DH needs haemorrhoid surgery - what do I need to know?

[OperationNC2]

DH has terrible haemorrhoids and he’s on a waiting list to see a surgeon for removal surgery.

I’ve had a read through on here and it seems that there are a number of different treatment techniques and procedures?

Does anyone know what the procure is likely to be, and what the recovery time is likely to entail for the most severe cases?

He is a bit ‘head in sand’ about anything to do with his health so I want to be informed.

Would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Also, I’m wondering to what extent he will be ‘incapacitated’ after the operation, in terms of me needing to be around at home to support him? Thank you.

He will be in a lot of pain when he opens his bowels afterwards. That's probably obvious but it can't be underestimated. He'll want to be making sure he does whatever they advise to keep his stools soft and will also want to have a shallow bath after going to the toilet each time - I believe there's a small bath you can get for this. Also I think lidocaine is good? The local anaesthetic cream.

He will need a good couple of weeks to recover I think.

I don't think he'll necessarily need you around to help him with anything beyond the first 24 hours, though I could be wrong. That wasn't my experience anyway.

If I don't sound confident in my answers it's just because I only have my own experience to go on, and that was 13 years ago.

Thank you @ludocris that’s all really helpful. He has a terrible time with them, daily, so I hope that the pain after the op will be worth it for him in the long run. Did the op fully solve your condition, are they likely to come back do you know?

The nhs protocol for surgery isn't great IMO. I would suggest he makes a big effort to get his bowels as empty as possible before surgery. Movicol for a few days for example. Then continue with a stool softener ( not a laxative) for at least 4 weeks afterwards. This will make big difference to the post op pain. Clear soup and lots of fluids for 48 hours afterwards allows a bit of time for healing. The American protocol seems a lot kinder. I hope the surgery goes well. It takes a few weeks to recover IME. Use a squeezy bottle of warm water to wash after bowel movements. It will be very sore.

you might not have an option, but if he can, try and avoid laser. notorious for causing more pain than there would be experienced by having them done normally. also do start softeners and make some small ice packs in the freezer. remember piles are just varicose veins. when the blood vessels are cold then piles slip back in much easier so cooling them down is good.

Thank you so much. Sadly they are external and very advanced; absolutely no chance of them being able to be popped back in.

Interesting that you mention the NHS protocol. He is going to be treated by the NHS but at a private hospital so I wonder if that might be a positive? Or if they will be limited as to what they can offer him.

No it didn't fully resolve my condition but I think mine presented quite differently to your husbands - I didn't have advanced external ones so he will probably notice a much bigger difference. Investigations for me carried on a little while and I ended up having an examination under anaesthetic during which they injected Botox. In the end the issues just kind of petered out.

I briefly worked on a surgical ward 20yrs ago. We told each patient to use a sitz bath after each bowl movement. (someone mentioned the bath up thread). You can buy a little bowl that fits inside the toilet seat nowadays and its basically just warm, salted water to soothe and cleanse the anus.

He should be given stool softners to take home, and hopefully a tube of numbing, anaesthetic cream to apply.

Another thing that makes opening the bowls much easier, is his position on the actual toilet. A squatty potty, or anything to raise his legs really helps. Large cans, bricks etc can be used. A normal western seated position squishes the bowel, whereas getting as close to a squatting position as possible opens it up.

Constipation & Your Pelvic Floor: Position Matters! - MOTI Physiotherapy (motipt.com)

Thank you for that advice 😊