Recovery Time For Hemorrhoid Surgery

Thanks for the info 45YOM! I'm glad you're getting along and I hope my experience is as positive. I've taken painkillers before (perforated appendix, infected dog bite) and they never affected me that way so hopefully I won't have any issues with constipation.

Due to the nature of the operation, I was expecting a special kind of pain but after reading that some people's BMs were akin to passing razor blades wrapped in barbed wire, I flinched. It was also a tad mind-blowing to read that some women found natural childbirth to be less painful. Yikes!! But I read several reviews on my surgeon and it appears that he's quite exceptional so my fears are easing somewhat.

4 days to go and no turning back, that's how bad I want these bloody babies out!

Well here goes! Less than 11 hours left until surgery and I'm getting ready to hit the sack. I've been fibre only for 3 days now and my BMs have been super soft! My last meal was 9 hours ago and I've been drinking only water since.I'm having my last glass of water before going to bed with some psyllium fibre for good measure. I'm hoping for the best while preparing for the worst so hopefully my next post will be filled with wit and humour. That's doubtful but I will try my best! Fingers crossed for no complications. 

Cheers!

:)

Good Luck BummedOut! Water, water, water and consider the pH of the foods you do eat, so to minimize "the burn". Google for an acid / alkaline food chart if so interested & pH capsules are at your vitamin store. As for my results 12 days post op, bleeding has subsided almost completely, with trace amounts on final stool or so. The stitches and/or interior scabs(?) still can be felt in different body motions or positions, and something I haven't mentioned in previous posts, both a twitching and/or a lightning bolt sensation back there has diminished. I have walked more & more each day since release and my creepy walking form has improved, however, lower back is somewhat stiff probably due to my colon/bowels fuller than I'm used to in the past. I also have something of a hemorrhoid still there, as I thought it would have "deflated" by now. I was advised to prevent blood clots from forming in my legs with walking, so maybe one is there in hemorrhoid that hasn't dissolved yet. I return to my doctor in 3 days, so he can inspect it, perhaps lance it if need be. As many a soul here previously, presently, and in the future may agree on is the day we receive our doctor's blessing to be on our way is a happy healthy day, we've succeeded in entertaining our hemorrhoids instead of aggravating them!

Best Wishes to you BummedOut and followers here, as dreadful as humoring your hemorrhoids may sound, relax with one of life's "time out" from the rat race and recuperate confidently with your footsteps from here.

     Regards,

       Dave the Mailman

Good luck! I am scheduled for January 6th so I will be watching your posts on your recovery.

Well, this has been quite the day! Surgery was at 8am and I woke up at 9:30 feeling great. I emptied my bladder around 11 and eagerly requested to be discharged right away. They wanted to keep me overnight but I begged them to let me go and after a nice chat with the surgeon, I left at 4pm. Other than minor pain down there, I feel much better than I expected. They removed 4 large hems, one being prolapsed, and the surgeon said everything went successfully. I'm only in the early stage at this point, but so far I'm feeling a bit elated. The next thing to experience is the dreaded first BM. I've been passing a lot of gas and it sort of tickles but it hurt a little when I sneezed after a visitor with too much cologne dropped by, but nothing serious. And best of all, very little swelling and it looks sooo much better! They started me on 2 Percs around 10am and prescribed 2 every 3 hours. My plan is to keep the area clean and dry in order to let it heal naturally. Drinking some psyllium with apple juice before hitting the sack. My new favourite drink! I'll let you know how things progress. 

First night went really well other than having odd dreams and itching all over but that stopped once I got out of bed. Still no BM but passing gas (still ticklish) and very little blood on the gauze. As soon as I got out of bed I had a sitz bath for 15 minutes, dried the area with a hair dryer and sat on a cold compress for another 15 minutes and I'm alternating walking around the house and resting. The area is sensitive to touch but not painful. Sitting feels okay but I do it for short periods only and it feels best when I lay on my side. I also find that it feels good when I clench my butt and flex my muscle down there. I'm thinking of doing an enema to help with the BM but waiting for doctor's okay before doing that and I'll let you know how it goes in my next post.

I must say that I feel very lucky so far about having such an easy recovery compared to what some of you have endured, and every situation is different, but I would suggest preparing yourself early with the fibre diet and drinking lots of juice and water. The worst thing you can do, I think, is to force or push, so I'm letting things happen on their own. I also recommend keeping the area as dry as possible and using the hair dryer does a great job without having to wipe the area after a sitz bath or shower. I'm about to drive the car around the block to see how that feels. 

My heart goes out to those of you who are having a rough recovery. Personally, I wish I had done this years ago but on the other hand I'm glad that I held off until fate connected me with an amazing surgeon. He's awesome in my books! I can't think of anything else right now but feel free to ask me anything.

Second night went well but still no BM. Doc said NO to the enema idea saying that it's best to let the body do it's thing naturally I've been probing the area with a finger and lubricant while on the sitz bath (nails clipped to the max of course) and I'm able to go in about an inch without much pain. Very uncomfortable but feels good at the same time. I'm down to 1 Perc every 4 hours and I do the hot/cold routine once I pop the pill. Took a pic of the area and it looks normal except for the ugly purple colour but that's to be expected and so far it only really hurts when I start thinking about the specifics of what the surgeon did to me so I try to keep my mind concentrated on happy things and listening to lots of music. I'm relieved that the doctor was right about my being able to drive to an MRI appointment tomorrow and I'm really impressed with the medical care I've received. I'm in Ontario Canada by the way and I have nothing but good things to say about our medical system here. Top notch in my view! It still tickles when I'm passing gas so I'm hoping that the inevitable BM to come has the same reaction! 

I am in Ontario too. I just want to thank you for your updates. You give me hope that my recovery might not be a nightmare like the other stories that are on here.

Oh one more question. Were your hemorrhoids internal or external? Mine are external and I am wondering if that makes a difference in the level of pain during the recovery.

You're welcome Danni! I really hope that things go smoothly for you on the 6th.

I had 4 hems removed: 3 were internal and 1 was prolapsed, meaning that it was both inside and out. Despite all the horror stories on here, I'd recommend keeping a positive outlook and to prepare, prepare, prepare. Bland food is your best friend. It might also be a good thing that I haven't had a BM yet since it allows the area more time to heal, at least that's what I'm hoping :)

I'll let you know how things work out.

Can you give me a list of things that you consider to be "bland foods". I am not sure I ever eat anything bland. Ha ha. I like my food to be well seasoned.

Here are my good and bad lists:

Good: Lots of water and juices, raw carrots and veggies, spinach, brown rice, peas, cream soups, oatmeal, shredded wheat and other plain (non-sweetened) cereals, bananas, apples (no skin), flax meal, psyllium husks, apple sauce, beans, low fat milk

Bad: Meats, spicy food, cheese and dairy products, nuts and seeds, popcorn, alcoholic beverages, sugar/sweets, fat and processed food.

I hope you find something in the good list that you like.

The acidic foods will burn your but and the alkaline foods gentle on your but, as I discovered for myself. I love black pepper to season many foods and that was a definite irritant at first, so I held off on it before discovering pH & digestive issues, then reintroduced pepper and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as at first. I also took / take pH balancing capsules since day 2 and BM's mellowed considerably burn wise. It was the stretching back there upon evacuation & diminishing traces of blood over time which becomes less alarming with healing (my BM's are tremendous in quantity, more than I ever passed before in a sitting). I tested pizza & chili different days at about day 10 post op, and no bad reaction. For me at day 16 post op, my lower back still feels stiff, probably due to not being used to holding BM's to one per day versus several when IBS kept me light & empty. Still have lightning bolt flashes in the region, as most likely nerves within are re-orientating themselves. This may explain point blank urgencies to BM, with several "close calls" and 4 slight accidents to date. I visited with my doctor yesterday and he said my healing is very good, remaining hemorrhoid structure ok (no lancing necessary), but did not have an answer for my back discomfort or lightning bolts. He released me with his blessing, so to speak, to keep regular or meet the scalpel again with an unbalanced diet. So that's about it for me here, as future support is in the balance of diet to keep hemorrhoids healthy & happy, thusly closing this 1st chapter and advancing to the care & feeding of pet hemorrhoids, or else they'll get you in the end!

BummedOut, good to hear your positive steps of progress and of your hesitant BM, perhaps weigh yourself before & after if so curious. For me, it has to be several pounds, as my toilet has never been so filled! (where's my scale?) Best to you BummedOut & Danni.

Thanks to everyone who posted their paths of helpfulness & Good-Luck to newbies here with your hemorrhoid outcomes in the end!

Happiness Heals / Regards,

Dave the Mailman

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Thank you to both of you! I bookedmarked the list provided by Dave and copied the list by Bummed. These will definitely help.

Four days following surgery and I finally got "that feeling" to go so I sat down, took controlled breaths and relaxed. There were a couple of false starts, but I finally passed a small stool. I waited for a minute or so and figured that that was it for now and I quickly did the sitz bath, hair dryer and cold compress routine. I felt no more pain now than I did during most of my pre-op BMs and the stool looked normal, like Mr Hankey's kid with just a hint of blood, so I'm extremely relieved!

Walking is still a bit tricky for long periods or for any distance, particularly outdoors during this ice storm, but I'm feeling & getting better every day and driving is a cinch. Posture seems to make a difference. I'm only taking a perc every 7 hours or so now, and I'm getting my dog back tonight, so things are slowly returning to normal.

Cheers!

(I'm no longer) BummedOut