Hi, I have had hemorrhoids removed on Jan 25, 2013....I am on my third week....I am retired, and at 71, with help from my husband, i have to admit, i didnt have as bad a time of a lot of you folks seem to having....I had both internal and external ones removed.....I had no anesthesia, just a local, and enough to keep me asleep during the 1 1/2 hr. operation....I woke up feeling no pain at all...just numb in the bottom area....by the time i got home, the numbness wore off....

I had no stitiches......The Dr. gave me prescriptions for Valium and and oxycodene....  The first day, when i got home was a bit uncomfortable, so i took a valium and a pain pill, then slept most of the day....The second day had my first BM, which did have blood in it......second day no BM's....got a little worried, so i took milk of magnesia in the am, still nothing, so took more around 4 pm....nothing happened, until the next day, (day number 3). then all hell broke loose.....but it felt good....no pain as it was coming out, just once it was out, was when i did jump into a tub of hot epsom salt water....and it did feel real good....Didn't have much of an appetite for the first couple of days, so ate mostly cereals, soups and eggs.....By the way, after day number 3 there was no more blood on any of the stools or when i wiped.....One week later, i was out eating pizza.....felt great to be able to sit again!! 

Two weeks after my operation i went for my first doctors appt to get checked out and he said there was still a little bit of swelling there, but that should go away in about 2 or 3 weeks....

The reason the doctor explained to me for giving me the valium, is because the colon has just been through a lot of stress, and the valium relaxes the colon.....The pain you are feeling is because the colon is not relaxed....You take the pain pill after your BM, and it helps it to calm down.....

The doctor ordered me to take a hot epsom salt tub bath, after each bowel movement, plus two more just to calm the body down...

It has been 3 weeks now, and i am able to to get around very good....Drove to my hairdressers, and went grocery shopping this past Friday, which was 3 weeks to the day....And down to 2 tub baths a day.....

A few things to make things easier, if you do have to work, and of course it is a sitting type job, a heating pad, is your best friend....Unfortunately if your job is on your feet for hours, i don't think you are going to make it....

It is hard to be on your legs for that long of a time....Instead of pain killers i now just take tylenol.....

There is this problem that after this kind of surgery has is, you always seem to think you have to have a BM, because it always seems to feel like there is something in there....Most of the time, it is just the swelling in there giving you that feeling....My swelling seems to have gone now, so when i do get that feeling now, it means i really have something in there.....It is not easy getting it out for some reason....I should think you would have to push so hard, but i guess the colon is still not relaxed enough.....otherwise, i am feeling fine, and except for being a little tired now and then, the bottom part of me, is a good 99% better....

They say 6 to 8 weeks for full recovery from hemorrhoid surgery, so that could be right.....

I would like to get back to riding my exercise bike, but i am not sure when i could start that.....But i will be trying that too pretty soon!!!

Good luck, with all you that have or are going to have this surgery.....I think it is well worth it to have it done!!!