Just to add to this, as this thread has been so helpful to me addressing my issue and getting it done.
I suffered from a skin tag around 6 o’clock area that came out quite a bit and quite a bit of what my surgeon called excess tissue at the top of my bottom from constipation as a child and IBS issues. I had no stitches, general anaesthetic and 2 open wounds. Anyways I’m 2 week post op and wanted to share my experience.
I went down to surgery on the day, had general anaesthetic and fell asleep then next thing I know I’m waking up in the recovery ward. Then went out of recovery back to my room and had some bleeding with a pad they had put on for me and something similar to greasy gauze to stop my wounds sticking to anything but that fell out as soon as I went for the loo. I was panicky as there was blood coming from my bottom but had no pain and couldn’t feel anything as he injected local anaesthetic and I think they gave me morphine? Anyways, I went home later that day and felt tired so I just ended up laying on the sofa and then went to bed.
I woke up the next day, no real pain but more awareness of the area. I made sure to stay on top of my pain meds, I stuck to paracetamol and ibuprofen. Didn’t need anything stronger. When it came to needing my first BM I struggled to get it out and it hurt like hell! A real stinging pain and I must’ve been constipated slightly from the medicine they gave me so it was hard. Also was worried on how to clean myself properly after but I established a routine.
Anyways, I was given Lactulose and it did make my stools easy to pass and fairly soft but I was still having big ones although I was only eating soups and smaller stuff etc. It gave me terrible wind and stomach pains so I switched to Movicol, 1 satchet a day and making sure I’m drinking atleast 2L water a day, with fruits and brown bread for more fibre.
The Movicol made my BM really soft so I’ve gone to half a satchet a day and lowering my fibre although looser stools are easier for me to pass. Going to the toilet still stings, if you’re like me who has had two sites cut and left open which was quite a bit and have gone slightly inside then it’s inevitable. It will sting when you go just breathe, try distract yourself with something. The pain is like if you’ve ever had a fissure but maybe more intense but dies down after if you soak in a warm bath. Kind of like a stinging cut or graze pain. So here are my top tips to recovering from this:
1: Track your Fibre intake if possible with a nutrition app so you know you are getting the right amount each day, I’m into fitness so I do this anyways but this has really helped me stay on track. Also track water intake. I stuck to liquid/soft foods for the first week as much as possible.
2: I’d say if you aren’t familiar with stool softener laxatives before the operation, maybe try them before so you aren’t switching things in recovery too much. I’m still trying to find a balance of them, I don’t think I exactly need them but they keep me reassured whilst healing that I won’t become constipated. And you don’t want that.
3: When going to the toilet I can’t suggest enough getting one of those leg stools to put you in squat position, these really help me pass stools without straining and I’ll be using these for life now they’re amazing!!!!
4: When cleaning after a BM, I have a portable bidet bottle that I fill with warm water and squirt the full bottle there. After that I have a sitz bath that I put over the toilet with warmish water and sit in that to soothe whilst I run a small proper bath that is slightly warmer and sit in that until it calms everything down. After that, I’ll turn the shower on and go in with the shower head to make sure everything’s clean. I have unscented, natural shower wash which I use on a separate loofah to clean my bottom and it works well, no irritation and then rinse. As others have said above, using a clean flannel to dry after too. I also do the shower routine every night and sometimes in the middle of the day give it a squirt with the bidet bottle to clean any blood/discharge.
5: I have only been having 1 BM a day at the same time in a morning so I make sure to take my paracetamol before then incase.
I looked at my bottom early on and haven’t had too much swelling except at the front where the bigger tag was. But even with the slight swelling, it’s way less than what I had before. I’m actually really pleased with how it looks, it looks fairly normal! I just have two open wounds now which are visible but I don’t expect them to heal up for a couple of months anyways due to how much tissue was removed and healing takes time. I do have a lump/still a tag like piece of skin at the 6 o’clock tag which is where the skin has been cut and( I think this will heal to the other side and stay a little raised tissue), not sure whether this is swelling or I’ll be left with a small like tag/bump but it’s way less than what I first suffered with so I’ll see how that goes. My surgeon did tell me it may look as if it’s still there due to swelling but it will go down and that he cut the tag down a V shape to make it safe. So either way, I’m happier than what it was before even if the bump stays. I don’t have much pain when I sit or lay down now really, sometimes it can be slightly uncomfortable so I stick to baggy underwear and track pants etc.
I found that my bleeding has mostly stopped after a week, only when I go for a bowel movement does it sometimes bleed but not much. I also got discharge which I was told was normal but to monitor for anything else that could be infection, I still wear a panty liner to be safe and found most of my discharge from the wound came at night in my sleep. I don’t have much discharge now just the occasional spot.
I do have a follow up appointment in a month or so, but for me so far this has been worth it. It’s a case of keeping stools soft, cleaning and making sure I’m doing what I can to make healing optimal. I’ve avoided wet wipes as I feel it will irritate things but do use the occasional one to pat it to make sure I’ve cleaned properly. I think if you’re considering having this done, be prepared to change your diet, and put your life on hold until you get better. Don’t be afraid to ask your surgeon any worries you may have.
Also, I’d say don’t expect for it to look perfect. Everyone’s body is different, heals different and reacts different and these things happen, so don’t be let down if you don’t get the perfect result but also be prepared and realistic with yourself about what you want to achieve out of it and discuss this with your consultant. I had quite a lot of excess tissue on my bottom from years of straining on the toilet and bad bowel habits, my surgeon said it was more than he originally thought too. It’s only now I’m starting to work on addressing my bowel habits, diet and healing so it isn’t just a quick fix, I think it prevent it in the future it is a lifestyle change.
hope this helps anyone if you’ve had this/having this or struggling with addressing it and deciding whether the op is worth it for you.