Posting here for traffic.....
Apologies if this is TMI, but I'm feeling very down about my current situation...it's a two fold issue; short-term and long-term
Short-term: it's been 10 weeks since I gave birth. Pre-birth I had a small haemorrhoid, which didn't cause me many issues at all (very very occasionally a small amount of bright red bleeding, but no pain or anything else and I hardly remembered it was there most of the time). During labour, the haemorrhoid has gotten bigger (maybe the size of a garden pea). For 4 weeks I had no issues. Then at 4 weeks I had the most excruciating poo. It felt like someone was slicing my bottom open, and it made me actually scream - it was awful. The doctors initially prescribed scheriproct ointment to apply, plus anusol and I started having a fybogel twice a day. The pain became a little less awful, but still pretty unpleasant (think having to bite down on something because it hurts). They told me I couldn't use the ointment for too long as it contains steroids (and I'm breastfeeding), and so they told me to taper off using it and see how I went. It went back to being awful, so they prescribed me lidocaine to use instead (alongside anusol and fybogel). It's still horrible, and I've had bright red blood the last two mornings (and sporadically over the last 6 weeks). It's getting to the point where I'm winding myself up about going to the loo I think and becoming really anxious about it a) being hard and being in even more pain b) not actually being able to go for a few days and it therefore being even worse once I do. As well as the pain of pooing, I can often feel it when I'm walking, sometimes I'm really itchy down there and occasionally I'lI have the sensation of something wriggling just inside my anus (maybe it's the itching feeling, I'm not sure, but it's a very odd feeling). I'm making sure to have lots of fibre in my diet, lots of water, and am wiping with a baby wipe (toilet paper is too harsh).
Is there anything else I can do to help my situation? I'll be contacting the doctors again today, but any other suggestions would be welcome!
Long-term issue: we'll be going to stay with my in-laws abroad in December. Every time I go, I can hardly go to the loo. Last time we arrived on the Thursday and I didn't manage to have a poo until the middle of the night on the Sunday/Monday. It wasn't actually painful I don't think, but just really hard and really big and took about 45 minutes to actually manage to go, from when I first felt like I finally needed to.. I'm so worried that I'll still be in the same situation as I am now, but with that horrible constipation, and I know that you shouldn't a) strain or b) sit on the toilet for ages. It only seems to be an issue there (I can happily use the loo at my parents house, and at work). I think it might be a combination of a change in diet, and having to poop around others (when they might be able to hear I think which stresses me out). I'm honestly getting myself in such a tizz about it and not wanting to go because I'm so worried (even though it's weeks away!). Any helpful suggestions on how I can handle this worry/situation please?