I've recently - as in nearly a month ago - had a haemeroidectomy. (Or however it's spelt.) My situation was bad, my doctor said that I had the worst she has ever seen, but I could live with it - and indeed have been living with it ever since I pushed out 9lb 5 of DD, and what felt like most of my insides, two years ago.
I was sent to a consultant. "The best thing if we do this under general anaesthetic," he said. "You won't feel a thing, it's an outpatient procedure - I just think that banding them will be too uncomfortable for you." Great, I thought, and agreed to it.
Cue the operation.
I have never felt pain like it. I would have given birth again every day rather than experience the first four days, which felt like somebody rotating razor blades in my bottom. I had been sent home with over the counter painkillers, which didn't even touch the sides. I didn't sleep for three days I was in such agony. I ended up back in hospital (A&E) because it was the weekend, and then the doctor said to me "You know, I sometimes don't think we prepare people very well for this." And gave me codeine and local anaesthetic gel, which helped.
But, thinking that I was going to be better in a matter of a couple of days, I'd done nothing to prepare. I couldn't walk or sit up for two weeks - and I had to arrange emergency child care while hallucinating from lack of sleep/ too much codeine. I've had to cancel numerous events, including work (I'm self employed). And then I started googling it, and discovered legions of people who have had to take 8/ 12 weeks of work for this procedure, and who also describe it as the most painful experience they have ever had.
I'm not at nearly a month, and I'm still far from better. I'm still having to employ a full time nanny to look after my children, and the guilt that I feel from not being able to be with them/ take them to parties (DH is working on a huge project at the moment, so working weekends too). Going to the loo is AGONY. I still can't drive. I can stagger a short distance, but it's pathetic, and it exhausts me (and physically, I was very fit before this - I could run a half marathon quite easily.) Even going anywhere in a car is incredibly painful (I tried. I went to a meeting which I HAD to go to on Thursday, and I feel like I'm still paying the price.) I still haven't slept through the night without having to have had a pain relieving 2am bath and then wait around for the pain killers to kick in again.
Why, WHY did no one at any stage prepare me for this? I wouldn't actually have had it done now, at this point in my life - or, if I had had to have had it done, I at least would have been able to properly arrange childcare rather than having had 3 different nannies since this started. Should they have told me? Or is it my responsibility to have fully researched the operation that I was having before I had it? (I believe that it is partly my responsibility, incidentally, and I am furious with myself.)
Finally, if anyone else has had it, when will I be okay again?