Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery-5 weeks Post Op
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi everyone
i have been on this site countless times...probably the reason i postponed the dreaded hemorrhoidectomy so many times. The actual procedure was fine because i was asleep but i woke up to pain that is indescribable. My surgeon said my hems were in his top two worst cases ever so the pain was to be expected. he said he removed three columns. the first week the pain was pretty awful at times but with proper handling of pain meds it was manageable mostly. i am 5 weeks out now and still have a lot of swelling especially after a BM. i also have been have so many BMs a day. it always feels like i have to go more. the swelling is actually worse now than in first few days after surgery. i am nervous that hems are back. it reduces with ice and heating pad. i cannot imagine going to work like this. i am in a lot of pain after BMs which is frequent and i still have discharge that happens for hours after BM. i have also been passing mucus and small blood clots and drops of blood. this has been a miserable experience and i feel like it can really emotionally break someone. does anyone have some insight or advice that they are willing to share? i feel like the surgeon rushes me off the phone when i call with questions. does this seem like normal recovery? also i should add that i have been getting gas pains and have trouble passing gas-i assume from swelling?!?! thank you
0 likes, 11 replies
jan12722 christina83756
Edited
I feel your pain! As someone else put it, this is the most vile surgery one can ever imagine. I am 6 weeks post-op tomorrow. The second week seemed to be the worst for me. Then with every turn of things getting better, it seemed I had a little setback whether it be constipation, or gas, etc. I also suffer from IBS so that doesn't help and had a small flare-up a few weeks ago. What you are feeling and going through is very similar to a lot of people and completely normal. Everyone's healing is different, of course, but what I've read on other posts describe much of what you are going through. Once my surgery was over, I was able to email the Nurse Practitioner and she helped a lot with questions and concerns. I had my post-op appointment and was told I was healing very well, and I often feel like the hems are back, but they aren't (I've looked). It's all part of the healing process, which I was told during my follow up appt. Having a BM will often make the area swell, so I am with you on that as I, too, can have several BM's a day and not always feel empty which is the worst. I just want to go once or twice and be done with it. I feel a lot of pressure when I try to pass gas, and often mistake it as having to have a BM so I run to the bathroom. Needless to say, I've been working from home quite a bit for that reason which helps. While I do have a little leaking (not enough to wear a pad anymore), I do feel the area is never fully cleaned. Having a handle in the shower to clean off has been a God-send. When they say it takes 3 months to feel normal, I can now see why that is the case. I'm not sure I would have said this when I was going through the worst of it, but I can say now I'm glad I had the surgery and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there, looking forward to updates that have you feeling better!
christina83756 jan12722
Posted
Hi! it is so nice to hear stories of people having similar experiences i went to my surgeon last week and he said i still have a lot of swelling. he wanted to do an internal exam but couldnt because of the swelling so he said i have to go back in four weeks and try to go to the bathroom less frequently. a nutritionist recommeneded the low fodmap diet and he agreed that i should try that and see if it helps. i have been on it five days and still have frequent trips to the bathroom but it is somewhat firmer. i hope this helps my IBS more in the coming weeks. A huge fear of mine is having the hems back. the surgery was just a very awful experience and i dont think i could go thru that again. I still have not been back at work which is such a long time but i do not think i could be at work like this at all.
Myers1987 christina83756
Posted
Christina, I was out of work for 6 weeks.
I still hate pooping. Even if my bowels are off a tiny bit I will swell. I always feel the best on days I don't poop. I am 5 months post op, 2 weeks op for a skin tag from the surgery that left me with 3 stitches. 1 is still there.
christina83756 Myers1987
Posted
that is terrible to feel that way 5 months later. i do not see an end in sight. i an currently sitting on ice pack after multiple bowel movements. it is the worst.
and it is so hard for people to understand who do not have this
Myers1987 christina83756
Posted
Christina, not taking my stool softeners really messes me up. If I eat red meat or take out I need 2 or 3 extra for a total of 5 or 6 a day.
I'm so sorry you are on ice and in pain. It will get better though, I promise. My stitches from the skin tag removal are gone. Tuesday was a bad bowel day and the area swelled. Today is much better and I even showed my boyfriend. He says it doesn't look bad at all and better than before having the tag removed. I'm just super critical. My surgeon said 6ish weeks to fully heal and look normal so we'll see. The progress is slow.
OH! I know ice packs are good for swelling but I also used a heating pad when I wanted a break from ice. The heating pad was as close as I could get to hot water without living in the tub, lol. Keep me posted and I hope tomorrow is a better day for you!
jan12722 christina83756
Posted
I hope the hems don't come back for you - they best not for me!! There is no way I could do an internal exam just yet, I'm sure of it. I am 2 months post-op as of Wednesday. Even though I eat a lot of foods with natural fiber, I had a tough week last week with constipation and decided to go back to taking Metamucil daily. What a huge difference. No leaking anymore at this point which I'm thrilled about, and the area looks completely healed and I'm very pleased 😃 I will get an internal at my next visit which will be 3 months post-op. I'm working in an office by myself, but on the days that I seem to have struggles with mild constipation, I work only from home. It's not worth the stress of having to run to a public bathroom. The Fodmap diet is excellent for IBS with diarrhea, I've tried it in the past. Hopefully it will continue to help you!
christina83756 jan12722
Posted
hi. i had one decent day last week where i went to the bathroom just three times which is a little for me. the pain was better, my mood was better. overall i had a fantastic day. since then it has been worse. even when i have firmer stools, i still have to go multiple times a day sometimes it is 10 times! i am still very swollen. i go back to the surgeon next week. there is no way that he can do an internal exam at this point. i hope i heal soon and start to see better days. this is all very draining . how are you feeling now?
christina83756 jan12722
Posted
have you had any difficulty passing gas? i have only been able to pass gas when on the toilet. i have been passing blood clots and drips of blood this week. i hope that is normal. this is all so exhausting.
christina83756 Myers1987
Posted
that is great news. i am not even close to being able t look down there. i am so swollen.
jan12722 christina83756
Posted
Hi Christina: When I had constipation a few weeks ago, I went about 10 times a day as well. To put it bluntly, each time was like the size of a grape but felt like a cucumber! Thankfully, I'm back on Metamucil which works best for me in addition to natural fiber foods. Water soluble fiber seems to work best during this healing process, for me anyway. Today is 9 weeks post-op and I am doing great. I'm sorry you're still swollen, but that's definitely due to the fact that you are going to the bathroom so often. It is all so exhausting having to deal with the healing process!! Passing gas is scary because it does feel like if I try to pass, I may go to the bathroom. This week has been good. There is still a small amount of pressure in the area when I have gas, but I believe that's because the anus is tightened up from the surgery. I do hope this gets better for you and that you find a method to make you more regular, which will help with healing and swelling. How far post-op are you? I can say that after about 5-6 weeks, I no longer saw any blood at all and if I did, it was a small amount when wiping after a BM that I struggled with. Hang in there!
jan12722
Edited
I was 3 months post-op on Wednesday and I believe I can now firmly say I'm so glad I had the surgery! At week 1 and 2 I certainly didn't feel this way, even the first month was not fun. Not only has it made my quality of life better, it looks fabulous "down there" 😃 While the feeling is still a bit different when I have a BM, it's certainly not painful like it was. Passing gas is also a different feeling that I can't explain. There is light at the end of the tunnel to all of you still dealing with pain and issues in general; hang in there!