No matter what you do there will be serious pain with bowel movements for a week, maybe more but it does get better.
There are a few things that are helpful with this.
1.) Request pain medication before surgery, you might be too sleepy after. I have read people not getting pain med, ridiculous.
2.) Stay off feet, lie down or recline at least three days, more if possible.
3.) Request from Md or buy sitz bath from pharmacy. Have this before surgery! Very important.
4.) Lidocaine ointment have before surgery.
5.) It will not make you sick if you dont have bowel movement a couple of days.
6.) Colace or stool softener should be prescribed. I prefer Perdiem, in yellow bottle. Works better without gas. Have this available before surgery.
Have baby wipes available for gentle cleansing.
7.) First bowel movement will be very painful. TAKE PAIN medication at least 1 hour before bowel movement if at all possible. Apply lidocaine to area before bowel movement.
8.) If necessary pain can be lessened slightly by having bm while sitting on sitz bath, disgusting I know but anything to halep the pain.
After bm pat area dry, sit on sitz bath as warm as you can tolerate, after sitz gently clean area with warmed baby wipe (may be warmed with hot water) apply lidocaine and attempt to go to bed and sleep. At the very least lie down several hours.
You can expect bleeding for a few weeks. SHould be light amount. Get pads before surgery. Extra underwear helpful. I did use ice to area felt better b ut some say cause more swelling. Really helped the pain.
Get small ice packs before surgery.
It is very helpful to take sitz bath, apply lidocaine and lie down with pad or towel under you, no pad. Leave open to air. Area gets irritated by the consant use of pads.
Sitz bath 4 times a day and after bm's, use lidocaine and take pain medication as often as ordered whether you feel you need it or not.
Have everything you expect to need before surgery, you may be too sleepy afterward.
1st day is great because Dr injects lidocaine, lie down all day anyway. Very important to prevent swelling.
Hope this helps!
Three days ago I had surgery as well. For the second time.
I don't know why I always have this bad luck. Why this happened to me again?
My doctor told me that I should try to go back to my ordinary, daily activities very soon, but I think that I am not able to do that so soon.
Why?
Because, like I told you already, I had this surgery once and I believed that some medications and hemorrhoids cream can help me.
And they did, I don't want to lie to you.
But I still don't understand why this came back.
I am at my bed, drinking some tea, eating some soft food and I beg God that I don't have to go to the toilet because it hurts.
the sitz baths help alot but i feel very swollen in the area.
where can i pick up lidocaine?
Wish to hell I'd seen your info BEFORE my surgery 12 days ago!!! My post op instructions were "Try to get back to normal activity as soon as possible"! What about the extreme pain management that occurs for 2 weeks or so????? I'm going back for my review next Mon (2 weeks after surgery) and I'm taking your article. We had to find out about sitz baths on internet. We had to find out about Lidocaine on the internet. I had to mention that because of the internal swelling, which means a lot of internal gas, a woman has a tough time emptying her bladder sitting down. I sat, went, got up, and before I got to door felt I needed to go again. I learned to stand up, stretch, sway my hips some, and sit back down and go another time. Sometimes I'd do this twice. Then I discovered shower "goes", standing up, taking pressure off the bladder, totallying emptying out, and having a warm hydro bath at same time. (This was a waist down shower so could do several times a day). When I mentioned to nurse, her response back from doctor was "I wasn't working near bladder." Well, I don't know about his, but if you're working on my hems you are DEFINITELY close to my bladder. Maybe he's a Martian and built differently!!! I have now used all your suggestions, albeit, after the painful fact. Recovery will definitely be closer to 3 weeks for someone who will be sitting in chairs a lot, or not very close to bathrooms. Good luck to all!! I'm glad mine is almost over!
It's been three weeks since I had surgery Since I stop eating meat thirty years ago since surgery I have been having better than better bowel movements First two days after surgery I had some pain everyday it gets a little better.
Best post ever. I wish I read this before surgery. I am so upset with my doctor, and especially the nurse who botched inserting the iv in my vein. Terrible experience I had with inept nurse, and non-communicative doctor. At least my PCP took care of me better, post op. Whooo....