1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Haemorrhoids

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!

14 likes, 446 replies

446 Replies

Prev Next
  • wcnurse07
    wcnurse07 gee11215

    Posted

    I am a 34 y/o make and I had this surgery done 2 weeks ago. I'm so grateful that I found this blog. I followed everything noted above. I couldn't agree more with every bullet point. Yes, this surgery is incredibly painful. I do not think it is possible to even begin to describe the pain. I do not mention this to scare anyone. I mention this because I think it helped me to read about the pain intensity so that I could better prepare myself. Yes, everyone is different but I've found most of the detailed information and blogs about the surgery to be very true.

    My only suggestion to add is another way to ice the area. My surgeon suggested this icing method (prepare to laugh). Get a bag of hotdogs and place them separately in a ziploc bag. Place them in the freezer. When you ice, taken one out and roll the bag up and now place it on your anus. You'll thank me. I thought it was the craziest idea but it worked. And trust me, when you're facing the pain, you'll be willing to do just about anything. I iced consistently for one week.

    I had surgery on a Thursday and returned to work the following Monday. I had the ability to work from home for the first week following surgery. I'm confident that if I couldn't work from home, I would have taken 10 days off of work.

    I'm happy to report that after 2 weeks, I'm beginning to feel human again. I continue to have some discharge but over time that is supposed to go away. I'm starting to appreciate that I've gone through all of this to get rid of the terrible hemorrhoids that I had. I wish everyone well that is preparing for this surgery.

    Good luck and you will get through the pain. I promise. Take deep breaths, follow the directions your surgeon suggests and try some of the methods that we have all shared.

    God speed!

    • k23652
      k23652 wcnurse07

      Posted

      I got the surgery done last Friday and it's been a week now. It's crazy to hear some stories of people going back to work just a few days after surgery. I'm still not confident to be outside my home or far from a toilet. I feel like just a short time after eating a meal/snack, I have a BM. It's not even noon and I've already had 3 BMs. Is this normal? Someone else asked this question. Also, how did you clean yourself when had a BM outside the home? I have to have a bath, and use a squirt bottle and air dry. I can't be doing that if I were at work or anywhere else. 

      I've been having one glass of Metamucil each day and I'm wondering if that's contributing to the multiple BMs a day. I don't want to stop taking it because the risk of hard stools. But I'm eating mainly fruits and veggies and lots of liquids so it could just be that I'm not use to all this healthy foods. 

      I usually get pain between the scrotum and the anus after each BM. I've iced it and that seems to help. I'm not sure about the pain meds because I felt I had some great pain even when I took then. I'm done pain meds now and just on Tylenol.

      I wear multiple panty liners or medical abdomial pads all the time and I'm still bleeding all through the day. Also, did anyone else have problem urinating??? I find sometimes I have to push or force it out.

      I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering. Also, how long did it take for the swelling lump to go away? Mine seems like it's about the same. I was really worried at first when I saw it becuse I thought the surgery didn't remove everything but I read this is normal. I hope I'm healed or feel drastically different in the 10-14 days I read online. I can't wait to be normal again. 

      Happy Healing everyone

    • wcnurse07
      wcnurse07 k23652

      Posted

      Hi-

      Everything you are experiencing is normal. I'm now post 4 weeks and still have some urgency and light spotting. My surgeon explained it like this. "Your anus is now clean and clear. All obstructions have been removed and your anus is like that of a newborn. It's going to take some time to build up the muscles in your anus."

      As for the urinating, yes to that too! It gets easier (at least for me) after about 8-10 days.

      Good luck.

    • wcnurse07
      wcnurse07 k23652

      Posted

      One other thing.... it took until about a few days ago until all of the swelling went away.
    • k23652
      k23652 wcnurse07

      Posted

      Thanks so much for your kind response. You have no idea how much better that makes me feel. Did you also have a fissure in the process? I do and I'm just worried with all this activity multiple times a day down there, it won't have enough time to heal. That's a thought that just crossed my mind tonight as I was having my 7th BM today. 

      What your surgeon said is right about being a newborn again. I just pray I don't poop my pants while I'm out in public.  

      Thanks again & I hope you keep others posted of your recovery.

    • wcnurse07
      wcnurse07 k23652

      Posted

      Yes, I had a fissure. It will heal but will take more time. I bled a significant amount for about 4 weeks. This past week the bleeding has resolved.

      As for your fear, I totally understand. I carry a bag around with wipes, clean underwear, and cotton balls. I still have urgency and while the response time to getting to a restroom is a little better, I can't be too far from one.

      Stay well.

    • K5rosequarts
      K5rosequarts wcnurse07

      Posted

      How long in all did it take for your swelling to go away. Thanks 
    • wcnurse07
      wcnurse07 K5rosequarts

      Posted

      About 12 days or so. I think it depends on how much terrible your hemorrhoids are and if you have a fissure. 
    • Guest
      Guest k23652

      Posted

      Hi, I'm 13 days post op and feeling better but worried about the swelling lump.  some stitches came off, but there are still some there and the swelling looks like a small hemorrhoid.  Has yours gone down completely?

  • dan53747
    dan53747 gee11215

    Posted

    Well I am now 7 days 2 hours after my surgery just some tips I found working lots of water / fruit / high bran foods avoid caffeine and codene pain will starting to ease at day 5 still very uncomfortable today but must ad I stopped taking painkillers this morning so must say it does help also to take stool softeners to help ease the pain hot tub of water before bowl move also if needs be during BM helps me fine.  Hope it helps 
  • mar1012
    mar1012 gee11215

    Posted

    Thank you for the tips! I'm scheduled to see a surgeon this wednesday I've had terrible hemmerhoids for years and after having two kids they got worse. I've also been having rectal bleeding (a pool of blood in the toilet) when I have a bowel movement. I heard the procedure to have them removed is very painful but I'm about ready to get them removed for good! 

    Do the pain meds help relieve the pain much? How long did you guys take it for? After how long would you say the pain became bearable to the point where you didn't need pain meds? 

    Thank you in advance!!

    • barbara95080
      barbara95080 mar1012

      Posted

      I had the surgery yesterday. I had bloody stools for years and once i got pregnant with my son developed hellashis external ones as well. Be prepared for pain. I havnt had a bowl movement yet but heres my advice stay ahesd of your pain management take ibuprofen every 6 hrs along with your pain meds as directed. This has kept me comfortable. Last night i should have set an alarm to take my pain meds but foolishly thought id sleep through the night. I woke up feeling every bit of the excruciating pain the meds have kept me from. Also mirolax every hour if your having trouble having a BM as i am. And no matter what take stool softeners. Warm baths are fantasic i take 3 a day. I hope this helps .. also rest a lot dont try housework or anything really. You should move around some but dont over do it. Wish me luck and keep me posted. Good luck to you as well.
    • k23652
      k23652 mar1012

      Posted

      I had my surgery at the beginning of this month. You will probaby be in pain for about 10 days. After that, you should have tolerable pain. I'm not sure if my pain meds helped because after having a BM, it always hurt. And yes, you will be in a lot of pain when you have a BM and you might cry, like I did. But everyone I read about, had similiar pains so it's normal. You'll be miserable for awhile but do set a timer so you take your pain meds on time. As for a BM, that might not happen for a few days since you emptied your bowels prior to surgery. Make ice packs for after BMs and just set everything up before surgery so when you come home everything is the way you want it. I moved my tv into my room so I can lay down and watch tv all day. I got really sweaty at nights so I moved my fan and had it pointed in the right direction. I only had enough pain meds to last me about 6-7 days .After that I just took Tylenol. Have a water bottle handle so you drink lots of water. I found I drink more water since using this method. I fill it up and it's about 2-3 glasses and I can drink it while laying down. Good luck to you. Keep us posted. You'll be fine. It's almost 3 weeks now and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and starting to feel normal again. 

    • K5rosequarts
      K5rosequarts barbara95080

      Posted

      Hi how long did it take for pain to subside? I am 6 days post op and I have a huge swollen pile. Also had skin tag cut off. Pain still bad, laying in warm bath as I type. Thanks 
    • k23652
      k23652 K5rosequarts

      Posted

      Give it about 10-14 days for the pain to decrease. It'll still hurt but not nearly as much as it was in the beginning. Swollen pile is normal. I freaked out too and read that others had the same issue and were worried the hemorrhoid was still there but that will go down too.

    • K5rosequarts
      K5rosequarts k23652

      Posted

      Thank you so much,  upon reading your comments and all the comments I feel better (mentally lol).
    • Guest
      Guest k23652

      Posted

      How low does it go?  does it completely disappear? or go back in?
    • karen06046
      karen06046 mar1012

      Posted

      I have been recommended this surgery but I am curious how others have found an excellent surgeon?
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.