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.)

@Disneylover1 It’s a throbbing pain almost like a bruised feeling, a sensation of something pulling . Always sake side/spot. No bleeding. Some weeks it’s not too bad and I think this is the end of it then it flares up again. The hosp have let me down badly it’s adding to my stress.

Oh @Bradle, I really do feel for you. Is there any way you could pay for a one off private consultation? I know you shouldn't have to, but it might give you some answers, and if an issue is found, it could help get you seen sooner on the NHS.

Can you go to the emergency department at your local hospital @Bradley?

Hi @disneylover1 and @AusLady1 and everyone else going through this arse of a journey!
I hope everyone is OK!
How's the egging going on @disneylover1?

I've been doing pretty good lately, seem to have turned a corner and things are improving daily... Fingers crossed it continues!
I've found that witch hazel helps immensely with the dreaded itch and vaseline has been my best friend when going to the loo! Seems to stop the after poop burning!

I hope you're all doing well! X

Hi @NannyOggsCat - great to hear from you and that your recovery is going well. Finding things that help with side effects like the itch and burning really help. Hope everything continues for you🤞

I stopped the egg as it was just too messy and I managed to get a new cream from the Dr which seems to be helping. I feel a lot better than I have in a long time, so hopefully we're both on the road to recovery :)

Hi @NannyOggsCat. So happy that you are feeling much better and you've worked out the itch.
I'm feeling a lot better too.
Happy to read you too are feeling a lot better too @Disneylover1!! 😘😘
I seem to be busy with work a lot lately which is making me tired! Lol. I think I need new glasses.
Hope we are all 100% healthy soon.
@Disneylover1- I'll give you a better update when I've got 5 mins. Sorry, I'm not ignoring you. 😘😘

@Disneylover1 They have promised to see me within a month, I won’t hold my breath. Getting beyond a joke.

Hey @Kandy88, just wondering how you are? Have you had an improvement?

@AusLady thanks for checking in. I just got done getting the seton Tightened for the second time. He thinks that it will come out in two weeks. Besides being sore and still having to wear gauze every day and my pants, I’m Getting there. I still have drainage from the incision and where the Seton comes out of my butt area. I really hope that this resolved and that there are no more infections! How are you? I have not been active on this recently and have not been following

Hey @Kandy88. Well you sound better then last time you posted, which is great. Yes this surgery certainly takes it's toll on some of us. I hope it all heals completely for you soon.

I'm ok. Still not 100% but much better then I was thanks. Post whenever you want and I'll check in. No one's been posting for a while now.

Day 6 post fistulotomy and haemorrhoidectomy and I can now see the end to this horrible journey. Don’t know how many hemms I’ve had excised but the surgery was mainly to deal with fisula. This is my second hems surgery post pregnancy 8 yrs ago.

I am usually on healthy diet and BM once a day in am, as soon as I wake up. Sometimes twice, second time in the evening.

I’ve been sent home right from recovery on the day of the op with Codein 30mg, Lactulose and paracetamol.

Day 1. - my bum was numb following some LA but I have overdosed myself with lactulose which led to horrible diarrhea. I nearly fainted and was in pain for hrs afterwards. I was taking codein trice daily plus paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Day. 2 reduced laxatives to once in am and once in pm. Hence had 2 BMs. In excruciating pain afterwards, didn’t feel as though painkillers did anything for me.

Day 3. Reduced codein to once in the morning before bm plus paracetamol, ibuprofen bedore and throughout the day. Laxatives to once a day at around 9pm. Still unbearable pain/ burning after bm. In pain for around 4 hrs after. Added lidocaine cream before Bm. Up in pm, once pain settled for 5-10 minutes at a time. Get tired very easily.

Day 4. 2x Paracetamol, 2x ibuprofen plus 1xcodein in the morning as soon as I wake up as I have bm in about 30 minutes plus lidocaine cream. BM still unbearably painful but excruciating pain only lasted around 18 minutes then burning pain for an hour then reduced to just pain for the next 3-4. During first hour, I did breathing excersice plus spraying warm water at my bum. Breath in through nose and out through mouth, letting lips to flap. It seemed to help relax bum. Contacted GP for different painkillers, got tramadol 50. Ordered Cicatridina suppositories on amazon. Supposed to help with healing.

Day 5. Took 2xTramadol and 2xparacetamol and 2xibuprofen plus lidocaine cream. Only had unbearable pain for 7minutes. Managed to lay in bath which also helped a lot. Slept until mid day due to tramadol taking me to faries. Had awful headache that nothing seemed to help afterwards- tramadol side effect. Reduced paracetamol and ibuprofen during the day. Inserted cicatridina suppository before bed, was challenging but it gave me releave straight after.

Day 6. 1 Tramadol, 2 paracetamol and 2 ibuprofen plus lidocaine cream. No unbearable pain. Managed to lay in bath but burning/stubbing pain still going as I am writing this. I think Cicatridina helped a lot including with helping bm out this morning due to it being very oily. Will get some sleep as soon as my child goes to school and hopefully will be able to do stuff in pm and reduce painkillers further.

Plans for day 7. Remain on the same amount of pain killers in the morning but avoid any in pm.

Day 8- avoid taking Tramadol if possible but keep the rest.

Good luck to all, this is an awful operation to recover from. I’ve had C-section but recovering from that way less painful.
Some of the suggestions in this group helped me to get through the last 5 days and worked very well for me so thank you to those who shared their experiences.

Hi @Mamaseeta - I've only just seen your message as I've been away for a few days with no internet connection. Sounds like you're doing well and I hope the past couple of days have been good for you and gone as you hoped. I've never heard of the suppository you're using, but looked it up and it sounds good. Do you still think it's helping you heal?
I'm just over 5 months post op and still having a few problems. Would you mind sharing what your fistula symptoms were please as I'm concerned that a fissure I developed after surgery isn't healing properly and might develop in to a fistula - if that's even possible. Sounds like an awful surgery to have, so I really hope not.

I hope the internal burning pain is easing for you as I remember how awful that was. Keep us updated on your progress x

Hi @Disneylover1,

Sorry to hear you are still not 100%. It’s awful that it’s taking so long for you to get back to normal.

Today is day 9, pain after bm is not as acute anymore. However, burning/stinging pain hasn’t gone anywhere and still lasts for couple of hours hence I am still taking Tramadol once in am (I shouldn’t really but I panic).

Suppositories: I have never used them or heard of before. I was so desperate during the first couple of days that I have done a lot of reaserch on what suppositories/meds were available to buy online. These particular suppositories had good reviews and were available on Amazon Prime so this was no brainer to me as I couldn’t drive and I am singe parent so no one to get them for me straight away. Once inserted they give quite soothing sensation and contain some kind of oils which I think helps poo to slide out easier in am. I can’t really tell that they are amazing and defo speed up the healing but I feel they help as above so every little helps.

Fistula: I’ve had an external lump which was similar to trombosed hem, also very painful. It kept bulging up over several days becoming very sore. It would then erupt/deflate after some mucosy discharge came out and it gave me relief for some time and I was feeling fine until it started to bulge up again..... this carried on for couple of months. Every time I felt It healed itself it kept coming back. Then about 4-5 month later, it felt unusual when gas was coming out. Something just felt not right but I didn’t know what it was. Then I saw consultant who said that the symptoms where indicating I had a fistula and the reason passing gas felt unusual was because it was also coming out via fistula canal. Sorry for the detail. He also explained that it likely developed due to blocked mucose gland which turned into a small abscess which then made its way out by creating canal for abscess to drain. These very rarely heal without assistance and very likely to come back. 😞

The stinging pain I get after bm I recon is due to open wound where consultant had to cut the canal open so it healed up. I still get a lot of discharge (mucos, puss and a bit of blood). Sorry for the details again. I think it is as it is supposed to be, unfortunately, consultant never had the courtesy to speak to me after the operation to explain how the op went and what to expect 🤷🏻‍♀️Typical NHS care, like a drive through. 😁I have a follow up in August so I am praying God everything heals and I won’t need another op.

I really hope it’s not fistula that you have developed!! Have you seen consultant about the delay healing?

Hi @Mamaseeta - thanks for the reply and all the info. There isn't such a thing as TMI on this thread!😂 I have no painful lump or bump, but I have a bit of liquid that leaks out of my bum which irritates the skin causing a burning pain. I've been examined and there's no sign of an abscess and I've had 2 lots of antibiotics too. I have a fissure that's taking a while to heal and started worrying that maybe that was turning in to a fistula. Like you, this is my second hemorrhoidectomy, and the thought of going under the knife again fills me with terror. The 'leakage' only seems to happen for a couple of hours after I have a BM, and it's a tiny amount, but that doesn't stop the irritation/pain and the need to clean often. Once the leakage stops, then I feel fine. It's very frustrating! I'm waiting for an NHS appointment, but right now I'm thinking if paying for a private consultation, just to try and get some answers.

Have you got anyone helping you through your recovery? It's such a brutal thing to go through, but you sound so positive. Hats off to you if you're doing it alone. I hope day 10 is better for you. How does it compare to your first surgery? I was 100% recovered and loving life after 3-4 weeks with my first one. This one has been a whole different misetable ball game! If my first recovery had been like this, there's no way I'd have even considered a second. I'd have learnt to live with that annoying hemmie!

I got the suppositories (got to love Amazon prime!), but haven't tried them yet. I'm a bit nervous about trying things in case I have a bad reaction and make things worse. It's hard to know what to do for the best, and I think being able to talk to others who understand on here really does help.

Keep us updated on your progress, and I hope every day sees improvement for you X

@bradle - any sign of that follow-up appointment yet? Has the pain subsides at all?

Morning @Disneylover1,

LOL, about never TMI!! 😂👍

You have mentioned ‘leakage’ that irritates the skin. I don’t want to raise alarms but the same happens to me when puss comes out 🤔 the colour of it varies from liquidy yellow to sometimes thicker brown. Yaks!! I don’t think mucous would irritate the skin as it is produced normally/ usual body fluid.

Currently, discharge starts after bm and it reduces down to minimum by evening- same as your. BMs as such don’t hurt anymore, maybe just a little uncomfortable but I sometimes panic and take Tramadol😁 🤦🏻‍♀️ I have managed on Paracetamol and Ibuprofen today though. 😂 I think it is incredibly unlikely that normal healing process would take as long as in your current case. Like you said, last time it took you 3-4 weeks to get back to normal so something is definitely not right this time, plus the discharge. You may not have similar lump that I did but the discharge, I guess, is coming from the wound/fissure that is not healing up and so pass may be causing it. 🤔 If you can see someone privetly sooner then definitely do.

My ex did school runs plus cooked dinner during first two days- for our daughter (8 y/o) cos I didn’t really eat anything (I’ve had an op on Wednesday in pm). Then took her out for couple of hours during Saturday and Sunday which helped but that was it. Her school was closed on Monday which complicated things.

From day 3, I was getting up in pm cooked dinner and porridge for both of us for breakfast plus did a bit of daily cleaning and hoovered (I can’t stand mess in the house). Ordered food online. My neighbor has very kindly offered to do school runs for 4 days (Tuesday to Friday last week) which was heaven. It was tough but it’s over now and this morning (day 10) I feel very positive and can’t wait for the burning pain (which is much more manageable) to go. Still have to remind myself to rest more as not feeling pain after taking painkillers doesn’t mean I have fully recovered. 🤪

Last time, recovery was pretty much as the same so I am hoping I will be fine to go on holiday on 16th July 😁

Well done getting the suppositories. I was too really worried about making things worse, espeacially pain. It is obviously up to you if you want to use them or not.

Thank you and hope you will get back to normal soon! X

@Mamaseeta - oh, jeez! Now I'm really worried as my leakage varies from pale yellow watery liquid to thicker and darker! There's not a lot and it's not pus like in consistency (like a spot), but it does irritate. I was seen by a consultant just under 2 weeks ago who did an external and internal examination (finger up the bum😯) and couldn't feel or see anything that suggested an abscess or fistula. No pain, tenderness, lump etc, but he did see the pale yellow watery discharge. Was your leakage like that prior to surgery, or has it become like that post surgery? I have a fissure that's being stubborn to heal, and was thinking/hoping it was related to that and not the sign of something worse. The actual hemorrhoidectomy has healed, but it's this fissure and fluid that's causing the long lasting issues. I'm going to call tomorrow and make a private for this week hopefully🤞

It's good that you've got some help, but you're doing well being able to get up and do the things that you are. Is your holiday abroad or in the UK? Sending string healing vibes to you so that you can go and enjoy it x

Hi Disneylover1,

How are you doing, have you been able to see someone privately?

My post op leakage was roughly the same as before, if anything it is more now ( maybe because of mucos 🤷🏻‍♀️ Plus the cut that hasn’t healed) and since I last wrote it has become lighter in colour.

In the last 2 days my bm have changes from once a day, in the mornings to sometimes 4-6 tomes a day. One larger plus 1-2 small in am and the same pm which has set my recovery back by good 4-5 days. It may be because I have started to eat a bit more as my appetite has improved but I decided to stop luxatives because the urgency in the morning is beyong normal plus I get bloated plus increase in number of bm. I have decided to give fybrogel a go and see if I can go back to once a day.

The holidays are going to be abroad which means queues in airport, flight and transfers minus the home comfort. Good thing is that I haven’t had any tramadol for couple of days and less other painkillers 🙂 however, I am still worried about holidays.

Hope you are doing better than me and things are improving for you 😂👍

Hi @Mamaseeta,

Sorry to hear the past few days have been difficult with your BMs and set you back a bit. Fybogel helped me, but I just took it once a day after breakfast. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids too as it can constipate if you dont. This recovery can certainly be a rollercoaster! I'm hoping that things improve enough for you to go on holiday in less than a week🤞You're a braver woman than me to try and fly so soon after this surgery.

I've not seen anyone privately yet. I made some calls and it seems like it's consultant summer holiday time! So, none of them are available for a few weeks However, I've now got my NHS appointment through for 13th August. Although I have some leakage (and it's not a lot or all day) I have no lump or swelling, no pain etc, so no other symptoms of a fistula. The consultant who did a full exam a couple of weeks ago couldn't find any signs either. With bottoms, I'm guessing there can be multiple reasons for some sort of leakage. I think I might need a camera investigation to see what's causing mine. However, I did try the suppositories you recommended and they've been amazing! I used the first one on Monday night before going to bed and had a pain free BM the next day. Used another one after that BM and felt like a different person all day. Used them again last night before bed and after today's BM and still feeling so much better! They're not cheap, but they really seem to be helping me so I'm happy to pay. Thank you so much for recommending them as I'd never come across them before and they've made a huge difference to me already. I'm hoping that I continue to improve as it's been a tough 5 months. We've got a big holiday to Disney World in October, so I just want to be well enough to enjoy that properly.

Hope the next few days are much better for you x

Hi Disneylover1,

Thanks. I am really glad suppositories helped!!🤗 Hopefully, by the time you run out, the fissure will be completely healed and no need to restock. 🤞

Last 5 months must’ve been a real challenge for you but I am very positive you will get back to normal well before your holidays in October.

You are right in reminding to drink plenty of water, I have just thought about last couple of days and I definitely reduced water intake. 😕 Well, something to focus on going forward.

Did you go through a phase where you’ve been having one bm almost regular amount to 2 barely anything? How did you improve on that? I will take one fibrogel after breakfast tomorrow as you suggested but will see what my morning bm is going to be like tomorrow, after first day of trying out fibrogel. Can’t be worse than Lactulose 😅😂😂i hope....

Good thing is that I didn’t have to take any painkillers after evening bm!!

Day 14 tomorrow!!! My bum is still sore and I have to be careful how I get up, sometimes it feel inside out and I still can’t sit for long, maybe an hour or so. I still take regular painkillers in the morning and after lunch.

Day 1 post op is still fresh in mind with explosive bms and nearly passing out! Ouch! I remember being so scared of falling asleep because I knew I would have to go for a poo in the morning and having pain for hours afterwards. I still remember crying and praying recovery period is over or If I could at least have bearable pain!

I am very gratefulI I am where I am today and thank you and everyone else who posted in this group, I have been reading posts daily which helped to keep positive! Xx

Hi @Mamaseeta - sorry for the delay in replying. Been a really busy couple of days with work. Things are still going well for me and I think these suppositories are to thank. So thank you sooooo much for the recommendation!

How are you doing now? Only a few days before you're due to fly on holiday. Do you think you'll be okay to travel? O flew 5 weeks after my first hemorrhoidectomy, but you're planning to do it much sooner. I hope things are going well for you and you're able to get away and enjoy yourself. Will your insurance cover you if you have any post op complications whilst away?

In answer to your question about BMs, it took me ages to get back to any sort of normality with mine. I was having 4-6 a day for months! There was one hellish day early on in my recover where i had a small one every hour, even waking me up at night so did about 21 in total. That was truly horrendous! I'm down to 1-2 a day. If I have one, it's just a full one. If I have 2, it's normally a full one, followed by a smaller one sometime within the next hour or two. Occasionally I'll have a night time BM too. That's normally around the time of the month, so I put it down to a change in hormones levels. Have you tried the fybogel? Did it help?

Hope to hear that you're doing well xxx

I'm due to have this surgery soon and have read through the thread. I wondered how those who had commented previously are doing now. I'm looking for some hope that I've made the correct decision!

Hi @AniseedBall. What exactly will you have removed in your surgery? Internal or external hemmies? It's been 7 months since I had 2 external hemmies removed and 1 internal polyp removed. I think I'm finally now back to full health. I ended up with scar tissue internally that was making my pain last longer then it should. But given the pain I was in every week before the operation I can finally think I'm better off now. But it's a real mind fuck if your recovery takes as long as mine.
When is your surgery?
A couple of things though. Don't eat the day before so you don't need to have a BM for a couple of days. Make sure you have a stool softener to take. Sitz baths are awesome!!! And eat soluble fibre for a few weeks after. And make sure all your foods are soft, no nuts or seeds or raw veges. Lol.
Good luck with it all.

Hi @aniseedball! It's been 3 months since my surgery and I feel about 95% back to normal.. Still a bit of discomfort but much better than the constant blood loss I had before!
The recovery is horrid, but it's worth it!

But I also recommend a soft food diet.. DON'T EAT SWEETCORN! Dear lord that was a mistake and a half on my part 😂😂😂 I'm still scared of it now hahaha !

Thanks @AusLady and @NannyOggsCat. I'm glad to hear you are both nearly recovered. It makes me feel better about the surgery. Sorry yours took so long to heal @AusLady - 7 months!

I'm having the op in 4 weeks. I'll be having two internal prolapsing haemorrhoids removed and some mucosal prolapse with them. They are doing it as a day case so I'll be going home the same day. I can't imagine being up to that. Did you both have the same?

Thanks for the recovery tips. I need to rethink my diet! Maybe soup is the way to go?

What kind of sitz bath did you use @AusLady, I believe there are ones that fit in the toilet but I'm not sure how comfortable they sound!

@AusLady don't know what the tag didn't work in my reply.