To think that somebody - the consultant, the surgeon, my doctor, whoever - should have warned be about the after affects of this operation

[Puffykins]

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?

Your stitches should dissolve soon op. Interesting that you now have external - thats why I had to go back for additional op 1 month on. Nowhere near as bad as first op though. I'd say I was back to normal after 2 months. It's rotten the way you've been treated though. Hopefully though in a couple of months you'll be pile-free and happy. It really is liberating once its all over.

Yes it does differ per hospital with the same anaesthetists. Its all down to recovery beds tbh. Our department is having a massive refurb and recovery spaces are at a premium. On the plus side we aren't actually doing as much surgery due to there being no beds in the hospital so mainly day cases only. Its a bit of a funny situation compared to other hospitals.

Have you been told to alternate your pain killers. So if you are taking just codeine, take paracetamol 2 hours apart. Or if you have cocodamol then take ibuprofen inbetween. You always have cover then (but remember you can only take ibuprofen 3 times a day not 4 like paracetamol and codeine)

That sounds totally horrendous. You should have been warned about this even if it only happens to a small percentage of people. Was there nothing about it in the stuff the hospital sent about the operation and the post operation period. But somebody should have told you about this.

Oh, I didn't get anything from the hospital about the operation and the post operation period. Nothing. I got a piece of paper telling me what time to stop eating and drinking, and another one telling me where to be at what time, but that was it.

I got a reasonable night's sleep last night, as in 10 - 2 and then 7-10, so I'm actually feeling fractionally better than I was yesterday. And thank you thegiraffe, I am alternating my painkillers - the doctor in A&E went through it all with me when I went back.

Ladyfoxglove, oh. I'm going to go and see my doctor and see what she says - my 8 week check up isn't for another month.

I had the same experience. I was sent home a couple of hours afterwards totally unaware of how long I was going to be in excruciating pain. It was awful. And the bastards have come back so I'm no better off anyway :(

Sorry to hear you're going through this Puffykins.

I had a not at all as serious/invasive procedure, but for those doubting what you were told about recovery/aftercare I thought I'd post.

When I was 17 I had all my wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic, requiring two nights in hospital after it. Other than a massively swollen face and pain sleeping I was fine to go home, was discharged, told that swelling would go down and stitches would dissolve, go for a check up with my dentist in a few weeks and that was that. My mother was with me at all times during this.

Two weeks later my stitches burst and my mouth filled with blood for an entire night. We got an appointment with the local dentist and mum told him what happened (teeth all out 2 weeks ago, still badly bruised but "ok" other than that until now). He took a look, sat back, whipped off gloves angrily and said "Well, it's infected, obviously, because you clearly didn't do any of the after care you were told to do", he spoke very rudely assuming I was a careless teenager. My mum asked what after care, and he patronisingly went on that the nurses gave us an info sheet and would've explained that I needed to rinse with salty water at least once a day, and I also clearly hadn't taken the prescribed antibiotics. Mum told him in no uncertain terms that NONE of that had happened, I had been discharged with no info, no prescription for anything, nothing. If there was after care to be done she would have made me do it every single day.

Anyways, due to this it took me another month to recover, the infection was much more difficult to deal with than the operation itself. I couldn't eat anything other than icecream for most of it, washing my teeth was agony, etc. From the very beginning myself and my mum were told nothing about after the procedure, just that the swelling would go down and the stitches would dissolve and it would take about 10 days, so clearly it does happen that they underestimate and ill advise about recovery.

You need some oramorph or similar to cope with the breakthrough pain between doses. Also make sure you are taking regular ibuprofen and paracetamol as well, and regular laxatives. I would take one sachet if movicol three times a day if I were you.

What dose if codeine are you taking? You can take up to 60mg four times a day. You should also go back to your GP, the numbing suppositories mentioned up thread sound like they could be good.

Can I suggest (unless I've missed it) that the ongoing pain now may actually be being caused by the stitches not dissolving?

After having DC2 I had put "no stitches" on my book but I had to have removal if the placenta under GA and lost a lot of blood and ended up with tears while they were taking the placenta out, so they put some stitches in the worst bits as it was unavoidable. I was okay at first, went home and had incredible pain, asked MW to come and look and the stitch that was left (I also had string hanging) had pulled really tight, she removed it and the pain vanished).

After having my first I had loads of stitches but a medical condition means that I have fragile skin and most tore through the skin but before that the pain was unimaginable, but again when the stitches went, pain massively decreased.

Hope you're feeling better.

Hi Puffy. I managed to speak to my mum this evening (she's been away, so I couldn't contact her before). She told me that nobody told her how painful the op would be either and she thinks medical staff often have no idea. She was crying with the pain afterwards and only coped with very strong painkillers (sorry, she couldn't remember the brand name) taken every two hours. She did manage to go back to work after three weeks, but said it was very difficult. Unlike you, she didn't have young children to cope with and she's appalled that you have been left in this situation.

On the positive side, she said it was absolutely the best thing to have had the op and it transformed her life for the better. She was in such a bad way beforehand that she sometimes haemorrhaged: she once bled so badly in the loo of a restaurant that she had to ask another customer to phone for an ambulance. She had to stop doing all sorts of normal things, like going out or on holiday. Since the op, she's never had this problem again and can now lead a normal life. She said she is "a million times better".

She asked me to wish you all the best from her and told me to emphasise to you that it will get better. I hope this gives you some hope.

Please let us know what the doc says when you visit next week.

I find it hard to believe in this day an age a computer literate adult didn't google an operation before having it done. Hopefully it will all be better in the end though OP.

I apparently still haven't learned my lesson about hitting the image button when right click googling random things on the internet.

You poor thing. That looks procedure looks horrifying.

Recovery can take different times for different people, and a lot of varying things factor into it like severity, age, general health, etc... I pushed with DD for 3 hours and my butt was just fine afterwards and I was taking normal poos 2 hours later, PP's in here haven't been so lucky. Sometimes it's just a crap shoot and you get the short straw for no foreseeable reason.

Hopefully after you recover though, the pain will be less than before you had the op. They should have thoroughly gone through all the risks with you, so you knew what to expect.

Just take it a day at a time, and I hope you feel better soon!

Toffee thank you so much - that is really encouraging to hear!

I have no pearls of wisdom or experience to offer you but I felt compelled to post because I feel so sorry for you - it sounds absolutely awful. Hope you look back at this time and think it was terrible but worth it. Best wishes x

Just wondered if you are feeling any better and if your GP was able to help, Puffy? I hope so.

Oh my goodness - sounds horrendous & I think you have every right to be upset that this wasn't explained fully to you. I would trust my doctor wholeheartedly & wouldn't necessarily google (although may ask on MN) at all given so much misinformation that's out there.

Hope you feel better soon.

Puffykins - I'm convinced that the vast majority of surgical consultants don't actually really care about what the post-operative realties are of the procedures they perform.

I have had a complex hip replacement and a gynae repair - both of which were way more painful and difficult to recover from than anyone had lead me to believe. And I hear it time & again from people. I honestly think the doctors just want to be able to tick the box "yes X bit has gone or Y bit is now in the right place" and beyond that they find it really bloody irritating when we tell them it's fucking agony.

I have also had bad piles (though nothing like what you've had, Obvs) having had a 10lb baby - so I can only imagine your intense pain. I'm sure it's been pointed out / you know , that the codeine will be bunging you up. So lots & lots of prunes for you - and demand some topical creams that have local anaesthetic. Also - cold Witchhazel liquid poured on a large santiary pad shifted slightly to the rear might help.

I wish you lots of healing vibes.

I had uterine embolization for fibroids a few years ago. I was led to believe I'd be right as rain after a few days but instead found myself really sick and out of work for about 5 weeks. Googling it all I read were bright breezy reports from people who were practically back playing tennis the day after the procedure, and I thought there was something wrong with me.
My friend's sister had the same procedure a year later; was in severe pain afterwards and the nurse said they hated seeing people coming in for this procedure as it was so painful.

I actually wondered if all those 'oh it was a breeze' posts were just plants!

And what if the OP wasn't a computer literate adult? Its feasible that she could not be (though obviously in this case is). That's no excuse on the part of the medical staff. As someone up thread pointed out, you have to be informed to make informed consent.

And the comparison to loans and it being no excuse for not understanding, how much PPI has been repaid due to customers not being properly informed about it?