Tips for Post Hemorrhoid Surgery

So I got a hemorrhoid surgery done exactly 7 days ago. I had visited the doctor as I believed I had 2 external hemorrhoids and the doctor informed me that as I was in stage 3 and that I would have to surgically get them removed. After the surgery was done, the surgeon did not give me any tips or advice to deal with the pain and so here I am, after plenty of research and experimenting, to share my 2 cents and hope I can make it easier on others. The pain I have experienced and am still experiencing is something I hope no one ever has to go through, so I hope this helps! 

1) Avoid overdosing on painkillers--You are usually prescribed pain killers post surgery and advised to take it every 4 hours. Make sure to take these painkillers before going to the bathroom but do not overdose if not needed. With my surgery, I experienced most of my pain during and post bathroom trips and so I would consume them before going to the bathroom but these painkillers cause constipation which makes bathroom trips 100x more painful, so only take when you feel you're going to experience immense pain. 

2) If the painkillers are not helping enough, you can also supplement them with over the counter painkillers like Advil or Tylenol. I used to take both extra strength Tylenol and the prescribed pain killer in the morning and I found this to sort of ease the pain I experienced (or at least numb me by the slightest bit). But again, don't take more painkillers than needed because they can constipate you. 

3) Consume both Stool Softeners and a mild Laxative -- Going to the bathroom post surgery is honestly hell, and what I didn't know in the first few days is that it is so important to have a smooth flow of stool to not irritate the stitches (you don't want to push if you don't have to nor do you want to have hard stool). To do this, using both laxatives (to offset the constipation from the painkillers and induce a more easy flow) and stool softeners worked magic for me. I would take them at night before sleeping (as these take about 6-12 hours to kick in) so that most of my washroom trips would happen in the morning and the morning only. This also helped me sort of return to my daily schedule as I could confidently leave my house in the evenings knowing I wouldn't have to go to the washroom suddenly. 

4) Consume lots of fiber and water -- Stay away from foods that are known to cause constipation and make sure to consume as much fiber as you can. I'm a 22 year old woman and I've been aiming to consume atleast 35g of fiber a day to ensure a proper bowel movement. Also, because of the excessive amount of medicine and painkillers being consumed, I'm drinking atleast 4 bottles of water which is helping calm my stomach as well as regulate my bowel movement.

5) Squirt Bottle -- When going to the bathroom, I find it super useful to use a squirt bottle (or a toilet spray) to spray water towards the infected area so that there's less friction and irritation of the stool against the stitches. 

6) Sitz Bath -- As stated many times online, these baths are super useful and I 100% recommend taking as many as you can. I definitely take one after every washroom trip but I also take a few throughout the day as they help a lot with the soreness and overall recovery.

7) Polysporin and Vasaline -- Polysporin is a super useful antibiotic ointment to rub onto the stitches and surrounding area to ensure it stays clean but also to help in speeding up recovery. That or Vasaline I found helped keep the area smooth so that as I moved around during the day or were to be sitting, the area would stay moist and clean. I also sometimes applied Vasaline on the stitched area before going to the washroom as I felt it helped reduce friction again and so lessen the pain. 

8) Feet Incline -- Keeping a small stool or step under your feet when you're going to the washroom really helps place your body in a more natural position and so makes the bowel flow more smooth without placing too much pressure in that area. 

9) Ice Pack -- After every washroom trip and after taking a sitz bath, l spend about 10 minutes icing the area to reduce any swelling and the burning that I would feel. I would be in fetal position and use a new ziplock bag with ice in it as this helped me reach and rest the area best. 

10) Pillow -- For the first few days, I would place a pillow between me and any surface I was on to just ensure the area was cushioned. This helped reduce soreness and just helped with overall comfortability. 

I hope this helps and hang in there xxx 

Feel free to ask me anything if you'd like. I'm still experiencing insane pain so I'm no expert and I'm trying to look for ways to heal myself too but these are just some things I found useful. 

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