Hemorrhoidectomy, 9 days post OP

I am now 18 days post op. Yes, the first 2 weeks are awful. As long as you have narcotics in your system your BM's will hurt. Narcotics make you constipated. I stopped the Percs after my first BM and did Tylenol & Motrin every 3 hours. Stool softeners & fiber gummies are a must. I have no pain or blood when I have a BM. I did eat junk food the last few days so I had to take 5 stool softeners instead of my usual 3 daily.

Advice, get off the pain killers ASAP. Good diet. If I eat good I take 3 stool softeners & 3 fiber gummies daily and will have 1, maybe 2 BM's daily with no blood or pain coming out. Water. Lots of water so the stool softeners can do their job. It does kind of sting after a BM but I get right in the tub and use the shower head with hot water. Sting goes away within a minute. I also have been pooping in my sitz tub. The hot water just feels good. I get off right away though and rinse with hot water so I don't get poo water in my vagina. I did use a heating pad. Ice packs are nice too. You can fill condoms up with water, freeze them, rest on your crack once frozen.

No complications. I saw my surgeon on Thursday and he removed 3 stitches. For some reason they didn't dissolve. I did not get any skin tags. I feel SO much better having my stitches out. They were irritating the area and so itchy. Today is the first day I didn't need my donut. I'm still not healed fully yet though. My surgeon has me out of work for 6 weeks.

Kyle, I had 1 grade 3 hemorrhoid removed and a small skin tag removed that was caused from a hemorrhoid. I had been dealing with it since I was 19 (pregnancy). I'm now 32. It was time.

How many hemorrhoids do you think you have? Are you in the USA?

Hey Meyers, thank you so much for responding to me! I'm in the US yes and around your age. I tried the OTC meds, prescription meds, then 3 rubber band litigations, and none have worked. Surgery is the only option.

God knows how many inflamed internal hemorrhoids I have I don't have any external though. I at least have 1 grade 3 hem that prolapses every single bowel movement I have despite me getting off the toilet in under 1 minute time thanks to Metamucil and at least 66 oz of water per day. I have 0 straining most days but it doesn't matter. It comes out. Earlier this month I ate something bad and it could not be pushed back in with a finger. It's time to get get rid of it (or them).

I have no bleeding with my hems though after the bandings so that's good, or if I do have blood it's VERY rare since the 3rd banding and isn't much at all. I don't know how many other inflamed internal hems I have but like I said, there's one giant one that prolapses every single bowel movement no matter what. Oh and to be clear I had my last banding done in late February 2020, so, it's been long enough that I can say the bandings didn't work.

As far as your situation - A few questions after reading your post:

1. You said you had no blood or pain with your BM except for a little sting that a quick jump in the shower fixed - I have to ask, why were the first two weeks awful then? Were you in pain after your BM or even when you weren't having BM?
2. What was the pain like? Most people say the excruciating pain comes during and after the BM but if you weren't having much pain with those, where was your pain coming from the first 2 weeks post op? Is the pain all day? Or does it come and go?
3. You didn't really say in your reply to me, how are you feeling now? You said you don't need a donut anymore to sit down, are you back to eating somewhat normal foods or just sticking to a liquid diet of soups and such?

1. I had my first BM 4 days post op. I was backed up from the Percs. I took liquid Dulcolax. Big mistake. It was vicious. Diarrhea blowing out uncontrollably in the bath tub and I had 5, bigger clay turds force their way out. It was so painful I kind of blacked out. Was really sweaty. Felt like I was going to throw up. I just laid in my tub during it all.

   Move forward to day 8 post op. Finally had my next BM. Was off the Percs, taking my stool softener & fiber on the regular. Barely ate though. From day 4 to day 8 before the BM I was always shittng myself. Mush poo that just slid out with no warning. I did have the urge to poo but after day 4 BM I was scared. So if you get the urge but won't go you feel like you have a brick in your ass. Heavy pressure which causes pain. Add in leaking mush poo and having to wear diapers. Finally let myself go on day 8. No pain, lots of soft stools, cleaned out and stopping leaking/shtting myself.

   At first my bottom was sore after the BM for a few hours. Swollen.

   Day 9 to 14, wake up and everything revolves around that next BM. Anxiety like will this be the day it hurts? Hold it in and you get the pressure & pain. Can't wipe after a BM. Itching is horrible. Stitches poking into my tender area. It just wasn't fun. Can't sit right. Starving because I'm scared if I eat the next BM will hurt.

2. Even if you can get a painless poop that slides out your bottom still has pain. I had stitches from my crack into my booty hole. Even a cough or sneeze with hurt your bottom. My booty hole was black after the surgery. My back deck is about a foot from the door frame. That step down always hurts my butt. Even rolling over hurts.

3. Today I am 19 days post op. I have been miserable, sore and extra swollen since Sunday. My BM's are small but hurt as soon as I get a little out. I'm sure being extra swollen isn't helping. After starving for weeks I ate like s**t all weekend with my boyfriend. Friday night mega fries & mozz sticks, Saturday AM french toast & home fries from a diner/dinner was fried chicken tenders & fries, Sunday was a pasta dish with fried chicken & salad from Applebee's. After breakfast on Saturday I took extra stool softeners & fiber. Had 3 nice, small & soft BM's. Sunday was a joke. I pinched the turd off and took more stool softeners & fibers. Applebee's normally gives me mush poo so I got it. I have been extra swollen and am not getting enough poo out. Pressure is annoying. So yeah, I ate what I wanted and I have been paying for it. It is 3pm Monday and I have ate nothing. Just drinking my water. Going back to soups, yogurt & applesauce.

I was feeling really good until this weekend. I even had sex with my boyfriend Friday night with no problems or pain. Sunday into today have sucked. I'm sore, swollen & moody.

Hey!

Hang in there! I promise it gets better. On my day 9 I was still very miserable, in pain and regretted the surgery. Today I am 24 days post op and was able to ride a 4 wheeler on trails loaded with bumps pain free. Day 24 was really good to me.

Everything for me still revolves around my daily BM. I always fear it is going to hurt but I just continue to breathe while it comes out. The last 2 days have been really good. I still rely a lot on hot water. It just feels so good. I also still poop in my sitz tub with the hottest water.

Are you taking stool softeners & fiber gummies daily? Drinking lots of water? Also, are you still on a narcotic pain killer?

Kyle, I am still not 100% healed but BM's are not an issue, I am able to have sex (vaginally) in various positions, been on the 4 wheeler, get booty slaps, went out on Halloween & drank and danced really hard. Lol. I am also going back to work on Wednesday.

It really isn't that bad once you get the whole BM figured out. Just keep them soft. Hot water is still my friend. I only use baby wipes on my booty hole, no TP.

My last follow up was this my surgeon today.

Kyle, I'd also like to add I have had a wicked cold/chest infection for the last 9 days. You know the disgusting, crackle, mucus filled cough. I've been able to spend all day coughing for days now with no pain to my butt.

Hey Meyers, thank you so much for responding to me and updating me on your progress! I don't know if I mentioned this to you but I'm a truck driver I drive nationally across the US. Hearing that you were ok to ride on 4-wheelers so soon after surgery makes me feel better as obviously getting back into the truck after surgery and resuming my career is a big concern for me.

It's reassuring to hear that you're getting better to the point where coughing with a bad cold, getting in a vehicle, dancing, etc etc isn't hurting you anymore. I hope that your cold has gone away now?

I also wanted to ask you, and I know this is gross, but can you please tell me how you cleaned the general butt/hole area after the surgery and what advice did your doctor give to you in regards to cleaning that area?

For example, did you use soap and water or just water? If just water, is just water really enough to clean yourself after having blood/discharge/fecal matter occur in that area? Could you use a washcloth or your fingers on the area to clean it or no? Did you have to use a hair dryer to clean the area as I don't think your supposed to use a towel post surgery? Did you doctor say that you could become infected if you didn't clean/dry the area properly?

I read online that the doctors say not to use soap after the surgery but I would think the area would be more prone to infections without using soap and that you would also smell pretty bad too and make your bed/furniture smell bad too.

I'm just curious about the daily cleaning maintenance of that area and whatever advice the doctor gave to you, if they gave you any advice at all in that regard.

Last, did anything help with the itchiness that you described? Warm showers/baths? Cream? Are you allowed to itch it or does that just make it worse? What about at night time did you ever wake up to finding yourself itching that general area? Was the itchiness pretty much 24/7? Has it stopped and if so around what week did it stop?

Kyle, today I'm sore from where I'm still healing. It feels raw and ripped. Looks ugly. Looks raw. No blood.

While I had stitches I only rinsed with hot water using my shower head and I used my fingers to add soap. I used Dove unscented/sensitive skin foam wash. Just gently dabbed it on with my fingers. For me it was enough. My surgeon told me I had the cleanest butt hole he had ever seen. I actually asked him if it was dirty down there. His student surgeon agreed with him. LOL.

The area is always itchy. Drives me nuts but there is a cream you can use. I've been itchy since surgery. Right now though I am sore so I don't notice the itch.

Myers, Ok thanks for the cleaning regimen for that area that's actually the same soap that I use and I actually clean that area like you just described. So maybe my cleaning regimen for that area won't have to change.

But you did have to blow dry the area clean after each shower, right? I think I read that online to do that after surgery.

About the itchiness - Aside from the cream, do sitz baths not help calm the itchiness down? Or is the bath kind of neutral where it doesn't make it itch more but doesn't make it itch less either?

I want to buy my supplies in advance for the surgery - About how many bags of Epsom salt have you used over the past month + since your surgery?

In regards to leakage after first few weeks of surgery - I was thinking of getting a zippable mattress cover and buy a pair of cheap $30 sheets at Walmart that I could dispose off when leakage stopped happening. I want to ask with your leakage did you wear diapers to bed everyday and did it stain/spoil the mattress permanently or no? I'm a bit worried about that.

Also, it's been a day or two since your reply to me are you feeling better today or still sore?

Irene, I just now saw your post so you are 2 days later. Any pain yet? I didn't have pain on my first day. Once everything wore off the pain began.

Hi! So did not have pain for 2 days. Then on my 3rd day i had my BM. Started feeling pain then. It stings and ache but my pain is tolerable. honestly just feels like when my external hemmoroids are inflamed.

anyways, i dont need pain meds though. Even when i didnt have any pain i still did my sitz bath at least twice a day. i put ice pack once a day. I also use tucks. My pain tolerance is really high so maybe thats why the pain is tolerable. i know my experience is different than most ppl and i guess i expected the worse cuz my surgeon told me it will hurt so much...idk...maybe its too early to say. but i do hope it wouldnt be too painful...

for stool softners do you still take them daily or you stop after a week? i was advised to start taking metamucil after a week. my surgeon wasnt specific with the stool softener.

another topic/advice:

After surgery please make sure not to drink any sugary drink. I was so hungry after i got home from surgery i had a wintermelon tea without boba and some ritz crackers lol my HR shot up to 160 bpm and was advised to go to the ER. long story short i am not diabetic but experienced hyperglycemia 170 blood sugar. Apparently after surgery your body goes into stress and your blood sugar lvl goes up. Any additional sugar or carbs will cause hyperglycemia and cause rapid heart beats. lets just say instead of resting i spent 5hrs at the ER....

Irene what would you suggest eating after the surgery so as to not have constipation and not have rapid heart movements like yourself?

I was just going to stick to a liquid diet of soup/meatless broths for the first couple of weeks. I would think soup/meatless broths would be good and not cause heart of bowel complications, right?

My discharge instructions were to start with liquid and advance as tolerated to regular diet.

But my Physician's Assistant and Nurse told me since I'm young I can literally start eating what I want as soon as the next day. She said to eat dry crackers ( saltines) or dry toast. Chew food throughly.

On the day of surgery i think just dont eat too much carbs stick with liquid diet. The next day still eat light. I had soup in the morning. Toast in the afternoon then soup again.

I would keep it light until you have first bowel movement and then start adding fiber to diet. Now i eat oatmeal or miso soup for breakfast, pears and avocado for lunch, and soup again for dinner. My food choice strategy is based on the consistency of my BM. First time was very liquidy. So i added more fiber and solids in my diet. Second BM is soft and forms better. So i'll stick with not eating too much for the whole week or for atleast 5 days just to make sure and monitor the consistency I get.