Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery - how long will it take?

I had the surgery one week ago and am trying to cope with the exhausting recovery period. i've read lots of posts but haven't had anyone mention fecal leakage. this is somewhat gross but let's face it we are all having problems with our bottoms.... does anyone have fecal leakage in addition to bleeding? this has to be the worst part for me. also when should the bleeding and leakage end? this surgery was worse than delivering any of my children (which i did without an epidural). is there light at the end of the tunnel? any advice would be great. thx.

I must say, I've been reading this board for the past couple weeks and it has both terrified and comforted me! I'm a male in my upper 20's and noticed most who did the surgery are female mothers so I'm not sure if my experience relates, but I just finished week 2 of the recovery process.

Wow. Obviously, the first week was pure hell. I learned what kind of pain thresholds we have as humans and also tested the patience in my wife who was taking care of me that week. It was awful and i regretted the surgery every day. The doctor said he removed two golf-ball sized 'roids from me so i'm not sure if that's extreme or normal.

At first the Vicodin was useless and I was upped to Percocet which worked fine for 4 or 5 days...actually, it seemed worthless but it screwed with my mental state so much probably that it made the days go by faster. I also was prescribed sleeping medication (Ambien CR) to help with sleeping through the pain. The bathtub was my best friend many many times a day, whether or not it helped it at least gave me something to do besides focus on the pain. I then switched back to Vicodin because it seemed to work better than the Percocet. I used up the entire prescription (2 pills every 3-4 hours) and now I am proud to say that the pain has subsided and I'm off pain medication!

Life seems great right now because I don't have the normal daily pain. I went back to work after about day 11 or 12...all in all, my days are fine and great, no problems - Iwork about 6 hours or so a day. But the night time is a different story. For some reason I am in pain only at night, the tags kill, and I have fecal drainage that burns. I bathe all night and lie in bed unable to sleep (the ambien seems to no longer work). And of course the worst part is the bowel movements...i am definitely constipated and feel lucky when even a quarter-size bm occurs. I am on the citrucel twice a day and the stool softners 2-3 a day so I dont know whats wrong? I can't seem to think of anything good to eat except for salads and apples/fruits...but I starve at night after eating just that stuff - anyone have any good tips for fiberous but filling meals? Whenever I have those constipated BM's, it feels like hell and makes me feel like I'm returning to week 1...I'm scared of milk of mag. after reading all the scary posts. Sounds like that is bad stuff? maybe i just should just double my citrucel?

In any case, it seems like some people recover faster than others and I'm really hoping to be a 4-week case because I have an extremely important business trip after week 4 that I shouldn't miss.

So if the BM issue was better than I would love life right now, but at leasting half a normal day is better than nothing!

wow. this is a painful procdure. i had this done 2 weeks ago. bm's are terrifying. my doctor told me to do a milk and molassis enimma when i was having trouble with my bm's,this absollutly saved my life.

week 6 - I cant believe I'm here. Time is truly the factor!
This was my 4th hemect. None of the previous were like this,yet bad enuf that I swore I'd never do it again. I felt I didnt have a choice. At the 3week check I asked the doc if I would ever be like a normal person - "Maybe"...
Still having trouble w/ some bms. Still on 3 stool softners a day and Miralax (1tsp) at nite. Its hard to find a balance w/ soft but not too soft so youre going urgently all day.
My surgeon warned me to control it or I cold end up back in surgery w/ a fissure. This scares the c**p out of me (ha sorry), but what a balancing act.
I'm eating prunes and salad and beans and sweet potatoes etc. but because of meds for other issues its hard to keep up w/ enuf water. I hope I dont have to take softners and eat like this forever. (anyone?)
As an encouragement to all in early stages - I can walk 20 min. - I can sit more than just 1 hour! Hang in...it gets better!

I had a hemorrhoidectomy 3 days ago. Wow. I have never experienced so much pain in my life. I've had kidney stones, four children and knee surgery...nothing even comes close to this. I can't even think sometimes the pain is so bad. I've been taking Vicodin every 4 hours around the clock and I'm almost out of the prescription. Should I call for a refill or just try to tough it out? I don't want to have to take the pain meds, but I can't seem to function even a little bit without it. Is it O.K to take ibrofuen? I'm not sure if it will make me bleed. I'm bleeding during b/m quite a bit..it goes through my pants afterwards and is very uncomfortable and becomes irritating. Any info would be helpful...this is worse than I ever imagined. Thanks for the help.

Hello,

I saw this blog and thought to share my experience to everyone who'd care to read. I just had my procedure done a week ago last Friday after I had collapsed at home on 17 March and was taken to the ER of a hospital. A blood transfusion of 5 pints was necessary because over a period of time that I was bleeding (GI rectal) for almost a year. In July 2006, I had a colonoscopy because of the bleeding that I was having. After the procedure, the doctor who performed the procedure told me to go home and said there was nothing wrong with me, just a "little" hemorrhoid and I should not worry. Everything went bad from then on, because I started bleeding more heavily and eventually collapsed from lack of blood on 17 March 2007.

After I had the hemorrhoidectomy some three days ago before I thought I could finally go home, I had a UTI which I never had in my entire life. I was told that this was because of the procedure. They inserted a foley catheter which for all those who know is not a pleasant experience. A urologist finally saw me and prescribed an antibiotic and Flomax. Upon arriving home two days ago, I find that I am really having a difficult time recovering from the pain and the constant urge to move my bowel. I take prune juice and benefiber but this does not really do much and I do not like taking the prescribed dosage of Percocet because it causes constipation. I am supposed to take the whole Lenten week off and possibly return to work the week after but at the rate things feel these days, I don't know whether I will be useful at work. I am also contemplating on suing the doctor who originally did my colonoscopy in 2006 because had he done a good job then, I would not have suffered through and gone through this procedure. I am now anemic and have to take iron pills to supplement the blood loss.

I had the hemorrhoidectomy done 4 days ago. The first night was the worst. I called my Dr. at 1am because I couldn't stand the pain. He told me to alternate 2 percosets every 6 hours with 3 Motrin every 6 hours. So basically I was taking something every 3 hours. That really helped. Day two was rough, but again, nothing compared to that first night. I had my first bowel movement on the 2nd day after surgery, and it wasn't as bad as they had described it to me. Then day 3 rolled around. I was making due, back in good spirits, and then it happend. I popped a stitch. That was, as I soon learned, something that you do not want to happen. Bowel movements don't hurt much when they're coming out, but after they come out and come in contact with that now open wound, OH MY GOD!! Pain like you would not believe. Today is Easter and day 4 of recovery and I did more than I thought I would be able to in terms of entertaining and all. I've been taking Metamucil once a day and for some reason, I've been moving my bowels 4-5 times a day, and each time is horrific. Sometimes the pain from the open stitch is so bad that I can't catch my breath, and I immediately have to jump into a warn bathtub. I just go to bed each night and hope that the next day will be at least a little better. I am, however, happy to report that I go through my days now on just Motrin, every 6-8 hours. I was able to cut out the Percosets completely, althought I sometimes I take one at night to help me sleep. My hemorrhoids before this surgery were really bad.... the doctor said that they were about as bad as they get. I couldn't sit, or walk, or even play with my little girl. At least I know that even though this surgery is terribly painful, once my recovery is complete, my quality of life should be so much better. My Drs. have been amazing. I call them at least once a day with questions, and they are always happy to help me. I'm very lucky in that regard. If anyone is using these posts to try to help them decide on whether or not to have this surgery, well, it's hard to say. My roids were so bad that I really didn't have a choice. I would say that if your's are manageable, then hold off. But if they seriously hinder your quality of life, then I would consider this. Prior to this my Dr. tried rubber band ligation and everything else they could think of to help me.... Surgery was a last resort. I had a rough pregancy, and I was in labor for 48 hours, and still, this recovery is far worse than any of that. But I know it will be worth it in the end. To all of you out there who are recovering, hang in there. We're in the same boat, and hopefully soon it'll be smooth sailing.

Just wanted to let you know that I had a hemmoroidectomy 4 weeks ago today. I have had several surgeries, but this is the worst I have ever experienceded. I stayed in the hospital 24 hours and did not have hardly any pain, I thought "gosh this is not bad at all" oh was I in for a rude awakening. The first night home the pain was unbearable, I was bloated, full of gas and then had my first BM. I did not think I was going to survive it. I had heard this surgery was bad, but I had no idea how bad!! I continued to take stool softners and mirelax and continued to have BMs several times a day, but could never finish, had to get up and walk around and try again. By the end of the first week I was really in pain, I called the Dr. office and said I needed help, I was told to take 4 oz of Milk of Mag. and warm tea, after about 6 hours I was finally able to have a good loose BM and from then on I took 4 tablespoons each morning along with 2 stool softners. After each BM I had severe burning so I started using vaseline which cooled the burning and helped when I had a BM. Today I am doing so much better and plan to return to work next week after my Dr. appointment. I am thankful to God for helping me through this. I am still sore, but am just about back to a normal routine. Seems like I was constantly taking sitz baths and using ice packs. I was afraid to take to many Vicodin as my Dr. said they could cause constipation which I did not need. I took only 2 a day and I could not tell much difference.

Hello, I had my hemorrhoids removed on Tuesday, today is Sunday. I have been taking my painkillers which don't do much for me other than make me hazy and now they don't even do that. They caused me to get constipation and I had a bm until just now, it was so painful and i had to push extremely hard causing a lot of discomfort, and I'm scared i might have pushed too hard and brought them back. While having the BM i felt like my stomach would contract and i couldn't stop pushing so hard while in extreme pain! These painkillers are not helping! I have almost threw up from the pain it caused me during my bm.

My friends suggest smoking some marijuana to help, I am reluctant to do so, I've never touched anything in my life. Right now, I am really considering so. I feel like I have a steaming hot poker stuck in my anus, and it's constant pain the and awkward, the pain med does nothing.. Would you condone such?
I have been taking hot baths and everything. I feel deep regret and receiving such treatment for my hemorrhoids.

In response to the last post, hang in there, it does get better. I had my hemorrhoidectomy done 12 days ago. The first week is rough. But it does get better. You should check with your Dr. about stool softeners.... they really helped me with the bm's. Also, the pain killers didn't help me much by themselves either, so my Dr. suggested that I alternate every 3 hours. So at say 8am I was taking 2 Percosetts, then at 11am I would take 3 Motrin, then at 2pm another 2 Percosetts, and so forth and so on. That regimend helped tremendously. I don't know your medical history, but perhaps you can check with your Dr. to see if something like that would work for you. As for the stomach contractions you were having during you're bm, I had those too during my first couple of bm's. I don't know why they occur, but at least you know that you're not the only one that's gotten them. I do hope you feel better soon though. During the first week, every time I had a bm I would sob because I was in so much pain.... it was just so unbearable. And I know this won't help you much now, but it does get better. I'm 12 days in and I'm really feeling very good. I'm going back to work and although I still have some pain with bm's, it's not agonizing anymore, and it gets better each day. I know it's really hard, but try to stay positive. It will get better. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.

Yeah, I'm taking hydrocodone. It doesn't do too much, and I'm scared to get addicted to them like people I have known growing up to have lost their life to them. Thanks for your help. I'm getting constipated from them too, so I talked to some people about it and they still say I should smoke marijuana in a non abusive way because they claim I would not become physically depended on it like painkillers. If I had my way I wish I could go to the bathroom and not remember it. This was the reason I got hemorrhoids in the first place, I took painkillers after I had my appendectomy and got constipated from it. I'd hate for it to happen AGAIN while not even done recovering from the first removal I had 5 removed. I've been taking stool softener, fiber and milk of magnesia to help me go poop (which didn't work) I had to resort to an enima which definitively was NOT pleasent

I'm making my appointment soon for my internal hemorrhoids, and I was wondering if you actually have to go to bathroom all of the time, so if you just felt like it. I can't head to the bathroom very often in my job, so I was wondering how much time I might have to take off.
Thanks

To the post about marijuana, I found a way to get some after the second day of my recovery. I felt like it was the only thing that would work and you know, it actually did. It kind of numbed all over...don't get me wrong, the pain was still horrendous but it felt better after smoking. Not to mention, it kind of distracts you from the pain too. Another thing I did only once after by far the worst night. I was doing several bms a day and each time afterwards, about 20 minutes post the bm, the most burning painful sensation would overcome me and i would just burst into tears. So my wife went downstairs and poured a scotch over the rock, then brought it back to me with a vicodin. I know, sounds a little recreational but my god it did the trick...i was laughing by the end of the night watching a comedy on tv, loopy and all. I only did this once, on the worst night, because i think that is pretty bad for your stomach.

i'm on my 7th or 8th week, can't remember, and the normal daily discomfort and pain is gone. However, each bm is a serious challenge. The pain is enormous, perhaps more so than before, because i now have normal size stools and maybe even bigger than normal from all the metamucil, and so the pushing is very intense to try and get it out. My stomach contracts and my face goes red and I can't breathe. My doctor says because anus is smaller so its difficult for the stools to come out. But i also think i'm partially constipated. Perhaps i'm eating too normally and need to suplment more water and fiber.

For the poster wondering about going to the bathroom, yes...your second week you feel the need constantly all day. This is because of the spasms in your rectal area constantly going off, creating the urge. Takes double the fiber on one of your metamucil doses to help bulk you up...that might help and I wished I had done that. oh and avoid the milk of mag if that happens...that stuff can cause problems down there and irritate you. plus your body will get used to it and you'll have to take more and more to gets effect...then go back to constipation when you stop.

Hope this helps...

I have recently decided to have a Hemorrhoidectomy, after years of discomfort and bleeding for the last year. After reading the testimonials from former patients, I find I may opt out! I had read some other articles on the subject and came to the conclusion that with the newest medical technology it wouldn't be so bad. I had heard horror stories from long ago about the pain and suffering accompaning the surgery that I was sure that our modern technology would make it much better. Guess I was wrong. So glad these type of websites are available to help us educate ourselves about things we may not have access to before. I'm 67(soon to be 68) and was hoping to have this procedure done without too much pain or discomfort...gonna be thinking long and hard before June 6th.

I have had bleeding and a prolapsed hemorrhoid for several months. I finally went to the dr., and he recommended a colonoscopy, which I agreed with. The colonoscopy showed no polyps or cancer, but he did surgically remove the hemorroids on Friday 4/27. I am not sure how many, but at least one. I have been in quite a bit of pain, and I am taking a hydrocodone every 3 hours and a valium every 6 hours. I had my first partial bm today with the help of my wife's bidet. Sitting in the warm water with the gentle flow of warm water on my backside seemed to help things come out.

I am at work, but have a job that allows me to sit and manage at my compueter. I hope to recover quicker that the other stories I hear. I was tired of starting every day with quite a bit of blood after my bm, and then having to push it back in after every bm. I will keep you posted on my progress.