Hemorrhoidectomy- will it ever gets better?

Hi everyone! 

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience as they helped me getting through this recovery tremendously! 

Every body is a little different, reaction to the traumatic surgery, pain level, bowel movement BM, recovery time. I hope in sharing my journey, it’ll reassure someone that there is light at the end of the tunnel! 

I’m a very healthy woman in her 30’s with an active life style and balance diet habit. I exercise 2-3 times a week consistently ever since university days. Less than handful of times of constipation in my entire life.   My profession also requires me to be on my feet most of the time. I’m always moving. I would never ever imagine myself needed this surgery. 

So what I didn’t know was I have a family history of weaker veins and development of hemorrhoids. So what happened was I gave birth to my two beautiful children.  During all the pushing, my anus basically inflated into a golf ball. It subsided after, but ever since the area has loser skin and weaker veins which leads to hemorrhoids right at the opening and extended to internal, circumferential all around. Every time when they flared up, I’d be in extreme pain on bed rest for a week! 

So finally my GP told me to consider this surgery since after 6 years, they’re not reducing and I’m not having any more babies.  So I did it. The surgeon removed 4 decent sized external/internal hemorrhoids. Not sure if they considered a protruding ones becase the base is external and extending internally. It was very extensive that the surgeon reluctantly left a few anterior and posterior skin tags. She explained that if she removes all, my skin will be too tight and my opening will be way too small for passing stool. Even going through this traumatic surgery, I’m not going to have a baby bum. Oh well. 

The recovery of this surgery is longer than most surgery. I read a few  people recovered within a week- wow.  And some, 6 weeks. It all depends on the location and the size of the hemorrhoids +\- fissures. My recovery time is about average I would say. Not as bad as some people posted here and worse than some super-human-1&2-weeks recovery.  I would say the recovery is like the following:

First 5 days : Discomfort, and worsen after BM after day 3  (because of the local anesthetic freezing- save my life!! Only needed tramadol for pain, sometimes Advil to top up)

Second 5 days : Excruciating pain and bed ridden (spams after each BM, almost like contraction during labour that lasts 1-2 hours and needed Percoset —and still painful with meds )

Third 5 days : Tolerable pain ( 50% better, tramadol was enough to control the pain)

Fourth 5 days : Discomfort most of the time  and tolerable pain after BM ( 60-70% better; only taking tramadol after each BM; able to get out of the house briefly; drainage stopped; and still off work)

Fifth 5 days:  Pain free!! Slight discomfort after BM but no painkiller needed. There are a few small lumps still. They were hard, but getting softer and smaller each day.  Slight tenderness when pressure applied to lumps. I massage some hemorrhoid gel to help reduce them. 

So the pain will pass!!! It’s like a miracle that the pain is gone over night out of nowhere!! 

What helped me to recover:

1) right before going into the operating room before surgery, Ask and REMIND your surgeon to give you a good amount LOCAL ANESTHETIC  freezing to the area. It will numb your area for a good 72 hours and slowly subside after. From what I read, this save me for A LOT of grief. My pain level for the first night was 1. Second/third day maybe 2. My first BM was easy and pain free because the area was completely numbed. This is MAGIC and you need it!

2) Before surgery 1-2 day, eat clean. The night before surgery, use an enema to clean your system 

 3) Diet: first 5 days-soft food/lots of soup/stool bulking food like apple and pear and banana. After 5 days - slowly increase texture of food and the amount of food. If BM is too painful, stop eating high texture food.  Fruits are great -fine fibre vs coarse. 

3) Water- as you eat more, drink more. 

4) Stool softener-  take it religiously. VOID CONSTIPATION AT ALL COST. Do not take laxative regularly though  becase your body will depend on it and it might give you diarrhea. Stool softener will not build dependency.  But, if you have constipation, then take laxative as a one time thing. 

5) Squirt bottle for cleaning after BM. Isn’t he early days, even baby wipes hurt. Squirt bottle works so well!!

6)Sitz bath after BM and whenever pain elevated. I used a baby tub inside my bath tub. Some days, I lived in the bath tub. 

7) Pain meds: some opioid pain meds can cause constipation, BUT take them still, especially the first 10 days. Take them when the pain is level 3-4. Do not wait until 8-9 as it doesn’t work as well at that point. Drink a lot of water and take stool softener to compensate the side effect. Adjust your pain meds intake according to your pain level. You may not need to take Percocet around the clock. 

So I’m 3 weeks post surgery now, pain is gone. But if I eat something more textures like seeds and nuts, my BM will hurt. At 2 weeks mark, I was so worried about irregular BM and strong urgency to go. But now, it’s better 90%.  Once a day in the morning. Still taking stool softener- maybe forever!

 I’m trying to do some mild exercise today. Over the last 3 weeks, I lost 10 lbs and my muscle definition. I’m just happy that I’m returning to (almost) normal!  Hope this give you hope in your recovery!! 

Good luck!! 

1 like, 17 replies