Recovering from a haemorrhoidectomy . . . warning: TMI alert . . .

[Puffykins]

Has anybody ever had a heamorrhoidectomy, and if so, please can you tell me how long recovery took? I'm on day 12 now, and am still in considerable pain - I can't walk anywhere except the bathroom for the endless baths I take, can barely sit up unless I'm on my special donut cushion and even then only last up to 45 minutes. I have two young children, and I just feel that this is so unfair on them. And I'm getting kind of depressed about my lack of progress. I need someone to give me hope. Please?!
(P.S. If anyone is considering having one: strongly consider it. I've never experienced anything more painful than the first 4 days post op, EVER. I would gladly have given birth every day rather than going through the pain I was subject to.)

[AuntieRosa]

Sorry, just resurrecting a very old thread as I wondered if any of the posters are still around. I’m slowly recovering from this op and it’s taking much longer than I expected. I’ve read through the whole thread and can see this is unfortunately not uncommon. I wondered how everyone is doing now?

@Dogwalker1 @AniseedBall @123Aussie (hope you don’t mind the tag, thanks!)

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @Aussiemumofboys the fact that you had this as an unexpected op sounds horrendous. I saw first saw someone about my hems quite a few years ago and they advised me, that as I wasn’t currently having too much trouble, not to have the op.

Re the PF spasming that’s what my prescribed Diltiazam is supposedly for as spasming prevents blood flow to the area and prevents healing. However straight after the op putting it on open wounds after a BM was
absolute agony as it stung like I’d put chilli on it so I couldn’t use it until fairly recently. Even now it stings a little for about 15 minutes.
What exercises did your physio give you? I probably need to strengthen my pelvic floor after this op, plus the exercises increase the blood flow to the area, but doing them is still a little bit stingy. So I’m not doing anything at the moment.

You are another example of how much time (longer than we are all told) you had to take off work. My heart goes out to all those people who have had the op in the run up to Christmas thinking that it’s a two weeks recovery. I’m 9 weeks post op today and feeling like some progress has been made in the last week after going backwards after an examination. I think my slight leakage after a BM has cleared up although i still have to spend longer than I should cleaning up afterwards. If I didn’t do that I guess I would still have a little. I’m hoping that this is because I’m still having to be be extra gentle around that area. My sore bit I would describe as a bit tender rather than painful. I’m still taking photos most days to monitor progress 😱 and the area is looking a lot better but not quite the amazing neat job I had hoped for. I think it might improve a little bit more but not much.

@AniseedBall how are getting on with the Movicol reduction ? I hope you’ve had a better few days. I’ve been fine since stopping it but today I know I haven’t drunk enough, so I might suffer tomorrow morning.

[Aussiemumofboys]

Well, after stalking this page for so long and reading every word as though my life depended on it while I was in the hell of recovery it was time to say thanks. Thanks for your brutal honesty as lets face it, we cant go into that much details with anyone else! I also wanted to tell my story briefly, in case it may help someone else. I actually went in for a day procedure to remove anal skins tags. I had hemmies when Id had kids (20 years ago) and thought they'd gone, but apparently they'd just gone up and in. They gave me no pain or trouble so I was not even aware I still had them. So I wake up from my day procedure to find that I'm being admitted as the surgeon found them and decided to remove a few big ones. So what was meant to be a long weekend recovery turned into 4 weeks off work. I am now at the 12 week mark. BM are now fine. I still have small hemmie external which I' hoping will go back in. It doesn't cause me any pain. BM were nothing short of horrendous. I read somewhere that someone likened it to pooping razor blades. Pretty much! The biggest thing I wanted to share is something I don't think I've seen mentioned and that's pelvic floor spasming. In a nutshell I wasn't a big water drinker, but I had to after surgery to help with constipation. My pelvic floor wasn't as good as it could be, so dealing with the increase in fluid and the surgery causes my muscles to protect the area essentially ( what the physio said) and turn "on" and keep spasming. I am seeing a womens health physio who is helping me switch those muscles "off" so basically the opposite of pelvic floor exercises . Its definitely helping,but not as fast as I'd like. Its honestly been a terrible experience for me and I look forward to the time when its a distant memory.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 it's so exhausting trying to work out what makes a difference. I would just like someone to tell me!! I think if the GP could let me know how the healing is going it would make me feel better. The pain the last couple of days hasn't been specific to a wound so it'd be reassuring to know. I'm sure key is getting the BMs right and probably patience but I'm running short of that now 😭 I hope your cream helps with your last bit of healing.

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall I really sympathise with the whole: Should I do that? Apply this? See this person? Just leave it alone? i know if anyone asked me at the moment what is working and not working I couldn’t answer.

I’m sorry to hear the discharge is back too. Fingers crossed it is just a blip caused by you having so many BMs.

I’m retrying the Diltsiam ointment for a week to see if it speeds up recovery. But am thinking should I leave it alone? I’m not in much discomfort at all but sometimes when I ‘swivel’ either getting into or out of bed or the car I can feel something is still a tiny bit sore and not quite right .

I’ll keep everything crossed for you cutting down on the movicol.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 thank you. I'm definitely going to carry on cutting down on the Movicol otherwise I'm going to end up with a new problem. It must be delaying my recovery. I am still taking the lactulose as well. The GP was so adamant that less than one sachet wouldn't do anything I carried on and it worked ok for a while. She didn't ask anything about my diet so I'm don't know how she could be so certain. I was cutting back last week but something happened that made me think I'd cut back enough. I'm so exhausted with it all I can't remember what it was!!

I'm thinking about going back to the doctors tomorrow to get some more advice it I'm not sure it'll help. I'm wondering if using suppositories again for a bit would improve things. I still have some left from before and am tempted to use one as things feel really swollen today and I've had some discharge for the first time in a while. Or maybe I should just leave things alone!!

It's great that you have got on ok today without any Movicol. I think things being too loose is almost as bad as too hard. I hope it continues.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall four times is not want you want 😰. Are you still taking the stool softener too? When I cut back to half a sachet I just took it in the evening before bedtime and I still went first thing in the morning. After my V repair I was only prescribed stool softeners and that was enough.

In fact yesterday I didn’t take any Movicol 😱😱 I have decided as long as everything is still soft and BMs are easy I’m stopping taking it. I just felt that my BMs were too loose and it wasn’t helping with the leakage after going. Today was fine almost no difference from pre op and pre Movicol but I’ll keep you updated! I might have overcompensated on the fibre intake yesterday but today I’m trying to just eat normally.

Everyone is so different but the consultants seem to say keep taking x amount of laxatives. It’s as if they think we have this problem because we get constipated. In any other situation going four times a day would probably make someone take medication to stop you going.

After this many weeks post op I think we would have to go more than a day probably two without a BM before we caused any damage?

If it was me I would cut back on the Movicol. If you do it gradually then you can control it. I read that walking and exercise keeps everything moving too whereas in the early days we were just lying around recovering.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 I hope you are having a good day so far. Quick question - are you still taking the Movicol split morning and evening? The doctor said I should take it all in the evening but I'm wondering if split works better 😬 I've had 4 BMs again today and I'm losing the will....

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 hope you've been ok and didn't tempt fate with your comment yesterday!! I hate telling people when I'm doing ok as inevitably the following day I come back down to earth. I'm doing okish, still feel like I'm playing Russian roulette with food and stool softeners every day. I've just come to the conclusion that it's going to hurt in someway whatever I do, even at 10 weeks! On the plus side I've not had any blood for a few days, this seems to mean more pain but the blood worries me more so I'm pleased it's stopped for now at least.

@Hurtiehubbie boiling pans of water is real dedication! I hope he's had a good day today after all the BMs. I can't imagine how painful that must have been.

I'm not sure about foods that help with healing but I spoke to a dietician a few weeks ago and she recommended taking a zinc and vitamin c supplement so I've been doing that. I'm not a very good advert for it but it can't hurt! She said a standard dose one is fine, we don't need all the high dose stuff that is sold. Mine is a supermarket own brand one.

[Hurtiehubbie]

@AniseedBall yes he is taking lots of baths, we actually ran out of hot water the other day because he’s been taking so many, I had to boil pans of water and do it the old school way!!
And thanks for the advice on the food that’s really good to know. Do you know if there is any recommended foods to aid with healing? A quick google suggests protein rich foods such as eggs, milk, meat/fish and beans but those are also the constipating ones. Perhaps some hummus or something gentle?

@Dogwalker1 that’s good to hear, often I think (unfortunately) time is the only real thing...

And for anyone else who may come back to this forum in desperation, I can tell you that 8 sachets of Movicol in one day will do the trick at clearing constipation! He’s had some excruciating hard lumps but finally starting to get to some looser, softer BMs which are no where near as painful.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall I hope you are having a good/better day and @Hurtiehubbie your husband is seeing some improvement. 6 sachets of Movicol 😲 but I’m glad to hear it worked!

I’m feeling slightly better today, I think the damage done by the examination has healed and I now feel like I’m back to how i was before it. Tempting fate I know just by saying that 😬

[AniseedBall]

Hi @Dogwalker1 I've only just seen the last few messages, my notifications seem to have stopped!!

Hi @Hurtiehubbie I'm so sorry to hear your husband is suffering so much. The early days really are awful. You both have my sympathy.
I hope he's doing better today. I did have hard stools at one point or at least they felt hard, I don't know with hindsight if it was just the pain making them feel like it. The operation has affected my bowels a lot, they still don't behave like they used to and my Consultant did say the operation will affect transit time as well.

I'd completely agree with @Dogwalker1 about drinking enough especially when taking Movicol. I'm sure now he's stopped the tramadol things will improve further.

One thing to mention, is he having baths after BMs? They were an absolute life saver in the early days and I still have them now some mornings.
I don't know if you've been given any advice regarding this but my Consultant recommended using standard table salt in the bath to help healing. Also, I had two internal ones removed and was advised not to eat anything with seeds, pips, skins etc as these will be painful on the way out so that's something else to consider. Best of luck, I hope he's over the worst.

[Hurtiehubbie]

@Dogwalker1 thank you so so much for all of this really helpful advice! He had it done privately so that triggered me to think to ask for a prescription for some topical local anesthetic which will hopefully help! And I’ve passed on your advice :)

I gave him 6 Movicol today, yes 6! And he’s finally managed to have some proper BMs, so a huge relief and hopefully we are now moving down the right track. He’s been feeling really sick for the last 24 hours which could be related to the fact that he came off Tramadol yesterday morning because it wasn’t agreeing with him, slight withdrawals perhaps?

Oh, and he’s doing better at drinking more water now too

[Dogwalker1]

@Hurtiehubbie that sounds absolutely horrendous. He must be in so much pain. Everyone one on this thread seems to go much more than usual after the op but that is a huge amount 😰

I can only think of two reasons that are making him go this much - firstly when you are going for a BM at this stage post op it is so painful that it’s almost impossible to relax enough to go properly so your muscle snaps shut when actually you haven’t finished going. Advice earlier on this thread was to do the loose flappy lips thing when doing a BM as apparently it’s easier to stop the muscles tensing if your mouth is relaxed.
Second reason (which I’ve read somewhere but no idea where) is that you get almost a false sense of needing to go because the area is traumatised and not behaving like it should. It almost becomes super sensitive. Is there anyway he can ignore the sensation of wanting to go at least sometimes?
Some people who went privately rather than NHS were given Instillagel local anaesthetic gel to numb the area. It’s very runny so not the easiest thing to apply but I bought mine online and used cotton wool pads soaked in it rather than use the rather hard syringe which it came in. It does help with the pain.

I ended up self medicating at this stage because of the pain. I’m not a medical professional and I am very wary of suggesting something that hasn’t been recommended by a doctor so perhaps you could ask your gp or pharmacist before taking any notice of the following. I used a cream called EMLA which is a stronger local anaesthetic. If I timed it right I could numb the area before I went to the loo. It has been used in some hospitals post but on the pack it advises you to A. Wash it off after 30 minutes and B. Not to use it on your bum! It is used for numbing skin before tattoos and injections and also to delay ejaculation.
I’ve taken a screen shot of the research I found online.
I hope that today has been a blip in his recovery and things start to settle down soon.

[Hurtiehubbie]

@Dogwalker1 aaaah brill thank you so much!

Today has been even more torturous for him, if that’s possible! He’s been having a BM every 45 minutes (roughly) and each time it’s pure agony but only a tiny amount comes out each time. It’s soft, so I assume he’s not constipated, or if he is we must be doing the right things (Movicol + high fibre diet), and I’m assuming it’s just his bowels and intestines readjusting but just wish there was some kind of magic answer! If anyway has one I’d love to hear it!!! What about pelvic floor exercises? Seeing him this way is just awful, he’s begging for it to end :(

[Dogwalker1]

Sorry it’s blurred - it’s not blurred before I sent it. You can google the charts if you can’t see.

[Dogwalker1]

@hurtyhubbie mine were internal too but the pain and spasms don’t seem to limit themselves to that one tiny area 😬
Re your Hubble not drinking enough - show him this chart and tell him to aim for the second one down!

[Hurtiehubbie]

@Dogwalker1 thanks for the advice, I will suggest this to him! Although his were internal (prolapsed) so not sure it will quite “hit the spot” as it were, but we’ll see. And no, he is not drinking nearly enough water! I am trying, but he might believe you ladies more than he believes me

He is taking Tramadol, Arcoxia and paracetamol. Tramadol I’ve told him to try to steer clear of as much as he can, but sometimes he has no choice. Generally been in good spirits so far, but today he’s starting to get tired of the whole thing. And I don’t blame him! Thanks so much for your reply, we are another one who were told 2-4 weeks recovery so this has taken us by (unwelcome) surprise

[Dogwalker1]

@Hurtyhubbie I found warmth rather than ice packs helped with the spasms which occurred after a BM so I guess they might help at any time. I filled the basin with water as warm as I could stand and soaked couple of flannels, wrung out, then just wedged them there, swopping them over when they cooled down. Not dignified at all but it really helped me.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @Hurtyhubbie your husband has my sympathy as he is still in the early, incredibly painful stage. I have read about people getting muscle spasms after this op, when I googled the Diltiazam cream which I was prescribed.

I got spasms when going for a BM which stopped the bowel movement before I had finished so ended up going again quite soon. I think the area is so traumatised after the op and you have so many nerve endings in that area it is really hard to relax and unclench.

I know this seems obvious but is he drinking loads? As in his wee should be very pale? How much I drink seems to have even more effect than the amount of Movicol I take. I was prescribed tramidol for the pain but am allergic to it so couldn’t take it. Is he taking all the painkillers he can take?

@AniseedBall you had the lots of little hard BMs at one point didn’t you?

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 what an awful phrase!! They really know how to make patients feel better!

My swelling has gone down a bit but I'm sure that's a factor in the leakage. I queried this as a side effect before the op and the Consultant said continence should, if anything, be improved as haemorrhoids aren't in the way of the muscle closing properly. Yet another thing they disagree on! It made sense to me when he explained it like that.

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall do you think your swelling in that area has gone down? I still think that swelling in that area could stop the sphincter muscle from closing properly and therefore causing leakage. My consultant dismissed this idea but I still think that’s a possibility with me! Hydrocortisone always reduced the swelling of my haemorrhoids pretty much immediately.

In the letter from my consultant he described my v small amount of leakage as ‘spontaneous soiling’. That cheered me up no end...

[Hurtiehubbie]

Hi gang, new here and I’m in a slightly different position to the rest as it’s actually my husband who had the op 10 days ago now. He is in a lot pain and I feel so helpless, so looking to see if I can get any advice for him!

He’s 36 and had hemmies for years, despite being super healthy - I guess it’s just in the genes. Since his op 10 days ago he has struggled with control of his bowels and has just small little BMs in tiny amounts multiple times per day. We’ve tried playing around with the Movicol and Lactulose but cutting it out seems to just make those tiny BMs hard, we don’t seem to be able to consolidate them so that he only has to go fewer times per day. Also, he gets this like muscle spasm every time he tries to move which flares the whole thing up again. Anyone else experienced anything like this?

I fear he’s going to be in the “long recovery” camp, which is unfortunate as we have a 6 month old baby who is missing her daddy!

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 when you think about it like that it's no surprise it takes so long for the wounds to heal. I tried using a hairdryer, not that it would dry inside, but just ended up almost burning my bum!! The advice is so mixed I wonder if anything actually helps apart from lots of time.

[Dogwalker1]

Sorry I meant the nurse agreed with your GP