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 @gembirde sorry you are going through this. As I've discovered 4 weeks is still early days with this operation. It will improve and BMs will become less painful and eventually pain free. My only advice is ibuprofen and baths for the pain and avoid hard BMs but I'm sure you know all this already!

Was your GP absolutely certain about the new haemorrhoid? I only ask as I had a swelling appear straight after my op that looked just like a haemorrhoid and at my 6 week check the Consultant spent ages describing how he'd do the next op. It's taken a good while but the lump has gone down gradually and I'll eventually just be left with a skin tag. The Consultant confirmed at my last appointment that he didn't think I'd need another one after all. Do you have a follow up booked with the surgeon who did your operation? They might have more knowledge that your GP 🤞🏻for you that it's just a swelling.

@Dogwalker1 how are you getting on? I hope you are fully recovered now and all the thoughts of bottoms and BMs are a distant memory!

Things are pretty much the same with me. I managed 9 days without any spots of blood but have had 3 more incidents since 🙁 I'm not really getting pain any more just occasional discomfort and the leakage has reduced just to the odd bit so at least some good news. If only the spots of blood would stop! Hopefully it won't be much longer - how many times have I said that?? 😬 When I got to 9 days I thought that might be it, I might be completely healed but sadly not!

Hi @gembirde I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this awful op and agree with everything @AniseedBall said! Four weeks post op is a very short time and I know at that stage I was comparing photo of skin tags to haemorrhoids online and then trying to work out what I had! I was still uncomfortable and swollen at that stage. As I had improved considerably compared to the first two weeks post op I expected the healing to continued at that rate but for me it slowed right down and I wish someone had warned me about that.

I’m not too sure how experienced doctors are at looking at bums post op. In my experience it was the nurses at my local practice that had more knowledge than the GPs. One doctor I saw tried to dress it with a dressing taped on to my buttocks and then admitted that she didn’t really know what she was looking at and wasn’t sure how it should look! I would have thought it’s really unlikely that you could have developed a new hem this soon? Fingers crossed that it is just normal post op swelling that could take a while to go down. I completely get how upsetting that must have been for you to have the doctor say that. There are quite a few of us on here that have worried about if the op has been a success and worried in case we needed to have anymore work done. I would wait for the consultant’s opinion.

Do you have an appointment with the consultant planned? I had one at six weeks post op which was a bit too soon and another one two months after that. At my first appointment I was told that I shouldn’t expect my bottom to feel, behave or look normal for at least three months post op.

As you can probably tell from this thread there seems for most of us a bit of two steps forward, one step back with the healing after this op. Most of us seemed to have been unprepared (and not forewarned) re the long recovery.

I’ve stopped counting how many months I am post op which I think is a good sign! Things are definitely a bit less sensitive down there as the newly healed bit gets tougher and less fragile. I’ve stopped taking the Movicol which has occasionally led me to have a painful BM and a bit of soreness for a day or so but I’m just trying to pay the whole area less attention! Not sure if this is because of boredom with the whole thing or a stress relieving tactic 🤔.

My main issue after the op was the leakage which has like @AniseedBall reduced to just a tiny bit occasionally. Usually if my timing means I can’t have a bath after a BM. Perhaps as the healed area gets less fragile I can clean up more firmly which might help. I still find that I have to use wet wipes or loo paper with a bit of aloe vera gel for cleaning.

@Aniseed Ball it sounds as if you are still making good progress although it must be frustrating getting the bleeding after you thought it had stopped. I’m glad though that the length of time without any bleeding seems to be getting longer!

Not sure why @AniseedBall was being changed - I wasn’t typing it like that!

@AniseedBall @Dogwalker1 thank you guys to replaying back, it means a lot to me especially going through this.
I have an appointment with my surgeon on 9.3.20 and I’m going to ask him hundred questions 🙈 my GP looked pretty sure about the haemorrhoid but she said in most cases it goes away after time. Also she prescribed me an Anusol. Hopefully when I see my surgeon he will say this is just a swelling.
My biggest problem right now is the frequent
BMs in the morning. Did any of you have the same problem through the recovery?I am drinking 3 litres of water every day I eat healthy food and I don’t take any lactulose. Also I am very strict with my daily fibre intake 😊🙃

Hi @gembirde. I'm 4 months post up and still have niggling little problems. I had a follow up with my surgeon earlier this week and he said the swelling I have is a skin tag. It might go down, or it might be the best my bum will ever be. I'm disappointed as it's annoying and means that I still have to use a wet wipes to clean up like @dogwalker1

I still have 2 or at the worst, 3 BMs a morning. It's not fun. Mine aren't painful, but it means my morning routine is very particular at the moment.

I'm.still taking movicol and the surgeon says it might be something I have to take every day forever. Ugh. But I've noticed that eve though I had the minimal sphincterotomy done, if I don't have the movicol and kind of loose stools then I have to strain.

I also still have pain. Usually when I've been sitting for awhile. I worry it'll never go away, but maybe this is just my lot to put up with now.

@aniseedball I hope the bleeding stops for you soon. I understand how frustrated you might be feeling. This has been such a long process for all of us.

@dogwalker1 sounds like you're having little steps to improvement too. Let's hope there's a leap forward soon.

Hi, guys 🙃 good news the new swelling on my bum is a skin tag, not new hemorrhoid. About the frequent bowel movements, my surgeon couldn’t give me an answer so he decided to send me for endoscopy. Then I rang my mom's best friend she is a gastroenterologist and explained her all my symptoms, she said I have upset my stomach and for the next 10 days need to stay away from dairy products, fresh fruits, and some vegetables. Also, I had to start taking Iberogast and drink 2 liters of water per day.
I started doing this since Tuesday and my bowel movements dropped to only to 2, and the pain is almost gone. 😊🙃😊

Hi team :)
Thought I'd drop in. I was going SO well for ages. Feeling pretty good, just the occasional twinge of pain. Then three days ago I strained to poo - it happened a couple of times in the one day. I feel like I must have a structure or something because it was a 4 or so on the Bristol scale but nothing thicker than my thumb will come out now. Since then I've had aching, burning and sharp stabbing pain. I also did a ton of garden work the next day so think i overdid it. I stupidly had a look and when I spread my butt apart I can see some veins there. I'm hopeful that it's all normal and will just heal itself. I'm back to making sure my BM are more like a 5 on the scale and using correct posture and breathing. I've had a couple of days of trying to take it easy which has been doable with Easter and now working from home. Using anusol suppositories and some hemorrhoid cream to see if that takes away the pain. I can't wait for long, so am doing lots of standing and lying down. My period is due, so if this is still a problem afterwards I'll get an appointment with my regular doctor. My specialist is only open for emergencies . Hows everyone else going? Would love to hear you're all healed and feeling good.

@123Aussie good to hear from you but sorry to read your latest development.

Hopefully it's just a very temporary set back and you'll be back to where you were quickly. It's positive that you had been doing well before this.
It seems from what I've read that even when you have been doing well the wound is fragile for a good while afterwards.

I've not recovered yet. I had a good period of 9 days without any bleeding then went back to spots of blood a couple of times a week.

Unfortunately about two weeks ago there was more blood than just a spot and it was almost every day and for no obvious reason. I hadn't strained or had any hard BMs and was still using Rectogesic three times a day. It feels to me like the muscle isn't relaxing properly and the wound is the bit giving so opening up and bleeding. That's only my theory so I'll have to see!

I managed to get a prescription for Anoheal and was doing well, 5 days without any blood, then some spots again. I'm now on day 6 without any so have my fingers crossed it continues. I did email the Consultant again before things started improving but with the current situation he hasn't replied. I was due to see him at the end of the month but that has been changed to a phone appointment so I'll see what he has to say!
I doubt without him being able to do an examination it'll be that worthwhile but maybe he'll have some advice.

I've found all this really hard especially being stuck at home with too much time to worry. I'm trying not to dwell on time but it's been nearly seven months now 😭 Being stuck at home has upset my BM routine so that's making me a bit stressed too 😩

I hope you are feeling better soon @123Aussie

@Dogwalker1 how are you getting on? Hopefully all recovered and the whole thing is a distant memory now.

Hi @123Aussie and @AniseedBall

I’ve been wondering how everyone was getting on. I’m sorry to hear that you have both being having problems. Not being able to get in touch with consultants at the moment makes it harder too.

I’ve been mostly OK apart from the ongoing problem of cleaning up after a bowel movement and needing a bath afterwards or waiting an hour then checking with another quick wipe using a wet wipe. During the current strange times and things being out of stock in the supermarkets I had to resort to buying some on eBay at an extortionate price. I dread to think how much it’s costing me to have a poo 😬. I’ve also started using aloe Vera gel again as I’m sure that helps with the swelling. I think I’ve accepted that as I don’t have a smooth bum, and physically it must be different after the operation, this is something I just have to live with. Before the op I had a smelly discharge which was worse as that was constant.

At the beginning of April I had a quite a few days where I had difficulty passing quite hard poo and felt sore and swollen afterwards. So out came the Movicol again 😐. It’s probably just the change in routine, different eating patterns and possibly being stressed and worried about the whole Coronavirus situation but my tummy feels very gripey now. I never get constipated unless I’ve not drunk enough liquids so I’m having slight anxiety about that now! I know from when my hemms were bleeding, and I kept having to be investigated, doctors don’t like sudden changes in bowel habits!

@123Aussie are you based in Australia or Uk? Just wondering how you are both doing in the current situation. I’m in London so the figures are both scary and sad.

Hope that you both are experiencing another blip and you’ll go back to how you were a couple of weeks ago. X

It's good to hear from you @Dogwalker1 Sorry you've had a set back too.

I've had a similar issue with what I was doing food / Movicol wise not working as well as it was. My BMs are still soft but I'm getting a lot of bloating and feel like I'm not going as much as I would. I'm putting it down to stress from the current situation and not moving as much as I normally would slowing down transit time. I've tried to stick to eating as I was, keeping meal times very similar and I'm walking every day but it's definitely having a big effect. The dietician I have spoken too did say stress will affect transit time as well as other aspects of digestion 🙁
Hopefully we'll get into new routines that work soon. It's extra stress I could do without!

Increasing the Movicol and prune juice has increased the leakage unfortunately. It's definitely the cause but I'm going to have to put up with it until I've healed properly I guess 😬

I was interested to read you still have some swelling @Dogwalker1 Mine has gone down over time but I do still have some and if I'm on my feet a lot or have a day with bleeding it's definitely worse. I have been worrying it is a new haemorrhoid after all but hearing you still have some swelling too makes me wonder more optimistic that it's ok. Fingers crossed we'll both be swelling free soon.

I'm with you on the cost of all of this! I was only thinking the other day about how much it's cost me in wipes and all the other things I've tried. Sorry you had to buy even more expensive ones from eBay!! As soon as the lock down was announced I ordered a stock of Preparation H and Water Wipes from Amazon. Luckily they were still available at a reasonable price.

@123Aussie I hope you are feeling better soon.

Just thinking about what I've written today, I wonder how many times I've said the same things now!!

@AniseedBall thanks for the info re stress and transition time! I guess it’s not surprising that all the stress would have an effect.

Here I am, back again. I've had pain in and off since the surgery in late October 2019. I've been back to my surgeon (just wait, time will heal, was his message) and to another surgeon (eat more fibre! She said) and then a pain specialist. I'm now on a wait list for a pelvic pressure test and he's going to do a prescription for ketamine. Worst of all, I'm off work today with the pain because I think I have a thrombosed hemorrhoid or vein down there again. Fark.

Update- saw the GP and he's confirmed I have a tiny thrombosis just inside the anus. Treating it with sheriproct. I was back at work today and even ended up lying on the bathroom floor for a bit as I was in so much pain. This is awful. I'm praying and hoping it will resolve itself quickly, I can't even think of going through the pain of having it excised.