Hemorrhoid surgery recovery tips
Posted , 156 users are following.
Hemorrhoidectomy recovery
I had a hemorrhoidectomy two weeks ago. The doctor warned me that recovery process would be painful. But I didn't think it would be this intense. Here are a few tips to ease the pain. It made a world of difference in pain management for me:
1) ice packs-- most ice packs are not shaped for your butt and the flat ones only numb the butt cheeks, not the surgical site where you need relief. So make your own! Buy diapers (any size 3-6) and fill it with 3-4 cups of water and put it in a ziplock bag (for hygienic storage) and in the freezer. Once frozen, the diapers are curved perfectly to your anus area and won't drip as it melts either because the gel is designed to hold in liquid. I use one diaper several times before tossing. Just put it in a ziplock bag and refreeze.
2) squirt bottles--clean yourself with squirt bottles, not even wet toilet paper or baby wipes were gentle enough post surgery when the area is extremely raw. I bought two big squirt bottles at the drug store and fill them up before any bowel movements.
3) Boneal-- after cleaning the anus with the squirt bottles, I apply boneal (otc lotion for anal cleaning) lotion on toilet paper and dab it on my anus. It relieves the pain and itching that come later in the healing process.
4) sitz bath-- Do this 2-3 times a day and definitely after a bowel movement. Sometimes, I have my bowel movements in the sitz bath to ease the pain. Just remember to rinse it with soap and hot water right away if you have a bowel movement in there so you don't sit in fecal water and develop a uti on top of everything else.
5) if possible, stick to lots of veggies and soups for the first two weeks to allow the wound to heal. No starchy foods and anything binding!!!
These tips were given to me by the maternity nurses after I had a baby, but they are completely relevant here and I am especially grateful for the ice pack diaper trick! It was the ONLY way an ice pack can be applied to that anus area and not to my butt cheeks. Good luck and speedy recovery. BTW-- get all this ready, especially the diaper ice packs before surgery so you will have it immediately after you come home from surgery. You'll be in so much pain and not very mobile, so have all the relief remedies prepared ahead of time!
14 likes, 446 replies
kanjala20931 gee11215
Posted
there is hope! I had my procedure four months ago. Im back to my normal self.
roger92021 kanjala20931
Posted
is a whitish grey substance coming out when u use the bathroom normal
amber13270 roger92021
Posted
Yes. I had surgery almost 3 weeks ago and still have a small amount of drainage.
tracey55337 gee11215
Posted
i had hemorrhoidectomy op 4 weeks ago, the pain has been terrible. Coming up to week 3 there was a slight change for the better. but unfortunately that didnt last long. im not as regular now as i was even though my diet is good along with taking laxitives and stool softners, there is quite a lot of blood in toilet and when i wipe, is this normal? really fed up at this stage!
ainsley27168 tracey55337
Posted
Hi I had my op 14 months ago and I can remember how terrible it was. It took me 6
weeks to feel the benefit but I did in the end. I had shocking bleeding and horrendous pain. Hope u feel better soon
tracey55337 ainsley27168
Posted
thank you
tankity_tank tracey55337
Posted
sadly it is normal, I had my op a year ago and I was on my hands and knees crying, it does help to pop your bottom in a bowl of cold water when you need to poo, and then air dry, it is terrible, but it does get better, my bottom has returned to normal now, stay on top of the pain medication, avoid codeine as it constipates you, I feel for you, I was in agony for about 3 months, it put me off eating and I went seriously underweight, a liquid diet helps, smoothies and soups, as they pass through easily, what I have found is I have emergency poos, so I carry what I call a poo bag with me everywhere, a change of undies and trousers, it takes the pannick out of going out, and the good news is it doesnt hurt anymore so I am happy with that outcome.
tracey55337 tankity_tank
Posted
Thank you for your reply
cindy51948 gee11215
Posted
i had my surgery 16 months ago., i remembered at the time i wasnt going to get through it, and its hard to talk about this with people so thank god i found this forum. It was a relief to know people were going through the same as you. i remember someone telling me it takes up to year to be fully healed. i took so many patients advice and helped so much. drink alot of water, do not strain, take your metemusal everyday, take daily baths, that actually saved me.. i can tell you that every day gets better, but i do not believe you are ever 100%.. i still have "tags" that sometimes bleed and itch, but i soak them and usually feel better after a day or 2.. IF it stays like this i can definetly live the rest if my life comfortable but i couldnt live my life prior to the surgery so yes it was a success, it takes time, hang in there and know theres an end to this madness...
tracey55337 cindy51948
Posted
Thank you, i will just have to have a bit of patience.
calva0940 tracey55337
Posted
hi- i am 7 weeks post op and still in pain and discomfort. swelling seems to be going down a little. but its more difficult to have a bm. cant avoid from straining sometimes. although thats what i want to avoid. just feel this pressure that i have to go and only a bit comes out at a time. im still on miralax and started metamucil. drinking 2-3 liters of water. i try to eat healthy on a daily basis to include salads and fruit. still it feels no matter how careful you try to be you end up taking a negative turn. not to mention surprise bleeding. it feels like its never ending. i am so ready for all this to be over with.
tracey55337 calva0940
Posted
thank you, i never expected it to be as painful, hopefully it wont linger on much longer! plenty of hot baths!
tom93374 gee11215
Posted
hi, it's the 9th day after my hemorrhoidectomy to remove my Grade 4, Thrombosed hemorrhoids . My surgeon did an open surgery (Milligan-Morgan) and it has so far been the worst experience of my life. thankfully the pain is now much reduced during bowel movements but i am finding that i cant pee without having to a bowel movement now. i have already had to do 4 bowel movements today, usually because i have to pee. did anyone else feel like this too?
tom93374
Posted
i had to go to the doctor yesterday because i thought i was badly constipated since i kept having bowel movements (8 times) but not much was coming out. he thinks it could also be tenesmus, due to the rectum being inflamed and thus causing the urge to go even when there's not much. it would be helpful to hear if someone else went through this as it is a nightmare and i am locked to the bathroom all day.
Karirinkate gee11215
Edited
Hello
Am 4 days in my surgery. I was known to have a high pain tolerance. This surgery proved that was a lie 😂🤥
BM are part of hell on earth. I want to ask about size and quantity of poop after the surgery. I go into the toilet becuse i have a BM but only very little amount of poop comes out. Is this normal. Please help 😭🙏😔
cindy51948 Karirinkate
Edited
your BM's will take weeks if not moths to be normal again. but what ever you do not strain! make sure you drink lots of water and high fiber diet.