Recovering from a haemorrhoidectomy - Part 2

[AniseedBall]

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2232089-Recovering-from-a-haemorrhoidectomy-warning-TMI-alert

New thread for those recovering from this (awful) operation. Link above to the old thread.

Hi @AniseedBall I hope you’ve had a good couple of days and you managed to get the balance right with the Movicol.

The good news from my end (😂) is that I’ve had no leakage for the last two days and today after a BM it took much much less time to clean up. I’m trying not to get too excited as I know you’ve been in the same situation and then it started again. But it’s hard not to as I’ve been so down about it all. I still have some soreness and I can tell I still have an unhealed bit but that is nothing compared to the leakage. The soreness is also worse at the end of the day which wasn’t how it was before, although, as you mentioned, it could be that we are noticing different pain now other bits aren’t hurting.

I’ve been trying to work out what could have improved things so drastically but because there have been a few things I’ve done differently I’m really not sure. So it is possibly one or a combination of the following:
I’ve been on antibiotics for a few days - could I have had an infection?
I’ve been using over the counter Hemorrhoid suppositories containIng a small amount of hydrocortisone. I know you said that you saw some improved at first after using your prescription ones.
The Diltiazam cream is getting inside because I’m coating the suppositories with it.
I reread the thread and found someone raving about L-Lysine so I’ve been taking a 1000g tablet once a day for the past three days. Surely this is too short a time for something like this to have made a difference?
I have unintentionally eaten a huge amount of fibre in the last few days - baked potatoes with their skins, sweet corn, grapes, lots of Ryvita, nuts and a huge amount of pop corn which was supposed to be for my daughter’s uni friends to snack on but they didn’t eat it.
And of course not taking any Movicol but this didn’t make any real difference in the first few days of stopping and my BMs have still been soft.

My appointment is on Tuesday so I’m hoping that things don’t move backwards before then as I’ve a feeling the consultant will put me down for other tests and investigations. Which honestly I really don’t feel up to.

I hope you have had a good few days

Hi @Dogwalker1 that's great news. It must feel so good after all this time to have had a couple of days without any leakage. It would be interesting to know what's made the difference, maybe just a combination of all the things you've done differently! Using the suppositories to get the Diltizam inside is such a good idea. Hopefully the last bit will heal up soon and you'll be fully recovered.

Frustratingly after my good week or so, the pain from Friday has continued, not all the time but I had some more discomfort yesterday and I'm back to the area that hasn't healed feeling sore in the evening which had stopped 😬 I decided to ditch the lactulose which wasn't having a great effect with the Movicol (unlike when I first started using it). I decided to try prune juice again instead with the half a sachet of Movicol and continue reducing that down. It seemed to work well this morning so I'm carrying on with it. Unfortunately I did have a spot of blood again this morning, I don't think it was anything to do with the prune juice BM as that was soft. The wound has obviously opened up again a bit hence the pain as the day goes on. It's so annoying, there's never any apparent cause for it to happen 😭 It started on Friday after a BM that was neither hard or loose so goodness knows.

I'm going to see if I can tolerate another dose of Rectogesic. As I was doing well I'd stuck to twice a day so as not to get headaches or dizziness but as I'm no longer doing so well I'll add the third one in that the Consultant suggested. And I'll be adding L Lysine to my shopping list as I haven't tried that yet and I'm running out of ideas.....

Good luck with your appointment on Tuesday.
I hope you get some answers about what was done!

@Dogwalker1 how did you go with your appointment? I hope they didn't cause you any pain as you feared. I've also tried some suppositories this last week with some rectogesic on them. I don't think it's doing much though.

@AniseedBall so tough to work out the movicol/diet balance. I'm still on a sachet a day, but have been for years. With this painful lump I'm scared to cut it back in case i have to strain and make the lump worse.

I'm still on vacation which is good in a way, but also not really relaxing as I have my family to still care for. And my kids won't stop! I just want to lie about a bit and rest my bum still.

Hi @123Aussie I hope you've managed to get some rest today. My kids are finally back at school so I'm going to try to get a bit more rest over the next few days and see if it helps.

Have you had any post op check ups? What did the doctors say about your lump? I'm worried mine is going to still be troublesome once the rest finally heals and really don't think I can cope with another op 😬

You are right about the Movicol, I've been struggling to get the balance ever since I had the op, beforehand I took just over half a sachet split morning and evening but that hasn't worked right since. I'm scared to adjust too much as the Consultant warns me at every appointment about hard stools and fissures!!! I'm doing ok with a bit of Movicol and some prune juice as suggested by a dietician. I have my fingers crossed it continues.

I hope you are feeling better before your holidays are over.

@Dogwalker1 I hope you are doing well and the leakage hasn't returned.

Hi @123Aussie I hope you are getting some rest and recuperation on your vacation and @AniseedBall you too now your kids are back at school.

So I had my second follow up appointment today - nearly 13 weeks post op. It was with the original surgeon and all went well despite her giving me a full examination including having a look with a proctoscope. It stung a bit but more on the outside than inside. I was able to ask her what was done, how big the wound was and how high up did it go. Apparently they only did the one haemorrhoid as the other two were too small to do anything with on the day. The original wound was much bigger than I had thought - 50p sized and quite deep she said. I had no idea that that was the type or size of open wound I'd be left with after the op. In hindsight perhaps its better that i didn't know, but it explains the pain. she said that the wound had all healed, but it was clear that it had just recently healed and therefore the area would remain fragile and extremely sensitive for up to another 6-8 weeks. She seemed quite pleased with how was looking and pretty unsurprised at all the issues Id had or the time its taken to get to this stage.

Re the sudden improvement in the leaking she thought that it didn't have anything to do with the antibiotics and that it was a coincidence. She mentioned swelling causing leakage and i still think perhaps it was the suppositories containing hydrocortisone that might have made things better. She told me not to use them though as steroids are NOT HELPFUL for healing and as the newly formed skin is thin it isn't a good idea to use them. She also queried why I was still using the Diltiazem cream and asked if i was using it for the pain and I said 'no for the healing' and she said that at this stage it isn't helpful. I guess the last time i saw a consultant i still had some healing to do so that's why I was told to use it. she also said that Diltiazem would relax the muscles and make the leakage worse. i didn't discuss the pro and cons of Movicol with her as I'm only going to use it if i think I've not drunk enough liquid.
She said that my muscle tone was good down there so I'm not worried about any permanent damage now.

She recommended putting on some 'protective' barrier type of cream to keep the area soothed and lubricated and suggested vaseline, coconut oil or one which she really rated - Avene Cicalfate - she said surgeons recommend this for healing. I've just been out and bought some from Boots (in the skincare department) and noticed that it contains Zinc and Copper. Yet another cream to add to my collection!

So all good really and believe it or not I'm not in any discomfort after the examination. I guess that shows how much I've healed since the last appointment at 6 weeks post op - which she said was way too early for a check up.

She also seemed completely unconcerned at the length of time it was taking to heal. She said it is an absolutely horrendous operation and that the healing for it takes a long time.

Hopefully this is some reassurance for everyone who thinks that they 'should' be healed by now and they're not. I showed her the leaflet I'd been given after the op which said that you should be able to return to work in four days and she looked shocked that I had received it as my op didn't fall into that category at all. She even took a photo of it so hopefully she'll make sure no one else gets it!

Wishing everyone good bottom days and further healing.

Hi @Dogwalker1 it sounds like a really positive appointment, good news on all fronts especially healing and leakage.

I was shocked by the 50p sized wound 😱 - no wonder you had so much pain and it's taken so long to heal. It's great that it is looking healed now. I have my fingers crossed for you that it stays that way. Hopefully the fact the examination and proctoscope didn't hurt too much is a sign that things are good internally.

Thank you for going into the details it's really useful to read and again so interesting with the difference in advice again! I was told my wound, even though where they did the surgery, looks like a fissure, so I was given the Rectogesic. I was told to use if for 6-8 weeks even if it feels fine so it doesn't open again, but that doesn't seem to fit with what your Consultant said. Maybe it's because he suspects mine is healing and opening up again that he gave me different advice but he was also ok with me using up the suppositories before I started the Rectogesic after Christmas 🤔

It's a shame all doctors can't be so honest about the recovery time, realistic expectations would save so much worry and stress about the rate of healing. It sounds like she might be putting a stop to the leaflet being given out in future!!

The creams she mentioned for soothing sound interesting. Do you have to apply them internally or will it still work applied externally? I'm open to trying anything and everything!! I got some
L Lysine yesterday 😀

Hi @AniseedBall - I know - different advice again. I still don't get why this is the case - surely someone has worked out a definitive course of treatment and care after this op.

I too was shocked when she told me the size of the wound - for some reason I had presumed it would be linear. I don't actually understand what was done to end up with the wound I got. It was classed as an open wound but i had stitches so I don't get that either.

I didn't ask how to apply the cream but she certainly didn't give advice on how to apply it internally and my wound is mainly inside. She could see that the external bit which stings was a bit raw looking. I think she suggested applying the cream as a protective thing so perhaps it's only needed externally.

I completely agree with you about doctors being more honest about the recovery to save us being so worried about everything afterwards. I understand that they don't want to terrify people pre op but post op they know the extent/severity of the work done so the aftercare advice should be tailored to each patient. My leaflet was entitled Minor Anal Surgery: Advice for when you go home - my consultant queried who had given it to me and said 'what you had wasn't minor'!!! Apparently she had personally written a leaflet that I should have had but I didn't get that one.

Good luck with the L Lysine - my tablets are absolutely huge so I hope they work!

Hi @Dogwalker1 I hope you've had a good day.

As this operation is so common and has been around for so long you'd think there would be some standard guidelines on what to do / use during recovery. I wonder what the leaflet you should have been given said!

How are you getting on with leakage and your swelling / lump? Did the Consultant say anything about the swelling? I feel like my leakage has improved which is great but the lump / swelling does increase in size as the day goes on and with lots of standing / sitting. I've found a job I'd like to apply for but if it is going to be problematic and require surgery in the future now might not be the best time! I wish someone could give me a definitive answer 😬 I'm not sure if the rectogesic would make it worse or not as it relaxes the internal sphincter and bring blood to the area. I'd like to think it could be down to that but might just be kidding myself!!

Hi @AniseedBall I mentioned the swelling when I asked the consultant if hydrocortisone would help with that. It was after the examination so she would have seen what I meant but her reply was just focused on why steroids are in her opinion not a good idea. It’s hard in these follow up consultations to remember everything, despite me writing down a list beforehand. My swelling is visible from the outside and at no point during the exam was it commented on.

Further back on this thread someone's consultant told them that they’d never have a smooth perfect bum, so perhaps that’s as good as it gets, and the fact that it’s still a little painful is just the newly healed tissue being hypersensitive, especially at the end of the day. I ‘feel’ as if I’m more swollen at the end of the day but I’m not sure that I actually am.

Yesterday and today I had pretty hard and uncomfortable BMs. Yesterday I could understand as I just hadn’t drunk enough and the half sachet of Movicol I took obviously wasn’t enough to compensate, but not sure why it was hard today. A hard BM after my examination was not what the doctor ordered 😬 so feeling a bit sore at the moment. Because of the reassurance I got yesterday Im not worried but I’m going to be taking the Movicol again until I’m sure BMs are back to my normal. It will be interesting to see if the leakage comes back while taking it. I’ve not had any for almost a week now.

I forgot to mention that the consultant advised at this stage post op lots of pelvic floor exercises to help things get back to normal. Perhaps they might help you with the swelling. At the end of the day maybe your muscles are really tired and not supporting that area which is making the swelling worse? Could you do less things upright?!!

Re your lump did your consultant say it could end up eventually just being a skin tag? It’s hard, as you say, not having a definitive answer. With swelling you’d think OK - ice pack, bum in the air for half an hour but then that would cause lack of blood flow to the area which isn’t going to help with any healing. Yesterday the consultant said that the Diltiazam would have made the leakage worse. Previous consultant said it wouldn’t and my GP said it was the Movicol causing the leakage! Has your swelling got worse since using the rectogesic? I guess it does make sense that it might not be helping that specific problem.

I hope you can do a bit less with the kids being back at school and recover a bit more.

Consultant said to make sure you concentrate on bum muscles when doing your pelvic floor exercises!

@Dogwalker1 it's so difficult to remember everything isn't it? There's always something I forget to ask. I'm sure she'd have mentioned it if it was something to be concerned about.

My Consultant was fairly convinced at my first check it that I'd have problems with the lump I have, the GP is convinced it's a skin tag, and at the second check up the Consultant said unconvincingly, yes it's a bit smaller so might be ok!! It does seem to have got a bit worse this week and as the day goes on so more likely increased activity rather than the rectogesic, I'm not sure how long the effects from the cream would last for??

Sorry to hear about your increased pain, it's so frustrating how fragile the healing is that something slightly off still causes pain. I am getting this every few days, I had a great run of 10ish days without any pain then went backwards a bit and haven't quite reached the good phase again. I not convinced the rectogesic is actually doing anything 😬

I hope your leakage doesn't come back while you are taking Movicol again. From what you said it sounds like no one actually knows what makes it better or worse and they are all guessing!!

@Dogwalker1 forgot to say thanks for the information about pelvic floor exercises, it makes sense that they would help. I need to make sure I'm doing more!

Hi all.
@dogwalker1 thanks for the pelvic floor suggestions. I've been doing mine, but I also have a pelvic floor relaxation I do thanks to a women's physiotherapist. The surgeon who did my HAL RAR and botox told me I needed a mesh thing surgery for my pelvic floor years ago. Then when I asked my gynae he was like No no! You're actually too tight there from years of pain. My body is a damn mystery!

I have the same query as you about the steroids. The recorded says it's good to help healing from anal surgery yet I know They can thin the skin. So confusing. I've screenshotted the avene label to try and find some. In the meantime I'm trying a week with a Manuka honey wound salve. I don't have any visible wounds, but maybe it help heal whatever is causing this pain? It w ass my surgeon who said I'll never have a smooth bum again , although I'm still concerned over this lump I have too.

I can't believe you weren't given the leaflet your own doctor wrote- she must be so annoyed with the hospital! How do you think the L Lysine is going? I've started on bioflavinoids as I read they're good for vein strengthening and I sure hope to never get a hemm again!

@AniseedBall how are you going? Is the lump you have painful? I'm trying to work out if the lump I have is the cause of my pain in that area, or if it's something more internal. It seems like a skin tag to me, and it doesn't actually hurt to touch or out cream on it. But when I sit and often now, stand, I get a pain in the same area.

I actually wondered if it might be still healing (I'm at 10-11 weeks or so, no visible wounds or scars anymore). I was going to make another consultant appt as I saw him at 5w and he basically said "unless you have problems in the future, good luck". But maybe I should wait another month and see what happens. I guess for me because I was going really well for a few weeks, this feels like a big setback.

Also, anyone know much about nerves? I wondered if the pain of recovery this late in the game has something to do with the nerves in that area growing back.

Hi @123Aussie I’m not sure that the Avene cream is making that much difference and I still can’t get over the fact that I’m putting face cream on my bottom. The fact that it contains zinc, which most nappy creams and haemorrhoid creams do too, it’s probably not going to do any harm so I’ll continue until the end of the tube.

Thanks for reminding me about the L-Lysine supplements - I’d completely forgotten to take them for quite few days. It’s hard to know what it is you are doing that’s making any difference but I’ve now put them by the kettle so I don’t forget to take them.

Thank goodness you didn’t have the mesh inserted years ago - there have been some truly horrendous cases reported in the press recently. I’m just so thankful that when I had my vaginal repair about 18 years ago a mesh wasn’t an option.

I’m coming up to 14 weeks post op and my consultant told me last week to expect everything to still be a little over sensitive (and a little sore sometimes) for another 6-8 weeks. There are so many nerve endings in that area that any trauma there is going to cause significant pain. Even though my wound has healed, because it’s newly healed, the skin is thin, fragile and overly sensitive. Im presuming that this means the nerves are closer to the surface, therefore more exposed and that’s why they are complaining still! The consultant commented on the newly healed area being very pink (just like when if you have an injury to skin on the outside) and that this was down to increased blood flow to the area (all part of the healing process) and that everything would eventually calm down. I’m three weeks ahead of you, so hopefully my consultant’s comments are reassuring to you too!

@AniseedBall I have been taking the Movicol (almost a full sachet a day) for the past three days as I’d had a couple of hard BMs and the leakage has returned with it. Not exactly a controlled scientific experiment but I’m hoping that it is the Movicol to blame. If It continues after I stop the Movicol I’m going to be sooooo upset.

I’ve just realised that I’ve not taken the L-Lysine for the last three days so definitely not a scientific experiment 😁

Hi @123Aussie it's really difficult to tell if the lump I have is painful. Some days the pain is definitely internal where the wound is and I'm pretty sure not the lump but other times I'm not sure. It doesn't hurt when I poke it or put cream on. I don't know if this is a good sign? The Consultant said I'll need to wait until the wound is completely healed before I'll be able to tell.

In terms of having pain again, I'm coming up for 16 weeks and am still have some pain and discomfort. My Consultant said I'd have good and bad weeks (at my 6 week appointment, not initially) and this still seems to be the case. I had a good phase for a few days over Christmas and thought the pain was sorted but last week wasn't good again. I feel like a broken record!!

If you are concerned about your progress it might be worth seeing or contacting your doctor. I had a 6 week check, then 12 weeks and will be going again at about 19 weeks. I had my op done privately so likely more checks than I'd have had on the NHS.

Hi @Dogwalker1 sorry you are having leakage again. Unfortunately I have proved the same, I've ended up with loose BMs for the last few days and my leakage has increased. Again no idea why the loose BMs, my diet hasn't changed particularly and I'm having less of both Movicol and prune juice 😬 I'm stuck which one to reduce, so I'm trying different combinations, yet to find the right one!! I achieved the holy grail of 1 BM on Friday for the first time since the op and was terrified I'd be caught short on the school run rather than being pleased! It hasn't lasted though....

Has the pain you were getting improved?
I haven't posted for a few days as I'm just saying the same thing over and over again and have been since about November!! I've been so fed up.

After my 1 BM on Friday I was in quite a lot of pain by the evening. I tried to increase the rectogesic to include a third application and ended up with a headache after the second one so didn't use it in the evening.

I've also only taken the L Lysine twice as it seemed the loose BMs coincided with taking that, but I haven't used it for a couple of days and things are still that way so I may start again tomorrow. The tablets are so big I was having to break them in half to swallow them so thought that might be the cause of the problems but the bottle doesn't say anything about swallowing whole and there's a snap line across the middle so I'm hoping it's ok!

I've also tried upping the pelvic floor exercises but they are still irritating the sore bit more often than not 😬 I guess I just need to do what I can but I can't help panicking that I'm going to come out of this with really weak pelvic floor muscles and they weren't good to start with!

The only good news amongst all these disasters is the swelling seems to have been a bit smaller for a few days so maybe it wasn't the rectogesic causing the increased swelling. It makes no sense for that to be smaller while everything else is worse. I really can't figure this out so I'm going to try not to analyse it this week.

Hoping for a good week this week for us all!

Hi @AniseedBall I’m so sorry you’ve had a bad week, no wonder you are feeling fed up. I’m feeling like I’m posting the same stuff over and over again too!

I’ve got an area that is still sore. The examination plus two hard BMs last week has increased this slightly. I’m not extremely sore, it’s more of a stinging sensation, and if I’m distracted I forget about it, but it’s still there. I think it’s worse after loose BMs as I‘m repeatedly wiping. Standing for long periods, like I did yesterday, makes it worse too. Walking seems to help at the time but if I overdo it I can feel it in the evening. I’m also not convinced that this new cream is as soothing and as protective as a haemorrhoid cream.

As I’m taking the Movicol again I’m trying taking it in the morning rather than last thing at night to see if that makes any difference to my BM the following morning. All this overthinking about BMs and different things to try is seriously making me feel like some crazy woman. Someone mentioned yesterday about the super healing properties of broth/stock made from bones so I’m probably going to try that too!

The L-Lysine tablets are a ridiculous size - I thought snapping them in half it would make them less streamlined so no easier to swallow but I might try it.

Re the pelvic floor exercises - when I told the Consultant that I hadn’t been doing them until recently as they made the area more sore she said only do them if they’re not making any discomfort worse.

Glad to hear the swelling is a bit smaller. 🙂

I hope next week is a better week for all of us.

@Dogwalker1 I feel like a crazy woman too! It'll be such a relief when I don't need to think about any of it!! I hope you are feeling ok today.

How did taking the Movicol in the morning work? Or is it too early to tell? I'm still splitting mine in the hopes it spreads the softening effect out over my BMs rather than going from hardish to too loose. Not sure it actually makes any difference though!!

After weighing up the pros and cons of cutting down Movicol or prune juice or both, I've emailed the Dietician I spoke to for advice as it was driving my mad. Long term I'd prefer to get rid of Movicol and just have a bit of prune juice as it's more natural but it does bloat me a bit. I hope she replies 🤞🏻

I just wish I had more knowledge about how all these things work. How did you doctor explain how Movicol works?

Hi @AniseedBall It's a bit early to tell but this morning it seemed to work a little better. The logic behind my thinking was that if I took the movicol after a BM in the morning then it would start working earlier on the next morning's BM. My BM was starting off quite firm and ending up really loose which I'm blaming on the leakage and the difficulty cleaning up afterwards. So this morning it did seem more even. I'm just taking the half sachet a day as the two days that I had a full sachet was too much.
Movicol works by making the gut absorb more water. And I copied the following: The water retained by MOVICOL® softens the stool and bulks it up slightly. As the stool gently expands, it naturally triggers colonic activity and a bowel movement.

As I'm just going the once everyday, and I can pretty much guarantee it will be within a half hour of getting up, I'm hoping that this works. If I just start going 8 hours after taking the Movicol then that's not going to work.

Are you still going twice a day but quite close together?

@AniseedBall and there is even a video!!!

www.movicol.com.au/about-movicol/how-it-works/

@Dogwalker1 thank you, that's really helpful.

It makes sense what you are doing with Movicol.
🤞🏻it carries on working well. I asked my GP when to take it and she said if it was a sachet or less just have it at the end of the day but like you I found that meant too firm to start with and then too loose. I'm definitely going to stick to splitting it.

I'm still going twice, generally within an hour of getting up which works. I just need to stop it being quite so loose now. Today wasn't good and I've had quite a lot of leakage so I definitely think that's the cause.

Hi ladies. Thought I'd check in. I haven't updated much as things have been the same these last couple of weeks.
I hope both of you have found a happy medium with the movicol?

I'm still sore- like an ache or sometimes a shaper pain on my LHS. Still can't work out if it's the skin tag/hem/whatever that thing is that's causing pain, or more internal. I'm trying to wait a bit longer before making an appt with the original surgeon as he didn't seem like he wanted to see me again. Also I think it was at your appt @Dogwalker1where your consultant said the newly healed area could take 6 to 8 weeks more to heal? So I'm hoping that's what's going on for me. Just an area that has healed and maybe I irritated it again so it's been sorer.
If I'm still in this kind of discomfort at the 4mth mark, I'll call for an appointment. I'm constantly thinking about it which is not doing much for my mental health. Constantly worrying that maybe I need another op to remove this lump, to get rid of the pain. The hemorrhoidectomy was supposed to be the end of all this!
I've been using some anusol supostitories at night and sometimes paracetamol supostitories in the morning. They seem to help, so I'll keep using them when needed. I also find that without some kind of barrier cream, I have more pain. I've been trying a Manuka honey ointment.
I've also been trying to have a sitz bath every day or second day when I can, to see if the salt helps again. I certainly feel better when I'm in the warm water, just like those early days.
Hope you two are doing well and your quietness means healing is happening!

Hi @123Aussie I’m sure what my consultant said to me will fit in your case too and it makes sense that newly healed skin is going to be a lot more sensitised.

Re your lump perhaps it won’t go but it might eventually stop hurting. I think suppositories help but I’m nervous of using the ones I’ve got as they contain an over the counter strength of hydrocortisone, I need to try the ones without. Re you not knowing exactly which bit is hurting - yes I would say that was the same for me. I know it’s on my right side but that’s about it. I think that’s because there are so many nerve endings in that area.

It makes sense too what you said about the barrier cream I think we still need to apply that. Most of my wound was inside but it still definitely helps me.

The last few days have been firstly down then up. On Sunday evening I started to be very unwell with a bad migraine which caused my to have diarrhoea for the next 20 hours, so obviously I stopped the Movicol. The following day the diarrhoea had stopped but the pain and soreness was quite bad after going so much and all the wiping. The day after that I went to the loo absolutely normally! I could have cried it was so perfect! No discomfort, one quick wipe afterwards and that’s all that was needed. Only those of you on this thread will appreciate how AMAZING that was. And not something I could celebrate with any friends or family 😁. Then I didn’t go for a day and panicked and started half a sachet of Movicol again, so back to some leakage in the first hour or so after going for a BM. It was interesting that after I’d been ill the area had been so irritated again and was sore but I then recovered a lot faster than previously.

The good news is that I’m in a lot less discomfort. So hang on in there as after so long I too was feeling that there would never be any improvement. There is still some sensitivity there but it is only when I actually concentrate on the area.

I’m convinced (well hoping) that the Movicol is responsible for the leakage. I’ve actually run out after taking my last quarter of a sachet this morning and I am probably not going out to get more. But.... I’ve said that before and then panicked if I’ve not felt I’d drunk enough or eaten enough fibre. If it wasn’t for the leakage after BMs I’d be fine. And I did have a week without any so I’ve just got to keep everything crossed that’s it’s the Movicol.

I hope you have a good weekend bottom wise.

How are you @AniseedBall getting on?

I meant Monday evening not Sunday when I stared being ill.

Hi @123Aussie @Dogwalker1 good to hear from you both.

I don't really know where to start with last week! Last time I posted my worry had been about the lump being more swollen and possibly needing further surgery despite everything. I completely understand your concern @123Aussie I hope it's reassuring that mine has finally improved quite considerably over the last few days. I've absolutely no idea why but thank goodness!! That's even with 3 hours spent in the car today and then another 3.5 hours walking and standing around which previously would have been about the worst thing I could do.

The bad news is I had a spot of blood on Thursday after a BM and then more than a spot yesterday 😢 Not loads but a few spots on wiping and then a spot when I went a second time so the pain was back yesterday to start with and because it's opened up a bit again I had some discharge today 🙁 I'm finding it so difficult to put up with after so long. No hard BM or anything so I don't think there's anything I can do but just keep going with the rectogesic and hope I get there eventually! I'm going to see if I can tolerate using it 3 times a day without getting a headache. I have my next follow up in a couple of weeks and I'll be so fed up if I'm no further forward than last time. As your Consultant said @Dogwalker1 it's 6-8 weeks to being normal after healing and I've still got an I healed bit 😭 Thankfully as you also said the pain doesn't seem to last as long as it did previously. I'm so glad you survived your migraine / diarrhoea episode. It must have been awful. The fact it didn't do too much damage must mean you doing ok.

I'm still struggling with BMs and the Movicol balance. I finally spoke to the Dietician on Thursday and have agreed to keep the prune juice and cut down the Movicol. I'm down to very little now but BMs are still a bit loose so I need to keep on going. I'm taking it slowly for fear of more blood if things go too far the other way, I don't want the wounds opening up and further.

Goodness knows what's going on, I've never suffered with loose BMs in my life and have taken Movicol since all my haemorrhoid issues started. I seem to have lost the ability to go properly. @Dogwalker1 I'm so jealous of your perfect BM!! I've had one since having this operation, I was overjoyed 😁 As things are still a bit loose I've still got leakage which I'm finding depressing. I'm just hoping that this week I'll get it all sorted. How are you getting on without the Movicol now?