My experience 5 weeks after Haemorrhoidectomy 

I thought I would reply to this topic regarding this Surgery.

I am three days past the surgery and believe my experience could help others wondering if they should continue. Please do the surgery - Life without these will make you so much happier.

I have been scheduled 3 times to have this surgery and each time I had to cancel it due to the forums and general feelings regarding this surgery. (People saying its Hell on earth and most painful thing ever)

I have a feeling that these are all dues to a few things and I would like to share.

1. Lack of preparation.

   I am not going to sugar coat this. It is a very uncomfortable surgery. But the benefits far outweigh the few days of being uncomfortable. What I mean about preparation is this. The day before the surgery you should go on a liquid diet and also clean your system out as if you were prep for a colonoscopy. They make you drink a gallon of the more nasty drink (available at the pharmacy) that will keep you on the toilet most of the day. You only can stop when you are pooping clear liquid with no solid what so ever. From that point you can only drink chicken Broth ,water and Jello. I know its hard but trust me this is the key to you being the person that tells someone this was hell on earth or just a difficult and uncomfortable time.

2. My surgery was the next day around 6pm so I was so hungry but I know I had to keep my colon clear of any solid. I was then given my IV ( which was the worst part of this whole experience) I was very nervous due to all the negative reviews I had read and most were terrible. I know we all have different pain tolerance but if I can tell you one thing I am terrible with pain. Even a shot is too much for me.

   I was put under and woke up in recovery. The first thing I felt was a need to go poop. I had 2 large hems removed and 2 that were tied off- ligation. I had a button to press when I needed a boost of pain meds.

   I can tell you after the whole night the system said I only pressed it 6 times. The nurses were shocked.

   It was not as bad as I imagined the worst part was the feeling of pressure and fake feeling like you had to poop. And that was the tied off hems.

   I was admitted overnight for pain management in the hospital. I now know I could have gone home and would have managed it just fine as the pain was more of a uncomfortable announce with a bit of stinging sensation once in a while then full on pain as I had read in so many posts.

   I asked my surgeon to only prescribe me 3 days of narcotics as I know they are not good for you and cause constipation. I also told him that I would stay on a liquid dies for days after which he thought was a great idea.

3. At home the chicken broth and Jello was all I had for days. Was it hard yes and It will be a while till I have Jello again. But what it did was insure that my butt had enough time to repair before a solid poop would have to be handled. Popping liquid does not create pain and was very easy. Then jumping in a hot bath. I kept up with my meds and I will share the meds that I had and how they made this whole experience totally pain free.
4. Pain meds - Diazepam 5 mg - This stops the Anal sphincter from spasm- taken every 8 hours. 3 days worth
5. Tramadol HCL 50 MG- Pain meds for 3 days - taken every 6 hours.
6. Cream for your anus - Diltiazem 2% and Lidocaine 2% ointment - This was applied 3 times a day before a poop.
7. I would also take Tylenol and ibuphophen when I took my pain meds. Alternating them. every 5 hours.

   I spend almost 2 years from my first appointment to get these horrible things taken off and cancelled so many time because of the horror stories people have posted on here. I want to be the voice that tells you that it does not have to be so hard. Speak to your doctor and ask for the meds to clean your system out the day fore your operation. I still have not needed to pass a stool giving my butt time to heal. I am sure when I do it will be unpleasant. But I can only imaging if someone still has solids in their colon and had to pass this after the surgery. It must be like passing a hot coal.

   When you walk around you butt will feel like it is bruised. But everyday it gets better.

   My doctors notes say to expect 1 to 4 weeks of pain. He made no excuse that this is a painful surgery.

   But I can tell you that I have had hems get bad at my kids birthday party, at many events and work. Causing me to bleed all through my clothes. It is just not worth it. Get the surgery and be done with them. Just make sure to prep and have things ready to manage those pain for those 3 days. IT IS NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK. Keep in mind what life will be like after they are gone.

   Also getting up and moving is important. The first thing I did in recovery is get out of bed and have the nurses walk me to the bathroom. I can see just sitting in bed will slow recovery down.

   I hope this helps a few people sitting on the fence scared like I was with all the negative reviews. Most are not that bad. You can do it like I did and 3 days after I have no more pain just a butt that feel like its bruised.

thanks! l'm at week 4. had 4 internal hemorrhoids removed by laser surgery and a fissure healed.

i actually had to go see a surgeon while travelling in Greece because i was losing a lot of blood and they did the surgery while i was under GA within an hour of me seeing them. they said it would be a fast, painless closure of a fissure - 20 mins - out of hospital in an hour and pain free in 2 days. when i came around they gave me the bad news that they decided to cut out 4 hemorrhoids. i had no pre or post op care - so ive researched everything myself. if Id known they would have done this surgery i would have waited until i got home.

pain starting to ease when i have BM - still a little blood and smaller

amount of pain - thank god for hot baths.

reading the forum - lots of people

go through the same thing so that is reassuring. i suppose i wasnt prepared for the surgery or the aftermath. your post stood out because i'm usually a strong and positive person but this has affected me mentally as well as physically. im struggling to believe it will get fully better - i know rationally it will but i feel a bit powerless. my friends have been great (never thought id share so much about my pooing with them) but i dont think they understand the intensity of the pain or how low it can make you feel. i just want it to stop. anyway - thanks - it helps seeing a post from "the future"

So, i just had a hemorrhoidectomy 8 days ago. External hemorrhoid removed along with two large skin tags. Surprisingly the pain has been mostly manageable for me. Not as bad as id feared. However, I am having an issue with leakage and wonder what others experience with this has been. I have a little pink/clear fluid. However, possibly TMI, more upsetting to me is that I am also having a small amount of stool on the gauze pad each time I change it. Now Im terrified of being left with some kind of permanent leakage/incontinence issues. Has anyone else had this? Did it eventually go away for you?

hi glen

im so grateful you took the time to write this i had the surgery about 1 month ago & did not understand why i have so much gas . you mentioned laxatives & I realized that must be the cause & not necessarily that something was left wrong inside of me. Thanks again I will start on my natural fiber intake instead of the over-the-counter laxatives.

Hello, I'm 5 weeks post op of a hemroidectomy, when i have bowel movements i am still in a 4/10 pain level until i sit in the sitz bath. the issue i have is when i get out of the sitz bath i get a burning feeling for around 2 hours post bowel movement. i just need to know when can i excpect to start to feel no pain... doctor said 2 weeks recovery and im just very angry at the fact they say that... by the way i use proctisidel after each sitz bath. this is a gel that is applied.

thanks in advance, ive had a traumatic exprience.

I am two weeks post surgery. Interior removals in all four quadrants as well as exterior.

I had excruciating back pain and was having trouble urinating so thought I possibly had a kidney infection. Called surgeons office and told to call my family physician. Urinalysis was negative and it cleared up fairly well but still have back pain in lower left side which may simply be from not getting enough exercise.

I was nearly incontinent for the first week but am doing better in that regard but quite uncomfortable still.

The nurse called today and left a message telling me I can return to work Monday. I'm not sure I'll be ready but I don't see the doctor until Thursday.

How I'll sit through a meeting is beyond me. We are still working from home because I'm 67 and in the vulnerable category for COVID.

Hoping for the best, but feel I could have used another week to get my strength back.

I'm not sure if that's unreasonable or not. I am not taking pain meds. I stopped those on day 5.

I am two weeks post surgery. Interior removals in all four quadrants as well as exterior.

I had excruciating back pain and was having trouble urinating so thought I possibly had a kidney infection. Called surgeons office and told to call my family physician. Urinalysis was negative and it cleared up fairly well but still have back pain in lower left side which may simply be from not getting enough exercise.

I was nearly incontinent for the first week but am doing better in that regard but quite uncomfortable still.

The nurse called today and left a message telling me I can return to work Monday. I'm not sure I'll be ready but I don't see the doctor until Thursday.

How I'll sit through a meeting is beyond me. We are still working from home because I'm 67 and in the vulnerable category for COVID.

Hoping for the best, but feel I could have used another week to get my strength back.

I'm not sure if that's unreasonable or not. I am not taking pain meds. I stopped those on day 5.

im in my third week post OP, i agree with everything you have said im now seeing light at the end of the tunnel this was the worst experience of my life, still in a lot of pain when BM but baths are a god send.

im on day 6. My first and second day i was still numb from injections and had pain killers in me that im not at all use to . i had almost no pain thought it was a literal miracle. then i had my first bowel movement on day 3 and its just gotten worse since. im now convinced this was the biggest mistake of my life im in so much pain. i know its illogical, but i feel like the pain could last forever. or for weeks and ill just lose my mind. im already crying all of the time . just worn out physically and emotionally from being in such horrible pain for 72 hours. just feels like its getting worse

any way, your post made me cry being told the pain will pass was something i really needed right now. so thank you.

hi. i wanted to check how you were doing now i got my surgery on Tuesday so i am only 2 days in- it has already been a rollercoaster ride.

hi. i wanted to check how you were doing now i got my surgery on Tuesday so i am only 2 days in- it has already been a rollercoaster ride.

I am SO glad I found this forum. I did something similar after my hysterectomy 8 years ago, because I needed to know that what I was going through was normal. Glen, your post is spot-on and comforting to read, especially to know the recovery is as bad as they say it is and that there is an end in sight.

I am 1 week post-op Hemorrhoidectomy. I had 4 bandings done over a period of a year and they didn't work, the largest hemorrhoid became prolapsed, and I was diagnosed as having grade 4 hemorrhoids. I hemmed and hawed about having the surgery, and finally bit the bullet.

While my surgeon was excellent, I do wish the post-op instructions weren't so vague. "Low-fiber diet (for how long??), stool softener (what kind?), Metamucil". After 3 days of excruciating bowel movements, I realized the softener I was taking was only 50 mg of Docusate Sodium, and had an added laxative. This meant that if I took a tablet at 9 PM, I was waking up at 3 AM to go to the bathroom which was awful. I finally realized I should be taking 100 mg of Docusate Sodium (couldn't the Dr. have specified this?), I bought some yesterday, and this morning's event in the bathroom was a dream compared to the last 3 days. I have been regular with BM's all my life - every morning, often twice, so I knew this wouldn't be a walk in the park, and I knew I couldn't go more than a day without going. I am vigilant about drinking a ton of water, staying on the low-fiber diet (for 2 weeks which I hate), and taking Metamucil 3 times a day, along with a sitz bath 4 times daily, and also hopping in the shower to rinse the area immediately after a BM. I stopped taking the Oxycodone 1 day after surgery, as I didn't like how it made me feel. They called in another scrip, Tramadol, which I am fine taking once a day and adding Ibuprofen and Tylenol in between. Today is a good day, I know that there is another week to go that could be just as difficult as the past week was. Do I feel 100% today? No, but my BM's this morning weren't like I was giving birth as they had been.

I've looked at the area too many times to count and am always afraid that it doesn't look as it should. I need to be realistic - it's a healing process. I also need to face the fact that I'll have to wear a pad during this process for probably much longer than I want to with the leaking that occurs. That was a lesson that came quickly early on. The post-op instructions were to remove the gauze 24 hours after, and then I wouldn't need anymore. What a laugh that was!

Wishing everyone a recovery that gets better with time, and one that has us all saying in the end "I'm so glad I did it!" I hope to post again next week saying it's getting better each day.

Has anyone had the issue of their stitches popping out? I noticed yesterday there is a string of stitches hanging out, probably 1 inch long. There is also another area where I see them. I emailed the nurse who said not to be concerned, they will dissolve. If they aren't up where they are supposed to be, what does that mean for me with internal healing? I'm quite worried, wondering if anyone has had the same issue. I assume with all the horrible action going on there with BM's, it must be fairly common that they may come out.