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.)

Hi Ladies,

It’s almost 4 weeks tomorrow and I am happy to say I am almost back to normal. My swelling is still there... getting smaller but I was hoping they would all be gone by now. Yesterday I did a lot of spring cleaning and de cluttering, I have to admit maybe I over exerted myself because I started feeling some sharp pain here and there. Nothing specific and not constantly but definitely present. It’s gone this morning so I guess I will take it a bit easy.
Work has been good and I am easing into things but I am not going to lie, I am still not functioning like before. I am very self conscious about my bum and terrified of using the public bathroom. Luckily my BM is pretty consistent and only in the morning so I have been able to avoid it but it’s affecting everything because now I can’t even eat a snack or drink tons of coffee in fear I will have to use the restroom. Also generally I feel a bit squishier, I guess because I was in bed for almost four weeks... losing muscle tone.

@Disneylover1 I was going to ask you ladies about sex!! When can I start... because of the swelling I don’t even want anything down there yet but I am definitely feeling the celibacy caused by this operation. Also I afraid it’s still a bit tender.. when did you dive into it the first time around? Even before the operation having a prolapsed hemorrhoid affected my sex life and I was hoping I could put this behind me.

The itching is still there, I was washing myself the other day and I tugged on a string that I didn’t know was half out. I thought all my stitches were gone already. I almost passed out when it caught my finger and ripped out of me. There was some bleeding but not significant amount. I am hoping that didn’t set me back.
I hope when I come back, you guys are talking about full recovery and how much better you all feel with amazing sex life 😆. Take good care of yourselves till then.

Hi @Womaninpain - sounds like you're doing really well :) You're back to work and living a pretty much normal life at 4 weeks - I was still bed ridden and having an awful time. It does take time until you feel comfortable enough to eat and drink more normally though. I've never drunk coffee but know that can be a bowel stimulant, but snacks shouldn't be a problem if you're hungry. I'd avoided snacks and things as I had this vision in my head of every thing I ate becoming it's own little BM. After talking to my dietitian, she confirmed that's not the way things work. The rectum basically stores your BM until it's the right size to be released, so snacks won't cause a flurry of small BMs. Maybe try adding a snack at the weekend when you're at home and see what effect it has? The same with coffee if you miss it. Definitely listen to your body with regards to how much physical exertion it can take too, but sounds like you're well on the road to full recovery.

The pulled stitches though! Just reading about it made me feel faint! I think the itching will stop when all of your stitches are finally gone as they are a bit of an irritant.

Sex! I would say, wait until you feel comfortable and ready, and then just take it slow. If something doesn't feel right, then stop and try again another time. Talk to your partner about your anxieties beforehand so he understands and I'm sure you'll be fine. I can't remember how long I waited the first time, but it was a while. I think that's partially due to this fear I have that sex/orgasms cause hemmies and make them worse. That's a real fear and mental block for me that I have to battle with :(

Well, I'm seriously pissed off now I'm making no progress at all and my BMs just seem to be getting more painful each day - it feels like I'm passing sandpaper. I just don't know what to do any more! Maybe the fissure isn't fully healed and I need to start using the rectogesic again? I'm not really having any bleeding that I would expect with a fissure though. And it all seems to be around the area where I had the skin tag removed. Honestly, I wish I'd never had this damn surgery and just lived with the hemmie. I'm seriously considering ordering that Pranicura cream that you found @AusLady, but I'm worried that it's a scam as I can't find any independent reviews on it, plus I don't want to use something that makes the problem worse. Argh, I just don't know what to do for the best My life is ruled by my bum and the daily pain and I've simply had enough!

Hope everyone else is doing better than I am xxx

Hi Everyone,

@Disneylover1 sorry to hear you are still having a hard time with BM. To be honest after my own BM there is still some swelling and tenderness. I still have stitches coming out in the shower this week.
I hope your skin tag removed place will heal and get better as I have my own skin tag removal to look forward to.

I can tell it’s gonna be a big skin tag as the swelling subsides the sticking out bit will become a skin tag and not go away completely.
I was pretty active yesterday, ran a whole bunch of errands and even carried my very heavy toddler around. I did feel a bit of pressure in my behind but I can’t tell if it’s just in my head. I was walking around in heels, small ones all day. I feel like ok I am getting better.

Today though I am a bit dizzy all day... I struggle with low blood pressure and I have a bit of cold as well as tons of stress getting back into work is playing into things a lot. Maybe it’s the lack of coffee but you are right @Disbeylover1 coffee makes me go lol.

I still haven’t had sex but I am really pent up and look at my better half with lust in my eyes always lol. I don’t think I ever wanted him more since my first pregnancy ages ago 😂😂. I just don’t feel comfortable with the bits still sticking out... and afraid of orgasm and swelling related to it.

I have a big night coming up this sat... a night out for work function, a big fancy charity event. Can’t imagine how I am going to pull it off but wish me luck.

I am hoping you really feel much better @Disneylover1 I really really do!!!

I will answer the sex question lol. It was week 6 for me. We kinda did it just to see if it would hurt. It didn’t but I did swell on the inside some and it caused pressure and aching with the BMs so we waited another 3 weeks before I was brave enough to try again. I didn’t notice any pain the next day so we started making up for lost time lol. So week 9 worked for me.
I still have my days here and there where I worry that somethings trying to bust loose, or what’s that weird ache, or did I eat enough of the right foods, etc...but overall, I feel better than I have in years. Even took my son to the beach for a concert for his Christmas/birthday/graduation gift and we had a blast! First time I had traveled in years that I didn’t wake up the next morning with aching hemorrhoids. I was so surprised at the difference!
@Disneylover1 When do you go back for a follow up? I get concerned when you have your setbacks. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!

Hey @Disneylover1, sorry I haven't been on. Was really busy and long days at work this week. How are your BMs now? I'm hoping they've improved and the sand paper feeling has stopped? I had a bit of bleeding again through the week, which really depressed me. I got home from work that night and just cried again! Cause that morning I was on a real high, pain was very minimal with BMs and afterwards there wasn't much at all. I feel as though we both start to see an improvement and then we have a set back!!! But I'm with you, I haven't made any changes to my diet, go walking everyday, drink at least 2 litres water, blah blah fucking blah and then bam!!! I'm wondering if it's stress from work that's hindering my recovery?
It's now sat night and I had an achey bum all day, which I haven't had like this for a long time. Im hoping an Epsom salt bath will help.
I'm still having 2 to 3 BM a day. FML!!! Do you think it's because we are still very sensitive down there that we feel the poop more? Which makes us go more? Did you find that before your second operation, that when your roids where playing up and where sore that you had more BMS that day/s as well? I did.
I too am at a loss for what we could do differently. I sometimes wonder if we do the complete opposite? Eat rubbish food, minimal fruit and veg, no walking, but still drink water just because we don't want to get constipated. Lol
And @womaninpain, I still drink coffee. And it makes no difference to my BM. I always have 2 BM before I've even made a coffee in the morning. Lol. You could try it on the weekend? Good luck with your function tonight.
Glad to hear you and @BrandiJo are feeling better.

Hey @Disneylover1, thinking of you and hope you're feeling better. If it you think you still have a fissure maybe the link will help?

drbenkim.com/anal-fissure-heal.htm

I seem to still be the same, no better and no worse.
Hope everyone else has recovered.

Hi. I’ve had the surgery 2.5 weeks ago & is as painful as previous comments 😬. A few tips that really helped were salt baths (normal sea salt, I ended up using about 20 bags), every couple of hours & also after each BM. After a BM I dab gently with a baby wipe & then straight into the bath. This helped not to agrivate the area ,keep it clean & salt heals. Airing also really helped with healing. (plastic sheets & old towels were changed at least once a day). I dreaded the first BM, & ended up Squatting on the floor with a plastic bag 🥴 not pleasant, but there was a natural animal instinct to do this! I swear my piles were caused by not pooing correctly in squatting position all these years! There was no pain with first BM & now have my own potty, with pain free BM’s 🙂. Sleeping & laying down was very painful & I found that a pillow in between my knees helped the pressure. My DR prescribed a laxative to take in the evening, which has helped. Also, no fruit with seeds, no nuts, peel all fruit, no beans or pulses, bland diet for 3 weeks, otherwise seeds can get stuck whilst healing & cause an infection or irritate the skin. Everyday theres an improvement!

Hi @AusLady - thanks for your posts and sorry that I haven't been on sooner. I was hoping my next post would bring better news, but no 😭 Since my last post 6 days ago, I've been using the rectogesic twice a day to try to help heal this damn fissure (if that's even the problem!) and sticking to the healthy diet, water, exercise etc etc ... So, pain had started to get less when having BMs - still not pain free, but less painful than a week ago. So, I'm thinking the rectogesic is doing its job and I'm making some progress, and then today happened! First BM was fine. Not too much pain, and just a little tender afterwards. Second BM felt the same, but on wiping there was more blood than I've had in a long time😭 Then I had an evening BM which started off with passing wind that sprayed blood in to the toilet, and then blood with the BM😭 I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on???? I did get my period today, so is it a combination of more swelling and blood flow in that area in general? I just wish I knew. I'm so fed up and low (hormones won't be helping that!) and feel completely helpless and at a loss of what to do. There's definitely something not fully healed internally as when I apply the rectogesic, I use a cotton bud to get some inside (no way a finger is going in!), and I can feel a sore spot. I just can't see what the problem is! So, I've been looking up wound healing on Google and have ordered some new supplements to aid it: vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc. So, thanks to Amazon, they'll be with me tomorrow. I've also found another prescription ointment that people normally get if rectogesic doesn't work, so I've requested that from my doctor too. Something has got to work, surely?!
Thank you for the links to the fissure site and product. It's really kind that you're thinking of me. You get my frustration as you have it yourself. 110 days post op and you'd think that would be plenty of time to get back to normal. It's the constant cycle of progress and then, bam! Set-back! That's so depressing. I've definitely had a good old cry today and feel very sorry for myself and my sore backside😞
I hope that you're doing better and haven't had any more bleeds and that the daily pain is reducing. We will both get there, won't we? This can't be our lives now surely. How I wish time travel was real!
We go away for a midweek break on Monday and I'm really looking forward to it, but just hope that things have improved so I can actually enjoy it. I intend to spend my days having walks in the countryside, and evenings in the hot tub! However, I don't think I'll be celebrating my wedding anniversary with my husband they way I'd ideally like to though. I'm just not ready for that level of intimacy yet. Bless him, he didn't sign up to be a monk when we got married, but he's doing a bloody good impression of one at the moment!
Hope you're doing well, and thank you for all your support. It means a lot to me 💖

@Womaninpain - thank you for your kind words too. How did your big night out go at the weekend? I hope you're doing well too x

Hi ladies,

@BrandiJo thanks for answering my question. I still haven’t attempted anything but I feel like I am getting good enough to try. I’ll take it really slow.

@Disneylover1 sorry you are not any better, this sounds extremely frustrating and painful. It must absolutely cripple your ability to carry on during the day. If you do go to the doc please let me know what they say.
My night out was short... haha I was just exhausted from week of work and still weak from my surgery and not moving too much that my stamina level is next to nothing. Next day I was also very very tired. Apart from that I am now nearly at my full capacity. My skin tags are still very present but still shrinking. My doctors appointment is scheduled for mid June so I’ll see what she has to say. I still bathe myself after every BM since the skin tags makes me feel wiping is not enough for folds??? Can’t wait to have a flat bum hole... other than that... it’s back to hectic work schedule and child rearing but plus side is I no longer have hemorrhoids bothering me and crippling me with pain and prolapsing. I can stand a long time, I can sit for a long time and squat without aggravating my bum so I am thrilled. Long journey here so I am glad that’s done. It’s like I have almost forgotten the pain already... funny how we work like that.

Honestly @Disneylover1 I hope you have better news... wishing you the best!!!

@Disneylover1 I still have internal rectal swelling, especially during my period. I have had some bleeding during BMs and wiping, but it’s usually around that time of the month as well. I don’t know how long before all of the internal swelling is still completely gone. Some days I have BMs and there’s no pain. Other days it hurts to just pass gas and the pain reminds me of around week 3. It’s funny how it’s a surprise every day. We never know what to expect. I do so hope you feel better very soon.

Hey @Disneylover1, I was really hoping you'd had more of an improvement!! I had the same problem with the bleeding last month with my period, the water would be that red you couldn't see my BM!!! And it lasted about a week, slowly got better over that time. But it sent me into a depression that I couldn't shake. I ended up going to a kinesiologist which really helped my mindset. Never been to one before. I now have a little mantra i say every morning on my walk and i think positive thoughts.... not always easy though. Lol. I'm going to see my Dr in June for a follow up and to check that this long process is normal. Maybe you should go and see your Dr?
I was also thinking about that other forum I had posted ages ago which was 6 months after heamhroidectomy.... think that's us? I also think because we were told 6 weeks of a bit of pain and then we'd be right has put a lot of pressure and expectations on ourselves which has created a negative impact on our healing.
So I've had a strange week so far with my BMs. I had diarrhea on Monday, Tuesday I got my period and I didn't have a BM at all, which sent me into a complete panic as you can imagine. Then yesterday I only had 1 in the morning, and this morning none again. But this afternoon I had 1. I have no idea what is going on and why? My BM pain has reduced immensely this week. But I still have to really focus on being relaxed. And I'm also taking Naproxen 1000mg though for period pain so that might have something to do with the pain.

So I'm also going to see a naturopath next week. I'll let you know how it goes if you like?
How do you know you still have swelling @BrandiJo? I thought it all went down by 6 weeks? I hope your bleeding stops soon for you too.

Hi everyone and thank you all for your lovely messages. I don't know what I'd do without the people on here. Feel very lonely, lost and isolated, no doubt.

@Womaninpain - I'm so pleased to hear that you're doing so well. I remember after my first op (full recovery in 3-4 weeks, unlike this time!) that feeling of joy at being able to stand, squat and just do normal things without having the pain of prolapsed hemmies. It was heaven and I felt wonderful. It definitely made the operation and pain from recovery worth it. My whole personality changed, as did the things that I was able to do as I was pain free and not thinking about my bum for the first time in years.
I had skin tags too, and found that using baby wipes was the best way to get clean. I know you're still thinking about the skin tag removal. If you do go for it, then I hope that it's an easy procedure and recovery for you and you don't regret it. I'm convinced that my current problems are related to the area where the tag was removed :(

@BrandiJo and @AusLady - isn't it frustrating that in addition to trying to recover, that our periods complicate things even further! I definitely feel more swollen internally - just like there's a pressure. I get that heavy pressure/drag feeling in my genitals for the first few days of my period too. I'm taking paracetamol and using my heat pad to try and help with the pain. The heat pad should encourage blood flow to my bum too which is meant to be key for healing. My new vitamins have arrived too, so I'll start them today.

No blood today so far (yay!), and I've managed to get an appointment to see my dcotor (family doctor, not consultant) after lunch today. I'm hoping that they'll prescribe me the alternative ointment to try. I used an online service yesterday to see if I could cut out going to the doctor and they've approved it but it's going to cost me £120! If I can get my doctor to prescribe it, then it will only be £9. That's quite a difference! If I can't get it from my family doctor, my husband says we'll just swallow the cost and pay the £120 as it might help.

@AusLady - that amount of bleeding sounds awful! Mine isn't anywhere near that, but I'm depressed enough with what I've got. Even thinking about the amount you were having makes me want to cry. Hopefully that level won't return for you.
I would be in panic if my BMs were all over the place too. I did have a day recently where I had only 1 BM which was lovely, but put that down to the fact that I'd thrown up my dinner the night before! I'm glad to hear that your pain has reduced though - is that when going, afterwards or both? I have to focus on relaxation too. The rectogesic is meant to help with that, but I also do breathing with the flappy horse lips and use a stool to bring me in to a more natural position too. Oh, to just be able to have a BM normally!
I've been looking in to acupuncture, even though I hate needles. My husband has used it with great results over the years for various ailments, but my needle fear has put me off. I'm thinking that it could maybe help clear blocked channels and relax things so that healing can take place. Definitely let me know how you get on with the naturopath as I'm really interested in that too.Willing to give anything a go!

Maybe we are part of the 6 month club. That's a depressing thought considering that we're only just coming up to 4 months, so could have another 2 months + to go yet :(

@AusLady I can tell there’s still swelling in there by the pressure I feel when I have gas sitting in my colon and the size of my stool. My farts sound like they begin to struggle once they hit my colon lol. Hard to explain really but I just can tell a difference compared to before surgery. On my period days, everything is tender on the inside and difficult to pass. Everything feels so different now since the surgery. For the most part, my swelling was gone by week 4. But it’s still there and really let’s me know during my periods.

Lmao @Disneylover1!!! I accidentally did the whole horse lips thing last week which made me laugh. I use the stool at home, but I've also taught myself to put my feet ontippy toes when I'm at work etc. Today was only 1 again before work. Update... and again now at 6 pm....
So I still get a bit of a stinging pain at the beginning of a BM, which then changes to just an ache. But I've found that only last for about 1 min afterwards then I'm ok. I don't seem to have that constant pain I had all day. So all pain has subsided a lot since last week.... But for how long I don't know. I also have no pain whilst sitting this week, and I also had to brace myself to stand up if I'd been sitting for 1/2 hr our more cause my bum would hurt. So, I'm not sure if it made a difference, but last weekend my hubby was sick with a cold and he didn't do much at all.... So I didn't do much either. I'm wondering if the inactivity helped? I still went for my morning walks even though it was in the fog and only 2 degrees!! Lol.
I'm ok with the 6 month timeframe and being part of that group, cause it scares me more if there is no end in sight.
How did you go with your doctor? Did you get the cream you wanted?

@BrandiJo - what do you mean about your stool size ? Are they thinner? Cause I think mine are thinner, but then I never paid any attention to how big they were before.... and I'm also not eating much insoluble fibre either. Because I am on a high dose of anti inflammatory meds when I have my periods I don't notice any difference in my bowels. Except the whole BM process is different from before surgery lol. I hope your bleeding and pain stops for you soon too.

I didn't realise that this surgery would be so hard on my mental health as well!!! 😥

I hope everyone has a great day and weekend.

HI @AusLady - lmao too! I have visions of people around the world doing flappy horse lips when having a BM to try to help them relax! I'm hoping I won't need to do it still when we go on our glamping holiday in July as the toilet only has canvas walls! My family understand and are used to my toilet antics, but we're taking our daughter's boyfriend and son's best friend too, so I'm going to have to be a bit more discreet. Plus, there's only 1 toilet for the 6 of us Unlike the place we're going on Monday where there are 4 toilets and a hot tub!

So, I went to see my doctor and she was really lovely. She examined me (just an external look) to make sure there was no obvious sign of infection (there isn't), and then discussed treatment. The product that I wanted isn't officially licensed for treating fissures. It is strongly indicated for them and there are official guidelines approving its use etc, so it's fine to use, but unfortunately it needs to be via a consultant referral in the first instance. So, rather than another 5 hour round journey and £170 fee to see the consultant who operated on me, plus the cost of a private prescription, I've asked for a referral to the local hospital via the NHS, so it won't cost me anything apart from £9 for my prescriptions. I also figured that I'd rather get in to the system locally again, just in case I have any further complications or I need some sort of intervention to finally get sorted. On the downside, it's a 4-6 week wait for an appointment, so I'm trying to be positive and think about all the healing that will take place over that time. Talking of staying positive, is that something that you got from the kinesiologist? Did they give you the mantra? I'd love to know what it is as I feel I need something to try and stay positive. There are people who believe that mindset can aid the body with healing. I thought kinesiology looked at food intolerances? Or am I getting it mixed up with another alternative therapy? Like you, I'm happy to pretty much give anything a go if it will help. Really interested in the naturopath too.

Yesterday's BM where a mixed bag! Had 3 in the end - no blood with the first 2, then some blood with the third :( Not as painful to go or as sore afterwards, but there's still this pin prick sensation there that takes a while to wear off. I am taking paracetamol to try and help with that. We did go out last night as had tickets to see a comedian (Bill Bailey - English, but tours worldwide). Not the most comfortable seats at the arena, but my bottom didn't bother me and I had a lovely time. However, there were people wandering around with burgers, hot dogs, nachos etc, and each time I saw someone with one, all I could think was 'I bet you haven't got bottom problems' or 'You obviously don't need to think about what you eat and have no trouble with BMs'. It's not that I even particularly like burgers, hot dogs and nachos, it was just a sort of jealousy that they could eat them without a care, whilst I have to think about everything that goes in and how that might affect what comes out My husband said that eating a restricted diet isn't helping, so why no just go back to eating completely normally as I did before surgery, but I'm just too scared to risk it. I am pretty much eating the same sort of things now, just peeling the skins of all the veg, and still avoiding nuts, seeds and obvious insoluble fibre. I can't say that I feel I'm particularly missing anything - apart from chilli, which I love, but I'm far too wary to try passing hot spices yet Other than having homemade soup in a cafe in Glastonbury, I also haven't eaten out yet as I look at menus and worry about what food that I haven't prepared myself will do to me. That's easy to manage when we're on holiday in the UK as we always have catering facilities so I can look after myself. However, when we go to Disney in October, I'll have to eat out daily, so I really pray that things are sorted by then. If not, it will be interesting to see the effect it has as I'll have very little choice in the matter. There will be a lot of walking and swimming taking place, so plenty of activity, and I'll just be as careful as I can about my food choices, make sure I drink plenty of water etc. It would be horrible to be there for 2 weeks and still be having bottom pain that affects my enjoyment :(

I'm really pleased to hear that your pain has subsided a lot over the past week or so. Maybe it was the inactivity? I've found the opposite and that inactivity makes my BMs sluggish and harder to pass, which isn't what I want. I hope the progress continues for you and you don't have any set backs.

Yes, being part of the 6 month club is definitely better than being part of the 'no end in sight' club, so I'll join you in the 6 month club :)

Omg @Disneylover1!!! Lmfao!!! You paint the most hilarious picture of your toilet habits. 🤣🤣 you're going to have to practise another less noisy technique for your glamping trip! Lol. Cause I'm sure your neighbors in the next tent over will be able to hear you too?
Talking about camping, I'm going mid July. But it's definitely not glamping unfortunately. Lol. I'll be behind a bush with a shovel!!! Hopefully 100% healed and pain free.
So my mantra for me is "I trust my body to heal 100%". Because even if i don't believe it, saying it aloud tricks my subconscious into believing it. Kinesiology is more about your body's energy and works on any blockages. It's really weird actually, I'd never heard of it before but a friend put me on to it. And yeah I've started to believe our minds can really help us recover if we try and stay positive. Although it's bloody hard sometimes.
I think all those BMS I didn't have through the week built up to the 3 rather large amounts I had today!! Lol. But all 3 were as painful as each other. Still a bit of pain. I went and had a bath after the third cause I thought the pain may linger.
When I booked in to naturopath, and I was telling her about supplements I'm taking, she said don't buy anymore. Lol.

I have started eating my Apple with the skin now, just to see if it makes any difference. I'm with your husband @Disneylover1, I'm trying different things now too.... just not nuts though. Lol. I'm still a bit scared on the hard stuff coming out. I've eaten out a few times and it's been fine, eggs Benedict, sushi, fish and chips, quiche, pizza, Thai ... I just make sure I chew really well. And I also don't eat anything too spicy. Lol. But I also make sure I still get veges and chicken in more often then not.
I do believe we both will get to 100% health soon. Imagine the day we go to the loo for a BM without giving it a second thought!!!! Lol, its the little things hey?
Hope your weekend is great and your pain improves.

Hi Ladies,

@Disneylover1 thanks for the update. I am glad there is a treatment and although waiting another four weeks sounds long, there is a light at the end of your tunnel!.

@AusLady ouch, all those blood reminds me about my 2 weeks po. I hope it’s all better now?

Well ladies, I finally had sex!! The first time after po wasn’t that great as you can imagine, I was scared and self conscious and I couldn’t really let myself fully enjoy it and kept nagging my husband be gentle and no this and no that lol.

Second round was much better as I didn’t feel a huge swelling or anything from the first time.

Third day, third round was like let my freak out and attacked him full force lol.

So for me it seems sex is safe and I notice really minimal swelling down there from BM or period I had about a week ago. Yesterday my BM was strained as I was a little dehydrated and only ate a giant steak with bread... but even with straining just a few min of discomfort then all good.
I feel like maybe my bum hole is smaller? Cuz that first passage of BM is tough but gets better once the first wave is done.

I also don’t watch what I eat anymore and I used other toilets than my own now. I wiped no problem and my swelling is almost non existent considering the huge bulges that was protruding after surgery.
I run from meeting to meetings and chase my toddler around no problem. I lift him often now and I stand for a long time in the kitchen cooking which I couldn’t before because my hemmies would prolapse and be very uncomfortable. I drink coffee without fear 🙌🏻🙌🏻.
However nothing really changed for me by altering my diet, still have 1 BM every two days and if I really really have a big meal than 1 BM a day. Another observation is I love love spicy food and since this surgery I have been on pretty bland soft foods, when I started eating spicy foods again like Indian curry, kimchi, pizza with Tabasco rain on it... well at first my stomach was like what in the holy hell and gave me some really uncomfortable gas accompanied by terrible gas sounds in stomach... embarrassing... followed by intense diarrhea lol. So I started eating it smaller portions with less spices and built my tolerance back up. Now I can eat pretty much whatever I like again and no real drawbacks. I do try to eat fibre but don’t pay attention to what type of fibre anymore.

Hope everybody’s doing great. @Disneylover1 and @AusLady sounds like you have a fun trips to look forward to! I would love to go glamping!! Or camping!! My boys would love it and we are in Canada so it’s the perfect place. I should really make some solid plans and put it into motion... I still see moose and deer and ground hogs all the time driving lol!!

Have a wonderful weekend ladies!!

@Womaninpain - that's great! I'm so pleased that you have your life back - ALL of your life! That's how I was after my first surgery. I felt like a new woman and was so pleased that I did it and didn't have to live with hemmies any more. It's great that all your external swelling has gone down now too. Your bum bile probably is a bit smaller. I know that mine felt that way, and feels even smaller now after the second op - probably one of the reasons my recovery is taking so long. I WILL get there though! Although I don't think I'll every get to 1 BM every 2 days - that sounds like heaven!

@AusLady - I used to camp when I was younger, but it's definitely glamping for me now. A functioning toilet is just too important to me I hope that it all goes okay for you though as it sounds like real wild camping!

I like your mantra and am going to adopt it too! It is hard to stay positive sometimes, so I think that anything that can help with mindset will help. Really intrigued to hear what the naturopath says too. I'm going to look at the acupuncture when we get back from this trip too. Talking of which, I best get packing!

Have a great weekend everyone x

Hope everyone had a good weekend. It's Monday here and a bank holiday, so no work :) We're currently driving to the holiday home with the hot tub that we're staying at for a few days.

Thought I'd give a quick update and share something that I've learnt the hard way! So, fissure pain and bleeding seems to have subsided over the past few days, but has been replaced by something else! My first BM is fine, but after that I've been having 1-2 loose, hot, burny BMs 😮 You know how your bum feels hot and swollen after diarrhea? Well, that's how I've felt for the past few days until the swelling and burn finally subsides early afternoon 😭 So, I read back over my diary to see if I could find the cause as it's really not nice. I started taking my vitamin A, C and zinc supplements, so had a look on Google about possible side effects and it turns out that high dose vitamin C supplements can cause diarrhea! Who knew? Not me obviously! So, I'm going to cut then out and hopefully this horrible burning BM will subside. At least I don't have to worry about work for the next few days and I'm hoping things will have improved by the time I'm back at work on Saturday🤞

Hope everyone else is doing well x

Hi guys new here. Day 4 post op and the pain during & after BMs is unbearable. I have to bite a towel everytime and nearly pass out with the pain. Childbirth x 3 is a breeze in comparison. I expected pain but not to this degree. Getting wound check @ treatment room 2mro I'm so worried about getting an infection. Seem to b keeping BMs to the morning which starts with 5am dread until I poo bout 9ish then have to lie with ice pack for hour or so after. I hope things get better sooner rather than later. By far worst pain I've ever endured.

Hi Everyone, @womaninpain I'm so glad you're getting back to life pre op!! That's fantastic!! I don't like saying if I'm going well cause a couple of days later it seems to go back a step or two!! Lol. So hopefully I won't have that bleeding again. Glad your sex life is back on track lmao!!!! That really gave me a chuckle when I read it. Every time I think I'll give it a go I seem to have a set back. Any who... there's more then just sex. 🤗🤗

So @Disneylover1, went to naturopath yesterday. Its really tailored for the individual. But she talked about my immune system and thinks it could be low, which won't help my healing. I'm taking a magnesium powder which I'm told by a few people is much better then tablets. She's told me to get some blood tests when I go to my doctor and check out my iron, zinc cholesterol levels etc. There are a heap of questions which wasn't just about my surgery but about any other illnesses I've had in the past. She made me a herbal remedy which will help blood flow to my eyes as well as my surgery site..... So hopefully I'll have even more of an improvement in a couple of weeks.
I hope my mantra is giving you a smile when you say it. Lol.
I didn't have such a great weekend with my BMs either. I had 3 Saturday and Sunday and my bum also had a burning sensation on the outside, which lasted all day yesterday as well. I spent a long time in the bath both days. I put it down to a cold sore cream I was using for a crack in the corner of my mouth. I stopped using it and now I'm ok again although I had a spot of blood sunday night, yesterday, last night and after my first BM this morning. Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh 😡😡
I have been taking vitamin c every night for ages and drinking orange juice through the day and it never affected me like it has with you. Thats no good for you, and i hope you are feeling much better now?
Have a great time on your mini holiday!! 😁😁❤

Welcome to our little group @Kimmiekimbo. So sorry you had to join our group as it's never pleasant! Yo uh are in the very early days so by day 10 you will feel a little better. Have you read through our tips from earlier posts? Baths, soft soluble foods, heat pads, ice, little bit of walking? And yes, its bloody horrible, awful and the most painful surgery I've ever had.
Did you have internal, external or both removed? Try and relax when you have a BM.... its hard to relax but its less painful. Are you taking any antibiotics for the pain and surgery site? Good luck with your check up. Lets us know how you go.

Hi @AusLady - sorry to hear that you've been having a bad few days too. I didn't take the vitamin C yesterday and today my BMs are back to normal and not hit and burning. Strange how the same thing can affect people so differently. Had 2 BMs and was feeling okay, then felt like I might need a third, so went, felt that release of pressure but nothing came out. So, looked at my bum in the mirror and it was just covered in blood 😭😭😭 WTF is going on? Do I have another internal hemmie that's bleeding or is it a fissure, or is it a part of the surgery site that's weak? I just don't know what either of us need to do to get this sorted once and for all. I'm so frustrated with this yo-yo recovery of signs of getting better, and then, BAM! The blood and pain is back😭Having a normal functioning arsehole that doesn't bleed and cause pain isn't too much to ask for is it?
What your naturopath said was interesting. Other than my messed up bum, my health has always been pretty good. I don't suffer from cold sores, coughs, or illness in general - just my pain in the arse! I'm hoping that I can get some help and answers when I get to see a consultant again🤞 I'm just sooooo fed up now. Trying to stay positive, repeat the mantra, send myself healing thoughts etc, but it's so hard when there are constant set backs 😞

Hi @Kimmiekimbo - sorry that you're going through this too. The first couple of weeks are definitely the worst. Even though @AusLady and I are still having issues, we're a lot better than we were and still able to get on with life, work etc, we're just not fully healed. I've had this op twice now, and with the first one I felt like a completely new woman after 4-5 weeks - a bit like @womaninpain. This time I've not been so lucky and am 16.5 weeks post op and still having some problems, which is really frustrating. I hope that you have the 4-5 week recovery and this long drawn out one is really frustrating! This thread is long, but there are lots of helpful tips and support, so it's worth reading if you can. There are lots of people who are no longer posting and I assume it's because they're recovered and have their life back, so try to take comfort from that. It's a horrible thing to recover from, but it does get better. Even though I'm not 100%, I'm still so much better than I was at 3-5 weeks post op.
Hope the check up goes well and you avoid infection as that really does set recovery back.