the left and I also have rectal prolapse! He said in his opinion, it would not work, it would put me through a painful recovery for nothing and may make it more difficult to recover from the needed full hemorriodectomy I would finally have to have. This gave me some confidence in him.

One thing that made me pause. We only have about 5 colo-rectal surgeons in my very large city. Through research and repeated office visits, I discovered that each surgeon does one procedure and whichever surgeon you see, you will get the procedure that one does! My doctor's office has 2 colo-rectal specialist. I originally was scheduled to see Dr. Rameriz. My appointment was cancelled. I got a call later that week due to a cancellation and was scheduled to come in. I saw Dr. Buckberg. I had NO IDEA what I was facing. Long story short - Dr. Buckberg does excisional hemmoriodectomy. Dr. Ramariz does PPH. and regardless of what is best for the patient, THEY WILL NOT LET YOU SWITCH DOCTORS!

I have read so much and even though I am terrified, I think I would rather go with the full surgery ( one and done) than continue to try other options. Those options can hurt alot too!

Now, onto the drug dependency issue. I am so worried for you and me that we have a tolerance that the general public does not have. Added, I'm afraid to tell my doctor that I drink a bottle of wine every day, cause I'm scared he will not prescribe pain meds. Due to taking in these substances, we build a tolerance and the pain meds will not work as well. Very scary cause we do not know what we are going into.

My surgery was scheduled for 23rd, but they called and rescheduled for 28th. I was originally supposed to have it on the 17th and the repeated delays have not been good for my moral.

I will SO much be thinking about you on the 23rd. It is so scary, but once behind you,life will be better. If the pain meds do not work, do not be shy about asking for more!

much love and good vibes!

Thanks for getting back to me. I can't believe that "the doctor you have your appointment will do the surgery that he specializes in, irregardless if it's actually to your benefit". OMG !!!! I'd be running if they told me "you're with Dr. Ramirez and he does PPH so that's what you're getting". I believe PPH "can be" a good option for some, but the surgeon must be really good, have plenty of experience doing PPH, and it's got to be a good fit for the patient. From everything I've read, and talking to quite a few doctors, they say "if it's not done perfectly, you'll have a lot of problems". Everyone of them advised me to stay away from PPH, and go standard "open" or "closed" hemorrhoidectomy. My surgeon is doing a partially closed hemorrhoidectomy. There's benefits and drawbacks to each. "Open" has less post-op pain, but it's extended because the healing takes significantly longer to fully heal those open wounds. There's also less chance of infection with open, which surprised me. "Closed" has more post-op pain, but it's duration is shorter as the wounds heal in approximately 17 days. So it's a trade off I suppose. In Europe they do mostly "open", here in the US, it's mainly "closed". I guess my doctor is doing a hybrid, or "partially closed".

I really hate the way I'm treated whenever I have to bring up "being on Subutex/Suboxone". I feel I'm immediately placed under suspicion and looked at as "just another scumbag". I never had a problem with opiates. I've never touched a street drug. I was in a motorcycle accident years ago in the mid 90's. I was in ICU a month and laid up for over a year with a myriad of broken bones, including a broken neck. I was placed on Duragesic Fentanyl patch, eventually taking 300 mcg's. I never "came up short on my meds" or was any kind of problem to my doctors. But when I thru with my final surgery, some 3 years later, I no longer needed pain meds. My doctor weaned me down quickly to 50 mcg's of Duragesic, which at the time, was the lowest dose. 50 mcg's of Fentanyl is still alot. Today they make 12.5 and 25 mcg patches just as an example. When I got down to the 50 mcg, my doctor said "OK. You're at the bottom. You'll have to rough it out a little. It shouldn't be too bad." OMG!!!! I got so violently sick, I ended up in the ER for dehydration overnight and they put me on Buprenorphine or Subutex and released me the following day and had me see an addiction doctor. This doctor kept me on Subutex, and every time I tried to stop, it was absolutely miserable. I stayed with this doctor for well over 15 years. I was her easiest patient. Never tested positive. Never ran out of med's. I just could not get thru the withdrawals. I kept thinking "one day they'll come out with a cure", and so I take my Subutex / Suboxone every day, just like a vitamin. I'm on a super low dose, only 4 mgs daily. But I just can't take the withdrawals. My current doctor of the past year, (I moved out of state and with COVID my long-term doctor was unable to see me) says "you don't have an addiction problem. It's all in your head. You just need to stop". He's right about the addiction problem, but he's never gone thru WD's and thinks being at such a low dose, I can stop and not suffer much WD's. He's out of his freaking mind!!!!!

Sorry to be writing this "novel", but I am a very unique case. I'm not the typical "Suboxone patient". I wasn't using heroine, losing jobs, marriage, house, constantly relapsing. I've been married over 20 years. Two beautiful teenage daughters. Same great job the entire time, and I'm subject to Federal Random Drug Testing and have never failed one, because I don't use drugs. But because of this Suboxone, I'm always treated differently. I can't even get life insurance. I get turned down as soon as the insurance company does a check on my prescription fills. It sucks!!!!

I've told my surgeon that my doctor is switching me over to oxycontin tomorrow, so I will require constant opioid medications, not just for the pain, but to keep me from going into violent withdrawals. He assured me "they deal with opioid tolerant patients everyday and that you'll be sent home with everything you need". I'm going to confirm again on Thursday, prior to the surgery that we're on the same page because I will have to cancel if he plans on sending me home with "800 MG Ibuprofen". I'm more fearful of withdrawals than I am of the surgery, and that's saying a lot because this surgery has me scared to death.

I don't know if I'd tell your doctor about your alcohol use. You may be right. They may not want to prescribe you pain medication if they're worried about you drinking. I'd probably keep that to myself. I tried not disclosing my Suboxone prescription, but they pulled up the state controlled substance website and said "are you still taking Suboxone", so I had to come clean. But with surgery, I'd have to make them aware or they would not prescribe the proper pain meds not knowing I'm opioid tolerant.

How are you dealing with them postponing your surgery date like that??? I'm soooooo stressed out and anxious about it I'd probably lose it if it got changed, especially multiple times.

What are they going to do for your prolapse ??? Is it a "full" or "partial" prolapse (mucosal prolapse) ??? Or is it just the internal hemorrhoids that are prolapsed ???

Hi drug350,

It is alarming to me that my colo-rectal surgeon performs one procedure, his partner performs the other ( PPH) and I was told they will not switch patients. I have read a couple of posts where others came across this same dilemma. Fortunately, from my research, I think the closed hemorroidectomy is most likely the one best suited to my needs. My surgeon ( Dr. Buckberg) strongly advised against PPH - and that's what his partner does! I have not gotten very much information regarding what will be done to me when/if I have this procedure. He has only done a visual external exam. For the hemmies, he said he thinks he will be excising one or two on the left and suturing one on the right. For the rectal prolapse, I think he said they lift it and suture the mucasa/tissue ( ?) onto the back wall ( by the spine). He did state that he really cannot be sure what he will do until he gets in there and sees what is going on. My surgeon also told me that he did not think anyone performed the open ( Milligan/Morgan) procedure in the US.

So, it sounds to me like you are very lucky to have a surgeon that is tailoring your surgery to your specific needs. I wish I had the option of going to a well respected hospital with top notch surgeons. I do think mine is "good" at what he does, but more info would be nice.

Only pre-op instructions I was given was: no food after midnight, enema morning of and report to ----location at 10:00 am. At first, I was told I could return to work in 2 weeks, but after I explained my job, he said 4 weeks. He also said I should eat a normal diet post-op and when pressed, told me i should expect pain to be no more than 6/10.

He is using LigaSure equipment. I think this decreases post-op pain a bit. I wonder if your surgeon is going to use this too. And a long acting (exparil) sp(?) pain blocker, so should have no pain for 1-3 days after.

I am so sorry you are facing discrimination due to your Subutex/Suboxone maintenance. I do understand that the opioid epidemic caused changes in the way medical professionals view these types of medications ( and new restrictions!), but geeze! I mentioned that I am so anxious that I would like some anti-anxiety meds for the day of surgery and was treated like I was a skid row, drug seeking addict.

I have first hand experience with the affects of withdrawal. My very close girlfriend tried so hard and so many times to get off of methodone for a decade years ago. It was awful to witness.

I am glad and relieved that you (had to) disclose this with your surgeon. They are aware of your condition, so hopefully will be able to take the needed steps to aid your recovery. I can't imagine that you would not be given adequate medication to stave off withdrawal while recovering. I just hope they give you enough to manage pain during recovery. Do you think your normal maintenance regime will be sufficient after taking all the painkillers post-op?

Don't let yourself feel shamed/belittled due to needing Subutex/Suboxone. From what you wrote, you are successful in all areas of life and your meds just make it so you can continue to be.

I'm not doing well at all with the postponements! My second consult was postponed. When I finally got to see the doctor, I was ready to schedule, however; the person who schedules was on vacation, so had to wait 10 days to schedule ( no, they had no-one else that could schedule!). Was given a Sept.17 surgery date, but that was moved to the 23rd. Now told the 28th and all this time, all I'm doing is freaking out and googling! While my principal is putting intense pressure on me. I was in a much better mental state weeks ago.

I know you are scared. Your surgery is soon. It seems like you have taken all steps to prepare. It seems like your surgeon is highly qualified. You have a family to help you through this. Like I tell myself, it will be painful, but the pain will end. Your quality of life will improve SO much and most likely, you will never have to experience the pain of hemmies ever again. I'm wishing you so much luck.

and you think you wrote a novel 😃

You are VERY fortunate to be able to have access to The Mayo. when my son was 4 years old, he required open heart surgery. To make a long story short, I ended up choosing to take him to Comer's Children's institute in Chicago. I live in Virginia. The (very large) hospital complex was much like you describe Mayo. The whole city was built around it. It was the most efficient experience, with cutting edge technology and techniques, the most talented staff and so personal. My son's short and long term outcome were better than any doctor's here thought possible and his recovery was miraculous. Again, keep that in mind as you prepare for tomorrow. You are going to one of the best possible facilities AND it's close to home!

Your GP is an angel! I know this is a huge weight off your mind. if you feel your surgeon does not prescribe enough pain medication, maybe get her to prescribe some back up, just in case? If you get the experil or a pudental block, you may not experience pain until the weekend.

I'm glad you have had the opportunity to speak to someone that has gone through this and not had a very horrible experience. It seems like you are in a good place mentally, although you must be experiencing much anxiety. Please keep the positives in mind tonight and tomorrow. I very much hope to hear you say soon " this was the best decision I ever made!".

I will be thinking of you tomorrow. Do not worry about replying to me until you feel up to it or are just bored/want to "talk" to someone about your butt. everyone in my inner circle is kinda tired of hearing about mine!

Chin up. You are on your way to a much improved life!

Good Luck my friend!

Thank you so very much for the kind words. I do hope it all goes well and I can be a positive inspiration for you next week, and be able to honestly say "it wasn't that bad". I'll be 100% honest with you, good, bad, or horrible.

Yes. My GP took a ton of stress off of me knowing I can call her and she will help me out. She has a ton of experience with Subutex / Suboxone patients and she understands that the majority of doctors do not understand buprenorphine (the actual drug name in Subutex / Suboxone) and it's very unique qualities. It's not at all like methadone. Methadone is a full agonist opioid, just like morphine, fentanyl, oxy, hydro, etc...... Buprenorphine is completely different. It is only a partial agonist opioid, yet has the strongest affinity to opioid receptors. In other words, no other opioid will displace buprenorphine off your opiate receptors and because it's a partial agonist, it does not offer more pain control (or any if you are currently on it for awhile) the more you take. So it blocks other opioids from being able to attach to your receptors and this they will not offer pain control or any kind of "high". That's why it's such a great maintenance drug. You can't get high off of it like Methadone, and you can't overdose on it (unless you're completely opioid naive and take it). Take more, you get absolutely nothing but a bad headache. So it's a real problem when it comes to having surgery. Luckily my GP understands this and wrote my surgeon a letter explaining what needs to be done for me. If he doesn't feel comfortable prescribing stronger meds, like oxycontin, she will. So that's a huge relief to me.

Sorry for the long explanation.

I'm so happy your son is doing so well. If you have major issues, your choice of hospital can make a huge difference, as it obviously did in your son's case. That's wonderful.

My COVID test just came back negative, so I have to call in about 2 hours to find out what time I need to be at Mayo tomorrow morning. Depending upon the time, we'll either drive down tonight and get a room or drive down in the morning. I'll post as soon as possible. Thanks again for your support and kind words. I hope we both end up having successful, less painful, surgeries with no complications and a speedy recovery.

Welp, I was first up for surgery this morning @0630. I was obviously a nervous wreck but the nurse's, surgeon, anesthesiologists, and staff were soooooo nice and empathetic. They answered a million questions of mine and made me feel comfortable.

My surgeon explained his "partially closed hemorrhoidectomy" whereby after he removes the hemorrhoids he sutures it closed accept for the very bottom which he leaves open to allow "drainage". He said if you close it up completely it can fill, swell, and if it gets infected, it's got nowhere to drain, becomes incredibly painful like a boil, and they have to go back in to open it up.

He did not use ligasure, but uses a scissors type instrument.

I was completely knocked out, "general anesthesia".

He used two local anestitics, a short acting 6 - 8 hour immediate release and Experil which is a long acting.

He said multiple times after the surgery that he did not expect to see that much mucousal tissue prolapsed as he couldn't really get a good view during my exam in August, but that when he opened me up, there was A LOT of mucosal tissue that detached and the hemorrhoids were thrombosed. He said "I can see why you were having so much pain and bleeding. These were ALL internal hemorrhoids. I have no external hemorrhoids and he didn't have to touch much outside, just a little wound from the mucosal tissue that extended out my anus (I know gross. Sorry. Next paragraph explains more on this)

Unfortunately, I was born with a birth defect called "imperforate anus" whereby upon birth I had no "hole/exit" or anus I had to have surgery immediately upon being born to create an opening, and than two more surgeries in the following months along with "dilation" to avoid scar tissue and stenosis. He said this is what's caused my problems and I will require multiple surgeries in the future because my anatomy (anal canal, rectum, and anus) is not normal. I wasn't expecting to hear this, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's a birth defect.

The surgery took about 1 hour 20 minutes. Upon waking up in my recovery room, I was in a lot of pain. My wife said I was "squiriming" so much she had to leave the room because it made her feel so uncomfortable. They had to give me 3 doses of Fentanyl, 3 doses of Oxycodone, 3 doses of Toradol, and 3 doses of Ketamine over a 90 minute period until I finally stopped being in pain. The ketamine really helped a lot. I felt no relief after each opioid. Absolutely nothing. The outside of my butt felt numb and I had no pain, but inside about 1 inch I felt incredible pressure and pain.

After resting out a couple of hours and getting my "bearings" I got up and walked to the bathroom. I was able to pee without any problems. I was quite surprised. I also felt ZERO pain and COMPLETELY numb. I felt so good, I swear I could've gone to work, and it's not because "I was high". I really wasn't at this point. It was the local anestitic that had me feeling absolutely ZERO pain. None. Nada. Nil. If I could be so lucky as to feel like this the next two weeks, I'd be in heaven. I have NO pain. It's 100% because I'm completely "numb" and I honestly can't feel ANYTHING down there. I can't even stop my peeing or squeeze my sphincter muscles shut. It's completely numb. Not to be gross but I cant even feel my testicles. They're numb. It's crazy.

So it's 4:30 PM now and I'm just as numb as I was this morning. I feel ABSOLUTELY ZERO PAIN WHATSOEVER. I haven't taken any pain killers whatsoever as I don't need them. To anyone going through this type of procedure, I would strongly advise you find a surgeon who uses these local anestitics/Experil. I know it's early, and I'm not too naive to believe "this is going to be pain free", but I never in a million years anticipated feeling ZERO pain. It's absolutely AMAZING!!!!

Well I'll update this as the hours and days move along. I'm so hoping this may turn out positive but it's wayyyyyy too early to draw any conclusions. Stay tuned. Tomorrow could be the complete opposite.

Feel free to ask any questions.

I am so glad all went well with your surgery and that you are home and pain free! i was thinking of you frequently this morning and praying that you were able to keep your anxiety at bay and for a successful surgery. Good to hear that your medical team was comforting and informative.

Get plenty of rest, please don't over-do it. I will write again tomorrow, if for nothing else, to give you something to read 😃

Congratulations!

Thanks a lot !!!!! It's 8 PM and I'm STILL completely numb, feeling absolutely NOTHING. Not to be gross, but I can't even tell if a pass gas. I feel nothing. I'm SOOOO glad you're getting that Experil too. As of right now, I'd strongly recommend it. It's nothing short of amazing.

Now for some not so good news. With the assumption that at some point this weekend, when this Experil wears off, that I will face some severe pain, my surgical team let me down on the pain medication. I made it clear to them "I'm opioid tolerant" and on Suboxone. They sent me home with a total of (8) oxycodone 5 MG's for pain every 4 hour's, which will offer me less pain control than an "81 mg baby aspirin". In fact, I told the wife "don't even take it out of the bag as I wont be bothering to use it. It's completely useless to me being on Buprenorphine/Suboxone. So my choice is to deal with withdrawals or suffer in pain and I'll ALWAYS avoid withdrawal at any price. So pain is going to have to be my only friend, unfortunately.

I wrote my surgeon a very negative message regarding his statement of "taking care of me and sending me home with the proper pain meds", as promised. I asked him: so, for your opioid tolerant patients, who have not simply mild pain, but moderate to severe pain, you prescribe them 5 MG Roxicodone/Oxycodone ??? My teenage daughter who had her wisdom teeth removed this summer received this exact prescription, 5 mgs oxycodone, and she's obviously NOT opioid tolerant or on Buprenorphine. Do you honestly believe I will receive ANY pain control from this medication ???

So now I have to reach out to my primary care doctor tomorrow and hope she's willing to do something for me. Tomorrow is Friday, and I know this Experil will be wearing off by tomorrow night or early Saturday morning, and I will most likely start to feel some pretty decent pain. I'm scared to death now and getting stressed out by the minute because reaching anyone over the weekend will be impossible. My only hope would be my local emergency room, but just as my anesthesiologists and surgeon did, I'm sure I'll be looked at as: "the scumbag drug addict looking to cop some drugs" so I won't even lower myself to going there. I really hope the pain isn't too bad as all I have is Tylenol and alcohol to use.

It is good to hear that you are completely numb atm, but I believe your concerns are more than valid. My daughter had her wisdom teeth ( impacted, two lower ) and was given 12 oxycodone ( I don't know strength, but it was the lowest) and a few valium for anxiety.

Even if you were not tolerant, that is not enough for 2 days. Given the amount of pain medication it took to achieve some relief when you woke from surgery, I think this is highly inadequate. I'm not sure oxy is the best pain relief for this surgery. My doctor said he would prescribe perocet or percodan. I don't know if this would be any better. He also said he was prescribing an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant. When I asked about how much medication I would have acccess to, because like you, my biggest fear is being in agony with no recourse, he answered "as much as they will allow me." I believe "they" meant the pharmacy. Although comforting at the time, it really is not a definitive answer.

I am SO glad you have your GP as a secondary option. She is familiar with you personally, so hopefully, she can assist you during the next few weeks. Please share all your concerns with her, first thing in the morning. If i was you, I would not be shy about demanding to speak to her tomorrow and letting her know your situation. What your surgeon gave you is a joke.

Unfortunately, my personal opinion is that the ER would not be much help. This is one of my big concerns, as my GP just retired. My vision of the need for the ER is a nightmare drive, while in extreme pain, followed by many hours in the waiting room. I'm afraid that once finally seen ( our ER has very long wait times), they really won't do anything for me and send me home.

Would that limited amount of oxycodone be enough to keep you from withdrawals? Will the surgeon at least offer refills?

I don't want to feed into your panic. Maybe none of these things will happen to you and you will manage okay. I haven't even had the surgery and these are things that more than concern me about my recovery. As a long time daily drinker, I think I have increased tolerance to anesthesia and pain medication, so even though I am not you, I understand. I also worry about more liver damage with the amount of medication required to recover.

In my profession, it is very true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If ever there was a situation where you should be that wheel, I think this is it.

I read on here that gabapentin could add in pain relief. I didn't really believe it, because I was prescribed this ( and discontinued it) for an unrelated issue. Since I have a bunch in my medicine cabinet, I did ask my surgeon about it. He didn't discount it. He said that he doesn't routinely prescribe it, but does in specific cases. Just some info for you. I also asked him why I could not get additional experil shots. He said "That would require me to inject a large needle (s) into the surgery site and you do not want me to do that!). I'm thinking maybe I would!

Sorry for rambling. I know i don't know you in person, but i am very concerned about you, worried about you and hope for the best outcome for you.

Please put your self-shame aside. By your writing, I can tell you are a very intelligent person. You also come across as honest, caring and real. Regardless of how the medical community reacts, and they react that way to just about anyone asking for any meds on the "no-no" list, you know who you are. In my opinion, your maintenance medication is no different than a diabetic needing insulin or me, needing blood pressure meds. It is a fact of life, due to how our bodies function.

You are better than me. I abstained from any alcohol for three days. But, I have now drank 2 glasses of wine, due to an emotional distressor. I know I will pay for it. Please think long and hard before you drink alcohol during your recovery. You may not be like me, but alcohol exacerbates my hemorrhoids horribly.

BTW, I have experience with imperforated anus. I work with disabled children. As a congenital defect, this was always one of the lowest concerns, just like next to webbed toes! None of the developmental pediatricians were ever concerned about lasting difficulties after early childhood repair. Good to know on a professional basis.

I'm not really religious, but praying for you tomorrow. Maybe take some tylenol and ibuprofen tonight, just in case.

Take care.

Thank you SOOOO much for taking your time to post. I really appreciate it !!! Hopefully I can make you feel better about your up procedure. I cannot say enough great things about this Exparil. After getting my pain under control post-op recovery, I have been literally 99% pain free. I am so numb down there I actually worked out (not advised) for 2.5 hours last night lifting weights doing chest and triceps. I had Zero pain. I haven't touched my small dose of Oxycodone yet. I haven't needed to. Just taking Advil and Tylenol just in case.

Here it is Friday night, roughly 38 hours post op. I still am numb throughout down there and are pain free. The Exparil is still working great. I'm not as numb as 24 hours ago, but enough to be virtually pain free. I walked 3 miles today and went shopping. I do have bloody drainage and have to keep gauze between my legs and wear these "knit stretch briefs" under my underwear or I'll easily bleed thru. It is a little bit gross, and maybe I am "over doing it" and making this worse. My wife certainly believes so. I have not had a BM although I've been trying. I've taken several doses of Dulcolax last night and today along with Colace but I have zero urge to "go". I want to get this 1st BM over with while this Exparil is keeping me numb. I may need to drink a bottle of Magnesium Citrate soon if things don't change. I'm eating a regular diet so I should "go".

My GP got back to me right at 5 o'clock and phoned in a new script for 16 qty 10 mgs Oxycodone so I'm very appreciative of her help. She said "it's ridiculous that they gave you 5 MG's Oxy and only 8". She was soooooo nice to me. I haven't taken any Oxy and I hope I don't have to but I have them available just in case which really relieves my anxiety. I also have Gabapentin on hand which, like you said, should help me if needed.

Unfortunately, my surgeon said my birth defect, imperforate anus, and the surgeries required as a baby, is the cause of a lot of my problems. He said my internal sphincter is incredibly high and my anal canal is very short because of the imperforate anus. He said I'll require multiple surgeries in the future as there's still more hemorrhoids and tissue that will need to be addressed in the future. He did not want to remove any more tissue as absolutely necessary in this surgery because he said that could cause me other problems, including fecal incontinence. That's something l 100% want to avoid at all costs. So I'm glad he's taking the conservative route, even though it means more days like yesterday 😭😭😭😭.

So I'll post again tomorrow, Saturday, and let you know how I'm doing. If yours goes anything like mine, you should do great. I'm SOOOO glad to hear that your doctor is using Experil as well. Z's

How are you doing Drew? I hope you are managing okay.

Thanks for asking. I'm in pain and thank God for my wonderful, empathetic, GP. For her to call me on the way out the door, Friday @5 PM, and phone in a script, all on her own, was wonderful. I don't know I'd feel without having this pain med (straight Oxy 15 MG). I still have pain, but it's absolutely bearable and nothing I'm screaming at. If you feel similar, you'll be just fine. The only time I have a lot of pain is if I have to "tense up", like sneeze or cough. OMG. That freaking hurts.

The anesthesia definitely stopped or slowed my intestinal tract down. Big time. But that's to be expected from what everyone has told me. Between Thursday night and Saturday night, I took at least a 7 doses of Dulcolax, Colace, drank a full bottle of Magnesium Citrate and than at 10 PM I took Milk of Magnesia. They sat when you start passing gas, your intestines are starting to work again (I know gross - sorry). Mine started working around midnight Saturday night. My last BM was late Wednesday night. Because my stomach or intestines were moving a lot, I couldn't sleep. At 4 AM I finally was able to go. I had to push hard for a bit, and pass a small solid stool, but immediately afterwards, it was all loose and I was done in 5 minutes. While it did hurt initially, passing the solid, once that was done, the rest was simple. In fact, not to be gross, but I'm actually trying for very loose stools. There's virtually no pain at all and I'm home. It's not like "I have the sh*ts" going every hour. I just went today, and it was easy. All loose. Done in 2 minutes absolutely no pain. I'd prefer this for now so I'm going to continue the laxatives and Colace. I'm sorry if this is TMI, but you may very well want to do something similar because it made BM's a breeze. Just gotta wait for the intestinal tract to wake up from the anesthesia. Once it does, you'll go, and should have no issues going from than on.

I am still bleeding. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just what's to be expected. I wear the gauze between my legs and wear the gauze undies they sent me home with. No big deal, but you will probably bleed and drop throughout the day.

So I'm actually doing pretty good. I'm not depressed. I'm not in any kind of excruciating pain. I am glad I went thru with this and so far, I have no regrets. One thing I absolutely recommend, especially if you take lots of laxatives and stool softeners: DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. 1 galling a day at least. Trust me. Your BM's will be much, much, easier. Do not forget this. Lay the water out each day if need be to remind yourself. I can't stress this enough. If you don't, and you take the laxatives and stool softeners, and if it takes you 3+ days to have your 1st BM, OMG it's going to be hard as a rock and I could NOT imagine trying to pass that. With the sutures down there, it feels soooooo freaking tight. I tried to give myself an enema yesterday when I couldn't go, and I couldn't even get the tip inside. It feels that freaking tight. So passing a large stool would feel like what I would imagine giving birth to a 15 pound baby might feel like. It'll hurt like hell. DRINK YOUR WATER!!!!!

I believe you'll do great. When is your surgery this week ??? Please let me know. I'm pulling for you and want to support you through this.

I'm so glad and encouraged that your pain is bearable and you are in a good mental state! You are now more than half way through the worse week of your recovery! I agree that you should continue with the Dulcolax, Colace and anything else needed to keep b.m.s really loose, especially with the oxycodone.

When preparing to get ready for surgery last week, I pretty much went on a semi liquid diet. That and spinach seemed to really help with soft, easy b.m.s. Now, I think I overdid it on fiber and am so bloated and uncomfortable, so maybe lay off on increasing fiber too rapidly.

Please believe me when I say nothing is too "gross" for me, at this point. I really appreciate your candor and willingness to share your experience with me.

I was supposed to get my surgery tomorrow morning (28th), but I cancelled for the immmediate future, but not sure if I can continue to work like this. I'm in quite a bit of discomfort and kind of wishing I had not postponed, but we can talk about me later - would really like your insight after you recover on my "plan" etc.

I hope today has gone as well as the last 3-4 for you and that tomorrow is even better. Yours definitely does not sound as bad as most of the horror stories on this site. And again, bless your GP! Also, your seemingly talented surgeon.

Thank you for replying to me while you are going through this! I have and continue to look forward to your updates.

Oh I'm sorry to hear you canceled, but I'd never judge you. I almost did many times myself. I kept going back and forth, but I had gotten the time off from work and my wife was pushing me to get it done along with my family, so I felt rather compelled to go thru with it. Honestly, if it wasn't for all of them pushing me, and the time off from work taken care of, I'd have canceled or postponed.

Today the pain has been the worst yet, day 4. It's pretty constant, but nothing that's horrendous. It's absolutely "doable" and when it did get worse, a quick sitz or jump in the tub, and the pain quickly disappeared. The hot water truly is a miracle with this surgery. It can take away all the pain. Crazy. I know. But it's nice knowing you always have this option when it gets bad. If I tense up at all, sneeze, cough, stand up, walk, it hurts a lot more. You involuntarily squeeze down there or tighten up and it really does hurt. I instantly feel the sutures and tightness and it does hurt. But it's not horrendous, excruciating, pain whatsoever. Nothing that you can't handle. My GP told me "says 4 & 5 are generally the worst after surgery" so today was 4 and tomorrow's 5, so I'm hoping I turn a corner come Wednesday and things start to get better. I'll be out of Oxy by Wednesday and I'm truly hoping not to be requiring or requesting a refill.

Any time you want to talk or you lock in a date, please let me know. While this surgery "ain't no joke", I would say it's not as bad as I anticipated and you can definitely work thru the pain with different things. The sitz bath or bath tub truly takes away 90% or more, even 100% of the pain, so you always have that to fall back on. I know the majority of posts are really negative but in my case, it's not as bad as expected. I really haven't been in a situation where I was in excruciating pain or crying because of it. If you can just relax at home, heal, not move around a lot, the pain is more "nagging" than anything. Drink tons of water and keep your stools soft, even liquid, and they won't hurt very much at all. You definitely do NOT want to have to pass a large stool. OMG !!!! I swear that would be like having a 15 pound baby. I'll keep posting.

OK. So last night was Monday night. My surgery was the previous Thursday morning. I had a lot of pain on Monday early on and thru the afternoon but it really started to subside Monday night. I slept great Monday night and woke up this morning, Tuesday, feeling the best I've felt since Thursday or Friday when the Exparel had me numb. I feel GREAT !!!!! I have virtually no pain down there and I'm able to walk normally again. I "believe" I've turned a corner and can't wait to see how I feel in another 24 hrs. I'm going outside to mow the lawn now, which is something I didn't think I'd be able to do for at least 10 days. So let my story be a "positive" one for those, like myself, who was petrified of this surgery. Honestly, with the Exparel keeping me pain free for the first two days, and now feeling pain free on Day 5, I only had two days of feeling pain, and the Oxycodone made that totally 100% bearable, along with the sitz / tub baths. I'll continue to post, but this is NOT at all what I expected. This has been significantly easier and less painful than I ever thought would be possible. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

Oh my, mowing the lawn?! Please take it easier on yourself. You don't want to un-do the healing.

Your recovery journey does give me hope. I know how apprehensive you were going into this and it seems like the worse ( which wasn't as bad as we both anticipated) is behind you. I'm almost jealous!

Sorry you were in pain. From your descriptions, it wasn't much worse than surviving an incarcerated, thrombosed hemmie or two. That is something I never want to go through again. So glad you may have turned the corner this soon! I hope tomorrow is another positive day for you.

Oh, I so understand the coughing/sneezing/passing gas/movement etc. increase in pain. EVERYTHING affects the core of the body, especially in the bum area! You've taken the biggest step towards correcting the problems.

Hoping for a great day for you tomorrow.

Well, I guess maybe I did too much. I felt great this morning. Pain-free. So I mowed my lawn and did some walking around town, than went to my daughter's volleyball game. But I had to leave after the first game. I was so uncomfortable and the pain came back pretty good. Nothing excruciating. Nothing horrendous. Just very uncomfortable. I'm still "draining" down there so it gets "wet" and I hate to say it, a little bit nasty. Add a lot of walking and an open wound on the outside of my anus from the mucosal resection, and you get "raw" or a rash and it's incredibly uncomfortable and really starts to hurt. Trust me. It's nothing that should persuade you from having this surgery. It's just something that you'll need to be aware of and "not over do it". I'm positive that if I didn't mow the lawn and do all this walking, and had stayed on the couch a lot more today, I would've avoided this pain, rash, etc.... and probably would still be feeling as good as I did getting up this morning. So now I know, I need to just take it a little bit easier and not try to rush things.

Please keep me posted on your surgery date. I really want to be here to support you and keep you in a positive frame of mind. It really isn't "that bad" or as bad as a lot of posts we read. Like my surgeon reminded me: "there's plenty of people who sail right thru this surgery and are back to normal quickly, but you won't read these stories because they're not going to post. The people that had a difficult time are going to post a lot more because that's human nature." Remember that. Because I allowed that to take over my life and allowed it to completely stress me out. All I expected was 100% unbelievable, excruciating pain and misery that would drag on for at least two weeks. I took off a full month because I was so scared. In reality, I'll be off 10 days in all likelihood. So keep thinking positive. Get this done if it's truly bothering you on a daily basis. You'll be just fine and so glad afterwards.

I think you definitely did too much. Would it be possible for you to let the area air dry for awhile? There are bed pads you can buy to protect your mattress, or just use towels.

I'm amazed that you are able to go out and about, let alone do physically challenging chores so soon. I think you must have a high pain threshold. However, if you feel better tomorrow, it might be a good idea to just take it easy for a few days. Can't do any harm.

I too expect nothing but 100% debilitating, excruciating pain that there is no escape from. You have helped temper my fears.

I'm having a hard time today/tonight. Hems giving me a difficult time and tomorrow will be especially challenging at work.

I hope you were able to get the pain down to a minimum today and that tomorrow is even better. Take it easy tomorrow! You will most likely heal faster!

I am going to need to get this done soon. Today was no fun at work. I don't know how your hemorriods affected your life pre-surgery. Mine affect everything I do, every day.

Please be there to help support me through it. Like everyone else, I am very scared, but also for me, I have to arrange time off that involves a substitute and my surgeon cancelling creates additional problems.

Anyway, it's late. Thank you for the update. I pray for your continued recovery often ( although I'm spiritual but not religious). Hope to hear good news from you very soon! Don't continue to over-exert yourself!

Jbutt, this bleeding or oozing is constant, all day and night. It's not a lot, but it's constantly wet. The hospital gave me knit briefs to wear, which I did the first 4 days, but I ran out. So I use cotten gauze between my legs most of the time and I've had to put a clean towel down on the bed each night. My surgeon told me to expect this and that it's normal. He did a partially closed hemorrhoidectomy leaving the bottom of the wound open to drain so it's going to continue to drain for up to 8 weeks, although it should become just spotting after 2 - 4 weeks. The area's where I excised redundant mucousal tissue was "cauterized", though there's still some draining from here as well.

So I've been off my maintenance dose of Suboxone / buprenorphine since Friday. Because of the very long half life, Suboxone WD's usually don't start until at least 48 hrs, and closer to 72 hrs. So I was on 10 MG's of Oxycodone every 6 - 10 hours Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and I felt OK. But I was awoken @5 AM this morning, Wednesday, in a puddle of sweat. Soon after the nose running, eye's tearing, non-stop yawning, restless legs, and than the "creepy crawly under skin" feelings kicked in. I knew immediately I was starting to withdraw so I took 10 MG's of Oxy and climbed back into bed, but had to immediately get up. I was too uncomfortable, fidgety, and all of the above things continued to get worse. I waited 30 minutes for the Oxy to kick in, thinking it would relieve me, but nothing. I took a 5 MG Oxy and waited another 30 minutes. This should work I thought. Wrong. Absolutely nothing, but more WD's. I took another 5 MG's of Oxy ,so 20 MG's total, in 1 hour. Waited 30 minutes

No relief. I took my last 10 MG's of Oxy along with 2 Codeine #3's I had from last year's knee surgery and finally, got out of WD's. With the Suboxone pretty close to being out of my system, it took 30 MG's of Oxy and 60 MG's of Codeine to get me out of withdrawas. OMG just this beginning of WD's reminded me quickly why I've stayed on Suboxone for over two decades. I'd seriously rather go thru this surgery 10 times than go thru withdrawals once. It's absolutely miserable. So I was able to fall back to sleep around 8 AM and woke up at 11 AM. I felt fine. I'm not having much pain from the surgery, as long as I don't do too much. It drains constantly, all day, and because of this, and the open wound that stretches internally to externally, it gets very "raw" and when it does, it starts to really hurt. Nothing that requires pain killers or anything like that. It just limits what you can do. Sitting on it hurts and walking around a lot hurts, but I can now sneeze, cough, etc... and not be in pain. I feel it down there, but it's not really painful.

So by 3 PM, I could feel the withdrawals starting all over again. Same as 10 hours prior. I'm out of Oxy and don't require them for pain any longer so I needed to transition back over to my Suboxone per my GP. Suboxone, or buprenorphine, is very, very tricky. You need to go thru an "induction period" with it. If you take Suboxone too close to the opioids you were using, it will put you instantly into "precipitated withdrawals", which is full on, as bad as withdrawals can get, virtually instantly, all on, hard-core withdrawals. It's absolutely miserable, and if it happens, there's not much you can do to get out of this full on withdrawal but wait it for hours or take very high doses of another full agonist opioid (fentanyl, heroine, Oxy, etc...) So you must be in the early to mid stages of withdrawal to start taking Suboxone / buprenorphine for it to actually work properly. Luckily for me, having taken Oxycodone instant release (not Oxycontin Extended Release), the half life is short, and I was able to start the induction of Suboxone less than 12 hours after my last dose of Oxy. To be safe and sure I wouldn't go into precipitated withdrawal, I started with a measly half a milligram of Suboxone. Waited 30 minutes. Felt nothing either way, no relief from the withdrawals I was feeling, but no stronger precipitated withdrawals either. So I took another half a milligram, waited 30 minutes. Same exact thing. No relief from withdrawals, but no precipitated withdrawals either. So I took 1 MG of Suboxone (2 MG's total) and waited 30 minutes. I started to feel slightly better and less withdrawals, so I knew precipitated withdrawal would not be an issue now so I took another 2 MG's of Suboxone, for my total daily maintenance dose of 4 MG's. Within 30 minutes, I felt 100% normal and the best I've felt prior to surgery a week ago. Suboxone is an amazing drug. It doesn't get you "high" but because it's a partial agonist, not full agonist like all other opioids, it tricks the brain into believing it's getting its required or desired opioid. It has an incredibly long half life so you could go two days in between dosing and still not go into withdrawals. So you don't have to worry about "yo-yoing" back and forth into WD's. It also has the highest binding affinity to your opioid receptors, meaning if you take other opioids, they won't do anything for you. You won't get high. Therefore when your on it, there's no incentive or reason to take other opioids because you won't get high. It's a pretty amazing drug and has saved thousands of lives. The only downside of it is, it's extremely difficult to get off of. What makes it great for maintenance, it's extremely long half life, is also what makes it extremely hard to get off of. That's why many say "you're only trading one addiction for another" and in a way, they are correct. But the stability of Suboxone has allowed me to maintain an excellent, high paying, job, beautiful house in the suburbs, provide for my wife to be a "stay at home mom" and raise two successful, beautiful daughters. So I have no apologies to offer. I've never "relapsed" or tested positive in the hundreds of randoms I've had over 20+ year's. I'm convinced I'll be on Suboxone for the rest of my life or until the pharmaceutical industry creates a new drug that alleviates all withdrawal symptoms. I'm sorry to post all of this "suboxone / buprenorphine information here, but it might help someone in a similar situation as myself. That's my only reason for including it. Please accept my apologies in advance if I'm wasting your time.

So it's the end of Wednesday, basically a week post-surgery, and I have no regrets. The pain, while bad for a few days, was NOTHING close to what I anticipated. I could go thru this surgery again (and probably will according to my surgeon) and I would not be too worried about it.

Jbutt, you'll be just fine. If you're daily life is being hampered by hemorrhoids and / or mucousal prolapse, I'd highly recommend you do it. You said your surgeon is going to use Exparel, and that stuff is FANTASTIC. You're first 2 - 3 days should be relatively painless. You won't feel anything down there. The following 2 - 4 days will probably be your worst, but with some pain meds, it isn't too bad at all. If it starts to get really bad, jump in a hot bath or use a sitz bath and it's a miracle. It literally takes away 95%+ of the pain. Take your Dulcolax, Colace, and / or whatever other laxatives or stool softeners they give you. Drink plenty of water. Keep your stools loose if possible, or soft if not. Do not get constipated or allow yourself to have large, hard stools. I've never been soooooo happy to have "loose stools" in my life. It made the BM's a breeze with very, very, little pain. You can do this. Don't keep putting it off. If you get it done soon, you won't have to worry about being down over the holidays. Please let me know if you get scheduled.

Lastly, my doctor got back to me today as I inquired about my really poor, out of range test results from the Anorectal Manometry I had done August 13th. I wanted to know if these poor results were caused by my prolapsing hemorrhoids and mucousal prolapse OR if there is an issue, than the surgery would've just taken care of the symptoms but not the cause, leaving me open to being in the same situation in the future. In other words, I asked her if I re-take the test, after having this surgery, would the numbers now be normal ??? Doctor said the test revealed I have an "evacuation disorder" and that the surgery would not fix this. She wants to take a 2 week physical therapy course which tries to re-train your pelvic floor muscles, sphincter muscles, and teach you thru bio-feedback basically "how to poop properly". You than use the equipment at home for another 6 - 12 weeks to continue your progress. It's pretty invasive and intimidating, and while she believes it will help me, because of my birth defect, it's possible it wont change anything. I'm going to have to think about it, but I'll probably give it a chance. Anything to avoid, or postpone, another surgery is worth it to me.

Here's the information on the program.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/physical-medicine-rehabilitation/news/unique-intensive-curriculum-helps-patients-retrain-pelvic-floor-muscles/mac-20506013

Yes, even though I have not had the procedure yet, when really inflamed, which is frequent, I have a clear odorless discharge and/or a blood tinged oozing that seems worse at night. I have found sleeping commando to help with the pain,irritation and swelling somewhat.

You did not bore me in any way with your description of the challenges you face on your maintenance medication. I found your writing educational. I'm really sorry you had to go through some withdrawal, but overall, you survived and got it under control fairly quickly. Originally, your fear of withdrawal exceeded your fear of the surgery ( if I remember correctly ) and you have overcome that too! I think your recovery is remarkable and am so happy for you.

If I could be guaranteed the same course as you, I would do it in a heartbeat. It terrifies me to read other posts where people wish for death or contemplate suicide due to the agony. I know these may be exaggerated, but even my surgeon's office told me "You cannot go into this surgery unless you are fully prepared for it" - not sure what that means, but it sounds ominous. I also had a gastro doc tell me to avoid this surgery at all cost years ago. But, living this way....from what you have shared with me, your post operative pain isn't much worse than what I live through daily (without pain meds). I could never think about mowing the lawn. I can only take my small, well behaved dog on short walks when I'm having a good day. All the things I used to enjoy, I can't do now. Camping, hiking, day/weekend trips with the kids ( young adults), shopping sprees with my daughter, boating, gardening etc., I cannot enjoy anymore. All I can manage to do is make it through work and come home to medicate my hems to go to work again. Were yours this bad before surgery?

Sorry to ramble. I want to be you! I want to be a week post op and thriving ( or at least alive and not in excruciating pain). A life without constant hemorriod pain is number one on my wish list.

One thing that threw me for a loop. My BIL went into surgery for his gall bladder removal in July. While in there, his doctors discovered liver cancer. He died Sept. 4th. My SIL died last February from liver failure. They were both my same age. Although they both drank more than me, we have/had all drank for decades. So, I'm worried about how the high levels of pain medications will affect my liver.

I'm so thrilled for you. You are through the worse. I think your surgeon left the partial "open hemorriodectomy" to avoid stenosis and infection.

Maybe some of the horror stories are from people from other countries that may not have the same medical care advantageous that we do?

Also, I looked at the link you sent me regarding physical therapy. The pelvic floor exercise can't hurt. Not sure if I would opt for the rest or not. I think more research is warranted and see how you are once fully healed.

At least you know you can live through rectal surgery! I hope you do not have more surgeries in your future, but if you do, at least you won't be as anxious as this first time.

I hope you had a good day.

Jbutt, after reading your last post, I think you really need to get this done. If you're missing out on this much of your life, unable to go shopping with your kids, for example, you need to get this done. It isn't "that" bad. I'm sure it's better for some, and worse for others, but from reading your post, honestly, I don't believe you have a choice. If you're life is this consumed by the pain and inconvenience of these hemorrhoids, than you need to get through this. I allowed myself to concentrate on all the negative posts for months prior to my surgery and it created so much undo stress and anxiety that that's all I could think of daily, was this surgery and how I was going to overcome the pain. Obviously with my Suboxone use, it added a s**t ton more worries. Looking back now, I wish I hadn't spent so much time reading negative post after negative post. I'm glad I gained a lot of insight into "things you should buy or have on hand", ala Colace, Dulcolax, Sitz Bath, donut pillow, etc.... but I wish I hadn't read, and focused in on, all the negativity. I know this is hard to believe, but thousands of people go through this surgery and NEVER post anything. The people who have positive experiences are very rarely going to take time to post. But the people who had a bad experience, are much more likely to post and complain about the surgery. It's just human nature. It's why I'm continuing to post, both here and on other site's, including YouTube, of my own experience. I hope it might help someone that was similar to me, absolutely scared to death of this surgery, and let them know "it's not great, but it's not anywhere near as bad as I expected".

I'm on day 8 post op. Friday, my surgery was last Thursday. I did a bunch of walking yesterday and I had only my 2nd BM in a week. First was Sunday at 4 AM, my second was yesterday, Thursday at 11 AM. Luckily because of my Colace use, it was pretty easy. All on the loose side again, and I was ecstatic (crazy, right). I hope to get a lot more "regular" soon as I normally go each day, especially because I'm a huge user of "caffeine". I take 225 MG's each morning getting out of bed and to get my day going. This almost always sends me to the bathroom within the first hour of getting up, but I haven't been taking very much the last week because of my surgery and medications. I work for the railroad, an engineer, so I'm on call 24/7 and never go to work or to sleep at the same time twice. It's an incredibly difficult lifestyle and I get caught "short" (not getting enough sleep) on a weekly basis, so I live on caffeine (LOL).

As far as you're question asking "if mine (hemorrhoids) were that bad before surgery" go, my hemmoroids were all internal. I had no external hemmoroids at all. So mine only bothered me once a day, and that was when having a BM. They would prolapse outside and bleed profusely. My toilet bowl looked like a "fruit punch bowl". I kid you not. It was completely blood red. For the first year, they didn't even hurt much. But I had to push these back inside, along with all the prolapsing mucosal tissue, each time I had a BM. The last few months they started to get more painful trying to push them inside and the last month prior to surgery, even more painful. But mine had "thrombosed" at this point and that was most likely the source of the my pain. Now after having the surgery, I'm thinking that having external hemmoroids removed might be a lot more painful because the only really painful area I have down there is where he excised, or removed, the excess prolapsing mucosal tissue that left a deep open wound going from inside to about 3/4 of an inch outside my anus. This is where I feel 90% of my pain. I don't really have much pain from the inner hemorrhoids he removed. I can feel the sutures a bit when I squeeze, and having a BM hurts a little bit, but because these are "loose" it's not stretching me open and so I really don't have much pain from BM's luckily. I'd say that "inner / outer gash hurts more with BM's too. So prior to surgery, except for when I'd use the toilet, my internal hemorrhoids really didn't cause me pain. Now because of my birth defect, my anus has never looked "normal". I've lived with this mucousal tissue exposed on the outside my entire life. I really never knew that's what it was until I had these problems and went and had my first exam. I knew something wasn't "normal" down there because as long as I can remember, from the time I was a tiny child 3 or 4 years old, my mother always had to apply some type of cream or ointment down there or I'd get a bad rash. This has continued every single day of my life, all the way up until last week, whereby I've had to apply "Eucerin" cream each and every day or I get a "raw rash" within 30 minutes of simply walking. It sucks. It's like putting on deodorant for me. Just part of my daily routine all my life. But now I see he removed all this mucousal tissue and I no longer have any showing outside. This is where that "gash" is that hurts. So I'm thinking I may be done with this daily routine and I'm really looking forward to not having to worry about this daily. Sorry for the long post. I wish I could simply email you a lot of this but I don't seem to be able to on this forum.

Friday night now. I felt great all day. Actually worked out for 2.5 hours. No cardio and no type of circuit training, just lifting weights, chest and tri's, barbell benching, dumbell incline presses, flys, pec dec, and a bunch of tricep exercises. I felt great throughout the workout with no pain. I still think because of that outer open wound, that I can't walk miles or do any kind of leg training or circuit type training, etc..... because it would definitely irritate this wound and I know I'd be in pain, just like yesterday after walking about 1.5 miles. So until that heals, is covered over, I'm going to limit that type of training and cardio, but I do plan on lifting weights from now on. Not sure my doctor would advise this yet, but I'm being careful with my breathing and making sure I don't put too much pressure in my lower abdominal region. I'm not going to train my legs until at least 2 weeks post surgery. I think doing squats, lunges, and deadlifts will create too much pressure down there and might burst my sutures if I start doing these exercises too early. So I'll wait at least 14 days post-surgery to do leg training.

I started back on my morning caffeine, 225 MG's getting out of bed and like clock work, within an hour or so, I had my 3rd BM post-surgery. It was super quick, loose, and caused minor pain. No big deal at all. No sitz bath required. I just jumped in the shower to get ready for the day with no real pain at all. It was awesome !!!! I'm staying on just Colace now, 3 capsules daily in the morning or before bedtime.

I'm hoping maybe today was the day whereby I "turned a corner", so to speak, and if tomorrow is even better, I'll be elated.

Hi,

I wrote a long reply but do not see it here. Maybe it will pop up later.

I hope you are doing better and truly turned that corner! I still think you are over-doing it. But, you know your body best, so if upper body work makes you feel better... I couldn't do that now. Even if tomorrow is like today, I would think you would be elated!

Hope my other post shows up. BTW, I'd love to see your you-tube post. I don't know if this site has a private message function or not.

Take care and have a good day tomorrow and yeah, definitely no squats yet!

Hi Jbutt, today was Sunday, and I mowed the lawn again and worked out for almost 2+ hours, no legs, shoulders and traps. I'm paying for it though. That outside wound is just driving me crazy !!!! I have a good day, than a bad day, and the wound doesn't seem to be healing much at all. I know this is probably weird, but I actually take pictures of my progress, or lack thereof daily. I do this so I can actually tell if I'm healing and getting better

I called my sister, who's a surgical nurse and is involved with these out patient surgeries on a daily basis. I sent her pictures, which probably is even weirder, being my older sister, but she's used to seeing this every day and I value her opinion. She said "it's a deep wound so it's going to take some time to heal. It's not simply a skin wound. It goes deep into the tissue so it's not simply going to cover up with skin. It could take 4 weeks or longer to truly heal, but it looks good. No infection. Just don't do too much". I guess I expect too much. I really thought this would look and feel completely different 11 days later, but it really doesn't. I'm starting to think that people who have external hemmoroids probably have similar experiences and it's probably more painful than internal hemorrhoids or internal hemorrhoidectomy. This deep outside wound isn't from a hemmoroid but from the mucosal prolapse that he excised. If I only had an internal hemorrhoidectomy, I think I'd be back at work tomorrow for sure, and quite possibly would've gone to work last week. It really doesn't hurt much inside accept during and immediately after a BM. Than it hurts, but nothing crazy. I don't even take Advil or Tylenol anymore. I probably am doing too much, but I just can't sit around, especially if I'm feeling good. So if I sit around, I feel great, but than I want to do stuff and work out. So I do that, but than I don't feel so great. It's just a revolving circle for me right now. I had hoped to go back to work tomorrow, Monday, but that's definitely not happening because of this outter wound. I'm going to try for Thursday or Friday, but with as slow as this is healing, I'm truly thinking it'll be next Monday. I think I'm going to require the full 2 weeks plus a couple extra days.

Any update on your plans for surgery or have you put it on hold for a while ???

Do you have external hemorrhoids too or just internal and mucousal prolapse like myself ???

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