Inquiry into Scar Tissue after Hemorrhoidectomy Complications

Hi, ada69557,

I am not Drew, but just want to share my own experience with swelling. I am seven month post hemorrhoidectomy. Right around one month was when the swelling was the worst. It went down significantly after that, but was brought back a few time because of straining during BM. The later swelling was not nearly as bad as at one month post-op. And it also went down faster. I still get a little swelling even now with either straining or multipla BMs a day. But it goes down quickly too. I've found ice or cold press helps reduce swelling. Hope this helps.

I need some help now that I am 9 weeks post opp and my doctor says i am totally healed. It still stings to push and go and takes me a few hours just to stop my aching stomach and to go a little.  Did you have problems elliminating after 2 months? I still have to struggle every morning to go and have begun using an emema bag every couple days just to clear myself out. If I don't I have to push too hard to even go and sometimes that doesn't help either. I am afraid my roids will return and I will never put myself through this surgery again. Ever! Any help with this issue or some positive results from others would be appreciated. nancy

Just wanted to update all that is is 10 weeks post surgery and I am doing very well. I think the many sitz baths helped alot and so did the portable spray plastic bottle bidet that I used after every movement. with cool water...cleans and soothes. I also eat really well. Mostly vegetarian  diet and much less grains and crackers...my husband calls crackers and chips "dietary crack" and that does make you more constipated...also, get moving in other ways. I walked every day in the park and now I am up to jogging part of the time. Also, kegel exercises. Good luck and blessings to all for speedy and perfect recoveries. I have no regrets at this point. 

Hi, Nancylynn18,

After some trial and error, I've been able to manage a very regular and easy BM everyday. Here are a few things I've found useful:

1) Highly veggie based diet (agree with Rose's post). Avoid grain for a while. Add fibre supplement. Benefibre, for example.

2) At least 8 glasses of water. Add prune juice, whenever you can.

3) Miralax (This works as a mild laxativ and is very effective to make you go at the same time each day. Recommended by my doctor - You can split its daily dose into two halves and take a half in the morning and the other at night.)

4) Stool softner - 3 pills a day. I could be wrong, but I feel Miralax is more effective at regulating BMs.

4) Excercise (Agree with Rose's post again) - walk, jog, swim, etc.

Also, I've learned everyone has three external hemorrhoids that could become inflammated. If not removed, they (it) could emerge under stress. My remaining one hemorrhoid (after the surgery) did get inflammated with post-op stress (I never had problem here before). But with ice and some medication, it is coming down. I heard other people complain about new hemorrhoids after this surgery. Guess our body is prone to inflammation here - we just need to address it early. Keeping the inflamation down also helps smooth up your BM. So if you do feel hard hemorrhoid(s) there, you can use ice and some over the counter hemorrhoid cream there. Hope this helps.

 

Just want to add - About Miralax. It is safe to use Miralax everyday for an extended period, I was told by my doctor. Miralax works slowly. It is best at creating a routine without causing a sudden urge to go. I have been using it for the past five months. I am using half of its dosage now. Maybe I don't need it now, but I just want to be safe. For most days, I have BM once a day, in the morning, and it takes just about a minute or two to empty.

Also, don't be afraid of BMs. Several times I thought my BMs caused tear or damage. It either did not, or my body just fixed whatever the problem quickly. Focus on what you can do after your BM, prepare and "embrace" for the impact (unfortunately inevitable at the beginning). If your doctor said it looks healed, it is probably true you are healing well, although "feeling well" can take longer.

Thank you for the words of hope that I am healed but feeling well can take longer. I am looking forward to being able to have a good full day and not one starting after 1 pm once the elimination process is complete(well sort of) and I stop feeling nauseous. I know about the miralax but havent used it lately. I think you are right and it is the way to proceed now. I mix it in grapejuice or applejuice and now just have to get into the daily habit. I just don't want to be focusing on my bottom anymore. Its getting boring and all encompasing when I make plans to stay overnite anywhere. I had three internal and two external removed and the doctor said I took a bit longer than others to get through the most painful time. My took almost 4 weeks to be toleratable. Now its just the end part(no pun intended lol) I have to get through and with your help and others that have paved the way.....there is hope. Its nice that others are here for suppost and guidance. Thanks so much. Onward!

Hang in there Lux...and don't over do it with the percasets as they cause constipation and are very addictive! Try to wean to a high dose of Advil...talk to your MD.  ALso, those sitz baths are a must...sitting in warm or even cool if you want, baths with epson salts and but a portable bidet and keep it next to the toilet for easier and less painful cleanup , also hemmorihoid pads. Change y our diet to more veggies and foods that help you have a smooth move. Best wishes. 

Hi,

I see you're pretty much my last hope for this surgery. Allow me to explain. I am a 36 y/o male and my issues are: internal and external hem, anal leakage and swelling for hours after defactaing, and often times bloody toilet paper after wiping due to the hem. As it doesn't hurt me (only very little), my butt doctor recommended this surgery. I am not scheduled until September 11th 2017 to have it, so wanted to know what I can do to prep. 

After reading through all of the comments, I am thinking starting Miralax now along with some stool softeners. I have already been taking a fiber supplement as I'm trying to get regular. TBH, I am afraid to poop in the morning due to the leakage and when I do, I wear black shorts or jeans in order to not have the leakage show during my work hours. As this is very embarrasing for me, I know I should have the surgery.

If you can, please answer me these questions OR anyone else still monitoring this article.

1. Does this really hurt as bad as everyone has stated? (I have a pretty high pain tolerence).

2. Will there be lots of blood and should I not sleep on my bed due to this?

3. Going back to number 1. How long does this really hurt afterwards? i.e. days, weeks?

4. I am planning to take off work for about 20 days after, would this be enough time for my butt to recover? (I only ask because I am a software engineer and my daily work keeps me sitting for 7+ hours).

Any reply would be very helpful and very appreciated. I am nervous and need some comforting replies please. I understand people said to not have the surgery unless I am in pain, but with all this bleeding, mucus leakage, and swelling for hours afterwards, I must have the surgery.

Regards,

DonSni

Doni, I had my surgery on the 24th. Although I went into this well aware of the suffering (by both my father and doctor's info), the pain is pretty viscous. However, I am a bit over 2 weeks post op and I do not regret it at all. Not for a second and not even at the height of my pain. Like you, I suffered endlessly. I had 3 internal hemies removed (one that was pretty much on the outside- I have outside cut and stitching- and was prolapsed to the size of a golf ball). 2 were cut and removed with closed sutures and one was banded. I can say I am over the hump. The first few days I could hardly go 4 hours without pain medication and sometimes I would take 2 after going to the toilet. I still don't regret it. Every time I go to the restroom now, I poo like a normal person. My bm have been super regular -once a day on the morning- and I spend about 4 minutes tops. I don't push. I didn't have a lot of bleeding post op, but decided to keep my poo and mush as I could so I didn't die passing stool. 

Again, this is not walk in the park but man, was it worth it. Just the fact that I am no longer tucking in the hemie or afraid I am going to bleed like a horror movie in public alone is worth it. 

My father had his 20 years ago and he doesn't regret it. And he suffered like the devil.

I am glad I did it. I have my life and my bum back. 

Bye, I took 4 weeks off of work. I work sitting, driving all day. Couldn't imagine doing that until then. 

I have no regrets doing th surgery .Don, you need your life back. Go for it, but be prepared to need to take 6 weeks off of work. Ask if you can work from home. I didn't find sitting that bad, but didn't want to leave house as bowel movements were painful after the surgery and you'll need to sit in sitz baths a lot. See if you can get 6 weeks off and work from home. Peopel out there. PLEASE avoid constipating and highly addictive pain killers. Ask your Dr if a strong advil will do. It worked for me but yes, I did have pain. I am 3 months post surgery and 99.5 % better. Just seems like a narrowing of my canal but that might change over time. Anyone reading this, buy a portable bidet...it looks like a plastic waterbottle so no one will know. It was a life saver to clean after the surgery. 

Lux,

Thanks for your reply. I imagined that it would take more than 3 days. My but Dr. said I could go back to work after a few days. That guy....

Rose,

Thanks for your reassuring update. So you also had the embarrasing bleeding/leakage after a BM prior to having this surgery? My hem hangs out for hours afterwards. I'm literally afraid to poop in the morning before work as the leakage/blood has seeped through on a few ocassions. This happens with every BM. I'm almost certain I do NOT empty all the way either as I'm on the toilet most days for 20+ mins at a time. It's so bad, I hit the vagel nerve and almost pass out, but never strain to poop. It's very weird.

I'm going to try and minimize having to use the pain meds as I suffered from alcoholism for many years. So, basically, what you're saying is the pain will pretty much go away within 5-10 days tops, but the BMs will continue to hurt for up to 6 weeks post-op?

I can try to get leave from work for 5-6 weeks as I'm sure my manager won't mind, but trying to not come back if I'm unable to sit on my bottom.

Thanks

I did not have any leakage...some bleeding and bulging. Never leakage. You must do this is  you have that. That is hard to have to deal with...so sorry. Please all of you...for speedy healing...eat well... no addictive drugs or alchohol.. I went mostly veggie and organic. If you are in a state with legal marijuana, I would get a script for that and cut out the addictive drugs.  Get some good books to read and just sit in the bathtub in epson salt and heal. Stay away from grains and remember oxycodone is both addictive and causes constipation! 

Doctor is crazy. Day 3 is probably when my pain really started to get horrible! I am now st 2 1/2 weeks and getting better everyday! 

I once bled so bad (at a trip to England with my husband's company, entire management) it looked like a murder scene down my legs. Soaked my skirt... thank goodness I was wearing all black and no one saw it. It was bad. Go for it!

Hello Doni and everyone else who this might benefit. I am on day 3 post-op and there has been no other .time in my life where I wanted to to take time back so badly and in this case never have done the surgery. Let me start by saying that , while I do have hemorrhoids, my main concern was an anal fissure that bled and hurt a lot by my hemorrhoids and bowel movements were under control. I had bad episodes now and then but there were no longer an issue after I managed to get regular BMs with soft stools. During pre-OP, the surgeon said "we'll remove the scar tissue and inject a botox in the fissure to allow it to heal and in the mean time remove that skin tag from your outside hemorrhoid". This gave me the impression that it was going to be an easy operation and so I only planned on taking 2 weeks off work. Anyway, I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance by Dear God, this pain is an immense, crippling pain , even on pain killers ! I can't think of anything my my suffering and my new reality. I struggle to urinate and I can't have a BM without screaming like an animal and then the instant pain that follows is almost indescribable. I tried to only have 1 BM a day but with the extra fiber intake and stool softener that I take now , it is pure torture to feel the build up leading to it and try to force myself not to go. I absolutely dread every trip to the bathroom.

I never thought one can go through so much suffering in this day and age with modern medicine.

I know I am only on day 3 and this maybe the worst week of suffering and that I will get better but still ,If I had known that this was going to be a full blown hemorrhoids removal procedure, I would have backed away at all costs.

Sorry you are suffering. It's not been 24 hours post-op for me yet. Had my surgery yesterday. No pain until this morning, but I have not slept yet. I feel like I have to urinate and poop asst the same time. I think mentally I'm afraid to go poop.

I have the desire and need to poop, but can't. The feeling is starting to come around and the numbing is going away. The gauze came out no issue last night.

I have a feeling today is going to be terrible. I'm sleepy, I need to poop, and my booty isn't feeling good.

Thanks for the reply

I am 3 months post surgery. 3 internal and two external removed, the first couple weeks were definitely the worst. My friend was sleep , tub and sitz bath. The pain of bm was subdued when taken in the warm sitz bath. Discusting? Maybe but u dump it and rinse and sit again to soak or go more. I continued this past week two. Once I was pretty much healed I stopped. Sometime I soaked after bm the first month. 

The bath is a great place to lay while awake but still want to be laying down. I took stool softners and fiber and tylonal pm to sleep.  Pain meds causes constipation. Walking is good but I did not feel up to it the first 5 days. It will get better but takes time. Hang in there. Nancy

Today is day 5 post Op. I can't say there is any improvement yet. The pain is still overwhelming and I get some extremely painful spasms when I need to go. I'm still bleeding all day but not a lot and it hurts to sit down for more than 30 minutes at a time. I have been following the good habits most folks advise, soaking in warm water immediately after bms but that only temporarily reduces inflammation. I'm basically K.O after a bm for atleast 2 hours. I have been surviving on a minimal diet , just a bowl of high fiber cereal and an orange in the morning, some vegetable soup for lunch and some light snack and fruits at night. I think I have lost like 15 pounds in just a few days. I try not to have more than 2 bms a day but I have not always been successful. My daughter's birthday is this Saturday and we will have a lot of people over but I don't know if I will be able to manage or act normal. I hope things improve. Hang in there guys.

Thanks Nancy, I really appreciate that you took the time to share your experience!

I had the smallest of bm today day 3 post-op. I've just been lounging and sleeping since I got home from surgery. I've only really eaten fruits and veggies with a little meat in between. Pain isn't too bad as it's more of an annoyance with the weird muscle spasms. Other than that,, I'm trying to per, but the spasms make it difficult. Well, I'm gonna cover up bow as I'm cold. Good luck with ya booty.

Today is one week post op. I can feel a slight improvement in pain levels in between bms. Some of the stitches came out during last nights bm and I bled quite a bit afterwords. I have a sitzbath but I find sitting on it after a bm is very painful and instead just lay down in the tub with water as hot as I can tolerate and epsom salts. That definitely helps with the pain. I am now less often taking pain killers. In fact, I managed to sleep all the way through the night last night without waking in in pain, which is a first. However, I had some seriously hard stool with my first bm this morning and that hurt so much , which I don't know why if I eat a minimal , liquid diet and use a stool softener. I hope for a speedy recovery for all of us.

Howeveer