Hemorrhoid surgery recovery tips

Thank you for posting this i had surgery on Saturday and OMG the pain is unbelievable! I still have awful piles and am going to need further surgery. I havent had my bowels open yet despite taking lactalose and movicol also taking codeine 30mg paracetamol and ibuprofen! Im hoping to go back to work next week on light duties im a HCA. Healing sent to those in need a speedy recovery.

How are you feeling at 2 weeks post op?

52 year old male  (I think that it would be good if posters posted a little demographic information)

Hemorrhoidectomy surgery 6 days ago.  I had both internal and external hemorrhoids, but mostly external.  Post-op nurse said that Doc had a lot to take care of - cutting the large ones out and cauterizing others.  Lots of stitches.  

I have had a high tolerance for pain, so I tried to convince the doc to prescribe me less oxycodone than he recommended.  He insisted - for one, refills are harder to get with the new anti-narc laws.  With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend, any refills might not happen for over a week.  I reluctantly relented.

After an afternoon procedure, the first 24 hours were uncomfortable, but relatively a piece of cake.  I could not poop, however.  Urinating was shockingly difficult and painful.  Apparently, with all of that trauma down there, the prostate gets pretty aggravated.  Any relaxing down there in order to urinate meant letting go of the rest of it too, resulting in more pain. For the first 4 days, I constantly felt like I had a fart or a blood clot stuck on its way out of the hole.

Day 2 got substantially worse.  I made the mistake of not taking pain medication soon enough.  Then, I had to play catch up.  The pain was excruciating.  I thought that I had my first BM coming so I attempted to remove the post-op gauze between my cheeks.  I discovered a bloody stool, which became unbelievably painful upon removal.  The bathtub (with Epsom salts) was the only relief, but not much relief at all.  I had incredible fear of a BM because of the pain.  There was so much blood at the first 3 or 4 attempts that I am not sure I actually had a BM.  The pain got progressively worse and recovery longer.  BMs are like the worst hemorrhoid pain and pressure that you have ever had - and then a red hot poker is shoved up your ass.

Doc had said the ice packs help somewhat.  THAT was a huge understatement.  I found that gel packs work best because they conform to the crack.

I am on day 7 right now.  The lidocaine idea sounds like a great one to try before and after a BM.  I am about to try it.  Hemorrhoidal cooling gel has helped slightly up to now.

I have found these to be my saviors:

 - Help.  My wife has been a tremendous help.  I can't imagine going through this alone.  You need help.

 - Oxycodone.  What a fool was I.  Thankfully doc talked me into getting the full prescription.  It is a Sunday and I am running low.  Hopefully, the pain will subside soon.

 - Laxatives.  I took stool softeners faithfully 3 times a day from day one, which had not seemed to help much.  Milk of Magnesia at night helped to get me on the right track to regularity.

 - Try to urinate before a possible BM.  The pressure and pain are too great afterward.

 - Sitz bath.  I jump in the bathtub (with Epsom salts) right after my BMs.  After 20 minutes, I finally feel better.

 - rolled up wash cloth.  I bite into this wash cloth to help handle the pain after BMs.  It keeps the loudness of the screaming down.  The moans still freak out the dog though.  

 - Maxi pads.  There is constant leakage.  It also gives you more confidence in letting a fart go.  Lastly, the BMs get faster and faster, so any safety from bathroom messes is helpful.  I've had one pad get a package and 2 very near misses.  They've kept my underwear clean.

 - Gel ice packs.  These have been a savior.  At times, the only relief for pain and discomfort.

Several times, I had thought that I had gotten over the hump.  I was wrong.  I had taken all of last week off of work.  I just now informed my boss that it will be at least 3 more days before I can even come into the office.  It might be longer.  I am rationing the last few Oxycodone that I have, hoping that I won't need more or for when I can get more tomorrow (Monday) morning.

The pain is substantial.  You will be screaming, swearing, and crying.  Day 7 has been better than Day 6, but Day 6 was really, really bad.  Thanks for posting your adventures, I look forward to trying the lidocaine.  I couldn't hurt worse.

Good luck to you.  I am hopeful that this will all be worth it.  

Hi, I am 48 and live in the UK with my 11 year old son.  I had a haemorrhoidectomy and two small haemopexys five days ago and I still haven't had a bowel movement.  The nurse gave me metronidazole, lactulose, co-dydramol and diltiazem cream, then told me that the co-dydramol might cause constipation, so I could take paracetamol and ibuprofen instead.  I thought no way I want constipation so have only taken the paracetamol (had no ibuprofen at home). 

I have been trying not to eat much as didn't want a bm too soon.  This is because I had two haemorrhoidectomies years ago and remember the pain.  Because I wasn't eating much I didn't start the metronidazole till a couple of days ago as it said you had to have with food.  I thought I better start as it stops infection down below but unfortunately I found out the hard way two carrots is not enough food.  I thought I was dying, I went weak, sweaty and cold, felt like vomiting and fainting at the same time, started panting and my body seemed to vibrate. I was wondering if I should call an ambulance when my son came home at the right moment and got me some milk and I started to feel a bit better.  I am now making an effort to eat a bit more, though I don't have an appetite.  I tried to put up the diltiazem cream but no chance, it is too painful to go far so it mainly went on the outside.  

I have been taking the lactulose and not eaten anything stodgy and felt like a bm this morning, I sat there for a bit and tried gentle pushing but nothing would come out.  I am so scared of the pain, I think my sphincter has clamped shut and won't open.  I gave up in the end and ended up in tears because nothing would happen and I didn't know what to do.  

In the past when I had haemorrhoidectomies I had to take glycerin suppositories to get things started, which liquified everything and it stung but wasn't horrendously painful.  This time though it must be different, I tried to put one up but it didn't work.  I rang the hospital and spoke to a consultant and he said not to do that as it would irritate it. 

I googled and some people use Milk of Magnesia so I bought some and have taken 30 ml a few hours ago but not sure this is going to work either.  I don't think it will work unless things are liquified.  Not sure what to do here and feeling very miserable. I know I need to go but it's just not happening. 

I'm not as brave as a lot of you on here, I'm amazed and jealous that you can just have a bm and deal with it.  I'm just so scared.  My pain threshold must be low.  

 

I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy done by my colorectal surgeon and I have three hemmoroids, internal prolapsing and unfortunately they seem to start just below the dentate line. My surgeon, previous to the sigmoidoscopy had said that he may be able to band them which he said is much less painful than surgery. My two previous appts with my surgeon he really dissuaded me from surgery because of the pain and said that if I did want to go ahead with it, that he would use an epidural to manage the pain during surgery. But now, because of these little beggars being below the dentate line, I have to have general anaesthesia which I am NOT really happy about and surgery would take 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. I'd appreciate any info you all can give me, if you had to go that route. My surgery is about a month or two away. Any feedback you can give me would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

 

Thought I would update.  Things are much better just one day on.  After lying in bed panicking that I had to do something as Day 6 of no bm and I didn't want an impaction, I finally used some Instillagel (an anaesthetic gel) and managed to insert a bit. OMG what a relief!  The pain magically disappeared, everything felt normal.  If only the nurses had told me about this.  They had given me just 4 vials of this stuff and made out it was only because they didn't have any diltiazem cream to give me at the moment, so I hadn't bothered to use it and just waited for the diltiazem.

On a roll I then managed to insert a glycerin suppository.  The hosp consultant and my GP had said not to use a suppository as would cause irritation, but I knew nothing was going to happen otherwise, I was so scared of the pain things were clamped tight down there and weren't going to open willingly.  Then I thought well that's that, I've done it now.  Went to bed and lay down.  30 minutes and nothing, I wondered if the suppository wasn't working (or had too much to deal with lol - should I have used 2?) but then at about 50 mins the urge came so off I went with great fear.  The bm started straight away but was fairly gentle.  I didn't push, just let it happen and it wasn't really painful, just tender.  I didn't pass much, to my surprise, but then a few minutes later there was more so that was better. 

I can't tell you the relief after that.  I felt much more normal.  Later on, and this is the possible downside to a suppository, it worked twice more that evening but thankfully each time, not much.  I didn't have a sitz bath but made my own using a bucket of warm water and that was really soothing so I definitely recommend them.  

It's day 7 now and I woke up needing the toilet and went, must be the last of the suppository working, and that did sting a bit as I'd had no painkillers and no gel, but it was still very soft and easy.  I used warm water for cleaning afterwards and dabbed carefully, then put the Instillagel on and now feel great.  

I am getting on with everything today as normal, no more being bed-bound, still feeling sickly with the metronidazole, but will finish those in a few days.  I am keeping good with my diet and avoiding any stodgy foods.  I feel 100% better from yesterday morning so very glad I did what I did.  I would say, if you are desperate  and it has been a few days and you are so scared you can't relax the anus to start going, the Instillagel is great and using a glycerine suppository may be the answer, it was for me.

I hope this helps someone.  Best wishes.

Having had three massive hemmorhoids removed this summer, I figured to add some helpful hints from my experience:

1. Be patient. Most surgeons recommend a three week recovery (not that you'll be 100% in three weeks) and that is about right for me.

2. Watch your diet. Lots of fiber, fruits, vegetables, etc. Water is your new best friend.

3. IMPORTANT: do NOT take a laxative such as MiraLAX or you'll spend more time on the toilet than you ever cared to. Instead, take a daily recommended dose of Konsyl or any other brand that contains psyllium -- you want your stools to be bulk-formed, soft and regular.......not frequent!

4. Pain medicine. Watch out for opiods as they can cause constipation. Oddly, I ended up in this particular surgery 9 days following a completely different surgery. I was prescribed oxycodone and didn't have a bowel movement for four days....and when I did, monster hemmorhoids. My primary care physican told me he couldn't sit comfortably for two days just SEEING how large my hemmorhoids were. If opdiods are prescribed, ask your doctor for NUCYNTA -- it's relatively new and is known to be much easier on the stomach and digestion. This all said, it's best to get off your opiods as soon as possible.....I took them for just three days the 2nd time around.

5. As others have mentioned, keep your area clean as best as possible. DRY, too. After a week or so, as I became more mobile, I started applying baby powder for dryness and reduce friction. It helped a lot. 

6. Exercise: start walking when you can, but don't push it. You have the rest of your life to exercise, so don't be impatient and cause more issues. My doctor recommended avoidance of lifting weights for two months to allow the muscles to fully heal. It was tough getting back into the weight room, but again, I wouldn't change the approach here.

7. Be prepared. Size of hemmorhoids aside, my recovery was not AWFUL. Expect discomfort for the first week, but prepare your needs in advance. Stay with the physllium supplements -- it's actually good for your heart health and will continue to keep you regular.

8. There is light at the end of the tunnel -- time passes quickly and bodies heal (if you allow them to!). 

Good luck.