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.)

@AniseedBall
Thank you - it’s so helpful to have some timings on all this. Fingers crossed for normal bums for all of us!

@Dogwalker - hi there I’m nearly 2 weeks post op and I felt very swollen (baboon arse) at the beginning so didn’t look until day 11 when it felt as if it had gone down. I was shocked at the black bruising but also, like you, I was expecting a porn star bum after all this pain and suffering so I wasn’t impressed to find there’s still a small skin tag hanging out and I have a strange looking healing would externally that looks like an extra mini vagina (sorry if TMI)! I have a lot of questions when I go back on Tuesday but I’m not keen to go back under the knife so might have to live with an ugly bum if it’s not going to heal! Have you been using Ice? I was using that a few times a day at the beginning so that should help with the swelling x

@Dogwalker1 - my op was on 4th oct x

@Dogwalker1 @AniseedBall @Misssmith82 hey girls I rang the nurse this morning about the blood clotting and bleeding and she said it’s not uncommon. She said sometimes after the op you don’t completely empty your bowels so blood clots form and when they come out, a little bit of blood looks like a lot in the loo. She said she’d check on me later today but if it’s continues and happens more than 3 times a day they will have me back in to check on things. I know it’s not the wound as I’m not in pain, but will keep you posted in case you get anything similar. Hurray for us all having normal bums someday soon!!! :)

@Kazabevron
I don’t think there can be TMI on this topic! I can’t see me discussing details about my bum with any of my friends so it’s great that we can do so here. The few minuscule bits of info I feed to my other half has made him go green and immediately offer to go and get some shopping. So this thread is good for him too 🙂
Mine was on the 10th so thanks for the heads up about future possible scary blood clots. I’m glad that there was nothing to worry about when you were checked out.
I’m not sure I’m ever going to be brave enough to look at my bum. A few years after daughter number two I had a major vaginal repair operation (damage done by a ridiculously quick birth 😨) and made the mistake of looking at the damage soon after. When the surgeon came round I burst into tears and said my vagina looked completely wrecked and distorted. She looked at me as if I was mad for looking so early and expecting anything else.

I am willing to give up any aspirations of a porn star bum rather than go through this again but i will be really disappointed if I still have the original problem of cleaning and keeping clean after BMs because there are bits sticking out.

I hope by your appointment next Tuesday things might be looking more porn starry 😊

@Kazabevron I'm glad you got to speak to the nurse and she could explain what was going on.
I hope it's all settled down now.

@Dogwalker1 I had a major vaginal repair op 18 months ago and couldn't bring myself to look, even once and it was a long recovery. This time I've turned into an obsessive bottom checker 😁

@lollydarling how are you doing? I've been thinking about you. I hope everything's going ok.

@lollydarling @Dogwalker1 @Misssmith82 - hi there just wanted to let you know that the nurse seems to have been correct as I had a normal BM and no more blood, so if you get something similar, don’t freak out like I did!! I went back to work today and it was fine! I got up and walked around a lot and sat sideways on my donut cushion a lot, but it was ok so that’s a good bit of progress :)

@Dogwalker1 - I know what you mean about this group - it’s so amazing to be able to give as much detail as you like among people going through the same experience - it’s the only place you can do that! I hope all of you are having a better day today and that our porn star bums will be beautiful someday! X

@AniseedBall I can’t believe that you’ve had two such awful ops within two years. Even though this op is so painful I can tell that the recovery time is going to be less than my vaginal repair. My VR was about 16 years ago.

Hope that everyone’s day has been an improvement on yesterday and tomorrow is even better than that. I managed to do just 1 BM both yesterday and today (so far!!) having cut down on the Movicol. I still needed a bit of recovery time afterwards but just going once a day I’m sure is going to help with the healing. Hubby managed to get some numbing cream EVLA (normally for use to numb the skin before getting a tattoo) from a pharmacist yesterday. You’re not supposed to use it on bums and you are supposed to wash it off after 30 mins so I’m using the tiniest amount after BMs then washing it off in the bath. It contains a much higher dose of what is in some haemorrhoid creams and it’s working a treat. I would normally never stray from what it says on the pack re any medication but I felt so desperate that I’ve been using it. I’ve also ordered online the other numbing gel that someone else was given by their surgeon so will swop over to that once it arrives.

@Dogwalker1 - glad you found something that works. Is it Instillagel you ordered? It’s great stuff x

@Kazabevron yes it is. I’m hoping that as it isn’t as strong I can be less nervous about using it!

It is EMLA cream not EVLA as I previously posted. One of the ingredients is the same as in Intstillagel.

I’m 6weeks post op, not in severe pain but the open wound is not healing. Has anyone had this kind of experience? I’m thinking there is something wrong with my body.

@Jdee581 mine were internal so I don't know what's normal but it sounds a long time for it not to be healed. Do you have a follow up appointment you could ask at or see your GP?

@AniseedBall Thanks for the reply, I’ve been to the GP twice and seen an A&E surgeon, but they all seem to be saying different things. The Gp said it was an infection so I was given antibiotics but that did not work, the A&E consultant said it seems I now have a fissure, he gave me an ointment which I used for two weeks and hasn’t worked. This has put my whole life on hold, had to cancel my holiday(over £1000 lost)

I’m almost getting depressed. The doctor told me I only needed two weeks to recover and its over 6 weeks now.😥

@Jdee581 that sounds awful, I'm sorry you are still suffering after so long. Have you got a post op appointment with the surgeon who did your op or could you see another GP? I hope you are able to get it sorted.

@Jdee581 I’m so sorry you are having such an awful time and that you had to cancel your holiday. No wonder you are feeling 🙁
Mine were internal so I can’t see exactly what they’ve done or what they look like.

I have read that sometimes they don’t stitch external ones when they remove them and leave an open wound - perhaps the surgeon decided to do one thing on the day and it wasn’t the way they thought they’d do it when they told you it was going to be two weeks recovery. My surgeon told me not to book any holidays until two weeks after the operation too but looking at this thread recovery times do seem to be longer than that. Six weeks however does sound like an long time for it not to have healed. I agree with @AniseedBall I would go back to your GP practice, see perhaps another doctor and ask for an emergency referral back to the hospital. I would absolutely let them know how distressing you are finding it both physically and mentally. If they were infected I would have thought you’d probably have a temperature and be feeling quite unwell after this amount of time but see someone quickly if you think this is the case. I have heard that fissures can take a long time to heal but it sounds as if no-one has really let you know what’s going on with your recovery. You need some answers and reassurance that you’re not getting at the moment.
You probably can’t do much until Monday but let us know how you get on.

Hi, how is everyone getting on? I hope you are all doing well.

I'm not having a good time with BM, I just can't get it right 😭 If it wasn't for the fact I can't go to the toilet properly I'd be ok, pain has reduced, only occasional bit of bleeding and the lump has gone down. I really don't know what to do for the best. It feels like it isn't all coming out, is difficult to get out as though I'm constipated but when it does the BM is all ragged as though it's too soft (looking at the Bristol stool chart). Sorry tmi, I just need to offload and can't talk to anyone in RL .

I'm eating lots of fibre, having more Movicol than I used to have pre op but I just can't go properly.

I increased the Movicol slightly and the amount fruit & veg in my diet in case it was constipation and ended up going more times but the same difficulty passing it. I just don't know what to try next. I didn't have this problem before I had the op and I'm worried I have developed some other bowel problem that's preventing me from having a BM properly.

Any advice on what you are eating / amount of softeners you are taking / when you are taking them? I'm just exhausted and don't know what to do for the best 🙁

Hi @AniseedBall I’m sorry you are having a bad time re BMs 😰
I went twice this morning pretty close together and after the second one I felt that any improvement over the last two days had disappeared.
I really sympathise with this whole thing of juggling what to eat and how much Movicol to take. I think Movicol is better than some stool softeners as it doesnt seem to cause (as much) bloating or wind than the others.
I had to look up the Bristol stool chart but, while diagrams 1-4 make sense, the drawings for 5-6 aren’t that helpful. From the description I’m guessing I’m a 5 but they don’t really look like the illustration!

Having got my diet and Movicol wrong yesterday I do have, despite going twice today, the sensation of still wanting to go. With me I’m thinking this is because I’ve overdone the Movicol and the dried fruit. Is this the feeling you are having when you say you feel like you haven’t emptied everything properly? I also feel a bit more swollen inside than I did yesterday and I know that just having piles can give you the sensation of not having emptied your bowels properly. Are you passing less poo than you think you normally pass?
Each new symptom or feeling is so stressful after this op so I feel for you! I’m trying to put everything in perspective by telling myself that the surgeon would have had a good look up there when they did the op so I’m unlikely to develop anything significantly serious in such a short time. Apart from burst stitches and infections 😨 that is.

Another thought - some pain medication make you constipated so if you’ve stopped those then that might have caused a change in BMs.

Re what I’m eating - I agree it seems to be more tricky than I had anticipated. Previously before this op the only time I’ve ever got constipated was if I didn’t drink enough during the day or after long flights. I didn’t have to think at all about what I ate. After op I increased my intake of fruit, veg and fibre but not sure if I’ve gone overboard with that as some days I’m passing more than I normally would. One day however, feeling sorry for myself, I made a huge homemade rice pudding and mainly ate that all day then worried about constipation as the following day it was a bit hard to go.

Are you putting your feet up on something when you go and doing the whole relaxed lips thing? Apologies if you were the one on this thread who suggested those tips in the first place!
Here’s hoping you have a better day tomorrow. X

Hi @Dogwalker1 thank you for all your advice. It’s so helpful to hear from someone going through the same thing. I’m sorry your BM today feel like they’ve set you back. I’m finding one thing improves and then another gets worse, in a vicious circle.

I got the haemorrhoids following my other operation, so I’ve gone from one problem to another and I’m panicking this will cause something else. I’d had them in pregnancy and childbirth but they went no problem.
I think a combination of past piles, medication that didn’t agree with me and swelling from that op meant despite trying everything I couldn’t get rid of them so after 18 months of misery and other treatments that failed I went for this op. It’s been a tough period so I’m feeling worn out having to try and work out what to eat / softeners to take for the best as I’ve been doing that all this time trying to get rid of the haemorrhoids or not make them worse. My previous formula doesn’t work any more though 😬 You’re right, logically nothing catastrophic could have happened in this time and he did a flexible sigmoidoscopy before the surgery so should have seen anything untoward.

I think despite the appearance of my BM I’ve got a bit constipated. I feel like I’ve emptied eventually but after going about 3 times 🙁 I’m probably passing a similar amount maybe slightly less than previously. I have a step stool for my feet and am doing the breathing. I am probably tense though dreading what might happen!!

I’m wondering if the antibiotics were having a slightly laxative effect to start with and now that’s worn off. I’m also wondering if despite what I thought and the extra Movicol, above what I’d normally have, I’m not having as much fibre. I’ve replaced the foods I used to have that had seeds, skins or bits in with different ones but that must be making a difference. The fact I’m not back to normal activity levels must be having an effect. I’m also going to see how I go with minimal ibuprofen as I’ve read that can be constipating. I’ve upped the Movicol too this evening so will see how it goes tomorrow.

Here’s to a good day for everyone tomorrow!

@AniseedBall sorry to hear you're having a bad time with BM's. I swear by glycerine suppositories, they're a lifesaver.

So I went to a walk in clinic AGAIN today as that dam surgeon wasn't listening to me all week.

I was right all along. I have an infection. The lump is massive and I just look worse than before I even had the operation, I could just cry.

Hope these antibiotics work and it all goes away. This really does put your whole life on hold.

@Misssmith82 I'm so sorry you are still having problems. I hope the antibiotics take effect quickly and you feel better soon. Despite my other issues, my swelling is slowly going down so hopefully once your infection has cleared up yours will too.

It's such a slow miserable journey. I just hope it's worth it in the end for us all.

@AniseedBall so do I chick, I really do 😩

Hi @ AniseedBall you might have a point about the antibiotics. Today was my first day without any and it was also the first day that I’ve not had stomach cramps which I had thought were being caused by the Movicol.

Cutting out everything with seeds and skin would make a difference too. I hadn’t realised that this was something to do and in the first few days post op I was blending raspberries, blackberries and blueberries to make huge smoothies to make sure I ‘went’. And I did, far too many times!

Today I’ve tried to eat as I would normally do, perhaps drink a bit more liquid than usual and take just over half a sachet of Movicol twice a day. This is my plan for the next stage of my recovery but It could all change depending on what happens in the bathroom tomorrow morning 😐
Something I have noticed since the op is that when I start to have a BM, because of the Movicol, everything is pretty smooth and continuous but then after a few seconds my muscle spasms and stops the motion - whether or not I feel that I’ve finished 😕. This is what happened this morning and I just knew I was going to have to go again within the next hour. Pre op I would have just sat for a little longer and gone some more. My pain after going kicks in after around 10-20 seconds of going so there is absolutely no way I could just stay sitting on the loo. Do you get this? Maybe this is why you’re not emptying as much as you want to.
Roll on to when we don’t have to think ahead about our BMs, think back to what we ate to figure out our BMs and think during our BMs about how much it’s going to hurt afterwards.

Better day tomorrow everyone x

@Misssmith82. Sorry to hear about the infection but glad that you got a reason for the swelling. Our local walk in clinics are at least a two hour wait (on hard chairs 😰) so I hope your one wasn’t as busy.
I finally looked at my bottom today 10 days post op and it looks exactly the same as before. I really didn’t know whether to 😂 or 😢.

@AniseedBall is a week ahead of me and she says her swelling has gone down so I’m hoping for miracles in the coming week 😊