Hello fellow sufferers. I'm writing to add at least a few ideas that were successful for me. Of course, there are a huge variety of outcomes to read about here, and pre-op I was getting pretty terrified. I'm just trying to add one voice that says it's not always that bad. But my great sympathy to those who have had it worse!

 

Internal, big as a thumb, surgery 3 weeks ago. Still not normal, but I've been up and about for a week, and back to work for 3 days.

 

Best bit of advice from my surgeon was to get the laxative system worked out beforehand. Try them all out, different timing, different foods, etc. Get to know what they will do and when. My system was this: dulcosate in the morning (100mg), Miralax (polyethylene glycol) midday, another dulcosate in the late afternoon, and Metamucil at night. Soft, not too much volume, not too much gas. I worked on this for at least a week before surgery.

 

I did not take the Vicodin I was prescribed. It makes me vomit, and I just couldn't face that. Also, the constipating factor is frightening. So, like some others, I alternated ibuprofen (400mg) with acetaminophen (1000 mg). A dose every 2-3 hours. Not to say there was no pain, but it was manageable. Worse during BMs, sure, bad.

 

Popsicles. The kind you sit on, called Cryostat, I think. These became my after BM staple. Great relief. Nothing beats ice for fast action and the effect would last long enough for me to go to sleep. Sitz baths are also good, but for me once I was off it, I was right back to the same place. I was so glad I bought those popsicles.

 

Food. Find what doesn't give you gas. Why doesn't anybody talk about gas? Fruit & veggie soups mostly for the first 4 days. And I ate a fair bit of brown rice and some eggs. No wheat, cheese, or meat for a full week. I did eat some yogurt and ice cream, but no dairy would probably have helped a little more. The doctors say high fiber. What, are you going to eat beans? Hell no. I also had some protein supplement drinks.

 

Hope there is something there that works for you!