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.

Sorry about all the bold! I don't know what causes it to go like that!!

Sorry loads of typos too 😬

Hi @AniseedBall I read the first bit of your post and thought that’s fantastic (which it is!) but then I read the rest 😰

That’s so frustrating that you’ve got the blood and discharge back - I’m keeping everything crossed that it heals again quickly. Is the area that has opened up again on the outside, as in visible, or is it internal? You couldn’t have disturbed the area just by walking around a lot could you? I have at times been tempted to wear the pads again to ‘protect’ the area.

Re my not taking the Movicol, I didn’t go at all today 😱 which doesn’t bode well for tomorrow. I tried to buy some stool softeners this afternoon - the pharmacy was really crowded and I felt rushed and embarrassed and pointed at something which I thought was the right thing but it was a different type of laxative. So I’ve taken that and hope that I go in the morning. I have to leave early tomorrow morning as I’m on a course all day. So really bad timing and I’m worried in case I have to rush out in the middle of it to go to the loo. I know perhaps I should have just stuck with the a Movicol but the leakage was really worrying me and I just wanted to see if it was the Movicol that was to blame. It was really depressing me too. When I saw the consultant I thought that the leakage had stopped so we didn’t really discuss it in any detail.

Let me know how you get on with just the prune juice. Fingers crossed that the next week is a better one.

@Dogwalker1 the swelling going down is really good and hopefully it'll give others hope, I didn't think it'd happen as it's taken so long!

With the bleeding I've no idea why it is, I keep coming up with theories but I'm just guessing. I get to about two weeks and then I happens again as though it gets too tight or something 😳 It doesn't tend to happen with the really loose BMs but they cause other issues including leakage and I can't spend the rest of my time on the verge of diarrhoea 😬 At least the amounts of blood are getting smaller so I guess there's some progress!

I hope you get on ok tomorrow with the new laxative. I know what you mean about your course, I still feel really uneasy if I have to go out and haven't had a BM or even the day I'd only been once.!Hopefully all these worries will be behind us soon and we won't be thinking any of this! When we went out today we had our bags searched, thankfully he didn't look too closely at the packet of Preparation H wipes that I carry around at the moment 😁

Hi @AniseedBall That is really good that the blood is a lot less, that plus the swelling going down is very encouraging (for you and for everyone else on this thread!). Your small bit that needs to heal is obviously getting smaller!

Re the consultant’s comments of another 6/8 weeks before it stopped being sore might not be a definite. In the last couple of weeks or so I’ve had an examination, hard poos and two lots of diarrhoea and my bum is still in better shape than it was 3/4 weeks ago.

I spend half the night on the loo with a pretty extreme reaction to the laxative 😰. It’s made me realise how mad this whole thing is making me. Why the heck did I think I needed to take a full dose of a laxative after just not going in the morning as I normally do?

The good news is that I’m only the tiniest bit sore this morning, which proves I’m in a better place even than last week.

I’m now absolutely dreading this course now as I’m half asleep. So next time I don’t go I’m going to wait a sensible time before taking anything. I think the laxative was Dulcolac. Do not use! Ever. I had the worst stomach cramps ever.

Here’s to a speedy last bit of our healing!

@Dogwalker1 oh no!! I hope you get through your course ok today. I was going to say lots of caffeine but maybe that if it's coffee that wouldn't be what you want! If it's any consolation I'd have done exactly the same. I get so panicky about whether I've drunk enough / had enough fibre and I swore I wouldn't go crazy about these things before the operation. Great news that you aren't too sore this morning, definitely a good sign. Hopefully you'll be back in your normal routine tomorrow. In a situation like you were in a little bit of prune juice might be something more gentle to try but I shouldn't really advise as I'm hardly the person to guide on BMs with my ongoing issues!!!

Mixed here so far today, only 1 BM and no blood 🥳 but a bit of lingering pain 😬 I'm guessing it's the area that bled yesterday being irritated today. I'm sticking at yesterday's levels of Movicol and prune juice in the hope I get down to 1 BM regularly. I also ate quite a few biscuits when I was out yesterday so maybe I should keep that too 😁

@AniseedBall, @Dogwalker, @AuntyElle,@Aussiemumofboys,@Dogwalker1, @lifesnotaspectatorsport, @123Aussie,
I can’t thank you enough for the graphic detail and am glad there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve read most of your posts over the last five hours lying in bed after a very loose BM. Burns! Boy does it burn! And it lingers for hours after and I find it so frustrating and anxiety building for the next BM that I really think it’s hampering my progress. I had a talk to the surgeon just before xmas and got in to have three 4th degree prolapsing haemorrhoids removed on the 16/01/2020. What a great way to start the year. The surgeon said two to three weeks I will be uncomfortable. The pain is fairly severe. Uncomfortable my arse!
First bowel movement was good second one I bled, badly, like a cup of blood. But It was a big BM. Went to ER thinking I’d get a fleet enema only to have another BM with next to no poo but loads of blood. Got admitted to hospital. Three days later, four more BM all the same a bit of poo lots of blood. I got put on the list for surgery and got a fissure sealed and several loose bleed contained using diathermy. The first operation was using a Ligasure.
The pain from the first op was bad but since the second one it’s been the last circle of hell. I don’t think anyone can understand the pain unless they have felt it, so thank you all again for being so honest and open about this.
I tried to get to see a dietician in the hospital but was fobbed off. NOT happy! 😡
I’ve got the diltiazem cream $45 bloody thieves. Only used it once but I’ll keep going. Using movicol x 2 at a time three times a day. Oxynorm (lactose free endone) and Palexia IR which is like tramedol but newer. Also taking colicsyl 120 x 2 twice a day. I found if you get the itchies with the opiates take an antihistamine with them. Sorts them right out and sleep follows. Or non drowsy ones if needed.

@AniseedBall @Dogwalker1hope you are feeling better. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. The doctors are definitely not forthright in the information about recovery pain. Why did you slow movicol and start using prune juice? Was it to alleviate the burning?

@dogwalker1 how have you been? Hope the course was incident free and you were able to stay awake. I just hate how this interferes with every little part of our lives.

@aniseedball I hope you're well too and the day of no bleeding was the start of ALL the days of no bleeding?
@Wagonmaker2 you poor thing, you've really had an awful time of it. How are things settling down? I also had the stinging after a BM and found being able to jump into a warm salt bath helped almost instantly. I would also do a 10 minute healing meditation while in the bath to take my mind off the pain. It's awful they didn't put you in to see a dietician when you requested it. I find I have to tailor my movicol and coloxyl depending on what I eat each day. I'd love to have less of both (currently one sachet movicol and 2x 50mg tabs of coloxyl) but I just can't risk a hard poo or having to strain at all. If you look back to early November (on the old thread) you'll see a diary I did day by day until I went back to work. I can now see that each day had little improvements.
I had to keep telling myself that at 2w I'd feel better. Then at one month, then christmas. Little goals were the only way to keep me hopeful.
I'm still having pain, especially when I sit, although also just randomly when lying or standing. Lying down is the best, but not possible all day and night! I'm back to work again next week after the summer break here and kind of dreading it. I'll need to find a way to have all my creams and suppositories easily transportable to the loo.
I made an appt with my consultant for the 20th Feb. I decided to both give it another month and aim for after my next period. I'm hoping the lump shrinks and the pain subsides by then and I can cancel it. But at least I have it there just in case.

@Wagonmaker2 You poor thing, that sounds like a complete nightmare 😱 I actually winced when I read your post. I hope the next few days go quickly for you as you’ve had an awful experience and you are very much in the worst bit. I can still remember the anxiety and dread about going to the loo.

I’m glad this thread and all our graphic accounts were helpful - goodness was there really five hours worth?!!

I found in the early days the Diltiazam cream stung really badly and had to wait around six weeks before I could use it without it stinging.

I’m still trying to stop the Movicol because of the leakage but now accept that I might have to use it on some days.

I had my op on the 10th October and there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. After weeks and weeks of no change to that last 10% of healing, I feel that I’m pretty much there. If only someone had told me that it was a three/four month recovery then I would have been able to cope with this a lot better.

@123Aussie hopefully my improvement after non for so long gives you some encouragement as it did just suddenly happen.

I know what you mean about trying to carry all the necessary ‘equipment’ to the loo. I’m 59, so if I carry a large handbag to the loo everyone will probably think I’ve got a serious incontinence problem or that I’m a secret drinker! Good luck though with you going back to work next week, having to leave the house at at certain time every day is v stressful after this op.

I think you did the right thing delaying the appointment. As you say hopefully you won’t need it, but if you do it will mean the consultant will probably be able to examine you properly. My examination was a bit earlier and was a little uncomfortable but I did feel reassured that she was able to see everything.

My course was just a first aid course that I had to do but luckily the guy who came in to do it was so bad that no one could follow what he was saying. We all got our certificates but we actually have to get someone else in to go over the bits that were missed, so in the end it didn’t matter that I was half asleep.

After my severe reaction to the laxative I ended up not going for three days 😱😱😱. I was so terrified when I finally did go but it was actually fine. The wound area has definitely toughened up, it no longer hurts and I just have a very slight sensitivity in the area. I didn’t have any leakage today (because I didn’t take Movicol yesterday?) so I’m keeping everything crossed that this is it.

@AniseedBall how are you? I hope you are still seeing improvement. Isn’t it your follow up appointment soon?

Hi @Wagonmaker2 I hope you are feeling better than when you posted the other day. What you've been through sounds truly awful. My hope for all of us who go through this is that it's ultimately worth the trauma and pain. It seems the world over we are given an unrealistic idea of how long the recovery will take.

I've cut down the Movicol and added prune juice in the hope of giving a softer BM, I found Movicol makes me go but doesn't necessarily soften things. Since having the operation it's given my BMs a strange fragmented consistency that made them difficult to pass and so painful in a different way and too much gives the burning effect (sorry for the graphic info but I'm not sure how else to describe it!!) Also the prune juice adds a bit of fibre and I've always had terrible bloating so am working with the dietician to cut that down and she said I was having too much fruit so this is to compensate for that a little. In addition I can't tolerate a lot of high fibre foods that would be good in this situation so we are looking at prune juice as a long term solution as well. It is powerful though so if you ever try it, start with a small dose!!

@123Aussie I hope your pain has improved in the last few days and you get to the point where you can sit comfortably. I'm just about there now (with some exceptions) after 18 weeks! I also used to get the random pains when lying or standing and I can also say they have mostly stopped now too (unless I've had a bleeding incident!!).

I can also report, and I hope this gives you hope, my lump has swollen up slightly a couple of times since I last posted but on the whole it has gone down considerably so I am much more confident than I was that it will eventually just be a skin tag. 🤞🏻this happens for you too, it took so long in my case I really thought it would never happen.

Good luck back at work. I have just applied for a new job and am worrying if I get it will I look weird taking my bag to the toilet every time I go in case I need my wipes 😬 The things this operation makes us consider!!

Hi @Dogwalker1 I'm glad to hear you survived your course. I'm hope your system is now working as normal after the laxative situation! I'd have been panicking like mad not going for 3 days. You must have been so relieved when it was actually ok!! Great news that you are feeling almost recovered. It's such a long haul. And good news on the leakage front too. I've had a couple of days this week with quite a lot and it's so horrible. Today has been good though so I need perfect BMs every day and I'll be ok. Not sure I can manage that and I don't like the idea that if I have a looser BM at any point I'll get leakage 🙁

I'm still like a broken record which was why I hadn't posted until now, I had a spot of blood again yesterday but thankfully none today. Since my last couple of blood incidents I've had a bit of pain, nothing too bad, but I'm aware of it, I guess it's as that bit heals again 😬 Today's BM was perfect in terms of leakage and under normal circumstances would be fine it was a bit painful so I feel like I'm not going to win with it until I'm fully healed. My current Movicol/ prune juice combination is the best I've got so far so I'm carrying on with it for now. The good news is the lump has stayed small, I'm getting on better sitting for longer periods and I've been ok tolerating a third dose of rectogesic (when I remember) so I'm hoping that will help.
My next appointment is in a couple of weeks, I'm desperately hoping I'll be fixed by then.

I hope you all have good, bottom trouble free weekends!

Hi ladies, how are you all getting on? I hope you are all feeling well.

There's not a lot of change to report here, after a few clear days I had a spot of blood again this morning but not much pain or discomfort with it thankfully. I'm still getting some leakage but that's really dependent on BMs. If I cut down the Movicol further I'm sure it would improve but as I'm still getting one or two days a week with a spot or two of blood I can't risk it yet. Very frustrating as it'll be 18 weeks tomorrow since my operation 🙁 My lump is mainly smaller but does still occasionally swell up a bit but I think that's linked to the days when I get the blood.

My follow up appointment is next Tuesday so it'll be interesting to see what the Consultant has to say! I'll be pleased if he can give me a definitive answer re the swelling even if I'm not fully healed.

Hope things are good with you @Dogwalker1

Sorry for the moan again earlier, things are getting better, just extremely slowly and it's getting me down today.

Hi @AniseedBall not a lot of change to report here either. I had a couple of days when everything felt a bit over sensitive but it‘s settled down again now. If I go more than once in a day (which doesn’t happen very often) it means that I don’t get to have a bath afterwards so there is very slight leakage. If I take Movicol everyday the leakage returns, not much, it just seems an endless clean up job. There have been a couple of times where I’ve not gone everyday and I dread going the following day. However, the recovery that I get from not going (and wiping) sort of makes up for the slightly uncomfortable BM which follows the following day. I didn’t have a BM this morning so I will take some Movicol tonight.

You are probably wise to keep with the Movicol until the bleeding completely stops. I had one day where there was a tiny spot of blood before a BM. What the heck? I think I must have knocked the area or twisted the area when I was getting out of bed. I expected to see more after I’d been to the loo but there was nothing. I guess the bit on the outside which is just healed is really thin and fragile.

They say swelling is the body’s way of protecting itself so it makes sense that you are a bit more swollen when you've had bleeding. It willl be interesting to see what the consultant says when you see him. It seems like you are in a much better place than when you saw the consultant last time, so try not to think about the 18 weeks! I’ve been thinking in months, I’m not sure which sounds worse 😐

@Wagonmaker2 How are you? I hope the pain has eased up a bit.

@123Aussie I hope you too have seen some improvement.

Hi @Dogwalker1 I hope you've had a good day today with no random spots of blood. That sounds really odd. Otherwise it sounds like you are getting on ok.

I haven't had any blood today thank goodness and the positive compared to a month or so ago it's just a spot and even if I have another BM afterwards I don't get any more bleeding. The frustrating thing yesterday was apart from the bleeding I would have said it was the perfect BM. The holy grail I've been trying to achieve for months 😀

After that I panicked and decided I needed to make sure BMs were softer and ignore the leakage so I had a little bit more Movicol and more fruit and vegetables. The result?? I went 4 times today 😬 Things have been a bit sensitive since!! Lesson learnt there!!! Despite the odd spot of blood still, I'd only been going once or twice most days and all was fine so I need to go back to what I was having before.

There's no obvious cause for the days I get the bleeding so I just need to keep going as I am, not panic again and hope it is all healed very soon. This is what I'm trying to tell myself and I need to stop counting the weeks.

Hi @AniseedBall delighted to hear about your perfect BM! That is our new holy grail! It’s so easy to panic and reach for more Movicol. 4 times - poor you 😰

I’ve not had anymore blood but I’m a little more sensitive/swollen than last week. I have been having a major blitz on the house this week so perhaps being very physical and doing lots of lifting and carrying hasn’t helped. It is only very slightly uncomfortable and to be honest most of the time I don’t notice it, it’s only as I’m typing this that I’m thinking I can feel it.

Despite the whatever number of weeks it’s taking, we are getting there albeit s l o w l y . Hope you have a good weekend bottom wise!

@Dogwalker1 I've noticed that too when I have busier days than normal, not painful but slightly sensitive and I'm aware of the area. Definitely much better than when I had the haemorrhoids though!!

I hope you have a good weekend bottom wise too! I'll let you know if I get any useful information from my appointment.

@Aniseedball - good luck with you appointment!

@aniseedball how was your appointment?

@123Aussie @Dogwalker1 hello, I hope you are getting on ok and are both having good weeks so far.

My appointment went really well, there might just be light at the end of the tunnel!! Despite a tiny bit of blood this morning the Consultant said the wound looks healed. He thinks the surface must be opening up slightly when I'm getting the spots of blood but he said compared to the last appointment it looks healed, whereas then there was an obvious wound even though it was small.
So I have made progress even though I'm not 100% yet.

The other good news was he doesn't think the swelling will need anything doing to it 🥳 🥳🥳
It should just become a small skin tag.

I asked about the leakage and he thinks it's likely the Movicol and when I'm properly healed I can ease off it a bit more and that should sort it. This ties in with what I've noticed so I hopeful on that.

He told me to carry on with the rectogesic twice a day and once I've had 3 or 4 good weeks I can stop. Then he wants to see me in about 3 months for what should be my final appointment 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Hi @AniseedBall, that’s absolutely fantastic 🤗🤗🤗. I’ve been waiting for you to post and I’m so glad that the news was all good, you must be so pleased!

Being off and on with the over the last few weeks I tend to agree with the consultant, if I use it I get leakage. Yet when I had an upset tummy I didn’t.

I’ve had a good few days where (shock, horror) I’ve not thought much about my bottom 🙂. The outside of the wound was is still a bit sensitive when I wipe but apart from that it’s been good.

Hope everyone else on the thread is having a good week.

*On and off with the Movicol

Hi @Dogwalker1 sorry for the delayed reply, it's great that you have had days where you haven't thought of your bottom! That's absolutely my goal!! I hope that has carried on for you.

I went it see the dietician on Thursday and meant to post what she said but things have been a bit crazy the last few days so haven't got round to it.

After hearing what the Consultant said on Tuesday she said I'd done well to be almost healed at this stage 😱 I was really surprised as to me it's taken ages compared to what the Consultant said initially but she said a lot of people take far far longer. I was quite relieved to hear a realistic point of view and found it helpful to hear its normal. She thinks the spots of blood I've been getting are just the very top layer coming off if the Consultant said it looks heals rather than being deeper layers which was also great news.

Things have gone slightly pear shaped since, I ended up with a slightly hard BM Saturday morning and ended up with a bigger than a spot amount of blood 😢 and then similar this morning (soft BM though!). I'm trying to stay positive after the appointments last week but it's so dispiriting. A definite step backwards, I'm thinking more than the top layer must have been affected this time 😩 I can't believe how fragile the wound is, what would be considered a normal BM under any other circumstances I'm now classing as slightly hard and it's causing damage 😬😬😬

I hope everyone else is getting on well and has a good bottom week!

Hi @AniseedBall, sorry to hear about your setback 😕. From what your consultant said I’m sure it will heal up again soon, I’ll keep my fingers crossed! There are so many blood vessels there I guess you can have something that bleeds more than a spot without it being a deep wound.

Interesting that the consultant said something very different re your healing last time but it completely backs up what everyone else who I’ve seen says. Wasn’t he the one who told you that some people are healed after two weeks?! Not very helpful.

I got the letter from my consultant signing me off saying that it would be another 6/8 weeks (from my last appointment) before it stops being fragile and hypersensitive. In the letter it mentioned my incontinence 🤨 now being resolved! Is that an even worse term than spontaneous soiling? I prefer our ‘leakage’ term. Speaking of which I had a return of yesterday. I’d gone a day without going then went the following afternoon. Hard at the beginning but then very soft at the end. Perhaps it was that I didn’t have a bath afterwards but there was some leakage which made me feel a bit miserable. I’ve not taken any Movicol for around ten days so it wasn’t that. I am a bit worried as I thought that had stopped. It was as if I had to wipe and wipe endlessly afterwards using wet wipes. The only good thing is that I can feel the area is toughening up gradually. I haven’t been doing my pelvic floor exercises so I guess I should do those.

Until the leakage yesterday I would have said that I was happy with everything. It is still over sensitive and I think it is still slightly swollen (but that might be as good as it gets). My main symptom before this op was occasional bleeding (but quite heavy) and really awful mucus (all the time) which I haven’t got now. But the leakage needs to go away completely before I’m happy with the op.

I really hope everything heals for you in the next couple of days again. I guess you’ll be looking at the Movicol/prune juice ratio but don’t overdo it 😬. You have still done the majority of the healing so it not as if you’ve undone everything by having a slightly hard BM. It is so frustrating all this going backwards and forwards but I guess we are both a lot further ahead than we’re were.

Wishing everyone else on the thread good bum days.

Hi @Dogwalker1 I'm glad things are going well but sorry to hear about the leakage 🙁 I prefer that term to the ones your Consultants have used too! Spontaneous soiling, possibly the worst phrase I've heard to describe it!!

From what you described it probably was due to the BM being very soft at the end. I've certainly found that happens whether due to Movicol or what I've eaten. I really hope given time it will return to normal.

Your comment about the Movicol / prune juice ratio made me laugh. You know me well 😁 I've been studying my list and trying to work out what today's amounts should be!!

The dietician says I have slow transit and will always need Movicol and or prune juice to avoid constipation etc and that I'll need to change amount according to circumstances like stress which apparently slows everything down. It seems impossible at the moment though as I can't tell when what's worked for a few days won't be enough until I've had some kind of incident like Saturday. Adjusting quantities afterwards isn't going to help much 😬 It should be manageable when I've recovered but just an impossible guessing game until then.

I don't seem to have had any lasting effects from the bleeding this morning. I had a random lunchtime BM and thankfully no blood or pain. I also did a short very basic Pilates session with a physio I see today and it was ok. Slightly uncomfortable a couple of times but much better than I thought it'd be. I declined the cat stretch though, I can't imagine ever feeling confident enough to stretch my bottom out like that again 😁

I hope the rest of the week goes ok for you and you don't get any further leakage.

Hi guys 🙂 How are you all now. I am 4 weeks op and I still have pain after BM and I go twice in a short time. I also went to see my GP and she gave me very bad news, I have new haemorrhoid. I am a bit depressed now because I just had the surgery and I was thinking everything is over but not it is not over 😞