I wrote this post originally to share my experience of a hemorrhoidectomy but I was really aware that it made the operation sound awful and I worried that it was one-sided and that other people’s experiences might have been better.
To balance it out, I asked people to share their own experiences of a hemorrhoidectomy in the comments and I’m so pleased to see so many of you sharing. People who have been through it have shared their experiences along with tips and ideas to try and make it easier. More than that though, they’ve shared how they felt which is so important as none of my family or friends understood the level of pain I was in at the time so just knowing I wasn’t alone would have been a comfort.
Since last June, I’ve probably mentioned being poorly about a million times on here and you’re probably all sick to death of hearing about it but I did want to tell you a little bit about what’s been wrong with me before I move on from it all.
The last six months have honestly almost broken me and even now, I’m still not right with fortnightly doctors appointments to keep an eye on things!
It started last June when I felt a little uncomfortable downstairs (by that I mean my bottom and not my living room). I went to Tesco, bought some cream and carried on as normal for a week or so until one night I woke up in such pain that I genuinely thought I was going to have to call 999! I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t stand up, I couldn’t do anything to ease the pain and I’m not lying when I say it was the worst pain I’d ever experienced in my life (at that time anyway, it gets worse when you read on).
I got through the night and called the doctors as soon as they opened and she prescribed some cream for me and told me to come back in a week if that didn’t work. It didn’t work and that next week was the longest week every with nights of pain like the first night and days that weren’t much better.
I went back to the doctors and was told I had a thrombosed hemorrhoid which, according to my understanding, is like an internal hemorrhoid with a blood clot because the blood could flow into it but not out of it causing a buildup of pressure. The description on Google and medical sites for the level of pain that a hemorrhoidectomy operation causes is ‘a severe and incapacitating pain’ which I would pretty much agree with if I’m honest.
I was told at that point that it could take three months to fully heal and right itself but in the meantime, I was sent to a specialist due to the severity of the pain. The specialist saw me quite quickly and after the most uncomfortable internal examination ever he decided that the only way forward was surgery in the form of a hemorrhoidectomy.
I was booked in for my hemorrhoidectomy for the beginning of October which meant that by that point I’d been suffering for three and a bit months and although it wasn’t all severe pain like the first month was, it was always uncomfortable even when it wasn’t painful. I tried to carry on as normal but it wasn’t always possible and I spent three days of our week’s holiday in bed and had to cut another weekend away short because I was in too much pain to do anything but lie in bed.
I went in for my pre-op and I had to sign a form to give my consent to everything and one section said that I understood I would experience pain afterwards. I should have backed out of the op when the doctor took the form back off me before I signed it and added the word ‘intense’ before pain before hanging it back to me to sign.
Apparently, for the internal hemorrhoids they were going to simply cut them out (I’m sure it’s more complicated that that really) and then leave the wounds open due to the location. They said they would pack the wounds with dressing but that would come out on day 1 or 2 as nature took it’s course. At the time, I thought I’d misheard them when they said about leaving the wounds open but no, that’s exactly what they do.
I was really scared before my hemorrhoidectomy but not about the op itself, more about the being anaesthetised and I refused to let them put the mask over my face in case they killed me (yes, I did tell them that was why). I woke up in a lot of pain but feeling OK and I sat there for an hour while I came round sending very random texts to people as the nurse put my phone in my hand almost as soon as I woke up for some reason.
I ended up having to stay for a bit longer than planned as my hand where the cannula had been exploded somewhat and there was blood literally gushing out covering everyone in the area. After that was sorted though they let me go home with some strong co-codamol and advice to totally rest up for the next month. I had a four week sicknote so I had every intention of doing just that. 😉
The first day was OK and the second day, I had a little poo (sorry if I’m over sharing) when the dressings came out and I’m not going to lie, it was absolute agony. The pain subsided quite quickly, thanks to the tablets I suspect and I managed OK until about day three when I woke up in so much pain that I could barely think straight.
Day three was the day when the intense pain that the specialist had mentioned really kicked in. Much of what happened from here for the next month or so was a blur because it was literally so painful at times. The pain stayed at that ‘intense’ level for the next few weeks and my painkillers were changed to something that all but knocked me out. I was losing a lot of blood and the pain was making me feel sick but my doctor couldn’t do anything other than reassure me that it was normal.
When I say normal, I don’t mean everyone has the same experience for the same length of time, she just explained to me that what I was experiencing wasn’t out of the ordinary for recovery from a hemorrhoidectomy. In fact, if you google complications from a hemorrhoidectomy I pretty much went down the list and checked 90% of them off one by one.
The pain started to ease back to a more manageable level at the start of December but it was still there and I still couldn’t do very much because it came and went when it felt like it and there was still bleeding. I cried a lot in December because this year we did no family Christmas activities and had to cancel all of our family plans and I felt awful for the kids because we’ve always tried to teach them that Christmas is about family so we always have a busy calendar in December!
My initial month’s sicknote was extended a good few times but when I went back in January I’d decided that enough was enough and I was going to start 2017 positively and that I was ready to go back to work. Looking back, I probably should have taken the extra sicknote as January exhausted me but here we are in February and I feel like I’m making progress.
I had no clue the impact that having hemorrhoids would have on my life and certainly no idea of the pain I would go through after the hemorrhoidectomy. If I had my time over, I’m not sure if I’d say yes to the operation or learn to manage the pain I was going through before.
I don’t want to scare people who are considering a hemorrhoidectomy but I do think that people should be aware that this is not just a small operation – far from it. My specialist and my GP both glossed over the facts of how long I could be in pain for and gave me best case scenarios when I spoke to them before the operation – they said that I would ‘probably’ only be off work for a few weeks and I was in no way mentally prepared for everything I was about to go through.
Not everyone will have the same experience as I did although a quick Google (after my op – if I’d read it before things may have been different) suggests that a lot more people do than you might think and I just think that I might have chosen differently if I’d known. Everyone I’ve talked about this says I did the right thing because a few months pain is worth the pain free future that I should now have. I’m not convinced though.
If you’ve got a personal experience of a hemorrhoidectomy then I’d love you to share it in the comments, even just a brief summary so anyone landing here looking to get an idea of what the post-op experience is getting more of a balanced view. I’m sure there are lots of people who recovered well and were back to work within the first few weeks and I’d love to hear from you.
(If you’re wondering how I managed to blog through it all as I was still posting when I was ill – I didn’t! I spent the month before my op frantically scheduling posts in advance.)
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Why not pin ‘my experience of a hemorrhoidectomy’ for later:
I am on day 2 post hemorrhoidectomy. So far it hasn't been too bad, but I haven't been able to have a bm yet. Even passing gas is excruciating. They put me on gabapentin, which I think is the reason this has been tolerable. I missed by 6 hour dose of pain killers and woke up 3 hours later in agony. Reading these stories makes me terrified for the next few weeks. I will keep posting.
Hi Crystal. How are you feeling? An earlier poster mentioned that Gabapentin made the pain quite tolerable. What are your thoughts on that?
I am scheduled for surgery on Tuesday ( today is Sunday and Monday is a Holiday) after reading this blog I started crying because I know the pain I've been going through already and now I'm scared to death to have to deal with the intense pain EVERYONE is describing here! Not being able to find relief and having to have a BM after the surgery. I feel like cancelling the surgery!
Can anyone have anything to say positive about this procedure once they were fully recovered? Is anyone pleased that they did it and life changing as a result compared to what came before? I've suffered for over 10 years managing the situation best i can and after being advised to have surgery many years ago. Now due to have an open hem in a couple of weeks time but really not sure this is what I want to do…. NEED ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SOMEONE WHO SURVIVED THE PAIN AND RECOMMENDS???
Hi All,
First I want to thank everyone for sharing their stores. I just went through a triple hemorrhoidectomy and this blog is helping me get through it. I never knew if the pain or what I went through was normal. As everyone bravely shared their experience then I will share mine.
The first thing I rember was after the surgery I was screaming in pain. I never felt that sort of pain iny life. I lt was worse since I woke and pulled outy iv so was behind on my meds. I finally got home a crap load of piano killers and passed out.
Day 2 was not bad at all. I thought of this is it then I would be back to work in a week. Little did I know it got worse each day even though I stayed consistent with the meds.
I could not poop for my first week so each day I felt more uncomfortable and pressure.i could hardly walk or move that it hurts.
Finally after the first week, I had a BM. I never had so much pain in my life. I even called the hospital as I thought I would does it hurt so bad. After mutiple oxys, I got through it.tje thought of a BM each day was exhausting and messed with my me talk help.
Each day I would have a BM, scream in pain and pop pain meds. The afternoon I would do fine after sitting on ice packs each day.
I am still recovering after a week and a half and dread going to sleep and going through this each day. I just know it will get better and one day will be back to normal. I had hemmeroids for over 4 years so can't remember what normal is.
Hope this helps everyone and stay strong!
I had two Hemorrhoidectomys this year. The first one was in March (which was the most painful one) and the second one was end of June. The doctor removed 3 internal and 1 external the first time. And the second time he just rubberband the one that was left inside(causing the bleeding). My first procedure was the MOST PAINFUL!!!! I have 13 tattoos and the pain from tattooing my c section scar was considered a 2 from the recovery pain. The doctor prescribed me Norco and I popped those like candy(I usually don’t need pain medicine) I had to shower at least 7-8 times a day because I washed my private areas after each bathroom use. Does not matter if it was #1 or #2 wiping hurt ALOT!!!!!! The pain began to lower after 2 1/2 weeks. I still had a huge swollen skin tag outside my anus which did not help the healing process. I had a 3 week follow up and doctor said everything looked like it was healing well but the outside was still a bit swollen and the tag was cosmetic so he would do it next time around which ended up being surgery #2. I still had some mild bleeding over a month after which is when the doctor decided to remove the last one left inside with the rubberband strategy. The second surgery wasn’t as painful it was suppose to be a 2 day recovery which lasted 3 weeks because of the putter skin tag that was removed. After a Hemorrhoidectomy you will NOT be 100% clean. After about a week I began folding a baby wipe in half then once again and place it in between my cheeks. This helped me stay clean and helped with the yellowish discharge. The smell was atrocious but it’s very normal. After over a month the doctor sticks a toll inside of you and opens you up to make sure everything looks good(this part is painful)
The first bowel movement took over a week! It happened during the night and there is NOTHING you can do to make this pain be any less. I took lots and lots and lots of fiber. After 4 days and still no bowel movement I decided to drink a California green dieters tea(you can find on Amazon) I only used one bag and let it simmer/marinade all day and drank it before bed. My stomach began gurgling within a few hours and I finally had my first bowel movement. The pain is horrible and it feels like someone sewed your anus shut and you were trying to poop a massive dump. The first bowel was very hard and extremely painful! After about 3 weeks the pain almost disappeared. I told everyone I knew I’d rather had 20 c sections then another Hemorrhoidectomy in my life!!
Omg I wish I had done some research before agreeing to surger(not that I had much choice as I had internal & prolapsed )
& I avoided surgery for years eventually I got the courage & agreed to the surgery.
My surgeon in passing just said "it will be painfull"
On the day of my surgery I did a bowl prep myself as my surgeon just said nill by mouth & come in.
So had my surgery in a private hospital in Epsom (London)
They couldn't get me out fast enough I wasn't in any pain thought great let's go.. minimal drugs & EVEN LESS ADVICE Given.
The wife collected me & I went home slept of the anaesthetic.. the following day I was having a shower & discovered something still inside my bottom, so I call the surgeons secretary to be told there will be a gauze inserted inside me & it will come out in time. So not being happy with that I called the hospital who said "oh! You can remove that as it's been 24hrs" I felt like I needed a poo so I proceeded to try to remove said packing.. OMG!! THE BURNING pain I experienced was like NOTHING before!
Anyway it's out I thought.. (phew) later on I'm sat on the loo waiting & waiting but nothing happening… As I attempt to stand up..that's when what feels like MY WORLD is falling out of me filled with razor blades that are on fire!!! I found myself screaming from the pain.. (bare in mind im on ALL the pain killers they gave me) & Im As sober as a judge from the pain.. this is day 2.. now even on day 10 or so has pretty much been the same. To the point my 6 yr old told her mum she doesn't want to come home from school as "daddy screams in the toilet & it's scaring her!) By now I have had several different pain meds ALL DOING NOTHING! I am on morphine based pain killers. All the surgeon says is "it will get better"
They gave me some instellagel but never told me how to use it apart from apply to the "outside".. (MY PAIN is internal!) I'm a grown man who has had metal pins fitted in both legs punctured lungs cracked ribs from many many years of motorcycling & THIS PAIN makes them all feel mild in comparison!
Eventually after several sobbing calls to surgeon I am told I can insert the gel directly in to my bottom (easier said then done) after several failed attempts & my dignity in tatters I find where it should go & squirt (god knows how much they never told me) so about 5mm Im terrified of every toilet visit I have spent so much time in the toilet I actually slept on the floor one night as I simply didn't have the fight in me anymore…
Day 12 & the pain is STILL THERE I have some kind of bowl control but it's manageable..
All I can say is don't over do it with the pain meds as they can cause constipation and trust me you do not want constipation or gas, make sure you eat prunes and only soft food that's very easy on the digestive system you must remember what goes in has to come out absolutely no spices no alcohol and drink lots and lots of water.
You will have to juggle going for a poo and then having a wee directly afterwards otherwise your bladder will fall asleep and you won't be able to wee
THIS HAS TO BE the most traumatic experience I or my family has had to endure ..
But supposedly gets better,I can only pray..
I think now laser surgery is available for fissures and haemorrhoids and fistula. Laser surgery is less painful, less complications and short recovery time of 1 to 2 weeks. Please update if any one has undergone fissurectomy and haemorrhoidectomy with laser.
I had the surgery 4 days ago. OMG, I never use pain pills but Holy crap, I am eating them like candy! Still no relief, not even from the lidocaine cream. If I'm like this tomorrow, I'm heading to the ER.
I am now 3.5 weeks post-op- I’m so grateful for the blog even if it’s some posts are few years old. I’m miserable, I’m having a very hard time to go bathroom. 1st week was torture, 2nd week I started feeling better, this week I feel like I just started over . Go for my post – op appointment in a few days. I honestly thought something was wrong I’m in so much pain , meds work for short period but not long enough. I’m starting to second guess myself thinking I was better off before the surgery. I know logically that isn’t true. I feel like I just cry all the time, the swelling is soooo painful. Thankfully I have an amazing husband that’s been doing Everything, because I can’t do anything. My doctor said 2 weeks most are back to normal. I’m eating high fiber , drinking fluids. I tried getting off of the pain meds to early- that was a disaster. It’s got get better. I’ve had probably 98% of the complications. So ready to feel better than just a few days. The pain is worst I have ever experienced, childbirth, and hysterectomy were easy for me compared to this. I think the hardest thing is managing your pain level , you don’t want to take the pain meds but you need to. Nothing is worse then knowing you have to have BM knowing the pain it brings. Thanks for this blog – it’s been really helpful.
I had hemorrhoid removal 5 weeks ago. It has been quite the ordeal. I was told by several doctors that it was very painful and takes 2-4 weeks recovery. I thought I was mentally prepared for the pain. Yes, the first few weeks were awful. I was given tramadol and a muscle relaxer (I was not told of the painful muscle spasm that occurred many times a day in the first few weeks and continue periodic.). I called the doctor the afternoon following the procedure for stronger meds, which I staggered with over-the-counter pain meds. I can’t even put into words the pain. Though stools were soft, it felt like knives were coming through. I also developed a few tears. 5 weeks later, stools are still very painful to the point where I can be heard groaning and sometimes screaming. The portable bidet is a godsend and helps tremendously in cleaning after bowel movements. In the first four weeks, I sat in a tub of hot water every few hours from about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the pain. I still have to sit in hot water for long periods of time after bowel movements, which causes lots of pain for several hours afterwards. I am very care to air or pat dry but developed pain from irritated skin caused by the leaky anal, which still continues. I tried several things for this before my doctors gave me a sample of Calmoseptine ointment. It has a bit of menthol that is cooling. I am still feeling only about 40 or 50%. There are days when I’m feeling so so. Yesterday I woke in severe pain. When urinating I could tell that there is another tear, which feels like it is ripping when I cough or sneeze. It is still very painful to sit for more than 20-30 minutes at a time and I stil can only lie on my side. My body definitely lets me know when I am moving around too much as the amount of leakage increases and causes bleeding. The muscle spasms sometimes keep me up at night. I keep telling myself that it will be worth it as the bleeding hemorrhoids has caused severe anemia, which began to lead to other healt issues.
Hmmmm it's the most painful thing that has ever happened to me. Went through sleepless days and nights. Worse of all when I have to pass stool hemorrhoidectomy the worst pain of my life.
I was going to have the surgery ,but after reading all this,I'm not.The last 6 mo.have been really, really bad for me,I finally went.and talked to a hemmrhoid doctor,whose title,fit the hemmrhoid ordeal.He never put his hands on me,didn't exam me,just glanced, like he might get bit or something. I take a small smt.of pain medication from my reg.doctor for a messed up back,that I can't afford surgery,so that sm.amt.lets me be a normal human,but this doctor didn't seem to care,he really had it in for me,before,telling me you're crying now,wait until this surgery is over and make sure your doctor knows,so he could up the pain medication. After having this encounter with someone who is suppose to be caring,helpful,understanding, he was the most cruel man,I have ever met.I called when I got home and talked to management, about being treated,like someone off the street,who had a drug problem, as GOD,as my witness,he was cruel.My sister is a n.practioner,said she had heard from other people that he was a first case asshole,sorry,but that is exactly what he was and with an attitude like that I didn't want his hands on my body.He treated me like crap.Ive decided for now,no surgery,I had one hemmrhoid, now two,but I'm on high fiber,2 times daily,miralax,and they are actually better.Theres still no use in him treating me like that.I will continue my regimen, and think I'll be ok,I pray,so you have helped me make my mind up,I know the horrors of hemmrhoids, but not the surgery,he should have his license pulled,that was uncalled for. Thank you,God bless.
I had a hemroidectomy back on the 12th of July. As of today, October 2nd, I'm still experiencing some significant pain. I am usually forced to lay down with ice and heating pads for about 3 to 4 hours after going #2. The pain radiates up behind my scrotum and back up through my tail bone. I've been going through ibuprofen like pez candy. I've had some significant surgeries in my past, this has been by far the most prolonged pain ever.
Hello Everyone,
This is the very first time I’ve ever commented on any kind of blog or forum, but I have been living with severe hemorrhoids for years. I’m 48 years old. Mainly the cause is from so much time spent on the toilet due to IBS and stage 4 endometriosis which is on my bowel causing bathroom problems. The bleeding from the hemorrhoids has actually caused me to become anemic. And they are so bad now that keeping everything clean down there is impossible and I have leakage due to the severity. It has definitely taken a tole on my mental health trying to cope with this. I’ve tried every diet, cream, and pill there is. I even bought a bidet but the hemorrhoids are so bad that a bidet doesn’t even thoroughly clean down there. I literally have to soak for 20 mins and then gently clean with a mild cleanser. Even then it’s only about 80% clean. I recently had a colonoscopy done and the surgeon said I have IBS, three severe internal hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids. She said my only option is surgery to cut them out. But she told me it’s the worse surgery you can have. The most pain I can imagine. She said for 2 weeks I will hate her. The surgeon telling me this along with all the stories I have heard from people who have had it done terrifies me. I’m just so afraid to have it done. She will be calling me with a surgery date as soon as something is available. I read about someone paying to have an exparel injected in the site to help the first couple of days with pain, but if this surgery is as bad as both doctors and patients say it is, shouldn’t they give that automatically?
Anyway, thank you everyone for reading my very first post and if you have any tips, advice or suggestions for me, PLEASE respond to my post. I would be most grateful for any feedback. Thank you again ❤️
Im on my 4th day post surgery, got removed a lvl 4 hemorroid…My experience has not been bad at all, you could say i've had pain lvl 1-2 tops, I take some pain meds called "supradol" which have worked perfectly…
Now, the 4 things I believe have made a huge difference between my story and most horror stories which I've also read about this are this:
1. Get a knowledgeable and understanding doctor. I googled the specialist with the most positive reviews in my city
2. Prepare at least a month before the surgery with a healthy diet and fiber supplements (and stay on it for a couple of months after surgery)
3. Sitz baths, you will usually get the advice to do sitz baths after your BM to ease the pain…here is a far better advice, do your BM INSIDE the hot water sitz bath, this might sound a bit gross but trust me will make ALL the difference in the world.
4. Make sure to get the meds you need for both pain and anxiety
Good luck!
Reading all of these responses has been terrifying for me, but my experience has not been the same at all and I feel like another perspective really needs to be heard here.
I've suffered from thrombosed hemorrhoids for most of my adult life (some have been cut and drained at Urgent Care facilities), and they were extreme after giving birth to each of my (face-up) babies. Years have passed since then (I'm 40 now), but the results are still apparent. I have internal hemorrhoids as well as the thrombosed ones, and so many left over hanging tags that the doctor wasn't able to remove them all because of how the scar tissue would lie.
My surgery was scheduled for an early morning and I was given very little instruction for aftercare (beyond "allow three weeks, seriously, you probably won't be able to work"). I had no appetite until the next day so I didn't eat anything but a quick snack after waking up from anaesthesia. After that point I had some stinging pain but nothing severe- I was able to manage comfortably with OTC painkillers and did not need the narcotics I was prescribed. Six days after surgery came first BM (note: this is VERY NORMAL for me- I eat well, plenty of fiber, and had been taking Miralax since the surgery). It was somewhat painful but nowhere near what other people are describing. There was, however, a lot of blood.
Really, any pain I've experienced in recovery has been no worse than having a hemorrhoid burst on me pre-surgery :-/
Hello guys,I just got married two months ago,I have been suffering with this for like three years.However, it was not that severe until I got married. Recurrently, its gotten severe and my fear is if I go for surgery, who will cater for her. When to the doctor last week and he gave me some creams but its still not working and its getting severe. hope to find an alternative
Hello guys,I just got married two months ago,I have been suffering with this for like three years.However, it was not that severe until I got married. Recurrently, its gotten severe and my fear is if I go for surgery, who will cater for her. When to the doctor last week and he gave me some creams but its still not working and its getting severe.
8 weeks after the operation and still in pain , taking oxinorm , had Botox injection , what the surgeon done wrong ???
I just had surgery on 3/17, and the day before was the first day that my local hospital had began canceling elective surgeries due to Covid-19. The day before was when my external hemorrhoid that had been bothering me for about 6 months, took a turn for the worst. Im a 34 year old male, and Ive dealt with pain before. I was a rifleman in the Marine Corps, but this was the most unbearable pain I have ever dealt with.
I got nauseous on the morning of the 16th and from then on was bleeding constantly from my thrombosed hemorrhoid. It wouldnt stop. I laid down in bed but was so uncomfortable that sleep wasnt possible. The next morning I was so pale and could barely walk, that I was concerned about anemia. I called my doctor and they told me to go to urgent care, so I did. They told me to go home and call a surgeon they referred me to. I called the surgeon but they were cancelling all surgeries and the lady told me to call back in a few weeks. I told her that Im gonna die before then and blah blah blah, so she told me to go to the ER. I did that and the ER doc checked me out and immediately called for a surgeon to check me out. And the whole time Im scared that they wont operate on me because of Covid-19.
The surgeon checked me out and said that I need to have surgery right away. My thrombosed hemorrhoid had become necrotic and I was in danger. I was put under general anaesthetic and had it removed, as well as another that had just started to become an issue. Its about 3 weeks now since my operation and the first week sucked, and I just recently was able to sit normally, and not always have to be reclined. I regret not getting the surgery sooner, but I told my GP about my issue 2x since October and he didnt even physically look at it. 2 weeks after my last appointment with him I end up needing emergency surgery, so I am still a little upset about that. Everyones situation is different, but I suggest everyone be very careful about putting off surgery. It can become a lot more serious than you realize.
Commenting on blogs is something that I have done so rarely that I could count them on one hand. The reason for commenting is that after reading other's experiences I cancelled my procedure twice. I am in no way trying to diminish the difficulty others have had but for those that are thinking of having it done the procedure may not be as awful as you might believe.
Three weeks ago I had 3 third degree hemorrhoids removed surgically. 2 external and 1 internal. For the 1st week the pain level was very high. Bowel movements were extremely painful. I was able to stop the heavy painkillers after the 2nd day and used tylenol/ibuprophen heavily for the next week. Part way through the 2nd week I was able to drive and go back to work The bleeding and discharge stopped after @ 10-12 days. At 3 weeks I am pain free and the incisions have pretty much healed. The only after effects that I am experiencing is some itching which is solved with a topical cream.
For what ever difference it makes I am a 66 year old male.
Thanks so much Steve – I’m so pleased you had a better experience than some people have and you’re absolutely right that it’s not an awful experience for everyone. It’s easy to get scared reading about the negative experiences so thanks so much for sharing yours x x
Thank you for sharing- my procedure is scheduled for 2 weeks time. Reading these blogs are scaring me even more. I think your post was a balanced response. I had 3 C section s and they were painful too and I survived so here’s to the next 3 months..and then hemmroids are over for good. 25 years suffering.
Day 3 of surgery. History/ two external hems, Zero pain. Annoying and gross, poop on undies etc… dr suggests surgery. NO MENTION of severity. Night one completely impacted from narcotics and anesthesia. Day 2 pass BM, passed out from pain, screamed so loudly/ biting down on a towel any time I need to use the restroom for pee or poo. Excruciating pain. I have 22 screws and two steel rods in my spine and this is worse! If I didn’t have children I would have offed myself. I screamed/ cried / thought I would have a heart attack from the severity of pain. I’m not eating any solids for fear of having another bum. Living off jello and water until I heal more. I mentally can’t come to terms with passing another bm. I would NEVER have this surgery had I known what it entailed. I despise my dr. For not educating me on the procedure. My exact words were. I’m not in pain, so I don’t want to create a problem… her response. No big deal, pain for a few days. I’ve called off work for the rest of the month. I haven’t left my bed. Too weak.
Excision of one external hem, 6 day after operation. First BM on the 3rd day was lack passing a huge stone, it got stuck! Inhad a panic attack. Managed to get it out using fingers wrapped in a but wipe. Some blood resulted from this torture. Second stool the following day, same torture. Third stool the day after, in the evening, also very hard stool, even moee blood. I was drinking tons of water, taking psyllium, eating yogurts…nothing helped. After the 3rd BM I got depressed and could not stop the pain. Decided not to take Targinact nor psyllium as I believe they make the stool harder. Took 2 Normabels to sleep over the night. Taking chia seeds halped and this morning the BM was smooth and easy. However, due to the previous 3 which were extrwmely hard, I feel my wound is in a worse condition then after the op. It is leaving traces of blood whenever I check. I am afraid I injured the area and wonder if it will ever heal.
Anal pain — pain in and around your anus or rectum (perianal region) can be severe because of the many nerve endings in the perianal region. My doctor prescribed hydrocodone after my hemorrhoidectomy and it did nothing to relieve my pain. I called my doctor and begged him to give me something stronger but he insisted that a hemorrhoidectomy was painful and that I would just have to suck it up.
My partner who is a PsyD psychologist and has worked in research on pharmaceuticals and has a lot of experience with medications told me that I needed something for nerve pain …since the perianal region has so many nerves. I had some gabapentin (brand name Lyrica), and pregabalin (brand name Neurontin) leftover from a back injury. My back doctor was a believer in high doses of gabapentin for nerve pain (which is controversial) and prescribed me 1800 mg …600mg 3 times daily. He believed in combining this with pregabalin 600mg once daily.
We had some leftover gabapentin and pregabalin from when I had my back injury and I took this at the same dosage prescribed for my back pain. It completely relieved my rectal pain…I was literally pain free. At this dosage I was pretty loopy but it was worth it to be pain free. Others may want to try to lower the dosage if they do not like the side effects of being loopy…kind of feeling drunk and having some difficulty with motor skills. I hope this information saves others from the horrific pain post hemorrhoidectomy.
Be sure to consult with your doctor and get a prescription before taking any medication.
Recovery Part III: As far as sleeping, try tons of different options to feel the best. I realized that lying on my side but mostly my belly in a fetal like position with my feet elevated slightly on a bolster was the best and most comfortable position for me. I didn't move for 7 hours. I have to be honest. So far, nothing I am experiencing is as bad as what I've been dealing with over the last few years. A thrombosed hemorrhoid is truly terrible pain. So for those of you that are going in for surgery and you have not experienced that at all….then this recovery will probably be very uncomfortable for you. I still wouldn't call this pain.. more uncomfortable than anything. Of course, I haven't pooped yet but I'm sure it will be similar to the one I had after the banding which truly sucked but wasn't something I couldn't handle…although I did scream out each time. I'm hoping that since I was cleaned out prior to surgery, my stitches may have a little longer to heal than those who didn't do that. Even if you don't schedule a colonoscopy, it might be a good idea to clean yourself out the same way just to prolong the need to poop. Of course, check with your doc on that since everyone's situation is different. I was so lucky to have a surgeon who specializes in this and she made sure to do everything possible to ensure that I would experience as little pain as possible. She was honest about the first week being torture, but so far I don't feel tortured. I just feel gassy and a lot of pressure with mild burning. Meds are helping. I'm drinking a lot of water and I'm walking around and not sitting still for too long. If you are doing this surgery just because you know you have a hemorrhoid and it bugs you knowing it but your doctor isn't recommending removal or you aren't experiencing life altering issues with it….you may want to consider other options. If you just experience bleeding and it isn't altering your life or wreaking havoc on you and your doctor isn't recommending it for other reasons, you may want to consider other options. However, if you have debilitating evil thrombosed external hemorrhoids that make your life a living hell then this won't be so awful for you because you experience this shit (haha) on a regular furhreaking basis anyway. I will post an update in a few days but so far on day 3, I'm super glad I did it and I am so grateful for my doctor for encouraging me to go for it.
How is your recovery now? I have just booked to have surgery on 18th December, to say I am terrified is an understatement but the haemorrhoids are causing me more and more issues and I know that it is only going to get worse. Thank you for sharing your story, have you fully recovered?
Jodes, I am doing fantastic. Based on what other people have said, I would highly highly highly recommend using Exparel. The people that have used it are all reporting a much greater satisfaction during recovery. Also, as I mentioned, doing a thorough colonoscopy clean out made things a lot better post surgery. If you have been miserable, it is totally worth it. I was so scared to do this and now I'm kicking myself that I suffered for so many years. Another bonus is that I get to eat spicy food again which has nearly killed me for a really long time. I would pay a very high price for even a little bit of red pepper flake. Now, I'm eating Thai food and Mexican food with no problems. My doctor said that I was lucky with my recovery because it wasn't too bad, but I really believe it's because I had grown accustomed to such a high level of pain and discomfort that the recovery was nowhere near as uncomfortable as my life had become. Trust me that even if you have some discomfort and "pain" for a few weeks, it will be totally worth it in the long run. Short term for long term benefits kinda thing. Good luck! Touch base again after the surgery. Oh and invest in a bidet if you don't have one already. We got this one: https://www.amazon.com/Greenco-Non-Electric-Mecha…. LIFE CHANGING. Wish I had one of these a long time ago but wow did it make cleaning post-recovery so much better. Just be careful to keep it on "low" for a long time.
I am at 7weeks post open hem surgery. 2 prolapsed hems. Went for a check last wed. The internal cuts are healed n showed no signs of surgery. My external wounds are recovering quite slowly. Tho no longer reddish and there is white fluff (signs of open wound recovery), i bled a little this morning. The pain now is surely nt as intense. But recovery is veryveryvery long and slow.
RECOVERY Part II:Today I'm on Day 3 post surgery. I passed some blood during one of my gassy moments (on the toilet thankfully). It was nowhere near the amount that I was passing from my hemorrhoids so this was nothing to freak about. It was darker and thicker. I slept for about 7 hours last night. For me,taking one single oxycodone with 3 Ibuprofen seems to be the best for the longest amount of time. But I alternate with the Valium because I don't want the ibuprofen to mess up my stomach. The valium doesn't last as long and I have read some information that it isn't good to combine valium with narcotics but my doctor's office said to just alternate. I am also using Analpram and Lidocaine for the outside part. I'm taking colace 3 times a day to help with potential constipation. Yesterday,I ate pumpkin ravioli with some plain sourdough bread. I also ate a pineapple popsicle which I may regret as I've since been told from another post surgery peep to avoid acidic foods. This morning was the first time I experienced any kind of "burning" type discomfort. It reminded me of the healing of my abodominal surgeries so I think it's the wounds closing up. Also,it was similar to how it feels when you have had a bad "run" haha of diarrhea and your butt feels sore,raw and sort of acidic.
RECOVERY PART I: On the way home (about an hour drive), I started to experience mild pressure like I needed to fart or poop. We stopped at the grocery store to get my meds and by 4:45 the pressure got pretty intense. I wouldn't call it pain, but definitely that pressure you get when you have to poop and someone is in the bathroom so you are doing the poop dance. I took a shower when I got home and actually peed in the shower. This is a good thing because some people experience the inability to urinate. The warm water helps and I would say that even if you pee in a warm bath tub that would be good. I had mild nausea but nothing too intense. I tried to eat some egg drop soup bug the texture was grossing me out so I just ate a handful of oyster crackers and called it a day. I took one dose of Miralax at 5:30 pm and a Valium (5mg) at 6pm . I was able to sleep until 8:30 pm. That evening, however, I began experiencing more intense pressure similar to the pressure I had been experiencing with the thrombosed hemorrhoid over the last year or so. The difference, though, was that no amount of soaking was going to help me get away from it. I kept pacing and wasn't sure what to do. Finally I broke down and took one Oxycodone and 2 ibuprofen at 10. I was actually able to sleep for about 2 hours. Warm/hot baths do help you relax. I mentally felt better sitting on the toilet even though I knew nothing was going to come out, but I set up a stool so I could lean forward and not put so much pressure on my bum. Also, it is difficult to pass gas at first because everything is numb. Lying in the tub, I would draw my knees into my chest and then straighten and repeat. Then I put one foot on the faucet and cross my other leg over that knee and that helped to push the gas out but I did not bear down or strain. It will come out when it's ready. I just keep doing knee tucks and yelling at my ass to hurry up already. The people who do sounds for scary movies ought to record someone post surgery laying in a tub. The sounds from the instestines are horrifying sounding and crazy! Seriously, though, the need to pass gas is probably the most uncomfortable thing. It doesn't hurt when you do but the "spasm" of the sphincter muscle is a little uncomfortable. Best to do it in the tub. Also, be aware that it will sound like air escaping from a helium balloon and will last longer than any fart you have every heard in your life. I also got comfort by turning the shower on and then getting into childs pose https://yogainternational.com/article/view/3-chil… in the tub and let the shower hit my back. I've done that quite a few times.
SURGERY: I had my surgery on September 19th 2019. She recommended that I go ahead and knock out my colonoscopy as well since I'm almost 50 and I hadn't had one for 7 years. This served two benefits, one that I kill two birds with one stone: one that I would have my colonoscopy at the same time saving money and time and most importantly two that I would be all cleaned out and not need to poop for serveral days after the surgery. So I started the prep on the 18th at 4 pm. The morning of the 18th, I had an activia yogurt at 6:30 am and 1/2 plain bagel with egg and cheese at 10:30. My surgery was at 1:30 pm on the 19th. My surgery was removal by cutting out of the hemorrhoids. It wasn't laser or banding. They actually cut them out and stitched me up. I wanted to be clear about this because there are several different ways that it can be done. My doctor said that the full removal was the only way to ensure that they wouldn't come back. I received full anesthesia for the surgery itself and also they had HIGHLY recommended the use of https://www.exparel.com. Exparel is injected around the incision and helps with pain management for up to 72 hours, lowering the need for narcotics and helping to prevent the associated problems with narcotics which for those of us post surgery would primarily be constipation. I had to pay out of pocket $140 for this and my insurance covered the rest. That isn't always the case. It costs around $400 total. If it is in your budget and your insurance won't cover it, I recommend doing it. I have read a lot of stories from people who went through this in countries with national health care, and I gotta say that more than ever I am unbelievably grateful to have my own choice about healthcare coverage. The surgery team was great at Fairfax Colorectal and I highly highly recommend them.
History Part III: Fast forward to December 2016. At this point, I was having flare ups several times a month regardless of food choices. I went to see a colorectal surgeon at UVA and she suggested a full hemorrhoidectomy. I scheduled it for June of 2017. About the same time, I started Whole 30 and noticed a short term difference in how often I was having flare ups so once again I chickened out and canceled the surgery. 2018 until August of 2019, my life as far as my ass was concerned became a living hell. I had started weight training and I believe that the strain from lifting heavy weights sent me into a whole new realm. I spent this last year with a swollen thrombosed external hemorrhoid for at least 80% of the time. The bleeding from the internal ones was constant and regardless of my food choices, I was flared up terrible. When you live with a thrombosed hemorrhoid the size of a damn plum all of the time, it changes everything. I swear to God it changed my walking gate and my hips because of how often I would need to shift to my left side. There were times when I would have to get up in the middle of the night 3 times to take a hot bath. I was exhausted. Also, I lived my life with a sanitary pad all of the time because of mucus and blood drainage. This caused a urinary tract infection this summer. Needless to say, it was fun times around here. I decided to see a colorectal surgeon in Fairfax VA. I gotta say, her bedside manner and her frankness were a welcome experience. She basically told me that if I didn't have the surgery, I would spend the rest of my life like this. She said she wanted to take care of 2 internal ones and then the external thrombosed one. I had one internal on my left and a large internal on my right. The thrombosed external was also on my right. She was very honest and told me that the first week post surgery would be "torture" but the 2nd week would be less. She said some people go back to work in week two but others need more time. She said to plan for 4 weeks to be on the safe side. Of course the month leading up the surgery I only had 3 flare ups. I can't tell you how close I was to canceling but my son and husband both reminded me that I would regret it and that a week of "torture" was better than a lifetime. Also, my son is taking me to Paris in November so I really didn't want to be a hot mess for that. Okay so that is the history….here is the surgery…
History Part II:Fast forward to 2013 or so and now the bleeding has gotten to the point that I'm saturating pads and clothes and the external one has become more consistently thrombosed. I went to see a local surgeon and when I told her about the banding she was appalled. She said that at her practice they would knock me out for the procedure. Also, she scared the crap out of me (no pun intended) that there was a chance that they would come back. I also want to say that my flare ups were at this point almost 100% related to eating spicy foods. If I ate anything with a jalapeno in it or some sort of hot spice, I knew that two days later I would have a flare up. The following day would always consist of this drainage (not blood but mucus) and a mild discomfort ..the second day I was a hot mess. I started trying to tweak my diet and avoid spicy foods and it helped for a while. Needless to say, I chickened out on getting it done and focused on dietary changes.
HISTORY PART 1: I want to give a background about what I had been experiencing because I think it is important to understand that everyone is different in their hemorrhoid experiences. My dads side of the family suffers from bowel and digestive issues anyway so it wasn't a surprise when I got my first hemorrhoid at the age of 20 (1990) It was my wedding day and I was bearing down trying to poop so that I wouldn't have to poop later and "pop" my first one. My wedding night was a treat. Preparation H and misery…not what one would expect. Over the course of the next 15+ years or so I would have an occasional episode where it would "flare up" and be swollen and uncomfortable. Mine very rarely, if ever itched. Let me add that my hemorrhoid was prolapsed and ALWAYS hanging out and couldn't be pushed back in. When I've read about people being able to push theirs back in, I've always been perplexed because mine certainly couldn't be. It was always there which meant that even when it was swelled I had to be thorough with cleaning around it after a BM. However, sometimes it would swell and become thrombosed to the point of pain. In 2011 I started noticing that I had more bleeding and was having more flare ups. I went in for a colonoscopy and they determined that I had a total of 3 decent sized hemorrhoids with one of them prolapsed. They suggested banding. I eventually scheduled my appointment in 2012 not really understanding what I was in for. The local surgeon (not a colorectal specialist) had me bend over the table and he banded the first one. He said I definitely had 3 internal ones that he was going to take care of…again not the external one. He got the band around the first one and it was so painful that I actually made him stop and not finish the others. He gave me a prescription for painkillers and sent me on my way. It was so bad that I stopped at the bathroom in the facility to go because the pressure was unbearable. I went straight home crying from the pain and my husband had to go get my prescription. I was so pissed off that they didn't give me something ahead of time and suggest that I have someone there to pick me up. I started researching banding and everyone said the same thing – fuhreaking horrible pain. I was livid because I was given no warning. In addition, there were no recommendations to go easy on food for the few days prior so that I could prolong any bowel movements. I actually screamed out in pain the first time and like so many others, the best description would be hot shards of glass that or sandpaper perhaps. I have a had a c-section and a tummy tuck and I remember saying that I would do both of those over again before I would do a banding.
Very long but pls read if you want. Im in agony. Okay so ive been having hems for almost 10 years now. They've bothered me from time to time, like when im constipated. I've also had an anal fissure (Its like passing glass shards everytime you have a bm. No joke) I have at least 1 external hem and 1 internal grade 3 hem (have been pushing it back up every bm for the past 8 years). However, ive always been able to get through it and endured it with home treatments without even seeing the doctor. My hems would flare up once in a while and the pain/uncomfortable feeling would go away in between bms. HOWEVEr. i had a harder than usual bm on thrusday night. Woke up with a small flare up (nothing i couldnt handle). Went to the gym. (BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE). Walking back home from the gym, i could feel that my hem was bigger than normal already. I went about my normal daily activities throughout the weekend but my hem WASNT going down as usual. Usually theyll go down overnight. On Sunday it was really painful, it hurt to walk and i felt like i really needed to see the doctor. Told my dad (yes im actually a young girl I DONT KNOW WHY I HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS PAIN AND SUFFERING IM NOT EVEN 20), but he just gave me some cream, not knowing that ive tried EVERYTHING ALREADY and this felt DIFFERENT. like something more serious. I endured for another 2 days, going to school both days. I CANT EVEN WALK NORMALLY. Now is wednesday morning 1am, and i cant sleep because its SO PAINFUL, even lying on my stomach. I've taken paracetamol (for the pain) and put lidocaine in attempt to numb the pain. I took a look in the mirror (TMI) and my hems have swollen to the size of IDK MY BIG TOE IM SUPER SUPER SCARED. im not sure if its an internal grade 4 prolasped hem or an external one, but its hurting so badly HOW AM I SUPPSOED TO GO TO SCH AND PRETEND EVERYTHING'S NORMAL?! I can actaully foresee myself failing this semester due to the number of classes im going to skip. Anyway im going to the doctor's tomorrow. Even after reading all these horror stories, im hoping ill get a surgery. AND LIIKE ASAP. Does anyone know how long i must wait to get the surgery? Can they do it the next day if i complain im in AGONY. im not exaggerating or joking, im just really in a lot of pain 🙁 or can they do something to numb or lessen the pain for a while? I have an important audition on thursday morning and i cant miss it.
(continuing… ) ALSO, yes ive tried like many of the well known home treatments. (thats how ive gotten through YEARS of hems and MONTHS of an anal fissure. Ive tried sitz baths, prep H, Proctosedyl ointment, witch hazel, ice packs. For my bms, i take prune juice, water, and sometimes, a stool softener. I just am in so much pain now. i think i will welcome the surgery 🙁
How are you feeling now, Janelle? What did the Dr. say at your appointment?
65 year old male here. In week two of recovery….1 very large internal hemorrhoid, 1 external, and 3 internal polyps removed. I suffered from hemorrhoids since 12 years old and have dreaded this surgery for 40 years! The recovery has been painful but in all honesty manageable. During recovery, there have been good days and bad days but I would say the pain is not as bad as imagined for all these years.
I agree 100%!!!!
After my last comment I haven't been able to stop thinking about all the people here (and not on here) who have or are suffering terribly from this surgery. I cancelled my surgery and will continue to take the preventative measures which so far seem to be working very well.
I thought I would share what I am doing, for those in my position where we are told we need this surgery. But please keep in mind our situations may be very different, and your backside might be much worse than mine!
Bit of background is that I was having very liquidy stools and would take between 20-30 minutes on the toilet straining a lot, with a lot of bright red blood. This has been going on for quite a while and believed to be contributing to another bout of mild anaemia. I didn't have the severe pain I did back in 2007 when I was pregnant (that was the full on agonising pain with a thumb size 'roid where I couldn't move or do anything). After going to the toilet in the morning I be in quite a bit of discomfort, especially if I then had to commute with a sore bum.
I hope these tips can help someone lessen the discomfort.
1. I use sorbolene cream to help me wipe/clean up (I was told to use sorbolene on my baby's bum for sticky poos, it works well for adults too!)
2. I drink a minimum of 2L of water a day.
3. Surgeon told me to take 1-2 teaspoons of Metamucil (a psyllium husk preparation) with a large glass of water, twice a day (this is why I need to drink 2L as well).
4. use a cream like Proctosedyl or Anusol (these names!) for relief.
5. Freeze a bit of water in sandwich bags, and put them on the swelling when lying down.
6. Avoid too much sitting or standing if you can help it.
7. Eat more veggies.
8. No reading material in the toilet!
9. If you can stand it and have a shower hose, spray (not too much pressure) the coldest water possible on the swelling for a little while. Not fun in winter!
10. Don't use those ring/donut cushions.
I could never take those special baths often recommended because the swelling was so large I couldn't lie/sit up in the bath comfortably, but they may work for some.
My surgeon put me on a 'bowel regime' (the Metamucil, 2L+ water, ice packs) in my initial consultation in preparation for a colonoscopy. I have to say I noticed a difference in a week. The Metamucil did firm up my stools and I felt a bit constipated the first day or two which of course involves a bit of straining, but now things are better. I can be done in five minutes, no straining, no bleeding, no pain and the swelling has definitely gone down. Quality of life has really improved.
I know this doesn't help people who have had the surgery, but I have been so shocked and upset at all your experiences as well as reading of experiences elsewhere, and a common theme seems to be doctors telling us yes there will be quite bad pain but it will subside after 1-2 weeks. But it appears nothing can prepare people for how bad it is and that it is often much longer than 1-2 weeks! I think a lot of us would think sure I can handle this for a fortnight, that's why I agreed to the surgery. But then I read all these kinds of stories and I am horrified.
I am very grateful to everyone who has shared their stories and I sincerely hope you all feel relief soon.
hi, I'm a 45yo mum and came across this post because I've been booked in for surgery on a grade/stage 4 haemerroid. All I was told was that it would be 'very painful' and I knew this from years ago when my general doctor told me this is a surgery to avoid. Basically I had a terrible haemerroid in 2007 when I was pregnant, one that was so huge (about the size of a woman's thumb), I could walk sit stand nothing and was bedridden for days. It has never been that bad but the last year it has been bleeding again when going to the toilet. Some days there was pain but I was still able to function, albeit sitting gingerly!
I saw my surgeon two weeks ago for a consultation before colonscopy and gastroscopy, she took one look and said yep very swollen and put me on a bowel regime drinking a minimum of 2L a day, ice pack use and taking a fibre drink twice a day (Metamucil). Doing all this helped and I could feel my haem wasn't swollen and there was no pain.
Yesterday I had my scopes done, surgeon said all is well up there but the haemerroid has to go. Nothing about packing or pain on pooing, just a general 'it will be very painful'.
I have two teenage children that I homeschool, and we are going on a family holiday two months after the surgery date. Well, after reading this blog and other horror stories, there is no way I am getting this done. If my pain and swelling went away simply by drinking more water, using ice packs and drinking Metamucil then that's good enough for me. No way I'm risking cancelling this dream holiday for my children, or being so incapacitated due to pain that I can't educate them and take them to their activities.
Thank you so much for writing this post, I am feeling so sick and panicky about it all but tomorrow I am calling the clinic and cancelling the surgery. My haemerroid has improved a lot recently and I will do even more (lose more weight, etc etc) to alleviate it as much as I can.
Nearly six weeks in after having a hemorriodectomy and I can honestly say I would never have it again the pain is horrendous and didn’t feel prepared enough for what was to come, even now the pain can be unbearable, I’m writing this at 0407hrs and not slept as I’m in pain and had pain killers, never felt pain like it and not. Lot you can do to resolve it!
Had haemorroidectomy but stappled 5 days ago now, sent out after short recovery in recovery room, I was told this is going to be extremely painful, I didn’t treat this with the respect it deserves, 5 days on and the pain after BM is so painful I’m just looking for any tips or advise to help with the pain and how long to expect it to last. Sympathise with you all that have experienced this pain.
I had stage 4 prolapsed thrombosed hemarroids, due to intense stress I had been under, couldn’t poop for 9 days and was unable to pee unless standing up in the shower as there was too much pressure on my bladder. Went to hospital ER, was given a heap of laxatives even though I wasn’t constipated and it was the hemarriods blocking the passage. Went home and was feeling like I was going to explode, ended up trying to do more BM & ended up back in ER less than 24hrs later, as they had prolapsed so badly I couldn’t walk or move and could only lie on my stomach and was unable to pee or poop, they kept me overnight first on morphine every few hrs then put me into surgery because by this stage I hadn’t pooped for 2weeks.
After surgery I was on painkillers & was told because of the severity of my case to expect a lot of bleeding for at least 2weeks, so as soon as I got home the nxt day, I started using 30+ activated Manuka honey on gauze taper to the site to help heal the wound. Honey was soothing immediately & the bleeding stopped within 2 days, and I was able to do a BM after the 2nd day with help from laxatives. Stopped painkillers & anti inflammatory drugs after 3days as well and just finished my course of antibiotics.
Now 2.5wks post op, still a bit tired and still have to rest frequently as stamina is not high & there is pain and exhaustion when I have to walk too much, but am back at work and am so thankful the doctors operated.
For anyone about to have surgery invest in some high grade activated Manuka honey it helped me immensely and is antibacterial, prevents infection & accelerates flesh healing, I think my insides still are healing but has definitely helped me recover a lot faster than what the doctors told me I would.
I had haemorridectomy on 30th April in day surgery, no one explained to me how painful it would be. Only words written on the discharge note are " take painkillers and laxative " for 5 days.
10 days after the operation around 3 o'clock in the morning , I felt the urge to go toilet, blood splashed out and I thought they were just poo with blood, 10 minutes later, it happened again. When I used the toilet brush to scoop them out, it's not just blood but blood clots, lots of them. Called www and they asked ambulance to attend. Ambulance came, after showing them what's in the toilet, took me straight to A&E.
Unfortunately, I was examined by a junior doctor, said he would admit me to post surgery ward as I had an ops recently. While I was waiting, went to toilet 3 times with blood splashing out, fainted when I got out of the toilet. Rushed into resuscitation ward with 2 doctors and 4 nurses. Apparently I lost so much blood within a short period of time, my body was shutting down. Cut the long story short, had blood transfusion, stayed in hospital for 3 days. The worst is they don't know why I bled profusely but as it stopped after the resuscitation, they are not going to find out. I was send home with advice to take liquid iron supplement and laxative.
My advice to everyone is to think twice before having the operation. I was only stage 2 haemorrhood, operation is not necessary.
Omg I just had this surgery on April 26,2019 and everything that was said is true!! I truly wanted to take a gun to my head to end the mist horrific pain ever I would never have gone through this if I had known the excruciating horrible pain
Bonnie,
I had the Op as an emergency on the NHS, 10 days after a triple hernia Op at a private hospital left me in a woeful state. And sadly like you I had a similar thought and went to a very dark place in the early hours after very little sleep for days searching for a way out of the pain. But this condition though the pain is beyond belief isn't fatal and like you I made it through of course but will never fully understand how.
Wish I had tried to have them banded a second time when the first banding failed 5 years earlier. Could not with any conviction recommend this Op, it really is a LAST resort. As for the often quoted timeline for recovery of 7-10 days it is way wide of the mark… for days read weeks.
I can really identify. Very very painful
Hello everyone… had 2 removed on April 1st..1 internal 1 external..had em for 20 yrs
In theatre at 10… out for an hour… good pain management I think…. yep sore and you don't want to move much in case 'what if'… here we are 5 days on.. got co codiene.. orange powder stool softeners.. antibiotics to finish the pckt… then it'l be paracetamols i reckon… BM was 3rd day.. I knew there was a gauze in there remember waddling about in bathroom wriggling hips and trying to ?? dislodge it a bit.. then as it started passing/unfolding or whatever it was doing…whoosh job done!!..yep it's sore…second BM today i felt stretched a bit too much but if honest our minds and imaginations are in hyper drive… something happening 'outback'..we cant see anything…some dont have help.. we're expecting agonies from every action from waking to sleeping..tpo put it in perspective though….an aquaintance has just sawn his finger ih half and awaiting operation… i did similar a few yrs ago and without shadow of a doubt I'd much rather have me roidy's done again than what he got coming..so yep it hurts… yep it going to take time..yep i reckon a nurse or someone could have spent a bit of time preparing us for after…like what we chatting about now..but I.m damn pleased i had it done…good luck everyone and hope you get over it all quickly God Bless
Hi,
Had Haemorrhoidectomy last week 17/01 after suffering with heamorrhoids for 36 years had them after the birth of my son think they started due to having to take iron tablets. I have had them banded, injected but they always came back. Anyway I was made very aware of how painful it would be after surgery, I postponed it last year due to worrying about it. but then had another bout of prolapse piles and blood pouring down my legs after bowl movements and thought I cannot go on like this. At the moment I can cope with the pain am taking paracetamol and ibuprofen, (won't take cocodamol as it makes me constipated and that's the last thing I need), also taking lactulose, ispaghula husk and they have given me lidocaine to use 10-15 mins before bowel movement unfortunately with the laxatives don't always get 10 mins notice, only have another week of those. Have been told to rest and drink plenty of water. It is quite painful especially when wiping and washing after bowel movement but keep telling myself this time next week it will be a little less painful fingers crossed.
WORST experience.
I also had hemorrhoid surgery more than a year ago (in my mid 20s, physically active and healthy) and it was so far the most traumatic experience in my life. I have been reading a lot about the surgery before I had it, which meant I knew that bleeding and pain are normal. My surgery was pretty quick, the doctor told me that everything went perfect and I could immediately go home and rest. I had no pain at all and was very happy with the outcome. It was difficult for me to fall asleep in the evening since I was worried from all the things that were about to come and that I read and I had a very good reason…
It was around 2-3 o'clock in the morning when I got the sudden urge to go to the bathroom and I literally exploded. There was lots of pain and there was also blood, because the pain was so intense I went under the shower as I knew water would help me deal with it. Afterwards, I thought all was over, however around 5 o'clock in the morning I got the same urge, this time it was less but not less painful. I immediately went to the hospital (45 minutes drive) and the nurse that checked me told me that everything was normal, bleeding is normal and the pain is normal so I drove back home. Not even 30 minutes after I have gotten home I thought I just had gas (my stomach was bloated) and this time I decided to just stand in the shower and release it. When that happened I can say that I have never seen that much blood in my life, it was all over the bathroom. I called emergency and drove myself to the hospital again where I waited 12 hours on morphine to get a surgery (since I was not considered a serious case yet). I was sure the whole time something was wrong, I was going to toilet continuously bloody liquid stool until I was sick of it and at 6:00 in the morning I decided to just do it on the hospital bed since no one took it seriously. It turned out that the whole time my colon was filled up with blood and it took 3 surgeries in a row (the next 24 hours) for them to figure that out. I even needed blood transfusion, because I lost so much blood! Since then a lot of the things are blurry and that's probably because I was so afraid all the time with the thoughts that I might die (especially after hearing that I will need a surgery, then a second one, then a third one, not knowing what is happening). Nevertheless, I am grateful that all of this is behind me and I am well. Just wanted to share my experience with the hopes that maybe it could help someone who might be in a similar situation.
So sorry to hear your terrible experience, I had a similar experience. However I was lucky in a way that I was taken to the hospital by ambulance and fainted in A&E, they wouldn't have taken me seriously otherwise. I had blood transfusion too but managed to avoid further surgery. They did stop me eating for 36 hours just in case I need to have surgery. A nightmare for me.
Hi
I’m day 12 of second round of surgery (hemorroidectomy) with similar story. Had first surgery and a lot of pain and blood right from day one. By day 7 , I was feeling sick and exhausted and losing blood. By day 10 I began violently hemorrhaging, weak and emergency dept proposing 4am surgery, intensive care and a transfusion. I was increasingly concerned given the unbelievable amount of active blood loss as well as clotted blood that my body was evacuating.
Its been far more traumatic and impactful surgery than I had originally anticipated.
I have just had surgery ( 18th Jan 2019) . Reading all this makes me feel horrible. I guess recovery is a long way ahead for me. I was in severe pain for 4 days and by 5th the pain was sort of manageable until I had BM. THAT IS A SOLID KILLER. Is there an easier way to manage the pain during BM?? I am also not eating a lot of solids .. but there is always solid BM. ugh so weird.
I just found this post and I swear it could be me writing it. I had my first surgery in October 2018 and due to complications I had to have 2 more in November. It’s is January 2019 now and surgeon says he expects the pain and healing to continue until the end of February. I have never been in this kind of debilitating pain in my life. I have basically been living in my bed for 12 weeks. Thankfully I am able to work from home and get my stuff done but my children and husband have have missed out on all the holidays as a family due to my incapacitation. While I am so sorry you went through this, it gives me hope that I will be normal again one day. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience it been 7 weeks since I've had the same surgery and it's the worst experience of my life yet. I'm still In pain when I have a BM which is very often .I didnt know if still be in pain at this time but reading your article has given me hope thanks for sharing
I had my op a week tomorrow to remove 3 huge haemmoroids I've suffered for approx 6/7 years after childbirth -they tried the banding procedure but was too painful so got referred for surgery .i had no choice really than to have them surgically removed as they were so big they were affecting my everyday life ! Well my first bowel movement on the 2nd day after my op well omg I thought my insides had been ripped out the pain was horrendous words cannot describe the pain!' The pain when I have a vowel movement now on day 7 is still really severe and I'm loosing quite a bit of blood when I go to the toilet which seems to be about 5/6 times a day and not sure why this is ? I shall be ringing the ward tomorrow to make sure all this is normal nearly a week after as I'm particularly worried about infection etc ! My only advice wud be to think very hard before u have the surgery and if this is only option allow as much time as possible to get over this painful operation .
How are you doing now? Hopefully better!
I am now 6 weeks post op. I don’t think anyone that has not gone through a Hemorrhoidectomy can describe the pain associated with the procedure. I still swell and have pain after BMs. I only did it because prior to procedure I experienced pain when I would sit and stand up in my rectum. I thought it was due to hemorrhoids. My colorectal surgeon suggested surgery without doing what I feel wasn’t a thorough exam, but I was miserable for the last year so I felt like I needed to give it a shot. Thank god it does get better with time. My advice is make sure your surgeon gives you a thorough exam, eat smaller high fiber meals 2 weeks prior to surgery, stock up on high fiber meals for after surgery if you will not have help because you will be in so much pain that you will not be able to make yourself meals, eat your greens, get off narcotics as soon as possible, do sitz baths frequently, and drink tons of water to avoid constipation. Good luck and do your research before getting this procedure done.
Correction my colorectal surgeon didn’t do a thorough exam
How long until you felt your normal self?
I’m 1 week post op and if I had known how horrendous it was going to be I’d of managed with how I was before. I had 3 external removed and 1 internal. The 3 external were the size of a 50p but never caused much pain it was the blood loss from the internal that made the surgeon push for the op.
I’m currently sat in the bath as I type this and wish I’d never had it done, I honestly wish I was dead to be free of the torture. The opening of the bowels is horrendous! Anxiety attacks before because I know what’s coming and hot sweats, wanting to vomit and pass out why bowels are opening. I really don’t see things ever improving. Not only is it physical torture it’s mentally torturing too. I don’t ever see it ending, biggest regret of my life!
Ugh, I am going through this nightmare now!! I would not have done this had I known how horrific it was. I know mine were bad but I managed okay. Painful is natural child birth this is TORTURE !! I thought I was going to die the first week and I don't know that I will ever get over this experience. I am now 18 days in and am soooooooo tired, still not able to sleep. I just want relief…,
I am my 4th week post op and I am starting to feel like it was worth it. Week 1 horrific pain. I would lay in the tub reading posts to reassure myself that this was a normal horrific moment in my life. It was. I wish I would have know to make sure to keep up on the stool softeners. I got a UTI 1st week and couldn't pee. Even after the UTI cleared up, I still had a hard time peeing. 2nd week a little bearable until BM. Then back down in tub wishing I had all c section births. The worst was when the BM wouldn't completely evacuate from everything being slowed down by medicines. Tried going off pain pills to soon and couldn't evacuate. 3rd week better every day, but I was just tired and still sore, but my body was exhausted. Still had to stay on the routine of timing the bathroom process and leaving the house. My doctor was clear that it was painful, but he wasn't clear how painful. My recommendations are start on a high fiber diet before the surgery, after surgery write everything down. Eat small meals, but whatever you do don't eat. It makes bowel movement small and harder, harder is not good. Time your stool softeners or exlax and see when things start to move and time your pain pill roughly before then. DRINK DRINK DRINK fluids. PEE is hard afterward to, but drink. I am much happier now. It was a rough month. I have a few tags, but they are feeling better than before and dr. said they should go away.
Mentally no matter how strong you think you are, This will put you to your limits. I am amazed how blogs like these have helped. Take care and I hope you get to feeling tip top soon.
Thank you for sharing I had no idea what really went on during this treatment I just hope you're back to normal soon
Phòng Khám Đa Khoa Đại Đông không chỉ góp phần giảm tải lượng bệnh nhân cho các bệnh viện công, mà chúng tôi còn hướng đến một dịch vụ khám chữa bệnh toàn diện, đạt tiêu chuẩn quốc tế với đội ngũ bác sĩ giỏi trong và ngoài nước.
Ohh Cass, I missed this when you posted. I am so sorry you had to go through this. I have seen you mention being poorly and off work so many times and assumed it was something a bit sensitive as you'd never offered info on it and I didn't feel it was my place to ask but I had no idea you were so unwell. I'll be praying for your good recovery from here on. Mich x
I hadn't realised what was wrong Cass. It sounds awful, but I think you are right to talk about it. Hope it heals up soon. x
Oh my goodness. You poor thing. I am so sorry you went through all of this.
Oh my goodness what a terrible thing to go through, I am so sorry you've had to go through this.
Oh gosh it sounded absolutely horrendous. As a recovery nurse I've looked after many haemorrhoidectomy patients and always assumed the healing process was fairly smooth. What an honest and frank post. I hope you feel much better soon x
Goodness Cass it just sounds horrendous. You have really played down how much you have been through these last few months.
Oh Cass how awful! I suffer with them too and after reading this you have inspired me to take better care of my body! I certainly don't want to have to go through what you have or anything near.
Thank you for sharing I had no idea what really went on during this treatment I just hope you're back to normal soon
My gosh what an awful experience to have been through. I hope you are now feeling better and more comfortable, and will get your health back soon 🙂
Sounds so painful! I struggled with them after the birth of both my children and that was painful enough. Can't imagine what you must have gone through.
Hopefully your recovering well now and can enjoy your trip away x
Oh, goodness! You'd mentioned a few times that you'd been ill and I'd been wondering what was going on. How awful for you. Thank you for sharing your experience – I'm sure this will help people know better what questions to ask their doctors so they can make the best choice for them. I hope you're truly feeling better now and that you're well enough to enjoy your upcoming New York trip without pain!
I haven't had surgery for haemorrhoids but I did suffer with them for years and I know how painful and debilitating they can be. The constant itching and burning drives you mad and makes you feel dirty and lousy, and when they're really swollen they can be so very painful. I finally had a course of injections in my back passage that really helped a lot where creams didn't make a difference. Those injections and losing nearly 5 stone in weight means I haven't suffered for many years now and I pray I never do again. Thank you for your insightful explanation of what you've been through. I hope I never have to make the decision about whether to have the operation or not. Best wishes for the future, I hope the pain will prove to be worth it. Love, Helen xx
That sounds absolutely horrendous you poor thing! I'll never ever complain again if I get them after reading what you've gone through x
I am a bit shocked after reading what happened to you.
I had this done 27 years ago by a guy that told me my case was the worst he had ever seen in a 29 yea rold.
I spent 2 weeks in clinic ( I had this done in France) and suffered very little pain .I refused the morphine when it was offered, there was no need.
less than a month later I traveled to Egypt for a 3 week holiday.
the op was so much less painful than what I had been living with
.If they ever come back I will have them done again !!
!.I have had no problems since.
Thanks very much for sharing that – I was worried that my post could make my experience come across as being the norm when it really isn't so I hope your experience will help others understand how much easier it can be. There are some absolute horror stories online and not many positive ones so it's great to read yours. x x x
Glad you are feeling better at last. I do so enjoy your posts. I am a 65 year old grandmother of 5 and find the posts interesting, helpful and enjoyable. Kathleen
Cass, thank you for being so honest and strong to share your experience. My husband had the same attitude from the medics when he had a nasal operation (about the same time you had your op) i.e. that they gave him the best case scenario with no real warning of the reality. He has however got past the "wish I'd never done it stage and is now at "I'm glad I did it" stage. I hope you get to that stage very soon, Best wishes X
oh bless you my love xxx
Dear Cassie,
Thank you so much for sharing such an honest view of surgery ! I think that it will help many people and as a sufferer myself you have all my sympathy for what you have been through ! Keep on looking after yourself !