I need a haemorroidectomy and i am scared

[ThatisNotMyName]

Have name changed as err...i'm a big prude and that i guess is half my problem.

I've had a problem with piles for years, not itchy, just aware they're there. I can't say i noticed them getting worse during pregnancy or childbirth but when DS was about 5 months old i had a strangulated pile (think that was what it was called) i was in AGONY for DAYS and so very very prudish i was too embarassed to even tell DP what was wrong.

anyway i eventually summoned up the courage to see the doc, was referred to a clinic etc and have just had the appointment where i get examined and they decide on a course of action, which is to be an 'open haemorroidectomy'. reading through the literature has really scared me. i was hoping to pop in and out in a day and had toyed with the idea of keeping it to myself but it seems i was delusional and actually it is a very painful operation and i may need 3 - 4 weeks off work, just one week after i retuen after a years maternity leave.

has anyone else had a similar op? were you in intense pain for weeks? what about breastfeeding my son? he's almost one and i'm winding down the breastfeeding but had hoped to keep on doing an evening feed for a while yet but will the painkillers i need stop me being able to BF?

i know i should've asked the consultant all this but i was a bit shamed and nervous and didn't really think about all this until afterwards

wow sorry for the essay, thanks if you got this far

bump (because I'd like to know too )

Is there nany chance you can delay your return to work & keep your piles secret.

No experience of the op but a long term piles sufferer too!

I had a haemorrhoidal arterial ligation recently. Like you I was scared beforehand, but had been told recovery was better than for other forms of haemorrhoidectomy. I stayed overnight as I didn't react very well to the GA, then went home and pretty much stayed in bed for a few days. I was taking painkillers as much as I could for those first days - but only paracetamol and ibuprofen, nothing else. By a week after the op I had stopped taking them and although my bum still felt sore I was doing everything else as normal. Oh and I took laxatives for about 3 or four days, and even so, it felt very strange pooing in those first days.

My ds3 is breastfed and I was away from him for about 30 hours, so by the time he saw me again my boobs felt quite full! But I breastfed him after that no problem.

In terms of keeping it secret, people like my boss and other parents at school knew I was going for an operation but only dp and my sister knew what for. If you don't want to tell people, you don't have to.

Unfortunately the piles have come out again so I am rather pissed off I went through the whole GA and hospital experience for this to have happened (see my other recent post about this). But from the literature it seems I'm in the unlucky 5% that this happens to, so chances are you will be lucky.

What also pisses me off is there's very little reliable advice out in the public domain, if you google haemorrhoids or piles you just find loads of quack sites saying 'the natural cure for piles' or such like, and the scientific papers aren't available unless you are a doctor or medical student. The 'Scirus' search engine is more reliable but again you can't access lots of the articles.

Anyway hope this helps a bit.

Thanks HighFibreDiet, that kind of helps. yes ideally i would delay my return to work, but i don;t knwo how long i would need to do that for and it would mean using up precious annual leave. i think i may be able to get away with saying to my boss that i need an operation of a personal nature and that i'd rather not discuss it suffice to say it is to repair some damage done by DS, think she'll understand, although will be driven crazy by not knowing!

so from what you say HighFibre Diet, it is very painful yes?

i know i'm going to have to fess up to DP and i know he'll be fine and think i am silly for not wanting to tell him, but for some reason it'll crucify me, although he's seen be give birth and in all sorts of other rude and or embarassing positions.

ugh it's just all so unpleasant, wish it would just go away

BIL had this done a couple of months ago.

I'm going to be honest and it was very painful for him - but his were quite severe.

He had 2 weeks off work. The first week he really couldn't have done much and was in a lot of pain especially the first 48 hours.

The second week he was more uncomfortable than in pain.

But you will need help with dc's as you really won't be up to looking after them for the first week.

But 2 months on and he's a lot lot better and really glad he had it done.

poor you . For work, couldn't you just say 'a minor op to repair some birth damage' or some such and ask the doctor to put 'recovering from minor surgery' on your sick note.

If they really want all the gory details they could refer you to occupational health. Everyone I know who has had their piles done has said that it is really well worth it!

thanks for your input all, sorry for disapearing (and for shit spelling) DP around all weekend so hard to get on here). acebaby i am hoping to go about the sick leave in that kind of way, thanks for giving me an idea of the kind of wording that really helps.

i wonder if the no and severity of the piles makes a diff to the pain?

i ahve 3, 2 grade one and one grade 4 eeeek cringy

almost raises a smile that acebaby and tracybath knwo people who are so less stupid than me that they are able to discuss it, i know it's irrational but i am so squeamish about bums and stuff (such a dick sorry)

Err yes me. Read on if you're feeling strong of mind and stomach.

I had it done a little over a year ago and I cant believe that in a civilised society this operation is ever performed on anyone-it's barbaric!!! If there's any other way to overcome your problems, those thinking of having this done, then do, in my experience anything else is better than a haemorrhoidectomy!

I have not been the same since, and it has not alleviated any of the previous problems I was having, in fact everything is worse. I'm very tempted to write to the (private) hospital and complain but just have not got around to it yet.

Going to loo the day afterwards took 1.5 hours and was on a par with childbirth (and I had my 9lb DS with no pain-relief what-so-ever, so know what I'm talking about). For the next 8 months going to the loo ranged from unbearable to very painful and always with blood sometimes a lot. I know I should have gone back to the hospital, but by that stage the thought of anyone going down there was inconceivable - I'd have decked them!!

Oh and the piles came back anyway but worse. A year on they're still there. Although things have finally settled down, I do still have bleeding and stinging pain every now and again, but up until a few months ago it was painful every time and bled every time.

I'd like to get my smug consultant and stick a red hot poker up his behind, give him just a small insight into the horrors and pain that is this dreadful operation.

Im so sorry but I have to agree with Dommy - I have had it performed twice and last time I was in agony and wished I had never had it. Mine have all come back and its just something I have learned to live with. The pain and discomfort are unbearable coupled with the fact that you are scared to go to the toilet for ages. My advice would be - if you can live with them(and I have had mine since I was 10 and am now 41 !) then I would leave the operation.

Is having the strangulated one removed under a local anasthetic an option for you? I had this done as a day patient and was back at work 2 days later with just a bit of discomfort - not comparable to the pain before. Going to the loo was ouch for a week or so but managed to go on my summer holiday for 2 weeks within 5 days of having proceedure done. Left the lower grade ones alone as they dont cause any pain and like you I didnt fancy OP or banding as sounded hideous.

I think the medical profession has not got it's head around the efficacy of this op at all.

I've no doubt eventually, like a tonsilectomy, they'll only perform it in extreme cases where nothing else will do. Otherwise it will be seen as an obsolete (does not do what it says on the tin) op and it will be left well alone.

It's out-moded and I cant see why it was performed on me, as it has achieved nothing and I am in a worse state than before the op.

Sorry to go on, but the pain - oh the pain - for so many months... Viz's Nobby Piles, I know where you're coming from!!

I am so sorry to hear of others' sufferings BTW - it's a difficult thing to live with (a real bummer!)

Goodluck with all bot related ailments.

Dommy I am so sorry to hear about the hell you've been through .... all for nothing. My cousin, a gastroenterologist (here in France) had the good sense to be truthful about this operation. He refered to it as 'butchering' and warned that it could take up to 6 months to recover and should only be done as a VERY last resort.

Sigh.

Can only agree with Dommy.... this op is barabaric. I had my done about 6 years ago and it was horendous. The worst bit was when I looked in the mirror I could see the worst biggest pile was still there. When I went to the follow up appointment I was told that they can only remove some and then the others on the next operation! This was news to me I was told that they would all be removed. My advice would be to check that it is possible to remove them all at the same time.

The surgeon offered to arrange another op. I told him that there was no way under any circumstances I was ever going to have that done again.

He told the nurse to rebook me for another appointment when I had calmed down!!!

There is the inject the little blighters option, and they shrink right down for quite some time - I'd recommend this route, it does need re-performing apparently but much much better option I'd have thought.

Fingers crossed for a successful op or have you had it done now Thatisnotmyname?

I am really suffering with prolapsed piles since giving birth to DS and I'm in a lot of pain with them. I have a doctor's appointment next week and I was hoping she would refer me to get them done. I have been reading about the arterial ligation technique (HALO) which seems to be a much less painful operation. Dommy and others who found the operation really painful - was it the traditional surgery you had or the HALO procedure?

Thatisnotmyname is HALO an option for you?

Yes traditional strip em out in half an hour, shove a bung up, Bob's your uncle, haemorrhoidectomy for me!

Go for the HALO even sounds nicer!

May I cast an aura of hope around these parts? Seriously, I feel all of your pain because I've been through similar issues with an insane specialist thrown in who made me believe I might well be dying of cancer too.... but that's another long story. One year on from giving birth for the third and last time I can honestly say that my piles have REALLY calmed down. I went to a (sane) specialist on Monday who checked it all out (what fun) and he confirmed this for me. Maybe, just maybe it's worth waiting for your body to slowly get back to normal Marrow? I tread cautiously here as I understand how wearying that kind of pain is. There is hope. Really.

Obviously I'm not a doctor though.

Jardins can I ask a couple of personal questions. Were your piles internal or external and had they prolapsed? I can't imagine mine settling down and I can't wait a year to see if they do. I can't sit for more than a few minutes at a time and they are really affecting my quality of life

God Marrow you have my total empathy here. I had both types and - let us not fool ourselves - they will probably come back from time to time. The internal ones cause bleeding (much better now though) and the external prolapsed ones - oh-so-painful - gradually subsided and have not returned since September. I also had a fissure. The stress of going to the toilet every day.... well, you know about that, don't you? Basically the pain rule my everyday life. I think what I'm trying to say is that this huge pain will not continue. How long ago did you give birth? These things do calm down. I never believed the pain would subside but really I am feeling so human now. Linseed (one spoonful with water for breakfast) helped me stave off constipation and, please don't laugh, vaseline applied a little internally (if you see what I mean) helped ease things up.

Ho hum.

But of course this is just my opinion. I just want to give you the hope I needed at the time.

Good luck.

[quote]I went to a (sane) specialist on Monday who checked it all out (what fun)[/quote]

Yes when I went for the first consultation for the op within 30 seconds I was on my side, with a stanger's finger up my bum swiftly followed by large glass tube, and found myself saying to the doctor
''Oh, and we've only just met''!

So is Anusol and the like completely useless in these cases then? I use it for fissures for a few days at a time, have never had actual piles and have masses of sympathy for those who do.

Jardins you give me hope! I thought when internal ones prolapsed that surgery was the only answer. I gave birth nine weeks ago and had an episiotomy and forceps delivery. I also have a fissure which I thought was healing but seems to have opened up again today. I am making sure I drink at least two litres of water a day as well as upping my fibre intake and taking lactulose but still dread going to the toilet.

MadameOvary Anusol doesn't doesn't touch the pain. I had a couple of steroid and anaesthetic creams prescribed in the hospital after I gave birth but they don't do anything either

i've got a couple of internal ones, it's bloody annoying and have lived with them for 7years now. I had them banded over a year ago which was intensely painful and didn't work, am back to square one. Was wondering if its something I just need to learn to live with? Not inspired to go back to the docs after reading some of these posts!

Yes there are miracle creams: Proctocedyl and Xyloproct prescribed by a doctor - totally brilliant for large (post-childbirth) piles.

Forget which way round, but one's an internal pessary for internal piles and ones a cream for external ones. If the piles are very big then, although it's a slow and painful procedure, you HAVE to very slowly, using the cream, carefully push the piles back up inside. The pessary has to work it's magic from the inside to shrink those blighters down to size. Even the strawberry sized ones (I had those) can go back up inside and will heal in a few days internally with the magic pessaries.