My Hemorroidectomy
Posted , 2 users are following.
I am on day 4 of my post surgery recovery and since I found this forum helpful (but also frightening) I figured I would return the favor and post my own experience so far.
Though it has not been a walk in the park so far it has also not been nearly as bad as some of the experiences I have read about in this forum. By far the most pain I have experienced was immediately upon waking from surgery and the next few hours afterwards. The nurse taking care of me in the recovery room was funny and asked how I would rank my pain with 10 being "so bad I want to punch her in the face." haha. I told her it was a 9 and yeah, it hurt like hell. At that point I was scared because I thought back to the horror stories I read in this forum and the pain I was experiencing seemed to match. My wife picked me up and the 20 minute drive home was torture.
Once I got home though we got my prescriptions filled and things quickly turned around. My doctor prescribed Oxycodone, Morphine, Toradol, and Hydroxyzine for spasms which I have not yet experienced. Once the painkillers kicked in I was doing pretty well and was even able to take my dog for small walks that afternoon and evening.
Much to my surprise days 2 and 3 went surprisingly well. To the point where by day 3 I had stopped taking any of the painkillers.
Then came day 4 and my first bowel movement. Lol. In all honesty, the bowel movement itself was a little uncomfortable, but not horrible pain by any means. However, just like when my hemorrhoids were at their worst, the pain kicked in about 20 minutes later and has been with me ever since. I do not want to scare anyone as it is not agonizing pain, but more just real sore and I ended up giving in and taking a Toradol.
So that is where things stand now. Admittedly I popped the champagne a little too early and began celebrating what I thought might go down in history as the easiest hemorrhoidectomy recovery ever, but all things being equal, this is not nearly as bad an experience as I had feared. At least not yet. So
here is some advice for those who are getting this surgery at some point...
Do NOT freak yourself out by reading posts in this forum beforehand. I did which greatly increased my anxiety. As my doctor advised me though, everyone is different.
Expect to feel a lot of pain right when you wake up after the surgery. Just take a deep breath and realize you will feel better once you take some painkillers. Ask your doctor to prescribe you a pill of something for right after you wake up. I was given an Oxycodone.
Buy a sitz bath as they feel great after bowel movements.
Eat bland and take laxatives/stool softeners. I can't stress this enough. I am taking 2 Senna at night along with Miralex. I do not want to even attempt to imagine how painful bowel movements would be with hard stool. Do everything you can not to find out for yourself.
Give yourself things to look forward to while recovering. Whether it be a new video game (I bought Metroid Dread and has been a great distraction), a new movie (I spent the $20 and rented No Time to Die) or a book you have been looking forward to. We are all busy and rarely have time to just lie around and relax. This surgery forces you to do exactly that so take advantage and enjoy it.
Just keep telling yourself "this shall pass." It will and you will no longer have to suffer with hemorrhoids when its all said and done.
Have someone you can talk to about the experience whether that be a partner, friend, family member, Etc. It makes you feel not so alone during this process and it is nice to have a sympathetic ear.
Anyway, to all who are getting this surgery in the future, I hope this helps and I wish you all the best! If anyone has any questions though I would be happy to answer them
0 likes, 2 replies
kyle91346
Edited
Alright, I do not want to mislead anyone so I am going to provide an honest update. I am 5 days post surgery and the pain that comes from bowel movements is something special. The bowel movement itself is no walk in the park, for for me the real pain comes immediately afterwards.
So my new assessment of this process is that there are good days and bad days and even the bad days have breaks so you can relax. Just realize that you can be feeling great one minute and feel like you want to die the next. From what I have been told that is a completely normal part of the process.
As others have recommended in this forum, do not wait until after a bowel movement to take your painkillers. Try to time it so you take them around 30-40 minutes before if possible. Trust me, this makes all the difference in the word. Your bm will still be somewhat painful but nothing compared to having a BM without painkillers
joran22555 kyle91346
Posted
hi, i am also on my 5th day post op.
ive had the exact same experience as you.
waking up after surgery the worst pain ever. day 1 and day 2 were fine even when passing first BM on day 2. Day 3 just a little tender but was not using any pain medication. then day 4 hit! 2nd BM. coming out was ok but the pain after was unbearable i took a bath still pain was terrible. so i give in and had 2 codiene. pain eased up and now in on day 5 dreading going for another BM.
my 1 tip is after shower, use Cold blowing fan to dry as it helps releive pain.
all in all its been a roller coaster and i just cant wait for it all to be over but its not as bad as some of the forums i have read.