Hemorrhoidectomy recovery experience

Hi niasbae and everyone else in the discussion.  If you look back to me previous posts following surgery on August 4th I have had the most painful and horrendous experience of my life.  Readmitted to hospital 3 times, excruciating pain and leakage from the back passage, unable to empty my bladder, depression because it seemed never ending - I could continue. BUT just over 3 months later things are finally back to normal (but without the haemorrhoids) and I have my life back again.  Would I go through it again?  Absolutely not.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel, the pain will go, so will the depression and you will get your life back.  So keep going - your kids are worth the struggle - and you will get through it!

I just had mine done last Friday, today is Monday and the doctor said I could go back to work today! I think not! The pain is awful and unmanageable. I had 5 internal haemorrhoids banded and am wishing I had left them as they were. I've managed to go to the toilet a couple of times and almost passed out with the pain of a BM. I wished I had read this forum beforehand. I am due to go on a cruise in a few weeks and fear that I will not be recovered sufficiently to enjoy it. The only relief I have found is showering after going to the toilet. The warm water provides welcome relief.

Hi Tonya. It seems that none of our doctors told us exactly how bad this was gonna be. At first I used a sitz bath on my toilet and as gross as it sounds that is the only way I could have a BM for the first two weeks. I would go on that then jump in a shower. Then have to go through the process of cleaning. It was worth though. The BMs are the worse. We will help any way we can just ask us. Hope you are feeling relief soon. I promise it does come.

Hi Tonya. I had 4 banded and felt like I constantly needed the loo, as it was a heavy sensation down below. It took about a week or so for that to disappear, I think this is when they fell off. So you maybe ok soon.

We've all had a hemmorroidectomy, where internal & external hems have been cut away. It's a very painful operation and would not recommend it. If the banding doesn't work, your surgeon may suggest this type.... seriously, read all the posts & avoid if you can.

Hope you recover soon & get to enjoy your cruise x

Hi Matt, your 6 months on.... is everything back to normal now? Was you left with skin tags?! I've got 2 & Hate them, think I'm gonna have to go back in & get them removed 😩

Hi Carl

I had a skin tag for ages but it eventually went down. Almost back to normal. There's some scar tissue though I think, which can get a bit irritated some times. When was your op?

Hi Matt, it was the end of Sept. went thru the op & had 1 skin I wanted to get rid of but I've now ended up with 2!! Surgeon said it might go away in time, but it doesn't look like these are any where. It's one hell of a journey... b/m are still painful so I need to take stool softener. It really does challenge your mental health!!

Hi Carl, it took a good three to four months before mine settled down, so don't give up hope!

Cheers Matt - here's hoping !!

Good morning all ,

How are you all ? It's a busy tine right now isn't it ? I am trying to get on but every so often my mind is on my backside ! I would say I'm 95% there now ! So I'm hoping after the new year it's a going to be 100% ! I'm still left with the skin tag I'm not sure it's going anywhere !!

Have a good day

Lisa xx

Hi I am having my op on 23Rd Dec I have heard so many horror stories and I am very scared. I am in the UK.

Hi Katie. It's not so much horror stories. It's more like not being correctly advised on what to expect afterwards. If you are planning a busy Xmas, I would rethink your date. Day 4 for me today and I still can't walk comfortably. I'm spending more time laying down on the bed or in a warm salt bath than anything else. It's not something I would do again, or would have done at all if I had been correctly advised on what to expect. I had 5 haemorrhoids banded and I'm told that I will feel better when they drop off which should be sometime after day 7. I live in hope that this is true. Good luck.

Hi Kate ,

It isnt a very pleasant operation , there are so many horror stories I was actually thinking of not having it done!

But I'm slowly seeing the benefits now , it will take up to 6 weeks recovery so prepare to just stay in doors for at least 3-4 weeks , don't push yourself to much as it will take longer to heal!

I would prepare yourself a week before , get a Sitz bath as it helps a lot with b/ms! I would try and eat lightly a week before lots of fruit and veg and all bran ! And drink plenty of water ! Try and keep yourself busy until the 23rd , I know it's hard!!

We are all here for you !

Lisa xxx

Hi Katie, what are you having done? I had four banded and felt fine, just a heavy feeling as though I constantly needed the toilet. That was gone within a week, must be because they had fell off.

I then went on to have a hemmorroidectomy to remove internal & external hems. Awful operation!! Like Lisa said, it takes about 6 wks for you to recover. I'm just 2 months & about 90% better.

Seriously rethink the date if you have a busy Christmas, it really could spoil your time!! Good luck what ever you decide x

Hi Tonya

I started to walk properly after 4 weeks! I was so slow the first weeks ! I didn't move from sofa only to toilet and bath ! It is very boring but you will heal faster ! I had op 19th oct ! It's a very long process ! I had Hems removed and prolapse sorted !

Also a hot water bottle helped a lot' I did use ice packs to but my bum cheeks we getting frost burns !

Hope you start feeling better after day 7 when they drop off

Xxx

Hi carl , I didht realise you had 2 ops! When did you have them banded? How far apart did you have the other op ? Do you still have the tags ? I want mine gone already ! If after Christmas it's still there I will go bAck to surgeon ! That's good you are 90%!

Xx

Thanks Lisa. I'm starting to think a hot water bottle might be good. It's a nuisance getting in a warm bath all the time, but the bath gives so much relief, I feel almost normal when I'm in it. I'm hopeful that once they drop off, things will improve greatly.

Hi Katie. If I were you I would plan on Christmas celebration being at your home and someone else taking care of everything that day. My first day was awful and was in horrible pain. The second I had the pain and I threw up all day. I also had my first BM that day. On the third day I had eigt BMs. I spent the first two and a half weeks on my sitz, in a hot tub, or in bed. The doctors do not properly prepare you. Read these forums and find others. If I had not read all of those I wouldn't have survived my first BM without going to the ER. Hot water will be your best friend for awhile. December 1st made one month since I've had my surgery. I had internal and external removed. I am pretty much back to normal. I do still have some pain and am still on pain killers. I would say today has been my worse day in over a week with the pain. I'm burning down there today. Good luck and just do plenty of research beforehand. Also feel free to ask us anything. Nothing is too gruesome for us.

Lisa I'm so glad you are doing well. Today was a ruff day pain wise but it was also the first time I have been able to deep clean my house since surgery. I would say I'm about 85%. I go back to see the surgeon on the 13th. I'm hoping he can explain why I'm still so itchy. Last time he said it was not normal and gave me a paste to rub on which I will say has not helped whatsoever. I'm headed to bed. It's 2am for me. Have a great day!

Really the hot water bottle helped a lot ! I was re filling it about 4 times a day ! I even filled it for bed and had good sleeps ! I was in and out of the bath quite often too ! How are you managing with b/ms ? Xx

Hi Lisa - yeah I had 4 banded about 6wks before the op. For me it was a breeze & naively I thought the operation would be the same, especially as my surgeon said 2/3 wks!!

Still got those horrible skin tags, although they've gone down a little, I really can't see them going away. That said, someone on here said it was a good 4 months, so I'm hoping!! Like you, I will have them removed if they don't go... after all it was the skin tag that made me go the docs in the first place!!

I'm doing so much better compare to only a few wks back! Im a little itchy at times & im still a little anxious over b/m, so need the stool softener & have to shower afterwards.... but it's all bearable. Glad your on the way to recovery to.... I really didn't think I'd get to this point!! X

Tonya the hot bath was my best friend and I took like 10 or more a day for the first two weeks or longer. I also read on one of the forums to fill a condom with water and freeze and it was the perfect fit for the butt crack. I tried it and used a thin towel over it and it was perfect. I would literally lay there until the whole thing melted. My skin tags are almost gone. When I touch done there I feel two very small bumps but thy aren't hanging. They are nothing that I would have removed. They aren't in the way. After a BM they come out a little more. I'm hoping they go away completely but if not they will remain with me unless they grow bigger. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Those rough days still creep up don't they ! Tomorrow is a new day for you Melissa ! That's brill that you are 85% back to normal !y friends keep asking why I'm not feeling 100% it's hard to explain it to them ! Haha

I hope you have a good nights sleep 😴

Xxx

Carl it sounds like you are doing a lot better. I hate that you still have skin tags. I have two small bumps. But they aren't big enough to be a problem. With a BM they get a little bigger. But immediately go back within an hour or two after. I'm also still extremely itchy and today I have felt like I'm on fire down there. I will see the doctor again on the 13th. Hoping he will have some answers for that problem.

Carl you are doing a lot better than you were a few weeks back ! I hate the bump and tag that I have left there ! It isn't giving any problems it doesn't hurt or anything but to go through all that to have something still hanging there is annoying me ! My hubby thinks I Should just leave it there and not have anything else done !

Xx

When you think back at to how those first few weeks were for us all, it's amazing we are still here to tell the tale lol - it really is an emotionally draining experience.

It's the tags that stop me from cleaning myself & mine look gross... mine need to go ha!

Tonya honestly, rest and you really will be ok in a couple of weeks, it's a horrible feeling & you may find bleeding when they come off - I didn't but heard other people did, so please don't be alarmed if you do.

Melissa let me know if you get prescribed any medication or info on the itching, mine has only started the last wk or so.

Hope everyone carries on recovering x

Thanks Carl. I'm resting, not by choice but because it's too painful to do anything else. It would appear that one came off tonight and there was quite a lot of bleeding. I was a bit alarmed at first and then just jumped in the shower and then a bath.

Now back in bed for another restless nights sleep.

Can't wait to get my life back.

Hi Katie,

I'm 22 days post op and figure I'll throw my best advice into the mix. My biggest mistake during recovery has been trying to eat my normal American diet. Do yourself a favor and look up the most constipating foods and avoid them! The list includes red meat, cheese, eggs, dairy, fried foods, etc.I'm still eating soft foods along with taking stool softeners. Three times (days 6, 10, 19) I ended taking a laxative. Very painful.

Other than that, keep up with this group. Just hearing what others are experiencing and how they're managing their pain and issues is a great help!

Best,

Jenn

Hi Jen,i am on day 12 right now. Take half movicol morning and night and continue my vegetarian diet . Drinking 10.  8 oz glasses of water per day. Go to the loo about 6 times per day , but it is still murder!,, my bath is my salvation. My surgeon told me I could drive the car after 14 days, cannot see this happening because I cannot sit without pain.. Have my check up on December 28th 2016 ,  does anyone out there know if this will include an internal which I am scared of? Peggy

Hi Peggy, no way was I gonna allow my surgeon to do an internal on my check up & I told him so ha! He just looked & told me to come back in 3 months! Good luck x

Hi Peggy. I have seen my surgeon twice since surgery and he has not done an internal. I have laid on my side and he spread my cheeks and looked but that's it. Uncomfortable but not painful. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Peggy,

I had my follow up last Friday and my surgeon let me know he would not be doing an internal! Just looked and said everything looks great.

J

Thank you so much been having nightmares about this. Just had a Lovely soak in the bath, then had a BM and had to jump back in the bath. Well not jump that is boasting.... more like crawled back in. Now settled on my soft feather cushion. Peggy

Thank you so much Mellisa. Cheers 🍻Peggy

Hi j how many weeks was your follow up ?? Mine is on 28 th Dec which will be 5 weeks.

Good for you Carl I had already decided to tell mine this. One thing he did say to me before the op,?he said you are lucky to be a woman because men have a much worse time, but he did not explain more than that and stupidly I did not ask. I did not ask enough of anything I suppose come to think of it. Peggy

18 days...but they called it a 3 week follow up.

Haha I don't think any of us asked enough questions!! I think with men it can be difficult going the toilet because of the prostate being close by.

I need an A on the end of my name, as i am actually female too lol x

Ok Carla nice name . Keep in touch Peggy x

xx

Carla that's hilarious I thought you were the only guy in our group hahaha! I did ask a lot of questions and never got anything but that it's was a bad hard surgery and that I seemed tough so I would be ok lol.

😂😂 I haven't told a sole about my surgery (we'll apart from everyone on here), so when I 'signed up', I dropped the A - little did I know you would all become my butt friends lol xxx

Haha I'm weak hi Carla , this is just too funny ! I do feel for you though going through this and not telling anyone apart from us ! How are you feeling today? Xx

Hi Lisa. Yeah I feel great these days, but I need the stool softener to keep things moving without pain. How about you? X

Yes I still need them too I did stop for couple of days and ended up constipated! Last night u had some muled wine and today I'm paying for it ! Stomach cramps and the runs !

Xxx

Carla, how funny, I thought you were male too!

i think if I don have my softener each day then my stool is slightly harder and produces a little blood. When I do am fine.

at the moment, stool softeners for life for me!

can I ask everyone how old you are? I'm 46.

😂 I'm 46 as well. I experienced blood going the toilet when I was a teenager but never told anyone. During child birth & thereafter I've had problems on and off, which left the skin tagg that I Hate. I'm now divorced (hopefully not because of piles or the tag haha) so the thought of a new 'intimate' relationship fills me with dread having the tag..... but now it's worse!!! Aaaarrrggghh

Hi Carla actually I do not know what a skin tag is?? My best mate explained to me yesterday when she came round for lunch. My husband was ill for years then he died. I met a wonderful guy 10 years ago and we have been married for 9. I was so very scared of getting married and all the intimacy this includes, but he is kind, loving and caring. If you met a really wonderful guy would it matter too much about skin tags?? Is there an option to have them removed??? A girl friend of mine also got married again after a divorce and she had suffered a mastectomy. She opted for no reconstruction and her marriage is going perfectly. Hope you do find Mr. Right . Cheers Peggy

Aahh that's lovely & thanks Peggy.

A skin tag is when a hemmorroid has shrunk & left the skin on the outside of the anus. It's not big but it causes problems when cleaning yourself (plus it looks horrible). After surgery I've now got 2 skin flaps, which again is horrible & problematic. The surgeon has said these can reduce & often will disappear in time, but if not, they can be cut off quite easily. X

These tags are not nice I know. I've decided to give mine 6 months from surgery date. Simply I'm quite busy right now, then leave for Christmas next week and travelling for a month. The. I've got couple weeks on my return and then my eye op. I'm trying to put my bottom to the back of my mind for a bit and hopefully in time it will reduce more. I really don't fancy having to deal with this again, 

how does your surgeon suggest they are they are easily remedied? My assumption is that they would have to cut and remove skin so it would quite literally be another pain? 

I think mine stem stem from childbirth too and also have had on and off bleeding all my life. Lovely I know! 

Hi Samantha and everyone,

I'm 52 and had my first hemorrhoid at 19 after giving birth to my daughter. I couldn't sit for 2 weeks and was horrified that at 19 I was dealing with hemorrhoids! From age 17-42, I had IBS so everything I ate sent me running for the bathroom. It was my life and I learned to live with it, but when I quit smoking it stopped and chronic constipation set it and along came the hemorrhoids. It was also at that time that I had endometrial ablation to stop weeklong periods! I was in the 10% of patients that end up never bleeding again (but still get all the other monthly symptoms). Sounds great, right? Except 2 years later the hemorrhoids started bleeding! I decided the universe hated me and I was going to bleed one way or another! How bad was all this? I kept getting turned away by the Red Cross to donate blood because I was anemic.

Which brings me to where I am today.

My name is Jennifer and I have hemorrhoids...

So sorry 😐 Jennifer. I too got married at 20 and my daughter was born by forceps delivery and loads of stitches inside and out, could not push her out in the pram for 6 weeks and this was the beginning of my haemorroid problems. So years followed and I had injections, 4 bandings the last one being August 2016 . Then my son who has had this op told me to go for it. He had it a couple or so years back, off work 2 days only. Then I found out he only had one Haemorrhoid . Wait until I see him at Christmas!!!! Tomorrow will b 2 weeks for me and I am just beginning to feel almost normal and just a bit of pain after a BM . So I am hoping to be able to enjoy Christmas hope u do too x

Hi everyone. I am 34 and got my first hemorrhoid in 2005. I've had c sections so I didn't think I would get hemorrhoids. Boy was I wrong. But I think having IBS is the main problem for me. I've always been on the toilet for hours at a time. After this surgery, I've heard you aren't supposed to stay in more then five minutes at a time. Mine were really big and never went back in. In August they bled so bad I had to go to the emergency room to make sure I was ok. The dye they used for one of the test put me into kidney failure. So I was stuck in the hospital for days. After that was over I started seeing doctors regularly. I was still bleeding awfully. Finally I had some more test run and they said the hemmies were constantly leaking blood. So I had this horrible pain in the butt surgery. I'm not left with big skin tags but I almost think mine aren't showing as much because I only have a BM every few days. When I was having them every day I had the skin tags. Carla I've decided it wouldn't matter if they stayed because nobody is gonna be looking at that area lol. If it was causing problems for me to clean myself then I might do the surgery again. Hope you are all having a good day. I've got to get mine started.

Hi everyone

I'm 39 and Iv suffered with them since I was 18 , it got worse when I gave gave birth at 27 ! And ever since it's got worse every year until this year I was having bad Awful time where I would suffer every 3 weeks ! I wasn't able ti push the things back up for about 7 years ! Then in may I had a very bad time where I then suffered a prolapse ! I had 2 degree prolapse and 4 degree Hems and polyps ! I then had the halo op beginning of oct to be rushed back in 12 days later as it all fell back out ! (Surgeon operated wrongly on me) and now I reslly can see the benefits of the operation ! I still have a skin tag but it is shrinking now !

I'm so grateful for this group as you all know what each one of us are going through !

Xx

Yeah it is a comfort to chat together. I had 4 Bandings in total over the years the last one was August 2016 when I had 4 of them banded but it did not work so was advised to have a HALO on Nov 24th. But after the op the surgeon said he took care of 3 haemorrhoids, one he did the HALO and the other 2 was a haemorroidectomy procedure, no idea why he did this will ask on my checkup on 28th of this month. Getting better each day. Cheers 🍻 to one and all

Im Really nöt Sure what i had but he said he cut Hems out had to lift and stitch up the prolapse ! Is that classed as halo ? Xx

Hi carls

I am having internal and external removed 😥 and skin tags.I was just given a leaflet from the hospital with not much info on what to expect afterwards. All surgeon told me was it would take about 2 weeks recovery and after reading posts on here I think he was lying lol 😁 x I am just really scared

Well not exactly sure but with a HALO the haemorrhoids are stapled and strangled stronger than by banding and it is less invasive. A Haemorroidectomy is actually more invasive and therefore more painful. This is what I read on the Internet. My surgeon told me that he would go for this fairly new method, ( The HALO) but I might end up with all of them as a haemorroidectomy, so guess I was lucky as out of the 3 I had done, one was the HALO method . Hope that does not mean that this one might return then ???

It's scary to even think of them returning. I have been considering having another baby this year but don't want another hemorrhoid. I wonder if I could do it without getting one?!

Go for it Melissa. My son was born without the trouble I had with my daughter. The hemorrhoids came from time to time and I had them under control with cream, injections and banding,!off and on for 30 years before I finally had a haemorroidectomy. Everyone is different and so are their hemorrhoids. I have passed my 50 th birthday and it is only this last year that I came to the end of my tether . My surgeon told me this would be the end now I have had a haemorroidectomy.. he better. b right.

I think if I got hemmies again I would just leave them unless they were causing bad medical problems. I can't imagine going through another hemorrhoidectomy lol.

Aahh Katie, I feel for you... but at least you got a leaflet, I didn't get anything lol. I don't know where they get 2wks from, as it takes much longer than this.

The pain wasn't that bad for me & I was able to drive the next day, but the b/M's have been hell. You have to relax, but that's easier said than done!!

Just do exactly what your surgeon tells you & remember it does get better, but may be more like 2/3 months not weeks!! X

I wanted to tell you guys what I tried. I haven't taken the miralax this week at all. Well I've only been to the bathroom once. I was worried about this hurting badly. I had seen on one of the forums where ppl were taking psyllium husk to use the bathroom and they said it just helped it slide right out even thought it's bulky and formed. So I bought some yesterday. I made a mistake and bought the flakes wish I would've bought the pill. But I took it last night and twice today and I have had a big BM tonight. Usually mine are thin since surgery but not tonight. It did hurt at first but keep in mind I've only been once this week. It did slide out quickly and I went a lot. This may be the magic stuff for me. With IBS I either go all the time or never. If this makes me have good BMs like tonight it will be a game changer for me. Now that I'm through I don't have any pain. I think this is because of how easily it slipped out. So I will let y'all know how it goes with it but as of now this might be my new thing to help me poop lol. Hope you are all doing well. I've been out at the lake looking at Christmas lights with my family and have a big day of baking cookies tomorrow. I love this time of year.

Hi Melissa, I add psyllium to my smoothie on a morning (well I'm down to about 3-4x a week this week). How is the itch?  I've is now about once every 5 days or so, but the emuaid takes it away 😀. It's not very Christmassy here in the GCC where I am so really looking forward to going on holiday in a few days! Enjoy baking cookies x

Sam the itch is still there. The paste the doctor gave me last time does nothing for it. I can't even run it on because it gets gritty. I see him again Tuesday and will surely get something else. I live in Florida so it doesn't normally feel christmassy here either but the last few days have been cold and great. I hope you have a great holiday

Hi all. I've never heard of that Melissa, i'll have to have a look out for it. Do you have to get it from a health shop or can you get it in a supermarket?

I've increased my stool softener a little as the last few days have been a little difficult. It's like I'm constipated. I've tried to up my fluid intake as I'm SO bad at that!

I've noticed recently that when I have a bad b/m I get a little fluid coming out (which is depressing) & kind of smells a bit fishy (urgh), I'm thinking the 💩 might take away some of the scab that's healed inside & makes it weep a little. BUT I'm still healing & getting better which I'm so thankful for.

Im off to the Christmas markets today, so hopefully I'll start getting in the Christmas spirit.

Have a lovely wkend everyone x

Hi Carla, I bought mine off the shelf in Boots. Hope you feel a little better soon and enjoy the Christmas markets (now I'm jealous!) x

Lol Sam. Will have a look in Boots for it. If I can get these b/m's coming out nice & easy, then my next task are these pesky tags & im homeward bound lol. Thanks x

Give the tags a couple more months, mine are still changing. Things vary in the size of my bm's/tags!

Yeah I will need everything back in working order before I can even contemplate putting myself thru more pain. It would be brilliant if they went down... I just can't see it tho x

Carla I found it in a health food store. I actually had forgot what I read about it and looked up and seen it and remembered so I decided to try it. I'm still leaking green stuff at times. It's not enough that I need a pad but when I wipe it's there. Doctor said that's normal. When I have a formed BM like last night I always bleed really bad during it. After I wipe and get it cleaned up it's completely fine. I'm about to get busy with my baking. My child heard about how ppl in the military who are overseas sometimes don't get Christmas presents. Well my oldest child volunteered me to bake them some lol. My church will be sending them off Monday so I have a lot of work to do lol. Have a good day.

Oh how lovely Melissa, that is so thoughtful of your child & also you for baking... plus, what a great message you're sending out to everyone. Well done x

I'm going to Boots today and hopefully pick up some Psyllium. I'm trying not getting too stressed about things down there. I keep reminding myself that it's a big operation we've gone through, so it's going to take time to heal. I do wish the surgeon had been more open about the post op side of things, but I'm here now & I've just got to keep moving forward. Enjoy ur baking x

I so want to shop at a Boots lol. I love makeup and hear they have great makeup. One day I'm coming to Europe just to shop for makeup lol. I didn't take the psyllium this morning and now feel constipated. I will be taking again in the morning. Hope you all have had a great weekend.

Hi Melissa, yes Boots is good for makeup & perfume & their meal deals ha

I looked at getting the psyllium but didn't bother in the end, because I've been prescribed fibogel & was I'm worried I'd have too much fiber if I was to take both.

I've been constipated the last couple of days, so I'm going to up the stool softener & water & see if that helps. Not sure what else to do really x

Yea I wouldn't take it while taking the other kind. I think I need more water also. I'm gonna take the miralax today and see if that will help with the constipation.

I know it doesn't sound nice, but I feel like the rectum isn't pushing the 💩 down properly & i'm getting that feeling as though I'm constipated. I've got to really push to get it out, which worries me coz I don't want to do damage & end up with more hems!

I wonder if it's because the rectum wall is tender that it's not working like it should? As my stools aren't hard! X

I understand that feeling Carla. Today is 4 weeks post op for me. Trying to get back to my regular diet now, but don't think my poop shoot is ready for it.

I went to the gym today for the first time in over a month. Had to take it a little slower on the treadmill than usual. Kinda embarrassing when the place is filled with senior citizens and I'm walking slower than them! LOL

But I'm getting there. And I'm glad to hear you're all doing so well.

Oh, and I tried psyllium years ago and it was too gritty for me.

Carla, are you drinking enough fluid? I'm down to 2L a day as it's colder and I really do forget to drink more in this weather. When you say tender does it hurt in any way? x

Mine is strange right now too. When I have to go I can tell that I should get on the toilet. Normally it's just been falling out on the miralax. Since stopping that and doing psyllium I do have to push it some but it seems that I have to push to hard. After I go to the stores today I will take miralax. I'm gonna try to do it once a day and the psyllium once a day to keep me bulked up. I bought the psyllium flakes and they have a gel texture and it seems to multiply the more I drink lol. I will definitely be buying the capsules when I see it again.

Melissa, I have the flakes, I add one tablespoon to my smoothie on a morning with a tablespoon of flax, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup berries and 1 cup almond milk. It does thicken slightly but not much if I drink within 5-10 mins of making 😊

Ps the difference for me seems to be the prunes! I've ran out and I buy them fresh (middle eastern ones are very juicy). As I'm going on holiday in a couple of days haven't bought more!

Haha Jen, poop shoot - funny heehee!!

Sam, when I say tender, it's not painful, but I know I'm still healing. When I first had the op I was bright red, now I can see it going a kind of white colour, which is basically the skin healing over.

Sounds like we are all similar with the 'constipation' feeling. I have really tried to up my fluid intake, I'm probably about 2L.

I must admit, I've just carried on eating like I normally do, as I wasn't told not to. I eat quite healthy tho (apart from chocolate), but I am trying to get more fruit and veg in to help move things along x

Hi Sam, About 3 days ago I bought myself some dried apricots. I prefer them over prunes. I discovered their great laxative qualities a couple years ago. Like you, eating 4 of them a day works really well, but boy am I gassy! LOL I still take stool softeners daily and will probably for the rest of my life.

Haha I am trumping like a trooper, my son keeps telling me off!! I don't want him to have memories of me constantly breaking wind, but that might be the case if I can't get off this fibogel & softener 😱 X

Carla, I hate drinking a lot of water. I never seemed to get any benefit from it and I hate going per all day. I have my decaffeinated coffee in the morning and since the surgery I've been following it with a cup of cider or herbal tea.

I eat what people love to call the standard American diet. Morning is usually cereal. Last night was hot dogs with beans and macaroni and cheese. Tonight is tortellini and meatballs. Since the surgery, I wasn't eating meat or pasta until last week. I lost 9 pounds...I needed to up my game.

I was constipated yesterday, but took 3 stool softeners at bedtime. That helped but my bung hole hurts today...

I'm pretty sure I'm constipated pretty good. We were in town shopping and I felt I needed to have a BM. I tried and couldn't go so on the way home it hit me again. I ran in house and immediately dropped my Dr Pepper right in my shoes. So I had to clean that up and go to the toilet. Well I pooped the three tiniest turds known to mankind and I swear they ripped my butthole apart. I was back to the days of screaming help me Jesus, help help help. So I of course bled a lot but after cleaning myself it's ok. I'm drinking miralax right now. I may need an enema for this one. I have a feeling I'm gonna be having a hard time until this 💩 Is over. I'm a little mad at myself that I quit the miralax at all now. I had to take a pain pill after this one. Glad I still have some left. Maybe I need to try and deal with it and just eat prunes or apricots. I don't like either but if it works it would be worth it lol.

Oh Melissa our poop stories are such ordeals but i can't stop giggling... I think it was the Dr Pepper!! It sounds like we are all the same, so maybe it's the side effects of the op. They say a major op can take a minimum of 6wks to heal (ie hysterectomy), but we've got the added 💩pressing past open sores every day, so it's going to take longer.

I'm 10.5 wks and I think I've still got a long way for the 'rawness' inside to be completely healed 😱 X

You sound like me when I've been constipated. A lot of work for very little results. The Miralax should fix you up by tomorrow. I was going to take Miralax today if the 3 stool softeners hadn't worked overnight, but they did...not without pain and swelling. During the day I pop 2 ibuprofen every 4 hours for their anti inflammatory properties because once it swells I get constipated which causes more swelling.

Can't wait until the day I can stop thinking about my butt hole!

I swear when stuff happens to me sometimes I can't even believe it myself. I've been trying to not say curse words lately because I used to talk like a sailor but I swear when that Dr Pepper hit my feet I hollered WTF! I mean I was partially upset that I spilled it and had to clean it but the other part of me though great now I don't have the drink. I'm too far out to just run to the store for another one lol. I'm now making some supper in my instant pot pressure cooking which I love. I had to have a shower first lol. But at least I'm not sticky and my butt isn't hurting at the moment lol

I don't know about you two, but my entire day revolves around how much my hiney hole hurts! LOL

For a while is all I thought Of. Now it's not so much. Tomorrow will be 6wks since my surgery. I still worry when I got to the bathroom and when I sit down but it doesn't constantly hurt anymore. I promis it will get there for you too. Tomorrow I have to go let him spread my cheeks and look again lol. I'm dreading that part.

Oh dear Melissa, your still not too far out f on sirgery. I remember about 6 weeks taking a few steps backwards too. But it doesn't get better.

Jen, whatever works I think... apricots or prunes. Just the prunes I can get are delicious - I'd never but them outside of this country mind as I've never found any nice ones!

I  was not advised to change my diet after surgery, just to drink lots of water and avoid chilli as chilli irritates the lining. Well I ate chilli (I do 3/4x aweek so that was tough). But otherwise follow a decent ish diet. Smoothie in morning, salad with tuna or chicken and hommus at lunch and dinner varies of curry/veg, steak chips n salad etc. 

Id say now I'm pretty much back to pre op levels with the bridge still reducing /not bothering now, regular 6x a week, but try to keep them soft.

we will all get there, I'd forget I had the op if it wasn't for my emails! xx

Oh gosh! I really should read before posting! It does get better! Far out of surgery! Never buy! 

Hi all ,

Well Iv just had about so much that I can take !! I'm having another op but not the butt ! On my front !! I have endremetriocis spelling is wrong ! I'm having the op Thursday !

Hope you are all ok and still recovering well !

Xxxx

Oh gosh Lisa, take care. I've had a hysterectomy 4 years ago so know it's quite a big issue. What happened for you to end up in gynaecology (if you don't mind me asking?). 

On the other side, how is your butt? Xx

Oh Lisa I am so sorry you are having to go thru something else. I hope your butt is healed. I've just left the surgeon. I described to him about the ointment he gave me from the last time I seen him corn the itchy butt and he thinks the pharmacy gave me the wrong thing. So I am waiting at the pharmacy for another tube of something for itchy butt lol. He also said I'm almost healed but not quite. I will see him in a month for him to check again. The miralax still hasn't gotten me cleaned out yet. While I'm here I'm gonna buy laxative and am enema just in case. Not sure if I can stick an enema in my bite yet. Lisa I hope your surgery goes well. I will say a prayer for you.

Wow Lisa...so many ops before the holidays. I sure hope 2017 is a pain free year for you!

Best,

Jenn

Hi Sam .

No I don't mind you asking at all !

Well my periods have been irregular but more Sol after the butt ops and iv been doubled up some days ! So that was concerning me a bit ! Then this morning during sex I felt as though I'd wet myself ! To My horror we were both covered in blood !it was quite painful too ! So I rang the gynie who internally scanned me !

To be told hormones tablets won't sort it but an operation will ! I went straight to hospital for pre op and she wanted to operate today ! I told her no as i have to organise my Children!

So I said Thursday is better !

I'm hoping the courtarizing does the job !

Aw the joys ' xxxx

Oh the Burris actually ok ATM lol

Xxxx

Aw Melissa that's brill about your healing ! I hope the new cream helps the itch !

Aw Iv just had the runs after saying I was ok to Sam ! And there was all blood splattered down the Pan too ! I'm not sure which end it's from now but I think the butt !

Yes a prayer will help thanks a lot xxxxx

So do i Jenny ! Iv had enough this year TBH !!

How are you feeling ?

XXX

Hi Lisa, I know a couple of people who have endometriosis and have had ops and all was well. Do you mind me asking how old you are?

When I had my hysterectomy at 42 I decided I'd had my kids (now 17/19) and with all the problems I had it was for me personally an easier long term solution. 

Take it easy and don't worry too much, the good news is the surgery is soon and your gyne seems t be proactive.

pleased to hear your butt is now in good health xx

Im 39 !

Fingers crossed that it works ! I did say to my mum that I will consider hysterectomy if I carry on having problems xxxx

Still young! 

I had high risk HPV, fibroid and heavy bleeding. Gyne said he could do this and that and I just said would it be easier to do this, to which both he and then anethatist said, that's what we advised our wives to do! 

Some people don't get over the op psychologically, I had a party when I had no more periods!  Lost 12kg and have not had any side effects. 

The decision is what suits you really xx

Lisa,

Cauterizing sounds similar to my endometrial ablation I had 9 years ago to stop heavy painful periods. They basically shot a netting up inside to line my uterus, then did light therapy (burned) the inside so that it swelled and engulfed the netting. This way, when they pulled out the netting, the lining of my uterus came with it. 80% of women end up with 3 day periods, 10% have no change and 10% don't get their period again (me!).

If this is what you're having done, it's pretty event free. I don't recall needing pain killers and discharge was minimal.

Best of luck!

Just don't try and do too much for Christmas 🎄! How old are your kids now?

Luckily Iv Been rushing around the last couple of weeks organising things and buying pressies !

Im pretty much done ! My kids are 11 snd 12 ! So I don't have to run around after them!

Aw I love this forum it helps so much ! Xxxx

As I hope it works Jenny ! If not I will ask for hysterectomy at a later date !

Iv suffered so long with bleeding heavy on one side and hemmies the other ! I want good health for 2017 ! LOL it's not to much to ask is it xxxx

How's the itch Melissa ?

Xxx

Aahh Lisa so sorry to hear your ordeal. Good luck on Thurs, hope everything goes well & you're on the road to a speedy recovery & 2017 will be a pain free year!!

I can't believe you was given the wrong cream Melissa. Hopefully with the right cream you will be sorted.

I've nothing to report, but I'm kind of glad 😝 Xx

Lisa I just put the new cream on for the first time but it's not itching at the moment. Hopefully this surgery you are having will have a quicker healing process then the hemmies did. I'm so constipated right now. I just took straight laxatives. I wish I could just poop normally. I hope you are feeling better before Christmas. Good thing you've almost got everything done. You take it easy after surgery.

Good luck today Lisa, hope everything goes ok. Thinking of you x

Ladies, I have now resulted to 'squatting' on the toilet and having to 'manually' press my bum cheeks together for 💩 to continue to move out of my butt. I tell you what, it got things moving alright & I feel about a stone lighter lol. I hope my muscles inside haven't become lazy and they start doing their job, as I think this is why I'm feeling constipated!!

Carla I took laxative yesterday after seeing the doctor because of the constipation. My butt hurt so bad last night. I regretted telling the doc I didn't need more pain medication. I could barely walk again. I'm glad you got it all to come out. I bet you feel great. I felt better today after my butt wasn't hurting so much. I should've stepped on the scale. I probably lost 10 pounds lol. Lisa I hope your surgery goes well. You will be in my thoughts today!

Lisa, thinking of you today x

Melissa/Carla, it must be constipation all round at the minute! Hope your feeling better today?

ive too been a little constipated. I think it's because I've not drank too much water, started a course of antibiotics and been drinking wine. 

Off on holidays this evening so I really must try harder with my fluids! X

Hope your eyes are better Sam, have a great holiday.

How did you get on with ur baking Melissa, hope you kept some back 😋😋

Hope you've had your op Lisa, all is ok & you have a speedy recovery. X

Carla I didn't keep enough for us. I made a chocolate cookie and a strawberry cookie. I had plenty of chocolate and not enough strawberry. I only got to eat one and have been craving them ever since. I'm gonna have to break down and make some more at some point lol.

Hello all ,

Thanks so much for the well wishes ! Really appreciate it ! The little op went well , I'm a little sore ! But nothing compared to the butt ops lol ! So maybe I'm taking it lightly haha

They said nothing looked suspicious up there and they took biopsy which I have follow up appointment next Thursday for results ! My butt is actually behaving itself so that's good!

I will read back over messages to catch up on your recoveries I just wanted to say thanks 😘😘😘

Hi me again that makes 4 of us constipated I haven't been good with water and fruit lately ! I have been having s couple of muled wines on the weekend I know that has something to do with it ! Carla that's fab about getting rid of unwanted waste ! I will try this ! Melissa I want some of your cake yummy ! Aw I hope you feel better soon ! Why are you walking slowly again ? Maybe u have over done it ?

Sam have a wonderful holiday are you away for the holidays ? How nice!

I must make a start on my Christmas cookies ! I'm normally so prepared by now , but I been a bit held up lately 😂😂😂

Xxxx

Glad to hear all is well Lisa.

Funny how we are all constipated, must be the wine 🍷 Hic xx

Haha must be ! 🍷🍷

Maybe it's a good idea not having any tonight ?? 😜

Or ????

Xx

💩💩💩😱😱😱😳😳😳

😂😂

Hi all,

Make that 5 on the constipated list, but I haven't had alcohol in 28 years, so it's not from wine for me. I'm thinking Carla was right when she told me to beware of eggs. Anywho, took a laxative last night, so I'm all caught up today.

Happy 💩🎄everyone! LOL

Jenn

Well done on no alcohol for 28 years! I'm not a big drinker but when I'm a social drinker then I drink to much and show myself up lol !

But the whole month of Jan I never touch a drop ! Aw man on the constipation it's awful isn't it ! I love eggs to so maybe that is making me too !

Xxxx 🎄🎅🏻

Lisa I am so glad you are doing good. I was walking slowly from the constipation then the diarrhea. Felt like my butt was on fire again. I took two pain pills that evening and felt much better the next day. I'm gonna keep up with the miralax from now on. I guess it's time for everyone to be constipated lol.

Lisa me & you both on drinking & showing ourselves up 😱

Apologies in advance for the graphic detail.... but my stools aren't particularly hard & the only way for the 💩 to come out was to massage/press on my butt cheeks together; so I'm wondering if it's because the muscles arent working properly??? Does anyone else feel like this?

I've never really suffered with constipation before x

Carla b4 my ops I always used to have to do this ! I suffered years with constipation then the runs !

Are you still taking laxatives ? I think I will always use something to help me as when I stopped I was in trouble again!

Xxxx

Lisa I stopped taking anything but psyllium husk last week and after a few days is when I got constipated. I think I will also forever have to take something. And I think that something will be miralax.

I'm taking Lactulose (stool softener). I'm sure when I was in the hospital my surgeon said I needed to take it for 3 months post op; but when I saw him a month after my op he said I didn't need it. When I weaned myself off it, I started having trouble.

So I'm back on it but taking 1/2 what I should (I take 15ml at night). The last couple of days I've really upped my water intake, as I'm bad at this.

I'm having to really strain for things to move & I'm worried i'll end up with more piles... hence me squeezing my butt cheeks... which worked!

Carla I feel like I'm starting to strain a lot more lately too. I'm worried about getting more hemmies also. The nurse at the doctors office told me she tries to eat at least one salad a day to keep things moving. I'm so sick of this journey and never want to go thru it again.

Hi All, I'm playing catch up, Lisa great news on the op! All yes constipation hits quickly! I eat fruit and salad every day but still feel if I don't have stool softener I'm hard again ??.

G'day from sunny Australia xx

B'day Sam! Sunny warm Australia for the holidays, huh? It's snowy, icy and rainy here in Pennsylvania!

Well all...my last post is in moderation because I put a link in it, so I'll make this short and to the point. I found the cause of my constipation...too much fiber! Do a web search on fiber causing constipation. I've been eating 2 packets of instant oatmeal every morning. Each package has 10g of fiber. Too much at one time obviously. *sigh* Just took another laxative to clear this up and start again with a clean slate!

Happy weekend!

Hi Jen, yes, my family is a little crazy and unusual on the global footprint!!

i do think sometimes fiber can be good but also detrimental as you say!

xx

Sam have a great holiday. Jenn I think that's what messed me up too. I was doing the psyllium husk and I think it was too much. I had issues again yesterday. My butt is so sore that I'm gonna have to call my doc Monday and tell him I do need more pain pills. It feels raw it hurts so bad. I had lots of bleeding yesterday too. I also went to the bathroom fifty times. I'm so ready to be done with this. It's 77 degrees here in Florida today. I wish it was a cold day. I'm praying for a cold Christmas.

Melissa, You said exactly what I said to my hubby...I'm so ready to be done with this! I need to get things done and don't have time for this poop, no poop guessing game. And I thought my sore butt was getting better until this week. Ugh...hubby and I just got back from the grocery store in time for the lax and softeners to kick in...

Merry 💩ing Christmas to us!

/J

I know lol. When I'm not pooping I feel like I'm healed but as soon as I go again I know the truth. It's awful. My miralax hasn't kicked in yet today. I'm completely torn on wanting it to work and not want to poop lol. Merry Christmas!

Hi ladies! Well I went the loo this morning and all day ive been feeling a bit 'stingy' inside & noticed a little bit of liquid when I wipe. Tonight I've gone again and there was a good drop of blood & It stings when I clenched my cheeks. Again, I think I've taken a thin layer of skin off the scar area which makes it week & bleed.

I know I'm healing ok but it's been a very slow process. I still need to clean with a shower head afterwards. I was thinking before how lucky/grateful I am that I've been able to use a shower after every b/m (except one when I was at work).

We are all doing well though ladies. Think we need to listen to our bodies & keep tweaking the meds/fibre etc. The increase in water has been doing me good... I just need to keep remembering !! Xx

Carla, two steps forward one step back, hopefully 2017 will be be better x

It really is two steps forward one step back. I'm having some issues right now too. Hopefully this surgery is gonna be a thing of the past soon.

Hello ladies, how is everyone?!

I've got a small fissure at the back that keeps causing a few problems, but I'm ok - thank goodness for stool softeners!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas & have a lovely dinner & you get it out easy the other end 💩 😱

Festive wishes sent to each and everyone of you and big cheers for a healthy & happy 2017+ 🎄🎉🥂🍾 🤶Xx

Hi Carla

We'll I've ended up having more surgery and am in hospital for Xmas. Ended up with thrombosed haemorrhoids from the banding, and so now he has cut them out.

I'm only 4 weeks away from my cruise and so worried it's going to be ruined.

Hope you're all having a better Xmas than me, and 2017 gets better. Xx

Happy holidays everyone!

Let's hope everything goes smoothly for all!

/J

Tonya,

I was told after my surgery that my hemorrhoids had blood clots in them. On Monday will be 6 weeks post op for me. I think you should be okay for a cruise as long as it's a restful one with plenty of time sunning yourself in a comfy deck chair.

Please don't forget your stool softeners, pain killers and a laxative just in case.

Have a great time!

/J

Oh no Tonya that's awful; I'm gutted for you. You said you was in pain when you had them banded. Poor you. You will heal a lot in 4wks but like Jen said, don't forget ur meds!!

At least on your cruise you will be waited on, so relax and enjoy. Xx

Tonya I hope you feel better fast. Merry Christmas to you all. I've got to run out and buy some candy to stuff the kids stockings with and some wrapping paper. I love Christmas!

Lol Melissa, I prepare for ages & there's always something I forget - I've not got any serviette's - hopefully my mum has some 😱

Best wishes, speedy recoveries & all the best for 2017 xx

Merry Christmas Girls! I hope your butts act right today lol!

Haha here's hoping!! Yes Merry Christmas everyone - Ho Ho Ho. Xxx

Hello all

have you all had a merry Christmas ? Tonya I hope you are feeling better after your op !

How's everyone's butts treating them? I'm a bit bunged up the last couple of days but it's all self conflicting lol ! No pain though! I'm just sitting on loo longer than I should be !

Oh the joys !

Xxxx

I had a great Christmas. I hope yours was good too. How are u feeling after last surgery? I called my doctor before Christmas and got more pain meds for pain after having a BM. I'm still itchy. It's annoying! Other then that I'm feeling good.

Hi Ladies - how are you Lisa after your op, is all ok?? Oh Melissa what a nuisance being so itchy. I'm similar, but I've been putting on hydrocortisone cream every other day, it keeps it away but I don't want to have to use this forever and a day!

If I don't have softeners I struggle to get the 💩 out. I really have to push & squeeze my cheeks together. I'm not sure if the muscles are week after surgery and they will get stronger and start to work as they did or if this will b long term problem. Is anyone else the same? X

Hi Carla. I'm just home from hospital today. Surgery last week went well I think. The banding I had last month didn't work due to them becoming thrombosed, so surgery to cut them out was the next step.

It's been a horrible week. Ruined Xmas for my family but couldn't be helped. I'm struggling to control the pain right now. They gave me some ligocaine gel to use after each BM which works for awhile.

The sitz baths work well too. I'm starting to wonder weather I'll have a normal BM again. Feels like the muscles don't want to work properly, unless it's just stage fright, due to fear of pain.

Tonya I'm glad you are doing well. I also have to have miralax or softeners to go properly. If not I can't hardly go and it is very painful even if it's still soft. I also hope it doesn't last forever.