Alright, I wanted to let you all know that I've now actually done hemorrhoid surgery twice. *sigh* I've got some experience here. lol.
The first procedure I had done removed three "PLUMP" external hemorrhoids that my doctor called "impressive". Trust me... you never want to hear that. I technically had four but the fourth one was so small that he didn't want to try and take it due to how much work he was already going to be doing back there.
After the surgery and recover time... I got much better and things were going well. I was always aware of the last hemorrhoid, but hoped that it wouldn't grow much.
As bad luck would have it... t did.
I had the last one removed nearly two weeks ago. I've now been through this process twice. As you have read in so many other posts... the surgery is not exactly "fun", but since I've now done it twice, I can say with certainty that it's not nearly as bad as some people have posted.
You usually hear the most from people who have had miserable experiences. I don't blame them. If I had an AWFUL experience, I'm going to talk about it. But for me... BOTH times... it wasn't as bad as I was reading.
In fact, there were so many times that I was thinking about canceling the first procedure. I had several weeks to think about it and I kept convincing myself that I could just suffer through it and live with them. I had convinced myself that the various pain that I was feeling when they were inflamed was better than the pain I'd get from surgery.
That's just not true. After I healed up from my first procedure... minus the one smaller one... life actually went back to normal. Now after this procedure, I'm fairly certain I won't have to worry about them for a very long time.
So what did I do that maybe made it hurt less?
- Ice is nice. I kept it simple. Since I was going to be staying home from work anyways, instead of wearing underwear, I put on adult diapers. Sounds awful, right? It's not. Instead of worrying about getting any blood or leakage from the wound onto any of my clothes, that blocked everything. In fact, when I would be laying on my stomach, I would put a bag of ice over the diaper and it provided enough cold to soothe the area, but not so much that my skin would hurt. It was perfect. The ice, in intervals, would literally kill the pain.
- Stay ahead of the pain with the meds that they give you. My doctor told me to eat the stool softeners like candy because they can't hurt you. He told me that the looser the better. Given the fact that the pain meds will actually CONSTIPATE you... make sure you take plenty of stool softeners. I still had a little trouble the first time going (both times), but the second time... I was better prepared for it. In fact, as soon as I was able... I pulled off the heavy meds and supplemented with Tylenol Extra Strength (my doctor recommended it).
- Eat much lighter. Since mine were external, he was less concerned about my diet. When they remove external, they're more concerned about your clean up process. Even still, I ate a LOT less than I normally do and made sure the things I ate were easy to get out of my system. Plenty of soups and food that is easy on the system. Your body will thank you.
- The first time going after the surgery isn't great. I would recommend the sitz bath first, if possible to loosen up the area. Do your best not to strain... although both times I did. The second time, I strained less. Your body wants it out as well. Just be patient. Also, it took a couple of days for me to even WANT to go. Both times it was at least 2-3 days before I had to go to the bathroom.
- Don't mess with it. Don't look at it. It's SO tempting to get a mirror and try to check out what happened. My doctor told me to just let it heal without looking at it. Both times, I avoided looking at the area. I can naturally panic so this worked well for me. You will be going in for a check up soon after the surgery anyways and if there is any issue, your doctor will be better suited to know what's going on when he/she looks at it. I'm not a doctor so staring at a wound isn't really going to help comfort me.
- Neosporin w/ pain relieving cream. I would fold a square piece of gauze and squeeze some of the Neosporin on it and set it over the wound (between my cheeks). It would actually help me with the pain. I did this about once or twice a day. Usually when I'd replace the gauze.
- You will bleed for awhile. This is NORMAL. I read some stories where people were freaking out several weeks later due to bleeding. Yes, you will bleed, but it's TOTALLY manageable. I truly only noticed it the first few days (in the diaper), and then later with just the gauze. It just takes time for the wound to heal. That, in time, will go away.
- I set up a bit of a command center in my living room. I bought Slim fast shakes to drink (to get nutrients but not a lot of bulk out of the gate), ate that and soup a lot for the first few days... and caught up on a ton of Netflix as well as reading.
Don't cancel your appointment due to what you've read here. There have been plenty of scary stories that have stopped others. A couple of them almost stopped me. I read one post about someone passing out and bleeding on the floor from just trying to go to the bathroom. I panicked after reading that and had to walk away. I read another where people were going on about how they never truly knew what pain felt like until this surgery.
If that's the case, then i must be made of steel. Yes, it will be painful, but it's all manageable. I kept reading stories and then convincing myself that whatever badness I was reading would be even WORSE for me since I typically have bad luck to begin with. I would freak out from one story to the next. I worked myself up into a frenzy where I was just sure this would be one of the worst experiences of my life.
It's not that bad. There are some "not fun" moments but overall, it's not nearly as bad as you'll read. Take it from the guy who's done it TWICE now. I'm finally fully hemorrhoid free after two procedures. The first was in December and the second was in May. It's all behind me and I'm happy that I did it.
So the question comes up...would you do it again? Well, I DID do it again. If it was as bad as I've read from some people, there would be no way in hell that you could get me to agree to do it TWICE.
Since you'll be nervous, ask the doctor to give you Xanax before. By the time he was ready to start, I was perfectly fine. And yes, you may have been wondering... I was AWAKE for both procedures. To save money and not have it done in the hospital, I did it with just a local in his office. I went back and forth on whether or not I should be awake for the whole thing but I decided to tough through it. FURTHER... I was even texting people AS he was doing it. Once you're numbed up, he could have been cutting really anywhere he wanted and I would have been fine.
He got done, I pulled up the diaper, got my prescriptions, had someone drive me home while I laid in the backseat of the car, and started the process of healing.
I also asked for a friend to help take care of me. Nothing better than being able to lay on the couch and ask for things. :-)
The procedure isn't going to be pain free, but the pain is definitely manageable. It may suck for a bit as you're getting used to things getting back on track, but you'll be alright. This Friday (June 7th) it'll have been two weeks. I'm already mostly back on track. I do still have to use a pillow to sit (that takes some time), and I still have a LITTLE bit of blood when I wipe but I'm already feeling better now than I did when i was walking around with it.
Would I do it again? If I had to. I know the process. I know that it takes a long time to fully heal, but the result is incredible. No more worrying about those days where they get enflamed and just continue to throb and itch. No more of having to feel them when I wipe... and then having to be super careful to keep from wiping TOO much so that they bleed. None of that. It's all gone. So would I do it again? To get rid of those hemorrhoids, absolutely.
Absolutely.
If you are interested in doing any/all of the things that I'm recommending... I'd talk it over with your doctor. I'm just a guy living life... and clearly reading too much on the toilet. That stopped.
Once you finish reading this, shut the computer down and stop looking up hemorrhoid experiences online. Trust me. You're nervous/scared (I was terrified) so reading one story after the next of people having these HUGE issues... it was just all counter productive. At least, it was for me. I was shaking like a leaf when I went in to get it done. I almost never made it to his office due to the online terror I was checking out.
You know you want them gone. You know that cream isn't going to work. You know that as many times as you convince yourself that you can just live with them... You know deep down that you just want them to be gone so much that it just needs to happen. Are those other people all wrong? No, but there is a LONG list of reasons as to why they probably had a bad experience. AND a lot of people don't follow their doctor's recommendations after the surgery. In fact, my doctor told me that many of the reasons that people have bad experiences are due to poor care of the area after. Not all! I know that there are some legitimate issues out there... but don't weigh your comfort on people giving out bad experiences on the net. :-)
If you need more help, let me know! I am here to assist. :-)
Kevin
Thank you for posting this. I told my doctor to go ahead and book my surgery for external hemorrhoids but this site had me freaked out. I have been looking for positive but realistic stories and yours is one of them. Once again, thank you!
Yea, this place freaked me out as well. In fact, it worked me up so much that I was sure I would cancel the appointment. I'm not only glad now that I got this done... I wonder why I even waited.
It's a longer road than I wish it was, but one that's not awful to travel. It has its moments, but overall, I believe that you will be happy with the result.
Hemorrhoids suck. There's no doubt about it. The pain of having them isn't fun either, but the GOOD news is that while the surgery isn't pain free... there IS a pain free future. :-) Focus on that fact as you recover. It sure has been helping me.
And I can't stress it enough... Ice is nice. I said that a dozen times a day when I was at my most tender. It really helped to keep the swelling down and numb the pain.
If you need anything else, or anyone else wants to chime in, please do. The recovery takes time... I've heard a few people say "two steps forward. one step back." That's a fairly accurate statement. Some days I feel better. Then I'll have a day where it seems a bit more sore. I just push through and before you know it, you feel better again. You'll be fine. :-)
This surgery reminds me of one that I had a few years ago and I scared myself silly then too. I stopped reading the post-op boards because they also freaked me out. As it turned out, I was one of the super lucky ones that didn't need pain meds the day after surgery even though it was a major abdominal operation. I also didn't get the swelling that others normally get so I am really keeping my fingers crossed that I get lucky with this one too and that the pain will be manageable. I am not delusional enough to think I am going to get away pain free with this one.
Generally speaking, mine didn't cause me pain all the time either. It just got to a point where they were annoying to feel dangling around like that. It was just awful. I didn't have it itch as most everyone else did. I'm not quite sure why. I just got annoyed about how it felt and when they did get irritated, it was madness. I hated that so much.
But yes, on a day to day level... I didn't pay attention to them THAT much. I was surprised at how "used to them" that I got.
I'll take it a step further... when you think about not having anything back there but what should be there... and if that gives you a sigh... then that's another sign that it's time to get it taken care of.
I agree with your doctor that it's good to address it now when they're not all inflamed. I would think that doing that when they're inflamed may hurt more.
The funny thing about mine is that the night before, I swore they felt gone. It was almost like they knew their time was up. Lol. Of course they were still there...but I was trying to convince myself that I didn't need to do the surgery after reading what people had written.
Pain free may be a stretch, but clearly manageable pain will be what you go through. I've seen people talk about passing out from the pain... and I guess the opportunity is THERE as I would hate to think people would lie about their experiences, but It wasn't that insane for me... neither time. It's not pleasant...but someone taking a knife to that area doesn't scream pleasant for any reason at all.
Just remember to ice a lot. He told me 20 minutes at a time, but I'd be lying to say that I followed that. I left the ice on much longer... just not directly on my skin. That's where the diaper worked out well. Nobody told me to wear those, but it just really helped me not worry/wonder if there would be any issue. If I bled at all, my clothes were going to be fine. I got used to walking around in sleep pants anyways. :-) But yea, I used ice a lot. And while I have like 20 ice packs that I could have used... zip lock bags (doubled) and ice cubes just rocked my world. And since I don't have an ice machine running or anything, when the ice would melt, I'd throw the bag back in the freezer. Then I just started swapping bags.
And I'd also tell you to follow what my doctor said... don't look down there right now. Once it's done... give it awhile to heal ... months.. before ever wondering. That's what I did last time, and I'm glad I did it again this time.
Are you going to be put out for the procedure or are you doing a local? I have tips on things if you do the local in his office versus the hospital. I know a lot of people prefer to be knocked out for something like this... who could blame them... but I didn't want to be. Not because I was even remotely interested in what he would be doing... but because I didn't want to spend a day in the hospital doing it.
And for something that can cause pain... I was only "under the knife" for about 10 minutes maybe. Maybe 15. He adjusted the bed so that he could get a good look (which is very sobering) and he walks me through what he's about to do and he starts. Once he's done, they helped me down and he let me ask questions for a couple of minutes... and then away I went.
He gave me two Xanax to take and I'm glad I did. It brought down my nerves a LOT and I felt a LOT more subdued afterwards. I got home and went right for the couch.
Another thing he told me... which is comical, but true... is that I should think of them like party balloons. They fill up when they're inflamed but when they aren't... it's all still there. Hemorrhoids don't just go away... the pain/itching is chronic. When I started to think of it that way, I started to realize that my comfort would never get back to what it was until I did something about it.
I'm glad I did it. I would do it a third time if it was necessary. Just stay in front of the pain, take your medication as they prescribe it, ice is nice, and take it easy. Catch up on Netflix or sleep or whatever makes you happy. Just stay off of your feet for a couple of days out of the gate for no other reason than you just need to focus on healing. :-)
If you have more questions or want to keep chatting, I'm here. :-) I know how scary it can be. I'm 12 days in after my second one and I'm sitting in a chair. Yes, it's still a bit tender, but I'm healing! And you'll be fine as well. When do you have it scheduled for?
Kevin
Hello Diane! :-)
You got this! I almost cancelled my procedure several times after reading posts here. I was absolutely terrified. Luckily for me, I have a friend that knows a lot about medical stuff, and he told me what to expect. He nailed it for me. He said that there are some good days, and some bad, but overall, I'd be happy once it was over and I was healed. He was right. Yes, there is pain, and I know that scares a lot of people, but it's manageable until you're healed. It just takes time.
I don't regret it. I only regret that I waited this long to make it happen. You'll be fine. And if you need to talk about it more, let me know. I'll answer any questions you want to know about so you have as much info about my experiences as possible. :-)
Kevin
My doctor would not do it with only a local because the skin tags I have are too extensive. I went in to Ambulatory Care to have banding done but after a look around, he said they only band internal hemorrhoids and I didn't have enough tissue there to band (I don't know why he didn't figure that one out at my colonoscopy or at the appointment after that). He offered to do a small bit of the skin tags but he said that all of my hemorrhoids are external and really need to be dealt with in the operating room. He was giving me a few days to think about it as I was really hesitant to make a decision right then and there. So I chose not to have anything done right then. I did call the office a few days later to let them know I was going to go through with it. It will be months before I get surgery due to the waiting times here and this is not urgent or a priority.
As to the anesthesia, I am going to push for a spinal. I hate feeling out of it and I am a bit of a control freak (well, okay. I am a huge control freak). The last surgery, they gave me Versed and didn't tell me that my memory would be wiped out after that. It still freaks me out that I was conscious and talking with them and that I have no memory of it. I also get dizzy and nauseous which is really gross after having had surgery. He is aware of my dislike for sedation because he did my colonoscopy with no meds upon my request (which was just fine by the way). Hopefully, I can convince him not to knock me out or sedate me. A spinal or epidural would be just fine with me.
I have to go to the OR for this. I was told that things were too extensive to be done with just a local. I am hoping to have a spinal rather than having general anesthesia. I am a bit of a control freak and really did not like having my memory wiped clean by being given Versed before being put under. I also don't like being sedated so if they do a spinal, I have no intention of being sedated. I did a colonoscopy with no meds so this should be fine with just the spinal.
Thank you again for all of the info.
Weird. I replied a few days ago and my post didn't show. Now it shows up so the post above is a duplicate. Sorry.
When is your surgery? Has it happened yet or are is it still approaching? Let me know. I am here to help. I just saw my doctor for a 3 week check up and he's telling me that I'm healing beautifully. It's gotten to the point where things are generally back to normal for me. :-)
It's totally worth it. :-)
My surgery has not been booked yet. I am told it will be in the fall or early winter of this year. I am glad you are getting back to normal.
kparker76 you actually convinced me to go ahead with the surgery!! I just had mine Tuesday, but not taking enough laxatives/stool softeners. My doc was worthless. What type of fiber supplement and stool softener were you taking, and what dosage? Thanks so much for all of your posts!!
My hemorrhoidectomy is scheduled for Sept. for one internal grade3 prolapsed. I am going to do it, but I am nervous. Good to see a positive post. I was freaked out reading all the horror stories also. Hoping since I'm only having one removed it will be a little better. So thanks kparker76 too.
Roo how are you healing up?
hello kparker76
My hemorrhoidectomy is scheduled for next monday, i was really happy reading your post and was so possitive about it
i have one large external hemorrhoid and i will be admitted 2 nights 3 days to have it cut.
am just curious after surgery when does your butt look normal again? (sorry for the word) but am really curious kkk.
and after how many days you could go back to work and normal life? i heard that hemorrhoidectomy for external ones are less pain than internal ... hope its true.
Hope hearing good news soon