Hemorrhoid surgery recovery tips

I'm in Week 5 now, and it was pretty much the pain of swelling from a BM that took weeks to become bearable. I never really had any surgery pain/itching, nor any serious issues with BMs, but just that process is enough to aggravate the tissue.

Right now, I'm doing much better overall than I was with the hemorrhoid... it's just the post-BM swelling/pain that's not so much fun, although every now and then I do have a painless BM. Sitz baths help, the doctor prescribed some lidocane, and I also have Proctosol from another doctor.

All in all, I'm still glad that I did this surgery. There is a bit of a cleanliness issue to stay on top of, but following BMs with sitz baths or rinses alleviates that issue tremendously.

Hi ive just had a hemoroyectomy yesterday 27th june and today ive had really bad pains in my stomach is this part of the operation

Hi,

I just wanted to give more information on this topic for anyone considering hemorrhoid surgery, based on my personal experience. It helped me immensely to read several peoples stories so I would know what to expect. Here is my experience and some tips. I hope it helps !!

I am a 50 year old man. Good health. Had grade 3 to 4 internal hems for about 3 years. Decided to have the stapled hemorrhoidectomy procedure, due to less pain and return to work quicker. Today is day 14 post-op. I started back to work yesterday for a half day.  I would suggest taking at least two weeks off of work (or more depending on job type). One week seems a little too short to return.  The first 5 days were painful. There’s no way around that. However, staying ahead of the pain is very helpful.  In other words take your medication on a scheduled basis regardless of your pain, because once you are in pain it is harder to control it. On that note,  I received an Rx for Percocet, which is good to have, especially the first few days.  But remember Percocet is an opioid and can cause constipation, which is the last thing you want. So, if you are in great pain and need to take 1 or 2 tabs, go ahead, but remember to take stol softeners (docusate, brand name colace) and mild laxatives (senna, brand name sennokot) EVERY time you take Percocet. Review a regimen with your doctor sometime BEFORE the day of surgery. Due to the constipating side effects of Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen) I tried to stop taking that as soon as possible and was able to by adhering to a scheduled administration of ibuprofen (brand name Advil) alternating with acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol). I would take Advil 600mg then 3 hours later Tylenol 1000mg, then 3 hours later Advil 600mg, then 3 hours later Tylenol 1000mg, etc ...  I did this the first few days. Please review this with you physician as well because although these are over the counter meds, some patients may not be able to take these daily quantities (due to liver problems, or other medical conditions).  It is important to come up with a PERSONAL medication plan with your physician BEFORE your day of surgery. 

Other helpful hints which which many people have posted, are the use of sitz baths, or bathing in a tub with warm water.  It is soothing on your anal area ESPECIALLY after a bowel movement. Water just helps sooth that area and after a BM it is a welcome relief. Please make sure you have access to a bathtub or at least a sitz bath so you can soak the area several times a day.  It is a good non-pharmacological way of relieving pain.  I am fortunate enough to have a bidet in my bathroom which is a GREAT help. They are easier than you think to obtain, and they are just like replacing a toilet seat.  You need to make a fairly minor plumbing connection to your existing toilet supply line and have access to an electrical outlet nearby,  but if possible it is a great help before and after a BM. Amazon sells them for anywhere from $200 to $800. Plus you get to keep it afterwards, as we all know, wiping with toilet paper is not the best thing to do with hemorrhoids and a bide certainly helps minimize that by using gentle water for cleaning. 

Lastly, I would say to eat lots of soft foods, fruits veggies, soups, etc. starting 3 days BEFORE surgery and after surgery for at least a week to 10 days. Also take stool softeners every day at least 1 to 3 times daily. You want your stool as soft as possible. Also fiber, and lots and lots of water. Also discuss with Your physician BEFORE the day of surgery. The day of surgery can be hectic and your surgeon may be very busy and unable to have a thourough discussion with you that day (besides, you will probably be zonked out from the anesthesia meds and not remember what he or she says anyway ...lol !!)

I hope this can be of some help. Hang in there if you are only a few days out after your procedure, the pain will go away eventually. The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself, it just takes time and patience, but it will come....

good luck everyone !!

stan 

I'm an outlier and I'm here to share my story of my post hemmorhoid surgery. I am in day 8 and have had unfortunate complications which caused me to rectally bleed out nearly 2 litres of blood and ending up in the E.R. for blood transfusions.

It seems like my luck ran out and after a bowel movement on the 4th day it caused internal bleeding which apparently either came from the incision itself or apparently possibly further as i had a colonoscopy and was told the bleeding came from further up. In hindsight I should have dealt with the hemorrhoid as I wasn't in that much discomfort compared to this. Once I have some further answers I'll try my best to update.

Best of luck to anyone who goes through what I went through. My heamoglobin levels are low and if this happens again I don't think I'll have a second chance.

Hi all. I'm just past the 3 week mark since my OP, don't know how some have mentioned on this thread that have been back to work earlier than 2 week period the Hospital sign's you off work after the OP. Here's my tale:

Wasn't given any pain killers or laxatives after the OP just given antibiotics. This was a big mistake as by the second day I needed to go to the toilet but couldn't push out, and the stool was hard. Taken me 1:10 hrs to go. The next time I needed to go taken me 1:30 hrs. Both times pain unbearable with sweating and stomach pains. Seen my doctor, on the third day, who prescribed laxatives which was a big help with BM. I believe because of the first three days caused me to have external piles too. By two weeks the pain had decreased to acceptable levels after a BM. Hot baths helped on each occasion after the toilet. Diet wise, advised by my doctor to eat plenty of fibre and suggested the following: Orange juice (glass a day), bran flakes and weetabix, grapes, bread etc. I'm basically surviving on Weetabix twice a day and have lost a stone and a half in the weeks since the OP. The constant soreness down there as almost completely gone by 2.5 weeks and only get sore there if I've been to the toilet too many times. Personally I still haven't been back to work and will have been signed off now to a total of 4 weeks by the coming Friday. Basically its the laxatives that's preventing me going back but are still needed to help with BM but hoping soon to be off them. Also talking of laxatives it had taken a little while to get right so as not to get diarrhea and found taking 15 ml of Sucralose after first meal then a sachet of Macrogol after second meal. Good luck to everyone about to have the OP!

I had the procedure this past Monday Aug 6, 2018. I think that because I had read your comments and also many others, I was well prepared. 57 year old female. Developed these this year after never having before.

I had 5 total removed, 2 internal and 3 external. One large external like ping pong ball and one tiny external like a grape.

Immediately upon waking up I felt discomfort. Then they put me in a chair (I was like WTF) and I had to eat before I could have pain meds. I got 10mg Oxycodone. About 20 minutes later was much better. When I stood up the relief was even better. Standing and walking feel way better than sitting.

I opted for the Oxycodone 5 mg prescription and seperate with 600 mg Ibuprofen plus a third bottle of OTC Tylenol 650 mg. I took 5 mg oxy with two Tylenol every 6 hrs then the ibuprofen every 3 hours in between that. So both were on a 6 HR schedule. I set it all up on my phone to never miss a dose.

After 48 hrs I was able to start backing off the oxy to every 8 hrs. Next day just took at bedtime. 3 to 4 tub soaks each day. First BM on Wednesday about 48 hrs post op. Yes it hurt. I put the lid and seat up and sat on the toilet bowl so that my knees were higher. Ice packs 3 times day. Stool softener and Miralax twice daily and light diet. Today is Friday and I took a shower and went shopping with my spouse. I'm wearing special underwear which is comfy and not very thick plus an absorbent pad. Not taking any chance of leaking. Nice to be able to throw it away. There is a very foul bloody discharge that seems to just squirt out periodically but less often as each day passes.

All in all it hasn't been anything near what I expected. Much less pain. Having a baby was much worse.

Today I've started eating regular diet and have ditched the Miralax and the Ibuprofen and also not used any Oxy. Perhaps at bedtime if needed. I'll be using the stool softener for a while.

Like I said, having read this and prepared before the surgery has really helped.

Hi all..

Just come across this forum and it's a relief to know I'm not alone. I'm 6 days in , and generally during the day,apart from still walking like a duck from the pressure and soreness ok. But then the dreaded bowel movement comes. Like other women have said, childbirth was so much easier...at least then we could opt for gas and air! I don't know about anyone else but the pain is not so much from my bum , it more down below and afterwards. It takes a good couple hours to recover afterwards.

Warm baths straight after help a bit .

Also so does vagisil medicated cream. Doctor told me to get it as the cream I was prescribed was unavailable anywhere. It has a numbing effect and does seem to take the edge off.

I feel all your pain and hope you all (And me) start to feel more human again soon

It does get better!!! I had the surgery on 9/13 and most of the day I'm fine. I had 3 extremely large ones removed. I bought a portable bidet bottle and it still helps to squeeze warm water while trying to poop. as of today, I can tell you I'm now glad I had the surgery and even with some discomfort now, it's better than what I was dealing with before. I SWEAR It gets better. taking a valium in the morning before pooping helped me to get past the painful stage. tons of water, no prescription pain meds, numbing cream, aquaphor, and the sitz bath and bidet bottle were my lifesavers.