How Long Does Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery Last?

Hello fellow sufferers,

I am a 29 yr old male that had my dignity taken away on 3/26/09. I had 3 internals and a number of externals removed. Let me start by saying I've had these suckers for 10 years and they recently progressively gotten worse where it affected me on a daily basis and ruined my quality of life. I noticed that they would flare up when I run, stand for long periods of time, drink alcohol, etc. I would suck it up and push them back in and have to sit down to keep them in (that wasn't always an option.) Eventually I decided to see a specialist and get rid of them once and for all. Both of my parents had the surgery and never complained about the pain so I totally underestimated the magnitude waiting for me.

I saw a doctor which scheduled me for surgery 3 days later (I felt I was a bit rushed and didn't get to do the research ahead of time, nor did I get to prep my body for it.)

DAY OF SURGERY -

I wake up short of breath 3-4 doctors surrounding me, coughing up blood.. obviously not a good sign. Apparently the anesthesiologist did not use a oral bite block when I was waking up causing me to bite down on the tube, decompressing my lung and causing blood to flow into it. At this point, my lower body was completely numb and I was only concentrating on my breathing. They xray'd and ultrasounded me and instead of being a somewhat simple outpatient procedure, I ended up hospitalized for 3 days, and coughing is not fun after this surgery.

That night was probably the worst night in my life. I've had other surgeries including plates and screws put into my ankle and this pain takes the crown as the reigning champion of pain. I was shifting constantly, couldnt lie down flat because of the blood in my lungs. Morphine does nothing to dull the pain. Which was the constant every 20 second muscle spasm that feels like my insides are ripping out. I really felt like I spent the night with Lexington Steele. (lol). I was suffering from urine retention that night. Constantly feeling like I have to pee but can't get mojo going. My girlfriend stayed in the hospital with me and is a godsend because she had to go above and beyond the call of duty during and after the procedure. NOTE TO EVERYONE, DO NOT GO ABOUT THIS ALONE. My last day in the hospital, I suddenly felt like I needed to go BM, it was TIME i said.. I should have asked for a pain shot, because I felt like I delivered a baby or something. The pain was so intense I almost passed out. I yelled NURSE bring me the oxygen lol. Afterwards I laid there motionless and unable to move.

DAYS AFTER SURGERY -

I felt constipated after my first BM in the hospital so I came up with this wonderful idea to take colace. Probably a huge mistake because it gave me the runs like 2-3 days. I lost complete control of my bowels during the time.

I was on a veggie diet for a few days which made my stools soft and manageable but afterwards I would hurt like all hell. Sitz baths weren't doing it for me. I laid in the bath tub instead. I'm scared as hell to eat because I fear what is to come of it. The muscle spasms were unbearable until I gave into the vicodin and that actually lessened the spasms where I can go about my day without wanting to slit my wrist.

I am experiencing constant leakage and use my girlfriends pads in my boxers. I lay on a towel on the bed so I don't stain the sheets.

Its been 10 days since judgement day and the pain is virtually gone except after BM.

I am now experiencing a new problem which is embarassing and depressing. I'm starting to get a fishy odor. I think its due to my stool. Every time I get up I smell it because of leakage. I hope its not an infection. I called my lame doctor and he never calls me back. I have my first follow up with him tomorrow and hopefully don't have any kind of infection.

Two things i keep telling myself is.. slow and steady wins the race when moving about. And, theres light at the end of this tunnel.

Take care all.

My first doctors follow up, he says everything looks perfect. The swelling hasn't really gone down and will take up to 3-4 weeks. The fishy odor is because of the leakage and the stitches. I thought my leaking was getting less and haven't been shoving a gauze up on the wound to let the wound air dry. Someone mentioned to do that in the hospital and that wasn't a good idea since the leaking was what was causing the smell. I guess I have to go back to sticking a new piece of gauze there every few hours.

The journey continues...

I just had hemorrhoid surgery 4 days ago. Initially the doctor said my condition was fairly bad, but they were not thrombosed, and he said the only way I would get any relief was through the surgery. Apparently laser surgery and chemical treatments are possible only in the beginning stages, and mine had progressed well beyond that.
So far I have not had a bowel movement. I am also having a lot of difficulty urinating, though eventually the pressure builds up to the point where I can force it out. However I have not felt that my bladder has been fully emptied since the surgery - a very uncomfortable feeling.
For medicine I take a stool softener, tramadol for pain, and Valium. The tramadol is not all that effective, and when I see the doctor tomorrow I'm going to see if he can prescribe something different. I'm not that crazy about the Valium either - it gives me headaches.
There has been a fair amount of pain, but it will be worth it if the pain, itching, and burning of hemorrhoids are taken care of. I think you have to be willing to put up with some short-term pain to get the long-term benefits.

Well, well, well...seems the thread is still going strong with more of you signing up each day for this "wild ride". As I was reading one thing kind of stuck out...ask your doc if you should be eating foods high in fiber before and after the op. I was eating "smoother" foods like soup, jello and ice cream with the odd piece of rye bread.

Of course, having had my op last August, I definitely sympathize with all of you on here. But IT DOES GET BETTER and your lives will improve to the point where it's virtually unrecognizable against the days when you had roids. I can barely remember what it was like to have hemorrhoids now, and I suffered with them for years on end. I had to wear feminine pads on a daily basis, even when I hadn't had a BM. I was out of commission for 24 hours after each BM and having to do any normal activity such as walking or sitting - nevermind carrying anything - was almost out of the question. But because I was afraid of the operation, I suffered with it for years longer than I should have and simply adjusted my life to work around it. Looking back on that, I was obviously insane! "Hmmm...the choices....have some pain in discomfort for a few weeks bu the outcome is that I improve my quality of life...or live the rest of my life like a shut it every time I take a c**p...." For years I chose the latter.

It may take awhile for you to recover and everyone is different but the outcome will be the same as mine and others on here: You will get better and you will get your life back and it will be a very, very good thing.

If you're on the fence, just do it. Have the operation. Your life is waiting for you...

I had my surgery on 4/20, so I am 3 days post op. I wanted to give the pre-op reader my story. I was scared after reading of so many bad experiences.

I am a 47 year old male in excellent physical condition. I hydrated and took citrucel for several days prior to the op. I did the enemas for an exam a week prior to the op and ran the nozzle vigorously into a hemi. That was extremely painful, so I learned to be gentle for the day of the op.

The anesthesia I received was very fast acting and fast to leave the body. I was rolled into the op room at 11:53 a.m. and finished and conscious by 12:45. I was quickly able to urinate and leave the surgery center. I was somewhat groggy, but otherwise okay.

I took my percocet immediately to get on top of the pain. 7 to 8 hours post op, the pain kicked in. Spent several hours hurting, but it let up. I was off percocet within 24 hours of the op. Now I am only taking the occasional ibuprofen.

The first attempts at a BM are tough. Yesterday (2 days postop), mere gas would just about bring me to my knees. But it seem to get better slowly. I thought I was having bm's that would do an elephant proud, but the result was more rabbit like. Today, I am producing larger amounts. I would say that the process appears to be a stretching exercise. It is not pleasant, but not unbearable, either.

I am in some discomfort and it is tedious to be tied to the house and bathroom, but it seems that progress is being made each day. I was able to go out today to the local coffeehouse for a little while. I think a short walk will be possible this afternoon or evening.

This past Monday (April 27), I had my hemorrhoidectomy at 2:00 p.m.
I was driven into the OR and talked to the nurses for a bit. Then the anesthesiologist squeezed some liquid into my I.V., and within seconds I was out.

When I woke up I felt fine. We were out of the hospital in no time, but I had a numbness in my right thumb which confused and concerned me a bit.

When I got home I took some ibuprofen and went to bed. At 6:00 p.m. I texted my husband to please give me one of the Percocets which were prescribed to me by the doctor.

I texted him again at 10:00 p.m., telling him how good I felt. The Percocet had taken away every little shred of pain, and I was happy.

In the middle of the night (around 4:00 a.m. or so), I woke up in pain, the medication had worn off. I went downstairs and got myself an ibuprofen. I walked around for a few minutes downstairs when I suddenly felt absolutely awful. I started sweating profusely, felt lightheaded, dizzy, sick, hot, cold, and all my muscles were aching. I tried to climb up the stairs, but halfway through my legs were no longer able to move and I crumpled on the staircase, in so much agony that I thought I was going to die. I wanted to call my husband but did not have the strength to make a sound.

After a certain amount of time lying there (1/2 hour? No idea really), I started feeling somewhat better and finally found my voice. I called out to my husband. Soft at first, but then louder and louder until he finally woke up and rushed over to my side. He carried me up the stairs and put me back into bed.

It seemed the 'episode' had passed, and I went back to sleep.

My husband took care of my children in the morning and went to work late. I normally do laundry on Monday, but because I had had the surgery I had not been able to do it the day before, so I decided to do it that day instead.

I did not want to rely to much on the Percocet since the doctor had told us it would make me constipated, so I stuck with Tylenol and Ipuprofen every 6 hours or so instead.

At 10:00 a.m. I had my first BM, which was very loose due to all the fiber and Metamucil I had consumed. It was practically diarrhea, but still hurt a lot. Afterwards, instead of grabbing more painkillers, I decided to go for natural painkillers instead (Endorphins), and had a vigorous work-out, starting with a brisk walk (about 20 mins.), stomach crunches, weights, etc., a little more than an hour total. This did relieve some of the pain.

I had several extremely loose BM's during that day, and continued taking Ibuprofen and Tylenol. I spent all day doing laundry.

My husband came home early to drive my kids to their after-school activities, as I was not allowed to drive for a while.

I definitely had quite a bit of pain that day. I wouldn't say it was worse than childbirth, but definitely not pleasant. The numbness in my hand bothered me more than the pain, though, as I worried about it. I called the hospital and they called me back after speaking to the anesthesiologist and told me it was probably because of the position I was in during the procedure, and that it would go away.

I decided to stop taking the Metamucil, as my stools were too loose.

I got through the night alright with Tylenol and Ibuprofen, woke up again in the middle of the night in pain, took some more and went back to sleep. I slept for a very long time, did not wake up until 11:30 the next day (after going to sleep at about 9:00).

I had a terrible day. All day I felt like I was going to have a BM, but when going to the bathroom, nothing would happen. I had another work-out, walked around the house and around the table for hours, but still I could not go. The pressure seemed to build up and by 6:00 I was desperate! I was walking non-stop. I did not have too much pain, but the pressure was unbearable. Finally, around 7:00 p.m. I managed to squeeze out a very small BM, which hurt like hell, made me bleed, and caused me to lie on the bed for half an hour recovering. But at least most of the pressure was gone.

The day after that was even worse. The pressure was back, and once again I could not go. I did another work-out and walked again, but nothing was happening. By 8:00 p.m. I called the doctor who told me it was not unusual to feel like you have to go for a BM when really you didn't, plus the pain medication did not help either. He instructed me to drink Milk of Magnesia, and call back the next morning if that didn't help.

After talking to him, I immediately stopped taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen, as I thought the pressure was so much worse than the pain, and I wanted to do whatever I could to get relief. I took the Milk of Magnesia.

Unfortunately, the milk of Magnesia did not help, and the next morning I still hadn't gone. I was now completely and utterly desperate, and went to see the doctor in his office.

He told me everything was just fine and looked good. There was no blockage. Yes, there was a large amount of stool ready to come out, but it was soft and there was no reason for it not to come out. He told me to get Dulcolax, a stimulant laxative suppository.

I did, and as soon as I came home (around midday) I used one.

Then, finally, about 20 minutes later I had my BM. It was large, and I felt like I was being torn in half. I had had absolutely no pain medication since the night before, and I was practically crying on the toilet.

As soon as I was done, I waddled downstairs to get an Ibuprofen. It was then that I decided to go back on the Metamucil. I'd rather have diarrhea then thaving to go through that again!

The pain lingered for a while, but eventually went away. I did not have a work-out that day.

That night I was still somewhat sore of the experience. But when I went to the bathroom to pee around 10:00 p.m., I was shocked to find I was having another BM. Not as large as earlier that day, but if possible, even more painful since I still hadn't completely recovered from that afternoon yet. I finally took another Percucet after that, as I was in agony.

The Percucet once again took all the pain away, and I had a great night sleep.

It is now Saturday, the day after that. I've been feeling reasonably well since this morning, and have not needed any more painkillers. I had another work-out this morning, and the Endorphins seemed to do the trick.

About an hour ago I had another BM. Still painful, but not quite like yesterday. I did not take any pain medication afterwards.

I am considering going out dancing with my husband tonight. We may have to leave early, though! :-)

Hi, it's me again (Ellie) from the previous message.

I did go out with my husband, but first I put an icepack on my bottom for about 20 minutes and took an Ibuprofen. I didn't get dressed up as much as I normally do. We left around 5:00 pm. to get there at 5:30, and I told him I wanted to leave at 8:45 pm., so we got a good 3 hours of dancing (ballroom) in.

It was perfect timing, since we got home about 9:15 pm. and at 9:30 I had to rush upstairs for another BM. Once again, very painful, and apparently a record amount of blood this time.

Recovery after a BM seems to be a little faster at the moment, I'm in a good amount of pain for about 1/2 hour afterwards, then I feel a lot better. No pain medication necessary anymore, I can "tough it out" now.

I do not have diarrhea, the stools are solid and painful, even though I've been taking the Metamucil and even some Milk of Magnesia. But at least they're coming out!

After reading a bunch of posts on this thread, it seems to me I am doing much better than most other people, since this is day 5 and I seem to be well on the way to recovery.

I think the trick may be the Endorphins. Working out as soon as possible seems to help the recovery process tremendously!

I am definitely having another work-out tomorrow. But now I am going to bed, since the pain does seem to be wearing me out...

Hi, Ellie again with the next episode of my saga.

I last posted on Saturday night. I had a BM at around 9:30 pm (with a lot of blood), then went downstairs for a bit.

About an hour later I came back up, ready to go to bed, and had a pee. I was shocked then to find my sanitary pad saturated with blood, and noticed blood trickling down my leg.

This really concerned me. I let my husband check, but it was so incredibly bloody down there that he couldn't see anything. I changed my pad and reluctantly tried to sleep.

A few hours later I got up and attempted to clean the wound on the bidet. It was hard work cleaning it but I managed to get most of the congealed blood off in the end. I was now able to look and see what the area looked like.

It looked horrible. It was almost like my hemorrhoids were back, but worse.

I was really, really concerned, to the point that I became terrified for the next BM, so I stopped eating for a bit. I spent most of Sunday morning in bed.

My husband bought me a slim-fast shake on my request, I was hoping that it would not cause a BM, since it's liquid. I had that for lunch with some Metamucil (I skipped breakfast, just had a glass of Metamucil instead).

I had an enormous work-out after lunch, cycling for 45 minutes (which I never do) before my regular work-out.

I did a lot of thinking that day, and I decided that the straining had aggrevated my wounds severely. And yes, I do strain, since I feel the urge so ridiculously bad. And it seems to get worse after each BM, too. I strained the most with the BM that caused so much blood.

So I came to the conclusion that I could absolutely not strain anymore. I think it aggrevates it, then makes it swell inside and therefore give you the feeling there's a BM that needs to come out, even if there isn't. Then when there is something there, but kind of still far up, it increases the feeling causing you to go to the bathroom. But since it is not completely ready yet, you have to strain, causing more swelling, etc. etc., vicious circle.

After I finished my work-out at around 5:00 pm. and coming to the conclusions I had, I decided to have a bowl of all-bran. Then for dinner a few hours later I had cooked beans and strawberries. And Metamucil, of course.

I had had the urge to go all day, it became worse that night, but I didn't let it get me down. The urge became so strong at some point, that it was painful. That's when I went to the bathroom where I sat and relaxed for 5 minutes. Nothing happened. Instead of straining, I just got up and left the bathroom. That was so tough! It was killing me, but I did it anyway.

I was in extreme discomfort for about 1/2 hour where I sat on it, squeezed, did whatever I could to 'hold it', until it felt like it was practically falling out. That's when I went to the bathroom again.

Finally, success! It came out with barely any straining at all (no more than you'd do for a pee). At some point it stopped, though, and I felt it wasn't ready yet. But nothing would come out anymore, so I stopped, cleaned up and left the bathroom.

I was still uncomfortable, although not quite as bad as I had been before. It had been somewhat of a relief, and best thing, there had been barely any blood!

I read a bit with one of my daughters and tried to sleep after that. I had a restless sleep, since I was still so uncomfortable. Any movement my husband made was bothering me, so he ended up sleeping in the guest bed.

At 2:00 am. the following morning I woke up with an extreme and unbearable urge. I went to the bathroom and it practically fell out, no straining required. I felt so much better then! Again no blood.

My method seemed to be working, even though it caused a lot of discomfort, so I stuck with it.

I was seriously uncomfortable again this morning when I got up. I had a bowl of all-bran and took my youngest daughter to the bus. When I got back I had a glass of Metamucil and started doing the laundry, until it hit me again. I went, relaxed for 5 minutes, no result. So back to the laundry.

When everything was sorted and the first load in the machine, I tried again. This time I was hugely successful. I had an very large BM (where the heck did it come from? I barely ate!), and no blood. And I did not have to strain at all!

By the way, I am not taking any painkillers at all anymore. I seem to have much less pain with my BM's this way as well.

I feel like this time, I really am on the way to recovery. But it hasn't been without struggle!

My advice to everyone who's going through this, is, exercise against the pain, let your brain produce those natural painkillers, they are the best.

But most of all, do not strain. Absolutely do not strain! Put up with the discomfort, you'll be glad you did, seriously! It's well worth it, you'll heal quicker and have less pain!

I am hoping that that new lump I have is not a hemorrhoid, but swelling instead. It would have been such a waste if it is! But I will let you know later.

Thanks for listening,
Ellie.

Thank you so much Ellie, I'm getting my surgery on 5/13 and was so scared. I'm still scared but I know what to look for. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Dear ellie,

How many hems did you have removed and were they internal or external?
I go to talk to a surgeon tomorrow.
Glad to hear you are doing well!

Ellie, glad to hear you're on the road to recovery but for God's sake woman, take it easy on your body! You need to rest. You're sitting on a bike, pedaling, working out after hemorrhoid surgery and doing laundry? Who is your doctor? The Marquis de Sade? Who authorized that kind of activity? You shouldn't be doing ANY of that for at least a few weeks. You're irritating the c**p out of your whatchamacalit.

Easy does it. It sounds like you're about 10 seconds away from hemorrhaging and that's no fun.

Herbivorian, it's going to get better and same to you Phoenixdown and Guest. Trust me, it's going to get a LOT better. Every day, just a little bit. Just don't be in a rush. Good luck folks!

I had mine removed 13 days ago. This has by far been the most painful experience of my life and i've given birth!

I didn't do enough research on what the recovery would be like, I just wanted them gone. I feel like my surgeon didn't inform me on what it would be either, all he said is I would be in discomfort.

I had my surgery on the 23rd April and was allowed to go home on the 26th. I hadn't done a bowel movement but the doctor said I should be fine at home. I was giving a dose of antibiotics to stop infestion and told to take panadol.
That night I did my first bowel movement and I have one word that sums it up perfectly...Cruel. It was absolute agony. After that I thought yep, everything will improve from here....I was so wrong....It got worse. :-(

By the 30th I could no longer cope at home with the pain. I was constantly in tears and the pain was making me want to be sick.
I went to emergency and that admitted me. I was put on different antibiotics and given a cream to apply to help heal the wounds. The next day I felt like a new person. It still stung abit going to the toilet but nowhere as near as much as the day before. I spent 3 days in hospital.

Now on day 13 apart from some slight discomfort if I over do it I feel great. I take metamucil, fybogel and actilax lactulose solution in the morning before breakfast and I can pass bowel movements with ease. I also apply Rectogesic morning and night to help heal the wound and relieve any discomfort.

I have my follow up appointment in 2 weeks and I hope i'll be completely healed by then so I can get back into jogging.

My advice for anyone who is going to do this surgery is to research as much as you can. Be prepared and ask your surgeon lots of questions.

Stacey 22 (Australia)

Hi Freckles and guest,

I had two external hemorrhoids removed. Good luck with your surgery! It'll be tough at first, but you'll get through it.

I feel like I'm as good as recovered at the moment, even though the doctor told me the full recovery takes a few months. What he meant, though, is that things are still swollen and won't likely go back to their usual size until then.

I have very, very little pain now, and occasionally some itching (which is also normal according to the doctor).

Ellie.

Moxxi, the doctor told me I could do anything that I felt up to. And I actually found that exercising helped a lot against the pain!

I don't normally work out this much, usually no more than 3 times a week, and the sessions are also shorter. But I do extra when I am sore, cause it makes me feel better!

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Lenght Of Hemorrhoidectomy Recovery?