internal hemorrhoid banding - recovery

I had 3 separate bandings done on internal Hemorrhoids:

1st one.. uncomfortable, but not too horrible. I soaked daily like I was instructed, I was sore for about a week or two, but by then things definitely started to improve. :)

Two weeks later I had another banding .. I asked the doc to band the last two (because he told me that I had three total during the previous visit) and he agreed, but warned against pain. I was all for getting them done and asked him to please do both. It was a horrible pain the very second he applied the band. I did not say anything.. I wanted the other done to get this all over with and be done)..He did the other with no difference in the pain level (because it was already there lol). Uncomfortable drive home to say the least.. I had excruciating pain that lasted weeks. and nothing helped with it.. not over the counter meds, not the prescribed pain medications, not even soaking. I couldn't sit stand or even lay in one spot any length of time without it seriously throbbing and sending shooting pains everyplace. I soaked several times a day and that did manage to give me some very temporary relief. I went back for my check and the Doc said that sometimes it does happen and the pain can be incredible. After an examination he said that they were still healing and bleeding a bit, but found another one that needed banding.. ugh!  I sucked it up and gave him the go ahead to get it done. 

Again, excruciating pain the second the band went on.. very uncomfortable ride home.. (45 minutes) and I honestly didn't think that I was going to make it back home, it was that bad. The pain was unbelievable! I tried all the over the counters again and also immediately started the prescribed pain meds to try to get the pain under control.. plus lots of soaking. Again, nothing dulled the pain.. this pain was ridiculous! This went on for over two weeks.. I actually cried daily in pain.. (yes, it was that bad) and I have a high pain tolerance for pain, yet this took all I had to keep from going to the emergency room. I thought that if I did that, then I would end up in worse pain and restart the clock for healing.. and that was the last thing i wanted. The dr told me the surgery is very painful, has a longer recovery time, and chances of them recurring were way higher than the banding.  I am not a Dr, but I can swear that the last couple of visits both thrombosed. Thats the only way I can explain the severe unimaginable pain..

It has now been 3 1/2 weeks. The pain has finally settled to the point that I can handle it and hopefully keep it at bay.  I have  pain after BM's.. sometimes yet, it still throbs and is uncomfortable to sit.but nothing i can't handle after the other pain. I still soak at least daily and more if needed.. I go back to my dr this coming Monday and i'm sure he is going to find that they are still tender. I was told a month to recover but i'm not seeing that on these. I certainly hope he doesn't find anymore! If he does, they will wait until after summer so I can have a break. 3 straight months in this much pain, is all i can handle. 

I too wish more people that had easy procedures and quick recovery would post.. This banding is not something that I would ever recommend for anyone. I will repost after my healing is complete. I honestly dont know how anyone has this done and goes back to work in a day or two. Most of what I have read here were painful stories.. What I had a hard time finding were stories where the pain lasted longer than a week. 

How are u feeling now? I had banding 2 months ago, but i feel stinging when i go to do bowel movements. Has this happened to you? I think my sphincter sent relaxing.

Let me get it stright

Hi, it felt so good to read your post, as I'm scheduled for a colonoscopy and hemorrhoid banding next week. After reading all the painful posting I was sure to call my doctor Monday. I usually have a high pain tolerance so I'm hoping I do well and I'm able to return to work the next day or so. I'm still nervous as hell though....

I know the feeling. I had 3 banded a week ago. The pain is unbelievable. I'm taking solpadine & nurofen first thing in the morning to ease the pain after a motion. My hemorrhoid's haven't come away & I have no bleeding. It that another experience I have to look forward to soon. If I'd known how much pain I'd be in I'd never have had them done.

I had the same thing and left it for a year. I finally went and got a colonoscopy and banding at the same time. It really wasn't that big of a deal and yes it works. I recommend you do it.

66 year old male UK
I also had the Banding (2) & the Colonoscopy (NHS) - The Camera hurt a bit as she tried to get the thing round a bend! But she stopped when I instructed. - that was about 5 weeks ago, I think only yesterday, the final one Dropped off - they were internal. There was some discomfort during this time (feeling of wanting to go!) but so far, no blood seen - perhaps not when they take longer?
The impression I get, is that no two people's PILES are the same, so I hope to relate my experience will help other folks.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share my experience. And I think if more of you/us reading this post did the same it would be really helpful. I am 27 and I've been fighting with hems for the past couple of years. I'm a gay bottom and, as for most of you I assume, my sex life is really important. So far I've had the band ligation procedure done four times. A couple of times my hems had previously thrombosed (which is extremely painful), therefore prior to proceeding with band ligation the doctor had to fix that issue and then wait for the hem to go back in. This part was the worst. However, the band ligation itself was bearable and personally not extremely painful. The procedure is uncomfortable and the post-op can be painful, yes, but with painkillers it's not tragic. The problem is that the band ligation itself as a procedure doesn't prevent from developing new hems. My main problem now is that I get them pretty frequently and that can at times be depressing as it means not being able to have sex, then having to wait for quite a long time after the procedure to be able to have anal sex again etc. This is extremely frustrating and can be depressing. I used to have an amazing sex life, and now it's all about whether or not it's the right time to have sex and will I have issues after the sex. I look forward to hearing your experiences as well and how you guys are dealing with your sex life.

I had anal fissure and went to see a colorectal specialist. He then used an anal scope and saw that I had an internal hemorrhoid and banded it. It was the most excruciating pain I had to deal with. Its been 6 weeks since I had the surgery and I still had some drops of blood on the toilet tissue. I don't know if its from the banding or from another anal fissure that I can't see. I am also a gay male that likes anal sex from time to time and this really puts a damper on my sex life. Have you had any anal fissure and some drops of blooding from wiping after going to the bathroom? How do you deal with it?

I had my banding done on Friday afternoon and I thought it was going to be a painless procedure ,boy was I wrong ,the leaflet at the hospital said you would be on your feet in 1 or two days,when I had it done and got home I was rolling about on the floor in pain ,I have had many operations,but this was awful ,I won't be having this again I would rather have piles ,you feel you can't go to the toilet ,my stomach is in agony ,amd I can't get any sleep at all ,I'm in the bath every two hours just to get some relief and this is after two days ,hope it improves cause I cant go on like this,I was give a lacitve medicine but all it's doing is filling me with wind ,I am taking movocol I hope I start improving

Same here,2 grade 3 internal hems banded & was the WORST pain & discomfort I've ever experienced. The doc said " couple days & you'll be back to daily routines" HA I can barely walk & getting sleep is almost impossible. The kicker was when my doc said" most people only need this done once & it does the trick" no $hit only takes once,after dealing with the torture,nobody WANTS to go back for round two. I'll never get this again. & never recommend it to anyone. Pain pills,got showers,frozen bags of peas,stool softener & sitz baths....NONSTOP all day,all night. No bueno. I sure hope it's worth it in the time to come & after healing I'm a NEW MAN. I'll post an update when it's all said & done. Best luck to all who take this path. God is my saving grace.

Hi, my suggestion is if it is not serious, or doesn't cause any pain or trouble, don't do it. You may feel swelling and pain which is so not worthy.

I did mine 7 days ago, till now I still cannot focus on work, instead I stay at home all the time. BM is worst part everyday, the pain and swelling around anus is pushing me to my limit.

Dr is telling me it is normal and I am recovering, but the game of waiting is killing me.

Maybe somebody feels nothing, but if I can choose again at beginning, I wouldn't test my luck.

The bleeding can last up to 10 days, I had two banned in the last month, just had one done yesterday. The pain can last up to 48hrs but the banning is the best way to go. And to ease the pain lay in a tub of hot water 20 mins at a time.

I would recommend taking the following day off and be prepared for pain. I had my banding done 5 hrs ago and it is immensely painful. What's worse is my doctor did not prescribe me with pain meds. You will not be sedated so be prepared for that.

Hi all,
Had 3 Grade 2 Piles banded 5 days ago. Over the last 20 years I have had banding 4 times, THD (a variant of the HALO procedure) and sclerotherapy injections in my piles. It seems I am destined to have them for the rest of my life but each procedure seems to give me relief for a few years and then its back again.

The banding 5 days ago has been the worst of the 4 sets of banding I have had. The pain hasn't been bad just uncomfortable. According to the doctor, of the 3 piles he banded, 1 was 'pronounced', this is the one that is giving me most trouble. This makes sense, the bigger the pile the bigger the pain. This morning I had a more difficult BM and had trouble sitting for a few hours.
This latest discomfort has caught me by surprise as previous bandings only gave me trouble for 48 hours. My piles have recently been the worst they have ever been so that again makes sense.

I really feel for you guys who have been in a lot of pain, having spoken to doctor the pain is driven by where your piles are in respect to the dentate line. If they are above, happy days, if they are below, very unhappy days.

Based on people posts, I think I am looking at a week of discomfort/pain before things settle down. I can live with that.

To anyone thinking of skipping the procedure and living with Piles, do not live with piles. They are an affliction that no-one should have to suffer with. Find a respected colo-rectal surgeon and get sorted.