I finally decided for Hemorrhoidectomy .. here is why
Posted , 3 users are following.
i started having hem 16yrs ago pregnant with 1st child. at my 4th child, the hems are bigger. they dont usually give me problems as I manage to push back after every BM. My BM is usually regular. Most of the time i go every morning without problem with occasionally i missed one or 2 days, but I still manage to pass.
last year dec, i was having hems flared up so I went gp for medications. Gp asked me if I wanna referred to colorectal specialist as I am always having to visit him for hems every few months. so I say ya, why not.
so i went for my 1st visit to specialist and he said I have 1 good size internal and 2 external and suggested ligation. I said ok. so i signed the day surgery authorization form and waited for the day.
on july was the surgery day. it was supposed to be colonoscopy and ligation at same time, but they only did colonoscopy. they found couple of polyps inside as well. i have to be referred to another appointment to further discuss my condition. makes me worried as the doc briefly say need to check if polyps is cancer or just healed tissue. so I went home quite anxious to know.
few weeks later, came back to see doc and he explained that my case need hemorrhoidectomy to fully remove. the polyps are nothing I shd worry about. thank god. he did warn me about the pain during recovery after hemorrhoidectomy but also give assurance they will provide medication for pain management. Hearing all the horror stories, I decided not to go ahead so he gave me an open date appt in case I change my mind.
so this is how I started to change my mind. 2 weeks ago, I had an explosive bowel due to spicy food which causes my hems flare up again but somehow this is more painful than usual. i still have my proctosedyl cream and euvein500 so I continued using them. After usage still no improvement and I started to constipate. knowing bowel will get painful, I starting to take fybogel and stool softener. i got restless and inserted dulcolax suppository to make me pass motion on the 5th day constipation. Felt at ease, the next day I visit GP to get more medication. I told him I used Dulcolax. He warned me against using dulcolax laxative. he said its not good for my hems. Advise me to just use stool softener and let nature take its cause. its my ext hem causing the pain. Not thanking the int hems exerting more pressure on my ext hems. 3 days later, ext hem pain still there and manage to pass motion naturally. another 3 days later, ext hem pain has reduce and manage to pass bowel again naturally but this time i am not able to insert back the internal hem. My stools were soft but they don't pass easily. I try to relax my self to let them pass but the last bit, i may have strained much. try to push back hems but can only achieve abit. I got panic and went to GP as will need his help to push back. he tried pushing in, manage to do it but it came out again. it pained like hell when he tried to push. I bleed alot. i seldom bled due to hems. He saw this as emergency and ask me go straight to a&e. while waiting for referral memo, i asked the nurse how big was it. she said it is about the normal size of strawberry. i was in so much pain. went to A&E.
i cant walked so hub had to wheeled me when I reached a&e. the 1st thing seeing Doc, I asked for painkiller jab. lady doc then apply local numbing cream and try to push in. cream doesn't work to numb the area. when she tried to push in it pain like hell again. this time the pain is like giving birth. she tried 2 times. After all the pain, the prolapse still doesn't goes in. at that time I was begging to do op straight away to end my suffering, but it's Sunday and this op is usually done as day surgery so she can only do her best to give the earliest date to meet my colorectal specialist.
I went home with a big bag of medications. I had 3 lvl of pain killer from paracetamol to tramedol. the pain killer jab and numb cream has no effect on me. I went home feeling sore. the sore is the same feeling I had after giving birth with stitches. just imagine I am experiencing pain of giving birth during pushing hems in and after failed attempt I feel like after birth. its the most unfortunate day for me.
now here I am on Monday 30 Aug 2021, typing in my story waiting to meet my colorectal specialist on Thursday and still not knowing when my surgery date is. as of now, the prolapse is still hanging out and I'm feeling sore and irritated. worried about next bowel motion too.
please pray for me that I will end this suffering soon. and to all out there who is suffering like me, I pray for u to get well soon too.. whether or not u have done surgery.
PS: I am nervous about surgery. I am mentally prepared but still nervous. hope the recovery pain is not as bad as how I feel when doc try push my hems in.
0 likes, 5 replies
jbutt sue37111
Edited
Sue, have you had the surgery?
My surgeon stated that it is a painful recovery ( I am having a closed traditional hemorrhiodectomy - ie cut out) but, he also said that the pain I have been suffering is similar to what I will experience after surgery. I know it is SO SCARY to read about these horrible recovery stories. Hopefully, you and I will have an easier time. I am just looking forward to not having my hemorrhiods rule my life.
sue37111 jbutt
Posted
i went for a pre surgery consultation on 2nd sept. My specialist said the big bulge was actually external hems, which is causing most of the pain. they were about 3 fingers size protuding out my butt. my surgery is scheduled for 24th september. i am anxious and nervous. while waiting for surgery, i got myself the poop stool to do my business and taking stool softerner daily. My bowel motion has been smooth nowadays and i supposed it had lessen the straining of my hems that the ext hem had gradually shrank from a big size to a size of grape (i think). i am manage to push only some in. the rest still hanging out. nowadays the ext hem pain is totally gone, but only after each bowel motion there will be little sore ie 1/10 pain score which will go away few mins later. Jbutt, i really hope that the recovery pain is the same during flare up like what u said cause that is quite manageable. when is yours? I'm counting down the days. will update again after my surgery.
sue37111
Posted
Just done the surgery. it started at 9.45am and procedure took about 30mins (as was told) i knocked out from GA from 9.30am. I woke up at 10.30am. when I woke, I felt pain. the pain is the same throbbing, burning pain level when I went A&E 3 weeks ago. The pain slowly subsides. i have a gauze in my butt. The nurse mentioned it's dissolvable, or will pass out during BM or can be manually pulled off. by 11- ish, i was sent to recovery ward. The pain subsides more to maybe level 0-1. only when I have sudden muscle clench in my butt, it felt sore. For now everything is tolerable and hope it stays this way all the way. i can feel the tighness of the stitches. i had my sandwich and drank alot of water so that I can pee. It has been 4 half hours since surgery done. now i need to pee... and felt like passing motion too. doc have yet to visit me. I have so many to ask him. will update again this forum later.
jbutt sue37111
Posted
Hi Sue,
How are you doing now. I hope you are recovering and experiencing minimal pain a week from your surgery. Just thinking about you.
sue37111 jbutt
Posted
hi Jbutt, its been 1 week post op for me and my healing has been good so far. How have you been? I hope that you are going through your surgery & I hope that my experience will give u more courage to go through it.
Not only did I have internal hemorrhoids removed but also a big polyp that is connected to the external removed, but the cut is all done inside using diathermy knife. I have stitches as well as cauterized wounds in me.
As soon as I woke up from the surgery, I felt immense pain about scale 6 or 7 but the pain quickly reduce within few minutes and by the time I discharged from hospital, my pain scales was down to maybe 2 mainly the soreness feeling of the stitches down there. I can tolerate the pain as I have went through worse pain during my flare ups. Also the local anesthesia doc gave me only lasted me 4 hours by the time I discharged from hospital, the anesthesia had already worn off.
I was discharged with only 3 days worths of anti swelling pills, Euvein tablets to last me 1 week and alot of paceco tablets to be taken only where necessary. The hospital also gave me a sitz bath and a packet normal cooking salt for me.
Day 0, I only had fruits and sandwiches and I drank alot of water. I managed to poop just a little. Was expecting the excruciating pain most people were describing but surprisingly when the poop started leaving my system, it was just the feeling of discomfort and soreness. Only on this day that I took the paceco tablet just before I poop because I was expecting pain, but lucky the pooping was not too bad. I took doc advise to do sitz bath with warm salt water for atleast 3 times a day and after bowel for 15mins each time. I managed to sleep well that night except I woke up few times due to muscle spasm at the anus which when those happened, it was quite annoying but not that painful.
Day 1 - Pain was about 1 or 2. I walked slow just like how I used to walk after a normal birth. I had fruits before every meal. Had sandwich and porridge for my meals and took stool softener twice a day. Sometime in the afternoon I manage to have a large bowel movement which was soft and watery. I was still nervous about pooping but again that time, it was easy and not painful, just the sore feeling after doing my business which the sore quickly went away after doing a warm salt water sitz bath. Because I did a big poop, I was confident to leave house to attend a birthday party and came home very late at night. Slept well and no muscle spasm.
Day 2 - Normal routine of drinking lots of water. Had sandwich and porridge for my meals and manage to have a large bowel movement in the afternoon which was soft and watery the same as day before. No pain just sore and I still walk slow.
Day 3 - Normal routine but could not poop at all. Got worried if I'm gonna constipate. No pain just sore.
Day 4 - I can already clench my butt! Did kegel exercise. Felt uneasy because I felt bloated. Had my morning coffee and drank alot of water and the urge came. I was nervouse because I'm expecting the stool will be harder cause I missed poop 1 day. And indeed this time it was truly solid but not hard. I manage to pass alot of poop at ease and no pain just sore afterwards. I was more hungry and changed to normal solid diet and even took some spicy food.
Day 5 - I've already stopped doing sitz bath 3 times a day, but still did sitz bath after bowel. My poop is now solid, but can manage to pass with ease. The soreness after pooping still there though.
Day 6 - I'm back to my daily normal eating habits and pooping at my regular morning timing. I start to feel slight itch at the wound area which i took that as the sign of my stitches are healing. by this time the bleeding has lessen much but still there.
Day 7 - I would say I am feeling well and normal apart of feeling slight sore. I can walk fast already, carry heavy things and squat. I can do kegel exercise and hold the clench for 1 min without feeling any pain.
Overall, I feel the surgery is worth it, maybe because I am one of the lucky one who doesn't suffer much post op. I've suffered alot and base of my post op experience, the pain during flare ups are much much much more painful than pain post op. Pooping while having hemorrhoids are very very much painful then pooping post op. I have sleepless nights during flare ups, but post op I slept very well. So far for the 7 days, I only took painkiller once on day 0. Thinking back when I had suffered thrombosed prolapse hem just 1 month ago, even painkiller injection didn't work for me.
Tips from me: Drink alot of water after surgery. Walk around to relax ur muscle so that u can pee.
Start every meal with fruits.
Start off with liquid food and eat more vegies.
Take stool softerner and drink at least 2ltrs of water.
Get a squatting step to help you do your bowel. When doing bowel, breath deeply in and out through mouth instead of nose. I learned this from youtube. This helps u relax ur muscle below when doing bowel.
Wash your area with water after business. If can, install a bidet handspray. After washing, pat dry with toilet paper.
Do warm salt water sitz bath at least the 1st few days as instructed by doctor and after every bowel movements. Salt water help to heal wound while the warm water takes away the pain.
Wish you all the best for your surgery and Pray that you will end your suffering soon. Keep me posted.