Rafaelo Procedure haemorrhoids

[Tanni370000]

I had the Rafaelo procedure on Monday to remove 3 haemorrhoids. From the reviews online I read this shouldn’t be too painful but I am in agony with it. Every bowl movement is torture, even when taking two laxatives. Has anyone experienced this? When did you feel better again? TIA!

Hi NewHopeNow how kind of you. Well not much further the surgeon again says everything ok and he again says it is down to my sphincter muscle being slightly weak and letting a tiny bit of stool out . I don’t buy it because I have never had any problems before the procedure and don’t have any now as regards any marks etc. He wants to do an MRI of my rectum then physio and a procedure which has nearly a year waiting to strengthen the muscle. Personally I think he is just sending me for things to placate me and still think either he damaged the nerves or the nerves have reacted violently to the procedure which is why I am getting excruciating pain in my side and back as well.
I saw my GP today who is lovely and she agreed I should go for the nerve block I had booked with a really good consultant I have used successfully before and he will block the nerves to my anus & although there is no guarantee it is worth a go as I really don’t want to go on medication.
So I have the nerve block on Friday which is excruciating and costly but to be honest I would sell all my possessions (apart from my dog!) if it meant I could be pain free. It is beyond me why such a common problem cannot be fixed easily and with no after effects there are so many suffering. I will post after the weekend.

@Bonny1234 Sorry I hadn't seen your update. It does sound like he's blaming anything he can think of to get out of being responsible for your pain. Could it be that if he strings you along for long enough then the hospital get out of being responsible? Like they only have to provide additional treatment within a certain time frame? I can't think why they wouldn't get on and help you if they intended to at all.

NewHopeNow Thanks for your message that’s a good point about the time span I wonder if it is a year which would be July. I think I will email the Patient Liaison Manager and see what they have to say. Unfortunately the nerve block hasn’t worked and I am still have awful burning pain and actually felt like I couldn’t go on this morning. The time has come to stop being reasonable and tell him he has to do something. I am seeing a Neurologist privately on the 18th if April as a desperate attempt to get some pain relief but in the meantime will contact the Liaison Manager. Thank you for your support I feel so alone with this struggle.

LovelyDayz I am sorry to bother you but is it possible to let me know how your friend is? I know she has a lot to contend with but she is the only person I know of who had the Rafaelo at The Spire Leeds with the same surgeon and was left with pain and faecal incontinence & as I have been told my sphincter is weak it amounts to the same thing. I have emailed the Patient Liaison Officer today as I am in terrible pain and have had enough of being fobbed off. I just want the pain to stop so I can get my life back and it would be a great help to know how your friend is. Many thanks.

Hi I am booked in to get the Rafaelo procedure done next week do yous advise I should cancel it. I have already had the banding done 2 years ago wich was excruciating pain and it did not work. is it the radio frequency procedure yous all had done

Jben4176 Hi if I was honest I would say don’t have it done I wish I had tried otc remedies first but that’s not to say you might be ok. You could ask your surgeon to put you in touch with someone who has had it done successfully as I have yet to find anyone. Rafaelo just keep saying it is successful but there is another lady on here who had the same surgeon as me and is still in pain with faecal incontinence.
I have emailed the Patient Liaison officer to se if I can get something done as I am eight months down the line have excruciating burning after a BM and terrible nerve pain all over my body which fires up when my anus is burning.
I have no quality of life terrible daily pain and fatigue that wipes me out, prior to the procedure I had a great social life was happy and outgoing and now at timers I literally feel suicidal and the only thing that keeps me going is my little dog that relies on me.Only you can decide but I would tell your Consultant of your fears and see what he says. I hope it works out well for you please let me know how you go on.

I would say avoid as for me it did help the haemorrhoids but I am now prone to fissures from the surgery which are much more painful. I wish I stuck to over the counter medication.

It is unbelievable that such a common problem has caused so many people terrible pain and other complications and ruined so many people’s lives. Major organs can be transplanted yet removing haemorrhoids successfully seems to be impossible. I really feel it is time to get publicity for this problem perhaps via TV. Anyone got any thoughts?

Thankyou for you reply’s I think I am going to have to cancel it the banding pain was bad enough I could not cope with the pain I instantly regretted getting that done. I had a consultation with the surgeon last week for Rafaelo and they was trying to talk me in to getting it done there and then wich is strange. Thank god I said I would have to come Back. What is the otc remedies please. I have been using that amoils for a few months that does work better than the creams but they do come Back as soon as you stop using it.

NewHopeNow you were right! The patient liaison officer said 6 months is the limit for a complaint. When I said I didn’t know that she just repeated it parrot fashion and was very unhelpful unsympathetic and a waste of space. I told her I just wanted the pain to stop & she said she understood and didn’t like it when I said No you don’t understand and don’t care because it’s not happening to you! When I told her I had no problem with my sphincter before the procedure and no pain after a BM she just said “I’m not a clinician “ and when I said “neither am I but it doesn’t take a genius to understand the procedure has caused my pain” she just repeated Mr M who did my procedure says the procedure went as planned. He has referred me to a Consultant at St James Leeds which could be months then a two hour round trip to Leeds but I will have to go and hope the Consultant can stop the pain. I may have to go on Pregablin in the meantime and hope it helps but I am very angry as one of the side effects is constipation which will only make things worse. To be continued!

Sounds horrendous what you are going through i hope you become pain free very soon x

Jben4176 I’m sure it’s the right decision I’m beginning to think surgeons must be on a high rate for Rafaelo and see it as easy money. If you go back over these posts you will find lots of suggestions also there is a group on fb Haemorrhoid & Fissure and I know there was a post of someone who had found a natural oil that worked and she avoided surgery. Can your GP help? Or try a registered Homeopath . I would advise researching a lot and try different things I really wish I had tried more and had never had the Rafaelo as the pain is far worse than the pain caused by the piles. I really hope you can find a remedy keep trying and avoid surgery at all costs!

Hi ladies so I cancelled the Rafaelo procedure told them i had spoken to people who had a very bad experience from it they was still trying to talk me in to getting it done. I am now suffering with bad hems again now just my luck🙈. If anybody hears or knows of any new treatment that is successful please let me know or any recommendations on what creams ect I am currently using the amoils an schepricot cream and suppositories at the minute. Thankyou

Jben4176 I’m glad you cancelled the Rafaelo procedure it is so wrong they were trying to push you into it and shows what an easy money making procedure it is but it definitely needs more research. If you go in the haemorrhoid & fissure group on fb there are lots of otc remedies suggested and I just wish I had tried more of them even if it meant putting up with pain until I found a remedy as anything would be better than the daily pain I have had since July 11th 2022. If I find any remedies that are successful will post but do keep trying and avoid surgery as long as you can. Good luck

Hi just wondering how everyone is? I’m still in pain after BM I actually had a pain free day because I didn’t have a BM it was so wonderful to feel normal for a day like the old me but sadly back to pain now. I’m now on Pregablin and adding Duloxetine gradually to see what works but it is making me feel horrible very weak and struggling to even walk my dog. I sometimes think I will just stop taking meds but then the pain is so bad so I’m between a rock and a hard place as they say. Anyone with any good news in recovering from Rafaelo please let me know.

Hi so having had daily pain for a year after Rafaelo I had five days pain free no Nerve pain and no pain after BM! I thought at last I can get my life back then in 23rd May I fell and broke my hip &had a replacement . In hospital they fill you full if codeine etc which causes chronic constipation and I had no BM for 4 days but then went easily with laxatives with no pain after. However I am now back with terrible nerve pain burning vulva and pain in my anus. I am seeing a homeopath tomorrow she believes the operation has fired off my nervous system causing all the nerve pain which sounds logical but I also think I have piles again and will get my GP to check. I definitely won’t be having surgery on them but will try the oils suggested here. I just hope that as I had become so much better the pain will die down again as I am so down. Hope everyone is doing better than me!

Oh no you really have been through it so do they think it’s the Rafaelo that has set of your nervous system or the hip operation. I am still suffering myself right now with the piles just got to keep using the creams and suppositories. Am too scared to get Rafaelo done. I hope your pain free very soon xx

Jben4176 Hi nice to hear from you I’m sorry you are still suffering but really would put off surgery as long as you can. The surgeon of course says this has never happened before but as the nerve pain started straight after the procedure I am convinced he has caused it and his explanation that my sphincter is weak causing a small amount of leakage and causing pain just does not add up as prior to the procedure I had no problem whatsoever in that area and never have..
I have a phone consultation with him tomorrow so will see what he says. It’s just unbelievable that so many of us are suffering and yet there doesn’t seem to be a solution. I am going to try the natural oils recommended on here to see if they help. Good luck!

Hi, just catching up with this thread. It's so good that it keeps being updated, more mumsnetter's will know the risks involved with this procedure that the professionals don't seem to tell you.

@Bonny1234 sorry to hear you're still not doing well. How did your phone consultation go? Did your surgeon have any good suggestions?

NewHopeNow Hi I actually saw the surgeon he said the tests I had showed the procedure had not damaged my sphincter muscle so he still says the pain is caused by slight leakage and when I said why would that happen now he said the piles probably stopped leakage! I told him I wanted some pain relief and asked for an anaesthetising spray but he said there isn’t one and gave me Instillagel syringes. I have tried them before and the gel just runs off.
I am going to see my GP to see if she thinks I should get a second opinion as there must be someone who can stop the pain. No BM today so I have felt great so happy but I know I will suffer tomorrow. I agree it’s good to keep updating and warn people I am very tempted to go to the media but I’m not sure how many people would be willing to come forward.

Hi I would definitely try go to the media maybe more people will come forward then. Was the surgeon you seen the same one who preformed the raffaello procedure.

Jben4176 yes he was and he has just got his Secretary to email that he has prescribed pain relief. He prescribed Gabapentin so I suppose I have to give it time as I have only been on it a week but I don’t want to be on it long term as it is bad for your gut. I will give it until the end of the month and see what happens. Once I am over the hip replacement and have more energy I will look into contacting the media.

Hi everyone how are things? It’s now 13 months since the worst decision ever to have the Rafaelo procedure. I am laid on the sofa my bottom burning , I have terrible fatigue and can literally hardly walk. My broken hip has been a breeze compared to this and I am so sad and missing the happy carefree person I used to be. I have had bad stomach problems and I am sure it is anxiety caused by constant daily pain for a year. I bought a bidet attachment for my loo which means I don’t use paper and it helps a lot but I was constipated last night even though I take Movicol ,which has caused the pain.
I am really at breaking point I am so down so if anyone has any ideas please post.

Hi am sorry to hear that I have a had a bad flare up of piles today and was thinking maybe I should of went through with the procedure after seeing your post am glad I still haven’t although I am still in a lot of pain. I had a food intolerance test few months back and the foods that flared up I cut out ane the piles stopped for a while due to not being constipated. Now av gone back to old habits with being out of routine and am suffering with the pain of piles. Hope your feeling better soon xx