What to expect after Hemorrhoid surgery

Hi Mary.  I had my surgery done in Shreveport Louisiana.  I had two large hemorrhoids that were protruding out.  I know there is a medical term for that but I don't know it.  I actually had a colonoscopy and the hemorrhoid surgery done at the same time.  My wife said I was in surgery for about an hour.  And as for what I am eating now.  I am trying to eat healthy.  Nothing too heavy.  Just make sure you don't eat foods that are spicy or cause constipation or you will regret it.  The best advice I can give you is be mentally prepared.  It's gonna hurt but you will get through it.  I'm at day 6 now and I am feeling better.   

Hi me93627,

It has been exactly 4 weeks since my surgery.  I never thought it would get better but it does.  I have some scar tissue but it's not bad.  The pain has gone away except for bowel movements.  I still have some bleeding during the BMs but not always.  My only advice is to keep drinking lots and lots of water.  Do not let yourself become constipated or you will be in a world of hurt.  I know from personal experience here.  Even after you get off the pain meds I would say keep taking stool softeners for awhile.  I know it's really hard to believe but it will get better.  You are only six days out.  You still have a while to go before you start feeling major relief.  Don't give up hope.  

Sorry just saw this reply..

Thx for that. Yes ive been taking re store a lax for over a year keeps my stool soft but the meds did bum me up so i stopped taking them. Today soft bm pain level hasn't changed since 2nd day of op

I now have external roids come back.. Possibly why im in so much pain. Don't have follow up with surgeon until next week. He and every other surgeon seems to be on holidays..

Will never go through this again.. Too much pain for one to handle.

Hi There,

I had a surgery for thrombosed hemorrhoid and fissure and its now almost 4 week plus. Although my experience is not that bad with pain and stuff. Doctor was very nice and professional and i didnt get any pain after surgery. 

But my concern is that even after 4 weeks of surgery, i still get some blood spots in stool. And some leakage of stool as well. Its not much but spots. Is this normal?? thanks

Hey, I am so sorry for the late response.  I have been so busy lately.  But I hope you are doing better now.  I am about 9 weeks out and I can say that the everyday pain is gone.  The key is to drink lots of water to keep from being constipated.  Eat a high fiber diet or take fiber supplements.  And if necessary take Miralax or another laxitive from time to time to keep your stools soft.  Avoid pushing during bowel movements.  I still have some pain sometimes during bowel movements and sometimes a little bit of blood.  When that happens I try to sit in hot bath afterwards and may even one more.  I was like you with the pain med.  They kept me awake and even made me constipated which defeated the purpose.  So I quit taking them.  But I promise it will get better.  It's a long and slow process but you have to be patient and try to not get depressed.  You will be ok.   

I had to go for anoplasty on March 16th due to developing stenosis from original surgery on Jan 27th.  I now have 2 tears in my rectum so still having pain and bleeding with and after bowel movements.  I still have to get into warm bathtub to get relief.  My doctor told me the pain could last 6-9 months after having bowel moved.  I am also having to self dilate to keep from stenosis.  He told me if it narrows agIn that he may have to perform a temporary colostomy.  I’m doing everything I can to avoid that.

Jackie,

So sorry for the late reply.  I promise it will get better.  It's been about 9 weeks since I have had my surgery and I am so much better.  I have one small skin tag from the surgery but I can deal with that.  I still have some discomfort every once in a while during BMs but nothing like after the surgery.  I drink more water now and take fiber supplements to keep from being constipated.  I also take Miralax occasionally to help keep my stools soft.  My surgery was probably the most painful thing I have ever had to go through and I never thought the pain would end.   But I will.  Just be patient and try not to get depressed during recovery.  It's a slow process that you just can't rush.  You will be ok.  

Hi Randy

Thx for sharing. Im going on 8 weeks and still experiencing a lot of pain.. Its so uncomfortable after each bm i have to take pain meds to cope.

Again i went to see surgeon this morning. I am booked for another op. As he cannot even do a proper rectal exam without putting me out as I am still swollen n very sore inside and out which i again have external roids that came about two weeks after surgery.

I also started having blood in stool n bowl with bm on my 5 week unlike others whom experienced this days or immediately after surgery.

So Im not a happy camper as its unfortunate that this surgery did not work as well on me as it did others..

My stool is never hard as i take a stool softener daily.

I believe I have internal roids that are causing the bleeding still.

Im booked for the internal exam for Dec 6th I pray I will heal in between this time so i wont have to go through with it as if not then he may have to do more cutting..

This is the most horrible painful exoerience ive ever been through in my 56 yrs.

I would like to hear from others how they are recovering and anyone who is in the same boat as I ..

Thx and well wishes to all who have this surgery along with a speedy recovery

Thanks for your reply, it’s been nearly six weeks now and if I’m honest I’m still really struggling to cope with the pain. After going to the toilet I’m in agony for hours after - shooting pains and just terribly sore. I’m still off work as I have an active job and just feel that no one understands the pain levels I’m experiencing. Family do listen but I think they are getting fed up and they just have no idea what I’m going through which is very frustrating. I’m seeing the surgeon for a check up on 19th so he will hopefully give me peace of mind.

Hello, just wanted to share my husband's experience.  He has had bleeding off and on for years from internal hemorrhoids that looks huge on colonoscopy photos.  Finally decided it was time to take care of them and stop the bleeding.  Our surgeon advised us that the stapling procedure was less painful and would eliminate the hemorrhoids. The stapling procedure would keep the integrity of the anal tissue and it would lift the tissue up, reduce blood flow to the internal hemorrhoids which would shrink within 4-6 weeks.  The procedure was called PPH.

I was happy to read everyone's posts and experiences post op. When we arrived home, we applied ice and followed all instructions.  My husband was given oxycodone which I had him take as soon as we got home.  Being a nurse, I knew that it was important to take the pain medication right away, before the pain kicked in.  The Dr. used local in addition to the general anesthesia, so that helped with pain.  I had my husband take the pain med every 4 hours, except during the night when he slept.  He took the oxycodone for 2 days and decided not to use it anymore since it causes constipation and his pain level was tolerable for him. He switched to Alleve and used that for 4 more days then stopped it since his discomfort was down to a 3.  He was also concerned about any GI issues that Alleve might cause - bleeding in stomach etc.

The night of surgery, he used mineral oil with his evening meal as the Dr. prescribed. He put 1-2 Tablespoons in juice and drank that. He experienced a lot of pressure which was tolerable with the pain med.  On the third day, he had a BM which had a small amount of blood; he took showers and applied warm heat that way; then he had numerous soft BM's.  I had him on a high fiber diet with oatmeal, beans, flax and chia seed meal, boiled potatoes, green smoothies, brown rice, veggie stew.  

This is day 8 and his level of discomfort is 3.  He continues his heat applications via shower 3 times a day; he stopped the mineral oil on day 4; He has good soft BM's about 4 times a day. Has been using Benefiber - we prefer that over Metamucil (since Benefiber has more fiber).

He has been walking around the house, up and down stairs to the basement for exercise and drinks a lot of water. Randy is right!  Drink lots of water!!!

His biggest complaint is the same as others have expressed.  Heavy pressure in his rectal area which makes it uncomfortable when he is standing. He is retired, so that makes it easy for him to recover.  That heavy pressure feeling is what keeps him down right now. We were told that the first week would be the worst and thankfully this is the beginning of week 2.

I am happy to hear from others, Randy, 93627, etc. that it gets better with time. I am sorry for all those who suffer with this issue.  I am a retired OR nurse and have seen terrible hemorrhoid surgeries in the past!  Please be sure you have a good Colon/Rectal surgeon who is an expert and is up to date with new procedures, and not just a general surgeon who does not do many of these surgeries.  

Hope this helps anyone contemplating Hemorrhoid surgery. Best wishes to all !! 

93627, I hope you have recovered since your December exam !!!

 

Hello Jackie,  I see that it's been 2 months since your post.  How are you feeling now?  My husband just had the PPH stapling procedure.

His biggest discomfort is a heavy pressure in his rectal/anal area.  He has actually done pretty well with discontinuing pain meds and having good soft bowel movements.  this is day 8 for him, so the first week which we were told would be the worst, is past.

I am glad that Randy has posted that he is good now after 9 weeks.  Our bodies take time to heal at different rates.  I hope you have healed by now.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Hi am having this op in April got to have test done in March first 

But mine call THD 

I   Don’t get any pain at the moment with my problems just bad bleeding now and again that why I was take back when my consultant said they very large and need the op but am 9 months post hip replacement so am not sure if I should have it 

Hello,  

My husband's procedure was PPH- which stands for Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids. It's also called a stapled hemorrhoidectomy.  The doctor uses a stapler-like device to reposition the hemorrhoids and cut off their blood supply.  After 6 weeks, they shrivel up.

Like you, he had no pain from his internal hemorrhoids, but experienced bleeding off and on for years.  After consulting with a Colon and Rectal surgeon, he decided to have it done.

He had his outpatient procedure on january 8th.  So this is his 5th week post surgery.  He tells me that his pain is all gone.  He has good soft formed bowel movements now without pain.  The surgeon checked him last week and said the staple line was healing well.

The first day of surgery, we came home and I gave him the pain medication right away because you don't want to wait till the pain comes.  He took the oxycodone for 2 days as directed.  Then chose to stop it because of it's constipating properties.  He then took Alleve for 3 days and then stopped those.

His Dr. ordered mineral oil to be taken at night just before bed the night of the surgery. He used the mineral oil for 2 days and switched to Benefiber because he felt the mineral oil was bad for our septic system.  His meals consisted of vegetarian high fiber foods, no meat (takes long to digest meat). Oatmeal, beans, lentils, brown rice, tofu, vegetables, fruit, and lots of water just like Randy said.  His first BM was the second day after his surgery. His surgery was on a Monday and he had a small soft thready BM on Wednesday. The pain med helped control his pain and discomfort which was moderate.  Thankfully he did not have excruciating pain as some have posted on this site. He also used Benefiber twice a day, mixed in a glass of juice - breakfast and supper.

After his meals, he would go right to bed, because the pressure of standing up was very uncomfortable.  Showers with a hand held shower head were taken the first week and then he started hot Sitz baths for 15 minutes each day faithfully.  These worked wonders for him. The baths increased circulation to the rectal area and helped with healing.  He felt a lot of relief after the baths.  He did this for 3 weeks and doesn't do them anymore.  

Fortunately his experience was not as horrible as others. But he was uncomfortable for three weeks, better with the 4th week and able to go with me for short trips to the market and Drs.  He needed to stay close to a bathroom since he always had the feeling of pressure  and small frequent bowel movements the first 3 weeks. He did some light exercise - just walking up and down stairs and around the house, but would have to go right back to bed to lay down.

It's 5 weeks now and the uncomfortable pressure is gone and his activity is back to normal - he uses his stationary bicycle for exercise, we go on short trips and he says he would do this again if he absolutely had to because now he knows what to expect.

I think this procedure was the best for his situation and although the first few 2 1/2 weeks

were the worst, things felt better for him the middle of the third week. 

I hope your procedure will go well.  Having some knowledge of what to expect is very helpful.  Best Wishes!!!

Hi hope you are feeling a bit better.

I had my surgery 4 weeks ago to remove 3 large 4 piles and some internal ones, I had two weeks of work and was in so much pain but was beging to feel so much better.

I'm eating a lot more fiber and started to exercise a bit more even though I'm usually an active person anyway.

But after 4 weeks I now have a very large external pile that has come back and I'm in so much pain I could cry, I really can't explain why 😭.

Is this really common or is it just me, and nobody understands if they have not been through it.

Thanks for the info.  This is Tuesday  March 27, 2018.  Has my surgery on the 22nd. They removed 2 large inside about 2 inches up and removed one on the outside.  My pain as well has been intense. I ran out of pain Sunday and drove myself to the Er. Originally I was on something called 3.0 or 3.5 something.  I was taking them 2 at a time but the ER put me on a 7. Something.  It worked well at first but now I find I’m doing 1 and 1/2 now and not much help.  Still large amounts of blood. My wife is Vietnameese so I’ve been eating rice soup and taking lots of laxitives.  Been just large squirts of water. Tonight I felt like something broke loose and by the looks, it seems my rectal hole is larger than before.  Not sure if I blew a outer stitch or what.  I’m still suffering from every heart beat in my rectal area of just amazing pain.  I’m going to go to the docs office in the am to get double checked.  Thanks for your info. It’s given me home.  Thanks.  Dennis in Tennessee 

Hi I had THD done 4 days ago, and the worst symptoms at the moment are the heavy pressure, and the awful gas and flatulence!  When do these go away?  I can't go anywhere as I smell awful, can feel all the "fermenting" in my lower bowel. :-(

Hi clarabelle17

You will feel less of these symptoms soon. Very important to keep your diet, do not eat starchy foods. Drink fresh juices, shakes (I had milk shakes almost everyday) , eat green veggies and fruits. 

The awful smell you will have for a while unfortunately. Try to stay home for at least first week. 

Jackie

I agree with you. I'm one week post op for hemorrhoid removal inside and outside. I had 6 kids natural no drugs and this is worse then every single one of them!! Im working hard to keep my stool soft but it's still burning agony every time. Im a mess I can't move for like an hour after a BM. Not that I'm doing much moving I walk like a saddle sore cowgirl or a ballerina stuck in second position plea. I'm now convinced pain alone can't kill you because if it could i'd be dead. 

Hahahahaha love the humor in your post, I'm 12 days post and I cant say enough that it is so important to have the B.M. no later than day 2, cause your still on the local. I'm not gonna lie it sux but not the worst thing in the world, if your still having pain try going in the sidz then cleaning yourself with the shower head on cold, and must drink 1 gallon water min per day, really helps with recovery, I was'nt giving any pain meds cause doctors in my area are scared of losing license due to all the pill popping idiots, made my own concoction with o.t.c. pain relievers and nyquil was a God send for me allowed me to sleep 12 of the painful 24 hrs...good luck to all who have surgery of any kind....

So good to be able to listen to others out there in the same situation! I'm 4 weeks out from surgery. I had a small nodule and tiny hemmoroid removed. I suffered in extreme pain for 2 months going from Dr to Dr and I was constantly told there's nothing there! With the pain I was in and able to pinpoint it it was REAL!!! After the surgery the Dr told me he couldn't find anything that would cause my "Exaggerated" pain! Don't ever say that word to a woman!!! Anyways, no stitches, sitz baths, lots of ibuprofen, eating well, BM every day. I feel pretty decent till I have to poop and after I do I'm in pain for hours. I'm trying to be positive that this will all return to normal but I'm having a difficult time with that! Is this normal and how long will it last? I'm a massage therapist and haven't worked in a month and don't feel like I can anytime soon. I also volunteer as a nurse one day a week doing light work and cannot do it either. When I stand just a bit I feel like my bottom is going to fall out!!! Has anyone else had this and rectal spasms? Thanks!

Yea those spasms suck only lasted about 7 days for me, I beat those by taken cyclobenzaprine which is a mild muscle relaxer..Also try branflakes with some berries every morning makes B.M not hurt at all so should help with the spasms that come after..

Thank you!

I'm on my 8 days now after the surgery. No trouble moving around. The worst part is during BM. The pain is too much for me to take that sometimes I feel some kind of regret to do the operation. My stools are soft as I restricted my diet on fruits and salads only with some slices of chicken meat. Every time during BM I can only let out small portion and straight away wash up and stand under the shower with warm water to control the deadly burning pain down there. Had to do this at least 3 times a day to prevent constipation. I really hope that this pain will never last forever.

Hi , I am now day 20 post op and do not have pain in BM. You may want to try actually doing a BM in water- sounds disgusting but a lot of people on the forum tried it when they had extreme pain and it seemed to help. I didn't need to but I did always try to ensure I took some pain meds before any motions, can be hard to time it. It probably took till day 14 before I could go without pain. I do still have pressure if I stand for too long, and am still having salt baths daily to keep the healing going. You may need to modify any stool softener combined laxative if you are going too much. But be wary of not allowing yourself to do a firm motion because you are still at risk of tearing inside if its too firm. 

Hope you feel better soon. 

Hi ali thanks for the advise. Too bad i do not have bathtub in my toilet. What is salt bath?