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]

@Dogwalker1 thank you, I was taking that kind of amount before all the prune juice trials so am going back to that today. After thinking I was going a bit too much I cut back on both yesterday and have ended up with 5 small BMs today - thank goodness I've been at home 😭

Sorry you've had a bad morning too and are still sore from yesterday. Maybe he should have saved the internal examination for next time.

Both my discharge and leakage are worse the more times I go to the toilet, the discharge has improved and I think the leakage has a bit too but there is definite poo leakage after each BM. I asked about this before I agreed to the op as I'd read that it could be a side effect and with my history of weak pelvic floor I didn't want any new problems. I was reassured that continence should improve as the sphincter should be able to close better once haemorrhoids have been removed.
I don't know if it's a side effect of the muscle being stretched during the operation and will disappear eventually or because I have the new swelling but my previous haemorrhoids were worse and I didn't have it. The Consultant didn't really comment when I asked at my check up 😬It would make sense after your appointment yesterday that you have more today from what I've experienced, if he's examined you and probably increased your swelling. Did he say what might have caused it if he didn't agree with the swelling theory?

I've thought about emailing my Consultant to ask about it as I'm nearly 8 weeks now but I'm currently trying to bury my head in the sand about the fact I may have a new haemorrhoid and the added bonus of bowel leakage 😢

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall the consultant said that leakage was very common after this operation. He seemed to suggest that the weaker the pelvic floor the more likely you were to have leakage. So anyone having had a vaginal birth. Re his comment about my vaginal repair he might have meant that because my birth had caused so much trauma that I needed a vaginal repair makes me more likely to suffer from a weak pelvic floor. I’m not 100% sure that he meant this or whether he meant that my vaginal repair had caused my pelvic floor to be weak.

I never suffered from any leaking pre op. I had mucus from my prolapsed haemorrhoids which wasn’t very pleasant but this is worse 😰

[Dogwalker1]

So he was saying two things cause it, a weak pelvic floor and the trauma of the operation.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 I think it's probably the first one, a weak pelvic floor is more likely to result in leakage and I guess anyone who's needed repair is likely to have a weaker pelvic floor than average, rather than repair leading to a weak PF. I know that's true in my case, even with repair, years of pelvic floor exercises and Pilates there is only a certain strength I can get to.

It is really horrible, I'm having a lot of quick showers. I could cope with the mucus, it's was the pain that led to me having the op but I really hope this is a temporary thing. My Consultant did say, when I queried things early on, that the op does affect the PF. Makes sense that if it's weak to start with, then affected, symptoms like this are more likely to occur. Sadly he didn't say that pre op!

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 I've just seen your second post. Yikes!!! I really hope it goes back to normal afterwards.

[AniseedBall]

I hope everyone recovering is getting on well.

I had a big set back on Friday but following a good GP appointment I'm hopefully back on track. After a bit of bleeding on Wednesday with a BM, I had a considerable amount on Friday. The GP was very helpful, said bleeding isn't normal at 8 weeks and I should really be healed. She found an area of irritation/inflammation on one of the wounds that might be a bit infected and this was what was bleeding. I now have Fucidin cream to put on 4 times a day and Proctosedyl suppositories to use at night to help the healing. They have hydrocortisone in them so I hope they work. The discharge has already reduced a lot so maybe this wasn't normal and I should have got it checked a while ago!

She was certain my swelling is just a skin tag. I'm still not convinced as it swells up with increased activity like a haemorrhoid but I pray she's right. There's no way I can do this again.

Interestingly she told me I need to take lactulose with Movicol as the Movicol makes you go but you need the lactulose to soften as well. I've been asking doctors for help with this since my last op and it was a real hallelujah moment, I'd been saying this all along! She recommended 10ml every evening with a full sachet of Movicol and almost laughed at my two thirds sachet saying that won't do anything!! So for now my BMs are good. Unfortunately the lactulose has given me bad bloating but I'm going to put up with it for now and see once I'm healed. Although with my diet I'm not sure why I was having the problems in the first place.

Her final message was no wipes!! I'd been using these for ages, thinking it was ok as my wounds are internal. Now I'm trying to use them as little as possible and showering otherwise. Time to buy one of the bidet bottles, I wish I'd done that earlier too.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall that is great that you had a worthwhile appointment at the GPs. Very interesting advice too. No wipes?!!! If they make things worse then I've been getting that wrong! Did she say why?

Also it's interesting that they prescribed antibiotic cream rather than oral antibiotics. I hope all the changes make a difference. Lactulose makes
me really windy so I might give that a miss as the movicol seems to be working for me.

I've still got a tiny bit of soreness on one area but I'm sure that this was made worse by the examination I had. It is a lot less sore than it was so hopefully it is on the mend. Apart from that the only thing that is really bothering me is the small amount of leakage I'm getting after a BM. It was really bad the day after my examination but now it's not much at all and I don't think there is any discharge, but it is still there :( I only notice it when I check after going to the loo during the morning but I really don't want this to be a permanent thing.

Is the lactulose making you go less too?

[AniseedBall]

Hi @Dogwalker1 it sounds like you are getting on well although it seems your examination last week has taken a while to get over. I still have the leakage, with everything else I didn't get round to discussing it with the GP, but will be going back sooner rather than later if it carries on. There's something so horrible about it 🙁 I hope yours improves very soon.

The doctor didn't say explicitly but I got the impression she was saying wipes were irritating, so to have nothing on wounds except water. I didn't think it would matter if I'm using water wipes and don't have anything apart from the swelling externally but she was quite firm!

I don't think it's a major infection, more irritation/inflammation and there's no pus and I'm not feeling ill so I got cream rather than antibiotics. I hope it's going in the right place as I've no idea when I'm trying to get it inside!!

Lactulose makes me windy too so it's a bit of a last resort. I'll be trying to stop it asap. I had a couple of days where I only went twice but 4 today 😭 There was also a bit of pale pink blood too with the first BM so I spoke too soon yesterday, I shouldn't have tempted fate. I've emailed the Consultant to get his view as it's getting me down. There was no reason for bleeding after 3 days without any, no straining / hard stools. I'm wondering if I'll even be feeling better by Christmas now!!

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall I’m sorry to hear you went four times today, that is really not what you want. That’s going to make the leakage four times worse too, which as you say is horrible. My friends would have absolutely no idea that I am anything other than fully recovered as there is no way I would discuss this with them.
Emailing your consultant sounds like a good idea, hopefully he’ll get back to you quickly.
If you are trying to put cream or the suppositories inside could you have reopened something and that caused the bleeding again? I’m pretty sure that when I tried to put haemorrhoid cream inside that was when I opened my remaining stitches.
Fingers crossed for both of us being ok by Christmas!

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall after reading your post I’m considering self medicating. My other half was prescribed Fucidin cream just two weeks ago for an infected bite on his leg and am going to try it on my sore bit which is still more inflamed and sore than this time last week before my check up. Half a tube left!
I’m also going to try halving my dose of Movicol, I’m just going once a day but it’s quite loose and I want to see if that is causing the leakage post BM.

Anyone reading this post I’m not recommending self medication, I know it is wrong, but I’m desperate to try anything. After last week’s examination by the consultant there is no way anyone is going near my bum for a while.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 I hope it works if you do try it. It's no wonder you are self medicating after your last appointment. I'm surprised he did an internal examination so soon. Thankfully I haven't had to have one. Let me know how it goes with the cream!

Cutting down the amount of Movicol sounds like a good idea if things are a bit loose, I'm sure that can't help with leakage.

I think the nature of the operation makes the recovery so much harder, not being able to discuss it with people, I'm pretending to most people now that I'm fine. I have a couple of friends who know what I've had done but I still can't discuss the details with them. My husband is very good but he must be fed up now so I try not to go on about it too much! It's really helpful to be able to discuss it on here with others who have first hand experience.

🤞🏻for Christmases where we don't think about our bottoms!

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall I agree, thank goodness for this site to be able to talk about the ‘finer’ details of this procedure

I was determined pre op that I wasn’t going to tell anyone apart from my other half and two daughters. However straight after the op I had to cancel quite a few arrangements so ended up telling quite a few people. Some people were very sympathetic and a few confided that they were having problems with haemorrhoids and were considering the op. Some friends (who I have made a mental note of so I don’t repeat my mistake!) looked aghast and I could tell that just informing them of the op was TMI!

Wishing you a good bottom day 🙂

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 oh dear!! Hopefully you've helped some people by sharing what you had done. When I've told people I can't stop myself explaining they were caused by pressman you, child birth, antibiotics and my last op so they don't think it's because of a poor diet 😁

I finally had a reply from the Consultant. I don't think he could have been less helpful if he'd tried.
I explained what was going on, what my GP had advised, asked if this was normal at nearly 9 weeks and for any other advice he may have. The reply was basically 'we've discussed people heal at different rates and to wait until you see me next' (which is another 3 weeks away!!). If he couldn't be bothered to reply the least I'd have expected was a see your GP or make an appointment to see me sooner if things didn't improve. No one is said to expect bleeding to restart after 8 weeks 😬

Thankfully, apart from a bit of random bleeding last night, I haven't had any more. I think you're right @Dogwalker1, I'm sure in trying to put the cream slightly inside I caused damage yesterday so I'm leaving it for now to see how I get on. Have you started using the Fucidin?

[AniseedBall]

Just to add, the GP said 6/7 days of cream and I've done 6 so I'm not ignoring medical advice!

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall - yes I've done that too emphasising my traumatic second birth and v repair so as to stress how this ISN'T MY FAULT!

I'm sorry you had such an unhelpful response from your consultant - you would have thought that they would understand how anxious their patients get with their post op symptoms, especially as you weren't prepared or warned about them beforehand. To be honest there aren't that many to get to grips with so I don't understand why they don't have the reassurance, tips and advice to hand. Even a decent leaflet would be a help! I'm sure between us we could write a pretty good one!

I started the Fucidin yesterday but I am feeling a bit spiky and sore today. I hope I haven't done the same as you by trying to get the cream a little bit inside. I tried unsuccessfully to make an appointment with the brilliant nurse at my GP's to check if there are any signs of infection as I'm not seeing a huge improvement from last week. I'm convinced the consultant has opened everything up again with the examination and even though the soreness isn't v painful it's there all the time. It feels almost the same as when my stitches burst. The nurse managed to examine me last time without hurting but if I want an appointment it will be a case of ringing for an emergency one. I might give it until Monday to see if the cream works then if there's no improvement I'll try to see her.

Did you order the portable bidet bottle thing? The nurse last time said that adding a teaspoon of salt to the warm water would help with healing. I think I'm going to start using mine again for cleaning after a BM and last thing at night. I'd stopped doing it as I had felt a lot better.

[AniseedBall]

Hi @Dogwalker1 how are you getting on? I hope things have improved over the last couple of days. It seems like the Consultant caused you quite a bit of damage with the examination 😬 If you do need to see someone, I hope you can get an appointment with the nurse.

I'm trying to decide whether to go back to the doctor or just give it a bit longer. That's why I was disappointed not to get even a tiny bit of advice from the Consultant. I had a good day yesterday but then a tiny bit of bleeding from the wound that won't heal out of the blue last night and then more with a BM this morning and it was sore when I was out this afternoon. I feel like I've gone back to square one with this bit. On the plus side, the leakage, discharge and swelling have all been better over the last few days.

I used the bottle for the first time today, I think I need some practice, I managed to spray a lot of water around the bathroom!! I'm hoping this will help, maybe the wipes are too rough on the area now I've gone back a bit. They'd been fine for a while. I'll try adding salt and hopefully that'll help, thanks.

I really hope I can sort this out over the next few weeks, I don't want to be dealing with it still over Christmas.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall, I'm trying to decide too whether to see someone or give it a few more days. I think that my bum is going to thank me if i just leave it alone as much as possible. Dare I say you sound as if you've had some improvement?!

I got quite upset about it all yesterday re the leakage as I had hoped that cutting back on the Movicol would have made a big difference and it hadn't really. I felt quite negative about it all and was worried in case the leakage is a permanent thing. I know the consultant said that my symptoms were normal when I saw him but it's hard to remain positive when you can't see a daily improvement.

Today I think I've had slightly less, so I feel slightly less stressed about it. Non on the liner but some on drying myself after a bath and an even tinier bit on wiping (to check) later on in the day. I've still got a sore stingy bit which I think is going to take a while to heal. If it wasn't for this I'd be doing serious pelvic floor exercises but I'm just going to wait as doing them feels sore.

It's interesting/frustrating all the different advice that we've both been given by the different doctors, nurses and consultants. My consultant said to use wipes and apply the muscle relaxant cream. The nurse said just use salt water and don't apply anything as you want the area as dry as possible, your doctor said no wipes and an antibiotic cream. I do think salt in the water is more soothing than just plain tap water. My bathroom was a bit soaked too for the first couple of times but once you get the hang of it I think it's a quite an efficient way of cleaning.

Even though i can't see or feel a daily improvement, looking at my photos from around two/three weeks ago there is definitely an improvement. Thinking ahead to Christmas, trying to be positive, surely that is enough time for us to heal!

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 I think I just need to be patient and hopefully I'll get past this phase of bleeding again. Apart from the bit of bleeding before I went to bed, yesterday was probably the best day so far, I had hardly any symptoms at all. Funny how a really good day is followed by four steps back the next! This evening even sitting on the toilet to have a wee is painful.

Hopefully your leakage will suddenly improve like mine has, even 2/3 days ago it was as bad as ever and I was convinced I'd be stuck with it. Then all of a sudden hardly any and I'm still taking a full sachet of Movicol. 🤞🏻it isn't long until you find the same happens. It really is grim. I'm also finding pelvic floor exercises painful again so I'm doing a minimal amount at the moment.

I shall keep practising with the bottle - my Consultant recommended salt baths but I'm finding they are really drying out my skin after all this time so I'm the bottle will be a good alternative.

🤞🏻we'll be healed soon and this trauma will be behind us🤞🏻

[AniseedBall]

Hi @Dogwalker1 how are you getting on? Improving I hope!

I've had a very mixed week so far, to the point where I'm wishing time away. Monday was awful, I ended up with 3 quite loose BMs and as a result had bleeding all day. It was like being back to week 2 😭 I think my digestive system might be getting back to a bit of normality so the amount of Movicol is now too much. I'm starting a gradual cut down to see if it helps. Yesterday was good, no bleeding, a little pain after being crammed on a tiny chair for an hour at a school play, but otherwise fine. Today, no bleeding but I've had some discomfort all day. I can really feel the area that hasn't healed so despite some good days it can't have healed much from when I had my 6 week check up. I'll be 10 weeks post op tomorrow 🙁

In my desperation I re read this whole thread on Monday. It was reassuring that others were still experiencing problems at the same stage as I am but also depressing that this recovery can go on so long. I'm am so grateful to everyone who's posted, it has helped so much. Depending on how the next couple of days go, I might go back to the GP to get things checked over.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall I hadn’t posted anything as there has been little change 😕. And you sound like you’ve had a bit of a rough time 😰. I feel like I’m 90% better but like you there is an area that hasn’t healed. I tried the antibiotic cream for six days but not sure it did anything for the sore inflamed bit so I’m guessing that means it wasn’t infected, just unhealed. I got a repeat prescription of the Diltiazem 2% cream which the consultant said to continue to use. It’s supposed to aid in the healing of fissures but it itches like crazy for the first half hour after putting it on. To be honest it didn’t seem to do anything apart from that when I used it before but I’m giving it a go and if there’s no improvement I’m going back to the gp.
There might be a little less leaking but I think that could be because I’m delaying my bath after a BM so I’m sort of cleaning up twice. I still have to be very careful as the area hurts so easily, even putting cream on can make it sore.

I think I would agree with you about cutting down on the Movicol if you’ve had three loose BMs. Are you still on the stool softener? That should protect you from passing any hard stools? I’m down to half a sachet a day, unless I think I’ve not drunk enough during the day and then I panic and take a bit more. It hasn’t made much difference really but I daren’t give up it entirely.

Do you think the hydrocortisone suppositories have helped?


Well done for rereading the entire thread and finding out that some others were still recovering at this stage. It feels like we’ve been on this thread too long! My letter from the consultant seem to suggest that at a six weeks post op check up he would still expect to be seeing the problems we are still having.

Hope tomorrow is a good day x

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall I forgot to ask when your next check up is. Mine will be 14 weeks post op. I’ve no idea whether I’ll be seeing the second consultant or the one who actually did the op.

[AniseedBall]

Hi @Dogwalker1 I hope you are having a good day. Sorry you haven't noticed any real improvement this week. I feel like I'm stuck at 90% and go backwards occasionally but never past that point.

I'd not heard of the cream you've got, the itching part of it sounds horrendous, hopefully it does some good too! I'm still contemplating the GP but not sure what they could say / do. I'm not keen to try cream again as I think I caused damage putting it on last time so I'd be so careful I don't think it'd do anything! I think the hydrocortisone suppositories helped initially, using them coincided with the discharge reducing and it's now pretty much gone. I stopped using them as the last time I did I had quite a bit of bleeding straight after I'd put it in (from the area that had opened up I think). That's maybe the only thing the doctor could suggest I guess?? I hope you find more improvement with the leakage soon. I'm only getting a tiny bit occasionally now and it seemed to happen all of a sudden. Some good news at least!

I'm going to carry on cutting the Movicol back, the reaction I had on Monday was what I expected when I started with a whole sachet plus lactulose and plenty of fruit and veg. It worked really well for a week or so which is why I'm wondering if my digestive system is working more normally now and it being too much.

My next appointment will be at 12 weeks in 2 weeks time. I think it would have been 14 if it wasn't for Christmas. I'd sooner have it done before then so I'm not speculating over Christmas about how healed I am.

[Dogwalker1]

Hi @AniseedBall I do think areas which haven’t healed properly are very easily opened up by pretty much everything; putting cream on, putting suppositories in, BMs and in my case a rough examination. To be honest I think he did the damage before the internal bit. I had no opportunity to say go easy as the rough bit happened so quickly. It is only this experience that is keeping me back from seeing a GP. I would trust the nurse to examine me without hurting but not sure what advice she could give me that she didn’t give me last time. She didn’t feel hydrocortisone would help but it sounds as if yours did. Maybe if I go back and just ask to try it she would give me a prescription. As we have said before, the advice given is so varied. It’s a pretty common op and you would have thought that there’d be a definitive program of treatment.

Even the position of going for a wee opens up mine a bit so I try to do it semi standing up 😐. I’ve noticed too if I lift anything heavy it hurts.

Re the leakage, perhaps it would be less of a problem if I could clean more rigorously after a BM. I can’t, as it feels as if I’m risking opening up everything again, plus it is still a bit tender. Even with just half a sachet of Movicol my BMs are looser than I would like which probably isn’t helping either.

[AniseedBall]

@Dogwalker1 you're right, it takes so little to irritate the bit that hasn't healed. I really can't believe your Consultant wasn't more careful 😬
I think the location of mine is the problem, like you say going for a wee can be a problem. Straight after the op, even with the local anaesthetic and all the pain killers, I had loads of pain from this area going for a wee. I should have used the semi standing position!! I was leaning on the sink or bath. I posted on here in the very early days that I thought I'd ripped something closing in that area by just closing a drawer (and I wasn't even bending). This is one reason I'm hesitant about the GP as I don't want to open it up again if she gave me suppositories.

I'm amazed by the variation and inconsistency in the way something as common as a this is dealt with. I'd never heard of your cream before I googled it, and my GP was definite about the hydrocortisone. Did your nurse explain why it wouldn't help? I don't know if it sorted the leakage or whether that was a coincidence. I don't think it did anything for the healing.

Re the leakage it must be really hard with external wounds to clean up without causing pain. I'm trying to shower and use less wipes after what the GP said but I'm mindful of the Consultant saying one of the things that made healing difficult was the moisture in that area so I'm not really sure extra showering is the better option. I'd love some definitive rules!!

[Dogwalker1]

@AniseedBall in a way your consultant is in agreement with the nurse because she recommended salt water bathing and nothing applied to that area because of moisture delaying healing. She said keeping it dry was the best thing so she advised me not to use anything on it. She thought hydrocortisone used on that area could possibly think the skin which wouldn’t be very helpful. But then that doesn’t make sense as prescription strength hydrocortisone is the first thing a doctor will give you for haemorrhoids 🤔

When I saw the consultant last time he said that if I had any of the Diltiazam cream left I should continue to use it. So that’s both of my consultants recommending it. I got another prescription from my surgery without seeing the GP but when I picked it from the chemist (ten days after ordering it as it’s made up specially) it is more of a Vaseline type ointment rather than a water based cream. So I’m a little concerned that it is going to hinder healing. The Diltiazam is supposed to relax the muscles and blood vessels resulting in increased blood flow to the area therefore enabling healing. Hydrocortisone works by reducing the inflammation which can inhibit healing - I think!
In the very early days the Diltiazam stung like crazy so there was no way I could use it anyway.

Basically I haven’t a clue what I’m doing (is there an emoji for tearing my hair out?). Basically we have wounds in our bums which everyday get unavoidably disturbed by having a BM (or more 😬). We can’t air them so surely there should just be one way of treating them if they are not infected. It doesn’t even sound like a difference between private health care and NHS.