Hemorrhoid surgery recovery tips

Thank goodness for this thread. Upcoming hemorrhoidectomy in 16 days after failed THD surgery six months ago. With grade 3/4 hemorrhoids the ligation was unlikely to work. Drat! So many good tips. I'm not great with pain, but will have the diaper ice packs ready. Plan to take Valium and Tramadol. Also have Crohn's and IBS or I would have done this three years ago. That's a lot of butt pain. I also like the garbage bag lined bucket idea for the shower because I remember the first bm after childbirth many years ago. For me the post-operative management is the trickiest. I overdid the Miralax with the THD, and I think that led to failure. With Crohn's and IBS it is difficult to get it just right, either diarrhea or constipation. Taking at least 4 baths a day now, because I went on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet which calmed the gut, and then as my surgeon put it...I broke my butt by straining with constipation. Not very smart. I appreciate the honesty about the pain. Even if it takes a YEAR to heal, I look forward to long hikes, bike rides, just plain standing without prolapsing and thrombosing internal and external hemorrhoids. Thanks for all the encouragement. I'll keep you posted. Ready for surgery sooner if someone chickens out that is scheduled with my surgeon. Rapid healing wishes to all!

 

Update 8/25/17. Thanks in part to this forum, and concern to get IBS under control first, I cancelled the surgery. Also, when an integrative doctor referred to the hemorrhoids as a flare, I realized that flares often subside. Thank goodness! Combination of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, pelvic floor therapy, walking first thing upon awakening, swimming and time, my hemorrhoids have improved and have gone from misery to mild annoyance. Body heal thyself. I found a statistic that the number of hemorrhoidectomies performed has gone down drastically from the 1970s. I think there's a good reason. Try everything else first, including time. Good luck. 

 

Thank you for this post & to all of you who also shared your experience. I had my Hemorrhoidectomy surgery 9 days ago & thank goodness my experience is one of the good ones. 

I wish I had gotten myself a sitz bath but used a make shift one for the first couple of days. The warm salty water really does soothe the sting, burning feeling. 

Thank you to all of those that suggested squatting, gee what a difference that makes.

I used frankfurts wrapped in plastic over gauze as ice pack. Again, thank you to those who suggested the sausage idea (it gets right to the area needed).

Since day one I had a little bottle in the WC filled with water, rock salt & a drop or two of tree tea oil to dab area clean after every visit to the loo. When the pain got too much , I would soak the cotton pad & leave it on the area for a min, the cold solution (its winter in Melbourne) worked real quick to ease the sting. 

Thankfully i only needed panadol for pain relief - one tablet approx every 4 hours for the first two days. At day 6 & 8 post surgery I didn't need any pain killers. This morning however, 5 BM's in two hours caused some pain. 

Quality of life is what I said to my surgeon when he asked why I had gone to see him. I had stage 4 prolapsed haemorrhoids & was sick of them dictating when I can drive, sit, eat, sleep etc. I had them for 6 yrs over all & that was long enough. 

For those of you that are petrified of the surgery as I was, I suggest you chose your surgeon wisely. A girl I knew returned to the hospital three times after surgery as she tore internally with every bowel movement.

Being mentally prepared is another big one. Both for the discomfort, pain & restricted movement. At day 9 I'm walking heaps better & can finally accept that it is possible to return to work 12 days after surgery. 

A big big thank you again to all who shared their experience, even the ugly ones as that helped me mentally prepare. 

 

Hi all...

I am a 28 year old female in U.K. 

After having banding done and failed I went ahead with this surgery. 

I was not warned how bad it would be. I was told I could drive after 24 hours.

Boy was I in for a shock. I have two young children and without my real life guardian angel (my mother) I seriously have no clue what would have happened. 

I ended up being discharged same day, and the pain was just unreal the following day. I had a high pain threshold USUALLY. I have had many lumbar punctures in the past, didn't flinch, I've had brain surgery, broken bones, hell I even pushed babies out my hoo-haa! But this.. oh my days.. this was WORSE than all of them combined at once. 

My infection levels in my blood were high so I was readmitted. For 4 days all I done was basically moo like a cow in pain. The nurses didn't know what to do. Sometimes I felt like they were scared and had ran out of options. Pain killers Barely worked, even morphine. 

It's been 7 days now since surgery, I had first BM yesterday it was horrible but I was prepared as I had by now read up on it. The preparation most definitely helped me with that,

That's why I'm so mad the doctors didn't tell me I would be incapable of looking at my kids, etc. 

I can't walk or stand up for even a short period of time. It feels like I have a big huge weight sitting within my pelvis that's just above to implode and smash my whole bone structure up and hit the ground. Even my lady parts hurt. I have a black bruise near by anus and I also had the lumps but I've read they're normal.

This thread had honestly done me the absolute world of good. I want to thank each and every one of yous.

I was beginning to think, am I ever going to be better again? 

Will I feel this way forever? Because each day I would wake up and it would be just as bad. But for the first time all week, you guys have given me hope.

My stomach is so swollen but I have problems anyway, I struggle to excavate my poo I have very weak lower bowel muscles. I have to use irrigation usually but I am NOT putting anything up my bum hole for a LONG time. Even if Brandon flowers walked in the room and offered me it there and then... 😂😂

But yeah, thank you guys.

I will pray for each and everyone of you and also for future recipients for this awful horrible procedure. 

(I've had open brain surgery numerous times and it was a piece of peepee  compared to this.)

I have been doubled over every day since the op I have flare ups about 2 or 3 a day where i just cry and cry and I honestly don't ever cry. I'm usually so brave . 

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enermy.

I'm just praying, this is all worth while. 

(P.s my doctor said don't eat fruit as it's the wrong kind of fibre, just stick to cereals etc, dunno if that's help to anyone.)

I honestly do not KNOW how anyone has gone to work the week after . I am walking like a penguin, actually though.

I'm covered in spots too and just generally feel like crap.

Sorry to be so negative guys but prepare , and I'm so glad you all know what I'm going through. I honestly thought they had left like a tool inside of me or something that's how bad the pain is.

Good luck everyone. 

Xx

Holly

I was so grateful to have come across this thread, I've read so many of your responses when I was in need of recovery tips, or just encouragement. I thought I'd share my own experience thus far for others who were lucky enough to get this done

Going into the surgery I was very worried about the pain, but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I expected. At its very worst, I'd say it feels like somebody with a sharp fingernail stuck their finger in your butt and left it there. Really uncomfortable, but I could talk and function through the pain. I avoided narcotics (since they cause constipation) and instead alternated between acetaminophen and ibuprofen every 3 hours to keep a therapeutic level in my bloodstream at all times for the first week. I also was given a shot during surgery that numbed the area for 3 days, that helped to get me over the worst of it. As people say, having a BM is terrifying each time, but I kept on fiber supplements and stool softeners and it wasn't terrible. No wiping, just pat the area with TP until you're reasonably clean (or until you cant take the burning anymore) then jump into the tub. Have the bath filling up as you're going so its ready to sit in immediately afterwards, then I would follow up each bath with a shower. Sometimes the warm running water felt better than the bath! 

Being a woman, I didn't think I'd mind the blood, but its always concerning when your butt is bleeding! The bleeding was the worst days 1-5, and even then its not that much. Not anything like a menstrual cycle. I would see a few drops into the toilet when I peed, and there would be streaks on the pad in my underwear. There is always blood on the stool during a BM (even now 12 days in), but it isn't a lot. By day 6-7, the bleeding is more of a weeping. No streaks in underwear, but if I blot the area, I'd see blood. The worst part about the 2nd week is the moisture. The wounds are healing so there is some discharge and blood and its so uncomfortable to feel wetness between your butt cheeks. I would blot with wet TP and dry off multiple times per day. Try to keep the area as clean and dry as possible to help with healing! 

I am now 12 days in and the pain is negligible, I'm reducing the OTC pain meds I've been taking too. However, I'm starting to itch, but I'm grateful that it means I'm healing. My nurse recommended Balneol lotion as a safe product to pat the area with to keep it clean and help with the itching. BMs still hurt, but the pain subsides much more quickly than last week (10 mins vs 4 hours). I still use a bath right afterwards to kill the pain. As such, I keep my mornings sacred to allow myself time to go to the bathroom and clean myself afterwards, even if it means getting to work a little late. I would not want to get stuck having to go at work! 

Plan on taking at least a week off work, more if your work involves lifting or a lot of movement. I had somebody else walk my dog (who pulls on her leash strongly) for 2 weeks. I cut down on starchy food and added more leafy greens and fruit to my diet and ate plenty of protein to give strength to the healing process! 

Best of luck to all going through this long and uncomfortable process. This is not a procedure that many feel comfortable opening up about, so I'm thankful for channels like this one where we can share our experiences openly! 

 

I'm so glad to hear others share their stories. I didn't have the courage to talk to anyone about it except a close friend and I just mentioned going for surgery to my sister who I didn't tell the entire story to. But it's nice to hear it's so common and everyone's stories are different in some way or another. I'm about just over 3 months post op and I feel great. I do always feel like I may have something down there just because after suffering for 12 years, it's an odd feeling to not feel pain and discomfort anymore. 

I do have troubles having a BM in the mornings and find I have to force it out with a push at times and that worries me. But I'm trying to stay on top of my diet too. I'm a picky eater as it is so when they limited the foods I can eat, it turns out that that's majority of the foods I already eat so eating is even trickier now. I've tried new things and even tried cooking new recipes and trying new things. I'm eating lots of salads too to help with the BM. I'm just glad I do not feel the pain and suffering that I did years before. I can't believe I waited this long for relief!

Lots of good tips on here.

Currently on waiting list to have internal ones removed after failed thd for prolapsing hemmorhoids. Really scared of the pain and complications (stenosis/incontinence) and long recovery. Can anyone tell me what sort of pain medication you are given in the uk?

Hi.  

I was given no painkillers and had to use common sense in medication, I did find it strange that I was given nothing at all and the surgeon did not even told me what exactly was done I still am bit p****d of but I must say it is an relief to be without continuous discomfort and blood on bm so if you get nothing I did buy over the counter painkillers and used oil for stool softener  any veg or fruit oil 

i had staple surgery for piles 2 week ago (3 oct 2017)along with latern spinchtomy for fissure as well, i had grade 3 hemorroids .2 weeks are passed, pain is no more only while passinG the stool i feel little bit pain but i see some blood drops whose color is lite red .is it normal??  3-4 BM in a day. i am not able to control my BM. please guide me for the blood leakage and frequently BM.

I agree with all of the above advice, I am disappointed that there isnt anything else to help with the pain,  regular local anesthetic injections would be nice, packaged in the way a diabetics insulin is with a pen type injection.