Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery - how long will it take?

momto3cuties · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 11

Has anyone out there who has had a hemorrhoidectomy give me an idea of how long it will take to recover. I had three internal hemorrhoids removed with traditional surgery. It will be 4 weeks for me tomorrow and I still don't feel even close to 100%. My doctor told me I would be healed in two weeks but I have since learned that all surgeons lie about the recovery time needed for this surgery or no one would get it done.

Also, is it normal to still have some bleeding with a BM at this point too?

I need advice please as I am really depressed by my rate of healing so far.
Thanks!

jeannine_29 · Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 66 Location: California

Hi. I had a hemrrhoidectomy done about 2 years ago myself. I noticed that it did take several weeks for me to heal. I also had some blood speckles with a BM. It also takes some time for the sutures to disolve as well. I found that it was uncomfortable for 1-2 months and I could not "slide" across the couch or bed before getting up. If you are bleeding alot or having severe pain, please see your doctor...if your doctor is not being of any help, get a second opinon to be safe! good luck.

Jeannine

amesel · Newbie Joined: 08 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

Guest · Guest

I just have my surgery done last Thursday and all i feel is like i want to go to the bathroom all the time, cant really seat down well. a lil bt constipated, is awfaul when i have each bm. today i will see my dr and see how my revery is going, also i need to ask him wether i need to ask the dr if is normal the feeling of wanted to go to he bathroom all the time. Is bad very bad and painful surgery. I hope everybody get sbetter soon. Crying or Very sad

tryingtobebrave · Newbie Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

I am having 3 hemorrhoids removed tomorrow and am trying to be brave. I am going to Italy in 9 weeks, so I hope that I can trek around Rome and through the Tuscan countryside. Can anyone tell me any good news???

urrgent1 · Newbie Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I had a hemorroidectomy about 3 weeks ago. The first week after the surgery was the most painful time of my life, especially when passing stool. The pain medication that was given to me did very little to ease the pain. After the second week I started to fell better though. I want to say that three weeks after the surgery I feel about 75% recovered. I still feel a little pain while I walk up stairs and I cannot sit for long periods of time. I am getting some moistier in the sugical area but I don't know if this is from healing or a problem so I'm going to ask the doctor this week when I make my second check up appointment.

girlieluv79 · Newbie Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 4

GJPJC · Newbie Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 15

My wife had this procedure done 2 weeks and 2 days ago. Just yesterday, I drove to the doctor's office to get a written prescription for a more powerful pain reliever. She was taking Vicodin, we've now moved up to Percocet. And, she's supplementing that with ibuprofen.

As the "caregiver", I'm convinced this is the most painful surgical recovery I have ever watched.

First of all, I don't think this should be done on an outpatient basis. We were up for about 36 hours straight after surgery trying to ease her pain. We called the hospital back at 1:00 AM, and they gave us some tips on managing the pain and said to bring her back if she couldn't manage. She didn't want to ride in the car, so we made do, but it was awful.

This might be a two week recovery if you just have the rubber band thing, but with internal bleeding 'rhoids, this is one wicked recovery. My wife can't even stand to have someone walk across the floor near her.

Follow your doctor's orders on the BMs. Our doctor had a little formula. If you don't go at all one day, take one Tbs of Metamucil and one Tbs of Milk of Magnesia. If you go 1-2 times, take one Tbs of Metamucil. If you go 3 or more times, don't take anything. It's really important to go. In my wife's case, she went on the fourth day after surgery, but then shut down after another three days and then had tremendous pain and couldn't go for like a week. That was bad. Now, things are moving again and she seems to be feeling a little better.

Her experience with the pain during BMs has not been that significant.

My recommendation to anyone considering this surgery is that you should only have it if you are having some other related medical problem like the bleeding is making you anemic. Or, if the hemorrhoids are really prohibiting you from living a normal life. This is not a decision to take lightly. My wife is really having her regrets right now.

For my wife, I predict this will be a 6-8 week recovery. So far, the pain level hasn't changed much since about 48 hours after surgery. That really wears on a person. May I say it's hard to watch, too.

I'm sleeping in my son's room (he's away at college) because my wife can't stand any movement around her. It probably doesn't help that I'm the size of an NFL player and she's the size of an NFL cheerleader.

I'm sure we will look back on this in a year or so and be glad that she doesn't have the bleeding and pain of severe hemorrhoids that she has put up with since our kids were born. However, right now the cure seems worse than the disease.

tryingtobebrave · Newbie Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

I am 4 1/2 weeks post surgery and just getting back to normal--working out and feeling really well. I am still somewhat tender on my bottom. The recovery took much longer than I had anticipated. My whole body was trying to recover. My digestive system was out of whack. Bowel movements were an ordeal. At the 3 week mark, I was much, much better. The 4 week mark was another leap toward wellness. My doctor said it would take 6 weeks for me to really appreciate the surgery. I guess it is like having a baby. At the 6 week check-up, you are glad you did it. Whew. It was really an ordeal that no one can truly understand unless you have been through it.

I am wondering--has anyone had trouble with the "tags" that are left?

tryingtobebrave · Newbie Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

To Hufhouse: I trust that your wife is coming along by now. I can sympathize. I decided not to take any pain meds--Percocet and Lortab because they contain codeine which is constipating. Your rectum is in spasm post-surgery and you feel the urge to go constantly. I was on the sitz bath about 30 times in the beginning combined with about 20 baths a day. I could find no relief except with warm water. Then, I added 3 Aleve (not Advil--no help) plus 5%Lidocaine (by prescription) to help numb the area. I toughed it out because I did not want to be constipated. I only ate high fiber foods--pears, legumes (beans, lentils), apples, oatmeal, salads etc. Lots of water, stool softeners (without laxatives) and 2 fiber drinks per day. At 4 1/2 weeks post-surgery, I am still having bowel movements on a sitz-bath. I am hoping to wean myself of that very soon since I am going out of town and cannot fit the sitz-bath in my overnight bag. Keep your chin up. While in bed recovering, I saw soldiers blown up then in surgery in Baghdad. They had shrapnel in their spleens, livers, intestines etc. When I saw that, I said that I had NO problems to complain about. I knew I would recover and eventually be out of pain. They will never be out of pain. The light is at the end of the tunnel for you both.

Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery - how long will it take?

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