1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Haemorrhoids

My Recovery and Post Op Hemorrhoidectomy Questions

Posted , 4 users are following.

Pono
Pono

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the board and have found many useful tidbits from people experiences. Thanks for sharing.

I am currently on Day 12 from an internal hemorrhoidectomy. I stopped pain killers after the fifth day due to constipation and I believe it does slow down the healing process. Some days it seems like I'm over the hump but today my bum took a beating. I've been paying close attention to what causes my pain each day. There are many factors but the big culprit I think is 1) constipation 2) straining. Pretty obvious I guess considering that's how I got stuck in this rut in the first place. 😃

For the most part my bowel movements have been flowing quite well considering I've been eating very healthy. Yesterday I didn't take my stool softener but that caused me to strain more than usual this morning. The bowel movement wasn't the hard part actually. However, about thirty minutes later I felt that hard, dull, heavy, pressure in my anal cavity not to mention the soreness in my bum.

I think one of the issues might be that I have some residual lumps around my anus. From what I hear on this board that is quite normal. The problem is that one of them is about the size of a blueberry and it hurts just like an external hemorrhoid. I think because I was straining more than usual this morning that added to the pain. I experienced that pain for about four hours. It's not the most excruciating pain but it does limit my day-to-day activities.

So a few questions:

  1. How long did it take for the post op lumps around the anus to heal? If it caused you discomfort, how long did it last? Many from what I've read have said weeks which makes me depressed because I just can't stand the discomfort. Plus, I am doing a lot of traveling this summer and will be on some long plane flights.

  2. I've been keeping bowel movements to 1-2 per day. I experimented with skipping stool softener because I don't like that it interferes with your gut microbiome. I'm also trying to stay all natural in terms of healing. Another reason was because I was afraid of having anal stenosis so I wanted my stools to be firm. Does anyone know how common anal stenosis is? And are there any long term side effects that you've notice using a stool softener?

  3. How long did it take for the swelling to go down to a point where you could function normally (e.g. walk, perform household chores, etc.)?

Thank you for reading!

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • thomas79405
    thomas79405 Pono

    Posted

    i was walking the next day not farbut each day i kept walking alot. i was on the tolet5 times a day but it was coming out soft. and after that i would shower too let the water clean me off. but with in 3 weeks i was itching alot. but wih in a month i was back too running slow and with in 3 months i was running well again. that was later year july 11,2018 today i,m doing still great.i,m not a pain in the butt no more. doing very well

  • chris50798
    chris50798 Pono

    Posted

    hey mate,

    hang in there. its tough and depressing at this stage. i also had the lumps, and i thought it all hadnt worked. eventually things fot better.

    i would keep up with the stool softener - whatever side effects you are worried about, it is not worth straining to go to the loo. keep on the painkillers along with the stool softeners. after the big drugs they gave me at hospital i went on to paracetamol and codeine a few times a day.

    to your questions:

    1. i wont deny it was weeks.but it does get better.

    2. i used Movicol for softener. No side effecfs i experienced or know about

    3. i'll dig out my notes.. i wrote it up. it was a couple weeks before i was walking any distance

    let me find a link to my notes.

    hang in there and good luck!

    • Pono
      Pono chris50798

      Posted

      Thanks Chris! I read your notes and I like what you said about going back to work and moving around. I was walking yesterday and felt so much better. A few other q

      1. Did you find that your bowel functions and digest start to sort itself out? I'm a little worried about fecal incontinence and digestion. From what I've read I think it takes a while for you body to adjust.

      2. Today I'm officially on Week 2. I woke up feeling much more of myself if you know what I mean. It was as if I had a little more control of my bowel and digestion. I even went out to the market today and felt good. My question is does the swollen feeling after each BM start to gradually diminish to a point where you completely forgot you had this pain or did it just drop off? It sounds like Week 3 was the turning point for you. Could you speak a little more about how you felt on Week 3?

      Thanks again!

    • amber13270
      amber13270 Pono

      Posted

      I'm 4 weeks post op and would not worry so much about fecal incontinence. My experience is the opposite... everything feels likes it's almost too tight and closed. BM's still hurt and are sometimes still exhausting.

    • chris50798
      chris50798 Pono

      Posted

      hey Pono, just seen your reply.

      fecal incontinence is too harsh a term.. i just found with my extra "lumps" and whatever else happened down there it was hard to keep the underwear clean throughout the day, and sheets at night. im not talking about pooing my pants or anything, but there was enough of a mark to make me want to change my underwear. The sanitory towels helped with this. so dont worry about it - just if you experience the same, this trick will help 😃

      your questions:

      1. yes, things settled down. its a bit of a balance between keeping up the stool softner so you dont have to push, but this has the effect of making you going to the toilet more than once a day.. and the opposite of not enough then having to push. sounds like Amber who also replied has the latter. the latter is worse, in my opinion.

      2. you're doing great if you got out to the market! thats a great milestone. just dont overdo it 😃 next week you'll feel even better. honestly week by week you'll better and better. but there is no denying it takes a long time to get better, i was back at work but still walking slowly and doing too much made me sad! just take it easy

    • Pono
      Pono chris50798

      Posted

      Hi Chris,

      Thanks for the reply. I'm on Day 17 and am feeling quite well now. I can walk for long periods and feel pretty normal aside from a slight buzzing pain from BMs and the annoying lumps. Surprisingly, the stool softeners don't make me want to go as much to the toilet.

      I have been off work for 2 1/2 weeks and I am going back to work and feel I can easily manage it now. Yippee! Thanks for your support!

  • thomas79405
    thomas79405 Pono

    Posted

    give it time youll be great in 3 months

    • Pono
      Pono thomas79405

      Posted

      Thanks, Thomas. I actually feel really good now.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.