Hemorrhoidectomy recovery experience
Posted , 93 users are following.
I had a hemorrhoidectomy a couple of years ago and I used this site quite a lot during recovery for tips so i decided id finally share what happened with me in case it helps others.
My piles were BAD. they didnt cause me pain but they eventually got to a stage where they were bleeding CONSTANTLY. I had appointments with the hospital (UK- NHS) on and off for about 18 months and was repeatedly told that they're been banded and i should be fine.
The problem continued and I kept going back. After one particular sigmoidoscopy the nurse was wheeling me back and was saying everything was fine. It was at this point i had to stop her and said no, everything wasnt fine. I explained id been in several times before and I kept getting told i was fine only to go home and bleed profusely. The bleeding was excessive to the point that I was anemic and was on verge of a transfusion.
Upon hearing this, the nurse took me back into the surgeon who said he would have another look. I dont know HOW differently he looked but he told me I had an extreme case of circumferencial hemorrhoids that were actively bleeding as i was on the table and that surgery would be required.
I had a weird sense of dread and relief. FINALLY they've found the problem but OH GOD, SURGERY.
I woke after the surgery and was discharged soon after having been told that i may have some discomfort but healing time would be 2-3 days.
I say this with no exaggeration or dramatics but that was just absolute inaccurate bullsh*t. I was in excrutiating pain when the morphine wore off. I couldnt move without severe pain, I couldnt walk or stand up or do anything without help and severe pain.
I didnt need to go the toilet until the following day and every single minute motion caused severe pain and the act of actually passing my stool was almost unbearable.
To give you some perspective on me and my threashold. I've been knocked over by a car and fractured by skull, I've broken my hip, pelvis and elbow in a bad fall, ive had tattoos etc etc....NOTHING comes close to how painful this was.
I dont tell you this to put you off....i tell you this because at one point i found myself sat on the toilet almost in tears (LOL i have to laugh at this now!) wondering if this pain would ever actually end and it was in this mood that i came across this website. It was a weird relief to read that other people have had horrendous experinces too and that it was not just me. I read about having sitz baths and what foods could help with toilet visits etc and I actually had some hope that I would get better.
The only thing that helped with toilet visits was showering after. I cralwed into the shower after each visit and let the warm water wash me up and it soothed the burning pain considerably.
I was bed ridden for 3 weeks and even when i could move around a bit easier on my own, i had these muscle spasms that would come on unexpectedly, cause a short blast of pain and then disappear.
All in all i experinced pain to varying degrees for around a month. I had on and off bleeding for around 1 - 2 months to the point that the doctor actually recommended i wear sanitary pads which i did!
The recovery obviously depends on how serious the piles are but if they ARE serious, you can expect a horrible bumpy ride after. I say this....because I wish someone had told ME this so i at least knew what to expect other than being told id be out of action for 2-3 days. I could have prepared myself a bit for it.
Do I regret the surgery? No way..... it was a month out of my life that wasnt great but its given me a lifelong solution and i've never had problems since.
SO my advice is, get the surgery but mentally prepare yourself for a crap ride afterwards but look forward to being rid of them for good! hurrah!
7 likes, 1223 replies
amanda1305 neil31417
Posted
Im so glad someone is as candid as i'd like to be...I'm on day 8..Think I may die before the weekend...all these posts give me hope I will survive..don't feel like it now but the surgeon NEVER told me how bad it would be. If I could sleep in the tub I would....
holly0 amanda1305
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Hello everyone. I am new, planning to have surgery but after reading this forum I am absolutely terrified to say the least. But I can't keep living like this. I have had external hemorrhoids for 8 years now. They went away for 3 wonderful years but are now back with vengeance. I am seeking advice and thankful I found this forum. I could cry just imagining some of your pain. I cannot imagine being in anymore pain than I am now living with these horrible things. Please tell me it's worth it in the end. Thank you all!
melissa45115 holly0
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melissa45115 amanda1305
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alexis30257 holly0
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The first week is the worst. I'm day 8 and I'm finally getting into routine. It's all about your body and what works for you. What's great about this whole thing is you REALLY get in tune with how it works, whether you like it or not haha. I would just make sure you have a great support system, get prepared (definitely going to need pain medication + supplies) and you'll make it through.
alexis30257 neil31417
Posted
Amanda, I am praying for you!!!! <3
jenniferslice alexis30257
Posted
Hi Alexi, holly and Amanda ,
Welcome to our bizarro💩 forum. I'm just barely 4 months posants op. Me, Carla and Melissa shared our pain when we were all just days out of surgery.
I'll talk more later. Phone is misbehaving
Jenn
ParkerB neil31417
Posted
Hi Neil:
sounds like quite the ordeal you had to go endure, clearly you had a very difficult recovery. It's amazing how some things we think are so simple or basic can really be very complex & challenging. It is true that being mentally prepared for surgical procedures can often help with the recovery process. Neil it is encouraging to hear that the surgey provided a permanent solution to your severe hemorrhoidal situation. I find it so interesting how each person experiences things so differently from one person to another. Humans are so similar yet so very unique.
Take Care.
P.B.
linda_27213 neil31417
Posted
Colace along with Metamucil in the am... Try and eat my oatmeal, yogurt and a lil fruit... Then my Metamucil and pain meds so when I go hopefully it will be not so painful... Them take my sits bath... I also experienced the muscle spasms like you as well. I explained like contractions... But you are right they are muscle spasms... Horrible, horrible . I wish this upon no one... I pray like you that I will not regret the surgery... I am praying each day that I get better. I try and walk to the kitchen and clean one kitchen cupboard a day . That is my goal besides taking care of myself... I wish you luck and everyone else who is going thru this as I am.... . Eat right balanced as best as possible.
pauline133 linda_27213
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Hi Linda 27213 - the best advise I can give is to take stool softener for first day or so, and don't sit on the loo but stand with knees bent, leaning forward. It helps the BM to 'slide' out. Sitz baths every few hours if they help (they were my saviour) and if necessary dry your rear end with a warm hairdryer whilst still sore. Good luck.
Tom421 linda_27213
Posted
I had internal and externals removed. Tuesday was my surgery. It is now Saturday, I took my first BM today and it was terrifying. I tried in past days but nothing. I'm so bloated and feel like I could explode. I am doing what the dr says and trying to eat a fiber full diet. How long does it take to get to a normal soft poop. I keep getting pulsating feelings down there and it's excruciating. I am trying to rest but I sleep maybe 20 minutes a night. Night time has been when the pains at its worst until today. And that first BM. Any ideas / help would be appreciated. I'm anemic because of all the blood I lost prior. I still have blood when going to the bathroom is that normal
melissa45115 Tom421
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Tom421 melissa45115
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Thank you. The miralax didn't make u diarrhea all the time ? I've been using s sits bath too. That's how I got the first BM out and that was horrific. And I went into tub with hot water right afterwards as well. Thank you for the ideas. I get diarrhea would be better than what I just dealt with
Tom421 melissa45115
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Another question. How much miralax would you use daily & the pulsating did that mean you had to go to the bathroom or just the throbbing pain? That's what I'm having a tough time deciphering
jenniferslice Tom421
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Hi Tom, if memory serves me correct, I had my surgery 2 weeks after Melissa. Tomorrow will be eight months post op for me. I promise it does get better. Measure your pain in weeks, not days....you'll realize how much better you feel each week.
i had 3 internal and 1 external removed and I had the spasms of which you speak. Very painful and no, it doesn't mean you need to go. That was a tough lesson for me to learn. Try eating a lot of fruit, vegetables and fiber. I still avoid red meat, rice and cheese because they are constipating. Avoid narcotic pain killers as they are constipating too. Advil, sits baths and ice packs are your best friends!
jenniferslice melissa45115
Posted
what happen last last month when you had that bleeding episode?
/J
melissa45115 Tom421
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Tom I used one dose a day of the miralax. If I started using the bathroom a bunch in one day I would skip a day taking taking it. It didn't give me diarrhea just made it really soft. But I took narcotic pain killers for a good long while so that may be why it didn't give me diarrhea. I also used baby wipes and patted myself clean. Sometimes my spasms meant I had to go to the bathroom and sometimes it didn't. That was a tricky one. When they got too bad I would just go sit in a hot tub. Me and my bathtub really bonded during that time lol. I would also get really itchy down there when I needed to go to the bathroom also. I literally stayed in the bathtub more then I was in the bed.
melissa45115 jenniferslice
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Jen it went away after that and hasn't happened again like that. At times I might have a little blood but nothing to be concerned over. It was strange. I was having a lot of diarrhea at the time so maybe I was just irritated.