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Hemorrhoid surgery recovery tips

Posted , 156 users are following.

gee11215
gee11215

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!

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  • irina63303
    irina63303 gee11215

    Posted

    Thank you so much! All your recommendations were very helpful. I'm so glad I found it before my THD procedure, it definitely helped going through recovery much easier. I wish those recommendations were included in post-op instructions by the hospitals! Thank you!!!!

  • sunshine7717
    sunshine7717 gee11215

    Posted

    Thank you so so much for the tips! I'm having surgery tomorrow and am a bit nervous. I just went out and bought the squirt bottles, sitz bath, a Boneal equivalent and big pads used for incontinence (couldn't find adult diapers). I wet just the back of a few, put them in the freezer and have them ready to go for tomorrow.  

    For my last meal today at lunch, I just had cereal and am focused on drinking water now. 

    I am worried about UTI/yeast/bacterial infection from the sitz bath so I'm going to start female probiotics tomorrow, probably should have done that earlier in retrospect. 

    Today is Thursday and I'm planning to return to work on Monday. Anyone have thoughts on whether that's even feasible?

    I feel better knowing I've done something to prepare. Thank you!!

    • barbara95080
      barbara95080 sunshine7717

      Posted

      I had surgery yesterday ... i havnt pooped since Sun ... i feel like i really have to go but cant ... i dont want to push to hard. I called the nurse and she said mirolax every hour. Hard laxatives wont help. Just drank my first cup ... wish me luck 😊

    • k23652
      k23652 barbara95080

      Posted

      It might help if you have your BM in a sitz bath or fill up your tub. It sounds gross but honestly, it helped me on some days. I just couldn't when I was sitting on the toilet because of the fear of pain. But if you sit in the tub, that helps with the pain and comfort. Just bleach it afterwards.

    • barbara95080
      barbara95080 k23652

      Posted

      Thanks for the tip i finally went. It hurt like nothing ive ever felt before. Ive gone a few times since and its been a bit easier. Its been a week today and i can usually walk around and get things done around the house but i still cant sit. My butt is so tender and feels swollen even after sitz baths and ice packs. I still bleed a little everyday too .. i wonder if i will ever feel ok again 🤔

    • k23652
      k23652 barbara95080

      Posted

      Trust me, I felt the same way. I felt regretful I ever did this just like everyone else said. The pain was horrible, I cried, and pain meds didn't help much I felt. Just lay down lots, drink lots and rest. I laid on my side or on my back lots and just watched Netflix, TV, and Youtube to pass the time. I also found I was tired lots so I just napped to pass the pain and time away.

      Bleeding is normal. I'm almost 4 weeks into it and have just stopped bleeding as much. I still wear period pads just in case, except to sleep. But I don't think it's really neccessary. 

      The only problem I have right now is having a BM. At first it was so easy because everything just came out on it's own, but now that I'm better, and I haven't changed my diet much, I find it takes a little longer and with a little effort too sometimes which I'm worried about. The last thing I want is to have another issue down there and have to go through this process all over again. 

    • becky1983
      becky1983 barbara95080

      Posted

      Hey I just had surgery a week and one day ago wondering how your doing and how long it took b4 things were normal again
    • carol27042
      carol27042 k23652

      Posted

      hi ive had the op on 26th sept 2017 with plenty of fibre in my diet fruit lots of water and basically eating properly helps im having about 3 bms a day and its pure agony but i also have a portable bidet that is the best money i spent after a bm i sit on that to sooth myself . fantastic ease. im just hoping that after a few weeks i will get back to my normal duties. can i say they gave me 3 lots of diffrent poo meds to take plus pain relief .
  • tracy83263
    tracy83263 gee11215

    Edited

    Thank you for sharing these. I used some and would like to add to the list. 8 days ago I had an hem-ectomy. Wow! Very shocked by the discomfort and how long it would take as I was thinking 2-3 wks. I have been determined to heal rapidly and w/o use of heavy pain killers like Percocet, etc. So far I must say that I'm healing quicker than I imagined I would at 8 days and I will share what's working for me. *and just so you know I can def relate, all 3 of my veins were down and the Dr. called them "impressive" to put it nicely. On my way home from surgery I got very nauseous and as soon as I hit the door I had to vomit (reaction to the anesthesia), that immediately started things to bleed and I couldn't get the constant bleeding to stop for over an hour. While sitting on a hard surface with ice trying to apply pressure I began to sweat and vomit more at the same time! On the phone with the nurse I decided after an hour of this scary scenario (not sure if it was blood pressure due to the lost of so much blood or what) I went to the ER. Still throwing up on the way there.. Finally my body began to clot and things slowed down. So after this ordeal I did more research and have been applying these natural rememdies:

    1. SITZ BATH with epson salt and vitamin E oil ( some say the warm water soothes-didn't do much for me)

    2. SPRAY BOTTLE filled with cool epson salt water (to cleanse yourself after BM or whenever)

    3. EPSON salt helps with soreness and swelling

    4. HAIR DRYER /FAN to keep the area dry to heal quickly (moisture doesn't help so stay dry and allow your bum to breathe- I sleep w/a hair dryer on COOL under the sheet )

    5. ICE I made thin ice bags of crushed ice to sooth the swelling and discomfort

    6. GUAZE To keep your bum extra dry (get guaze pads or the rolls-cut to proper size and gentle cover the area altho you still have on the maxi pad

    7. MAXI PAD/PANTILINER to catch blood or drainage at all times

    8. ARNICA 30c found at a whole foods store (5 beads held under the tongue 3 times a day)

    9. BROMELAIN W/Quercitin found at vitamin store (made of pineapple extract and helps with swelling and pain)

    10. VITAMIN C to build up your white blood cells to heal the body and fight off infection

    11. STOOL SOFTNER 3 times a day to help your stool be SOFT! A must!

    12. METAMUCIL to give bulk or "fluff" (softness) to your stool to help make passing less painful

    13. COLLAGEN tablets to help my skin build and heal.

    14. IBUPROFEN every 4 hrs to reduce pain and inflammation.

    15. LIDOCAIN 2.5% to numb the area a bit (just before a BM I apply this to help the pain)

    16. Be your own cheerleader! You made a good decision to help yourself. Youve got this!! Appreciate and be proud of your body for serving you.

    Love and quick healing to you all!!

    • cheryl46943
      cheryl46943 tracy83263

      Posted

      So I am even more terrified.  The pain issue and pain pills worries me.  Did you take pain meds along with ibuprofen or Tylenol ?  How long did you take pain meds.  How often and what kind. 

      I'm not sure if I will go through with it. I've read all the advice and horror stories.  Might just live with it. 

      C

    • lenora_35036
      lenora_35036 cheryl46943

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl I just had my hemorrhoidectomy on the 18th I'm reading your story and you just can't let what you read discourage you because I'm having a wonderful recovery the first day I came home I have very little pain and very little bleeding the only thing that you have to do is really follow instructions strictly follow instructions and you will have a wonderful recovery and pray and believe and God will have you through my whole procedure and after my procedure I've only taken two naproxens and two Valiums my stools have been wonderful I take a sitz bath and I make sure I clean myself with preparation H wipes after every poop and take a nice warm sitz bath then I put a little preparation H ointment on the area and it's fine just make sure you eat plenty of green vegetables and fruit and make sure you stay away from foods that makes your stool solid and I promise you will be fine and like I said I'm only 7 Days in with mines and I'm up moving around made a couple of errands and I'm good so just pray on it you will be fine I promise

    • cheryl46943
      cheryl46943 lenora_35036

      Posted

      Thank you for the support !  I am wondering how you are doing and was relieved to hear a not so traumatic recovery. Also was your hemorrhoid large ?  I know that issue probably makes a difference too. 

      I am just praying about it and still trying to get a grip on this. 

      Hope you are doing better 

      C

    • tankity_tank
      tankity_tank cheryl46943

      Posted

      Go for it girl! I had a grade 4 prolapse Bowel, and loads of the others, my surgeon said it was common in women who had a traumatic birth experience, which I did, I couldnt push my daughter out and thats when all the damage was done, anyway, yes the surgery was needed, the first few days afterwards you dont feel much as the anesthetic is still in your system, thats the time to not go crazy and eat what you want which I did, stay on liquids, my appetite came back with a big roar and I went crazy and ate all the stuff you shouldnt do! 2 days later the anesthesia had worn off and my tummy was bloated, so my biggest tip is, liquids only. Just know it will hurt, but I am 5 months post op now and so glad I went through with it, got my life back!
    • cheryl46943
      cheryl46943 tankity_tank

      Posted

      Thanks fir the mental support on this thing.  It as a whole lot up there even though it's down there.  Lol.  Speedy recovery for all y'all 

    • Happybum
      Happybum tracy83263

      Edited

      I was going to wait till I was all through this but want to share this now. I had my hemorroidectomy 6 days ago - mid afternoon. That was Wednesday, today is Monday. My doctor put me on an antibiotic. As a result I developed headaches and nausea with some slight dizziness. The best way to manage that was to just lie down a lot as that seemed to reduce the intensity of the headaches. I decided also to start taking a probiotic a day after I started my antibiotic and took it half way through the doses of antibiotic. This morning I slept through when I should have taken it my probiotic. Mistake, lol! 

      What resulted was my bowels having a bit of a meltdown and I had EIGHT BMs this morning/afternoon and spent several hours in the sitz bath tub as a result. So now, I had the smallest meal of white rice and egg white I can get away with to take the second last antibiotic I have left. Thank GOD it's almost done. So, my word of advice is after your hemorroidectomy eat VERY LIGHTLY and things that will be easy to pass. I have been on metamucil for about 6 months and was taking 3 tsps of it with water with my first meal of the day and then the remaining 2 tsp with the last meal of the day along with 12+ glasses of water a day. That was managing my bowels pretty well as long as I kept my diet bland. My bowels are touchy so I have to be careful with my foods. 

      So, the doctors say you can go back to a "normal" diet immediately after the operation. My advice, again, is eat lightly and keep your bowel movements VERY soft and drink LOTS and LOTS of water.

      I was given Percocet but had a major reaction right after surgery to it so I have been managing my pain with Tylenol and grit. Was it painful? Yep. But it won't kill you. Just get things prepared ahead of time and do the sitz baths to prevent infection, speed healing and relieve pain, especially after bowel movements. They help a lot.

      At this stage - days 0 to 5 I found the icepacks really didn't work for me. I didn't want anything NEAR that area. One last thing. They don't tell you about this, the surgeons, and I haven't been able to find anything about this, but there is a smell while you're healing that is not very pleasant. In fact, I almost gagged. I found the smell started the second day after surgery - so if surgery is day 0 this would be day 2. On that day I had a small bowel movement of blood clots - which wasn't in the pamphlet description of what could happen after surgery. Thanks guys. Anyway, I noticed a smell of blood, of course, and something else. Then day 3 it really started and smelled like something had died. Now, day five the smell is lessening so my guess is that it is part of the healing process. I am on antibiotics and there is no pus, or drainage or anything like that so it was not infection. So, again, a head's up should you encounter this. Seems to be okay, as long as you are not having any of the signs of infection.

      Every time I have to have a BM, especially this morning, I try to breathe through it, grit my teeth a bit, moan if I have to and then relax into a sitz bath when it is all done - kind of like sex in my first marriage. And I keep reminding myself that this will soon be behind me (pun intended) and be but a distant memory as I embrace my new life of activity!

      The pain is lessening day by day but I still have to take it easy, not move to quickly, careful how I get up out of bed and back down. I am no where near sitting and the idea that some say you can go back to work in a week is HAHAHAHAHA!

       

    • cheryl46943
      cheryl46943 Happybum

      Posted

      If you feel up to it let us all know how you are this time next week.  I knew when the dr said oh you'll be up and running in a week - I thought - ya right !!!!   So I am hoping In 2 1/2 weeks I'll be able to get back to work after surgery.  I will definitely get everything prepared in advance as I don't care a thing about eating the first few days. But will get meals ready for my husband so hopefully the microwave will take care of him fir a few days. I'll watch fir an update. Best of healing to you smile 

    • cheryl46943
      cheryl46943 lenora_35036

      Posted

      I was wondering what types of symptoms you and some of the followers had prior to surgery.  I have a prolapsed and it doesn't have pain. Nor itch . Just pressure occasionally after  poop and slight bleeding. My biggest issue is the continuous leakage due to the prolapse keeping you open and  Having to wear pads again and just not feeling clean and fresh. I spoke to the doctor about this and she said even after surgery that might still be an issue and I might have to go to physical therapy after to learn how to try and tighten my colon. I gasped. I don't want to go through all this just to know I still will have poopy stains and leakage. What the What !!!!!!!    Also I was wondering if anyone prior to surgery if you had to go you better get there fast.  I would just have to run to get there and no amount of butt squinching worked.  I can't believe I can talk about This stuff to complete strangers and feel so relieved but can't talk to my family about it.  

      So - thanks for listening 

      C

    • Ouch-Ouch
      Ouch-Ouch cheryl46943

      Posted

      I have been the same , when I have to go I have to go!!!!! 

      I’m hoping that will get better 🤞

      I don’t go far from home because of it.

      I’m still very sore after a BM and it aches for hours after.

      I also have a tag down there which is bloody annoying.

      I’m 16 days post op 

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