Scared to have hemorrhoid surgery

day 2 after hemorrhoidectomy surgery for me. He used scalpel and sutures for 2 large hemorrhoid clusters and rubber banding on the 3rd internal one. So far it can be hard to find a comfortable position. Have been taking 1 percoset every 4-5 hours and that is helping with painNo bowel movement yet so pretty worried about that. Drinking tons of wtarer since cannot risk constipation. Have been urinating every 1-2 hours. Feel a lot of pressure right before going. Taking Gas-X as needed which does help. My doctor said to take 3 senokot pills each night and then 2 tablespoons of mineral oil by mouth to make stool easier to pass. Wll just have to see. Ice pack definitely provides some relief. He said no heating pad and no hot water bottle and no ibuprofen or risk too much bleeding. I will finally be able to take a stz bath after 24 hours...hoping that reduces some discomfort. Thanks for all of your thoughts and support. Will let you know progress.

wow ur doing great. take the senokot. it works great. im on day 5 and im getting around easy now. the first 3 days are the worst. the first few bms burn and they arent easy but we all managed and so will u. keep up the good work. in 3 days u will be like 75 percent better.

Now on day 4 post surgery. First i could not have a bowel movement, now I have had about 14 in the last 18 hours. First ones were tiny results for the amount of effort put in. Then large volume and then more each time i went to the bathroom. Now skin is sore and raw back there. Using neosporin with pain relief but that only helps for a bit. Warm bath feels great but doctor only wants me to do 3-4 baths per day so stitches will heal. Using ice packs wrapped in a thin hand towel several times a day to reduce swelling and pain. Last night rubber band fell off so that brought some relief. Less pressure overall with so many bowel movements too. Now when I have to go to the bathroom the body does not wait so staying close to the bathroom. Taking 2 walks per day but have to time it right between restroom visits. Staying pretty close to home in case I need to dash for the bathroom. Hoping my bowels settle down soon so that skin can recover a bit. May take less senokot tonight but will definitely continue the mineral oil. Have only taken extra strength Tylenol yesterday and today. Have not been at a pain level where I needed Percoset after day 2. How are the rest of you doing on your road to recovery?

hey everyone. im on day 7 and doing good. bms are the only real problem. they just take along time and then i have to go in the shower after. but otherwise everything is good. im going for a follow up on oct 25. im just glad its over with. i couldnt have done it without everone here. maggie and gary u really helped me and taught me alot on what to do after surgery. hope you all are doing good.

Glad to hear you are both doing well Crimson & Danielle :-D

I'm doing great - nearly 100% just a little residual swelling but no pain.  Haven't taken pain pills since week 1. Just working to control my fiber - sometimes I go a little overboard then have large volumes of bm's which make things a little tender.  Now almost 3 weeks for me and I am just thrilled it is over!  Keep hanging in there! 

Hi I am one month away from having this surgery. I have canceled it 3x in the past two years for various reasons. Scared of the recovery for one. Deathly scared.  But also I feel I might be having this surgery for the wrong reasons. Mine are external and cause very minimal pain.  I have to make sure i sit the right way to avoid the discomfort.  They bleed occasionally after a forced BM but it would be considered minimal and very occasionally. I am embarrassed by them and they are uncomfortable. I have three that are pea to small grape size. I have two young kids under age 6 and feel that this is a selfish surgery and one I may regret. My GP keeps asking why Ihaven't had the surgery and my family is on board too. I don't like the idea of being away from work longer than two weeks and am now reading that some are away up to eight weeks. I am 39 and know that they could get worse and to have surgery now rather than later would be better. Can anyone tell me if they were in a similar circumstance before having surgery?  Was it worth it?  Would you do it again?  I am giving serious thought to canceling this surgery for the fourth time.  

Thanks to all replies

hi rachel. i felt the same way. i was so scared. i delt with 3 large internal hemroids for 20 years. im 42 years old. they use to come out after having a bm. and they stayed out for hours. it was hard to keep clean. my friend had 3 external ones and had the surgery and went back to work in 4 days. so i decided to do it. definitly worth it. i have 3 kids and i didnt want to be selfish either but i did it oct 5. its been 9 days and im great. i can acually go back to work but i took off 2 weeks. the first 3 days are difficult but honestly no big deal, just like maggie said. after 3 days u will get around fine. do it cause if u dont u will regret it. eat no lite the week before. and have stool softeners and gasx in the house for afterward. take stool softeners the week before also. let us no how u do. i will pray for u.

rachel honestly i was going to cancel mine to. just do it its not that bad. i didnt have pain but mine were the size of a silver dollar when they came out. and i promise u im fine. just remember u will reget not getting it done. and external hemroidectomy is easier then an internal. and its day 9 and im doing everything i did before. i was driving after 3 days on one cheek but driving none the less. if u have 2 kids u will see that this is nothing. maggie and gary helped me out through this and i will help u.

Hi Danielle thank you for your words of encouragement. You recommend stool sofetners the week prior. Do you have any other tips? I've read that Tylenol and ibuprofen are better than the pain mess if you can deal with it for constipation reasons. What was your experience? Also did you change your diet prior? Adding benefibre or increasing your water intake? I am also worried about skin tags afterwards or worse having them come back. As I said before I am not in pain. No pain at all. Just embarrassing and uncomfortable at times. I just mentioned to my hubby I might cancel and he thought I shouldn't. So conflicted.

Rachel, I am now on day 6 and feeling better. I had one internal one rubber banded and two clusters of external that he surgically removed and then used dissolving stitiches. Bowel movements still uncomfortable and skin is pretty raw back there, but no bulging hemorrhoids, and way less bleeding. Rubberband fell off on day 3 and some of the stitiches dissolved today. Mine acted up starting 12 years ago with pregnancy and got progressively worse. Better to treat them now or future surgery could be a more difficult recovery.. I have one 12 year old at home so I did get some extra help so my husband could keep our child's routine as normal as possible. Here are some supplies I would have on hand: Get Rx for pain ,meds filled before day of surgery so already on hand. You want to start them as soon as you get home from the hospital, before numbing agent wears off. Maxi pads, I used 2 ultra thin ones overlapping a bit in the back. When you lie down this collects any seepage. 3x3 or 4x4 gauze pads for leakage, clean up or to apply ointment. Cottonelle wipes, lots of them. You will not want toilet paper back there. I put the in every bathroom right now. Tucks pads, the witch hazel reduces swelling and soothes. Neosporin plus pain relief to apply on anus and stitches. I put a line of it on a gauze pad and gently wiped it on, rather than on.my fingers. I stopped Percoset pain meds after 2 days due to concerns about constipation. Extra strength Tylenol. My doctor said no ibuprofen or aspirin as risks more bleeding. I take it very six hours to try to be ahed of next BM. Senekot laxative each night. 2 tablespoons of mineral oil each night (my doctor prefers this first week after surgery ) for 7 days. I have some yogurt or drinkable yogurt right after. After that I presume switch back to stool softeners for a bit. Gas-x pills. Very helpful Lots of water. I put a case of bottled water in my bedroom and kitchen to make it easy. You need to drink lots of water each day. A small notepad or mini whiteboard to track when to,take your meds. You need to wait between say laxative and mineral oil and if you are tired easier tomwritenit down. Ice packs and a thin towel to wrap the ice pack in are key. Have more than 1 so when you are using one the other can refreeze. My doctor said no heating pad as it risks more bleeding. Snacks like whole grain crackers, Fiber One cereal to take with pain meds to avoid nausea. Cell phone plus charger. iPad or similar device or e reader plus charger. You will need this for distraction. Magazines for distraction. Extra power strip with multiple outlets to,plug in items to recharge without bending down to the floor. A wheeled cart in the bathroom next to the toilet with all of your post bathroom visit supplies like cottonelle wipes, maxi pads, tucks,etc. Consider a second nightstand or table next to your bed. Less stretching in ways that might hurt sutures. More stuff at your finger tips. Have some extra pjs or gowns or lounge clothes in a folded stack on top of dresser so no bending to get clean clothes. Extra clean underwear too just feels fresher to change right away if needed. Make sure they are stretchy or even a size larger, because you will not want anything tight. Loose fitting pants that are very stretchy , like yoga pants. Be mindful seams that could irritate your rear end or while you are laying down. I preferred bath tub for sitz bath but I also have the small one that goes on the toilet. Warm if not hot water poured in from a pitcher works fine and really soothing after a BM. Clean plastic pitcher for water for sitz bath and to add hot water to bath tub if needed. I had an extra trash can with extra bags at the ready in the bathroom to make clean up easier. Hand lotion , your hands get rough if you are washing them after each bathroom visit. Saline spray for your nose, eye drops, lip balm, if you use any of them to keep you comfortable at night. And something to do if you do not sleep we'll the first few nights. My son brought me a different stuffed animal each day to keep me company. Your spouse should sleep in another room the first few nights. You will use the bathroom a lot and no reason for both of you to be sleep,deprived. Hope these ideas help. You will get through this. Day six and counting for me.

Rachel - Do it now...you will have no regrets. Crimson gave a very detailed info below. I will note I had all the things on hand, incontinence pads under my bed sheets, maxi pads at the ready....ALL a waste as I never bled at all!!! Better to be prepared though. Just a 4x4 gauze for me for what little seepage. Eat a very clean simple diet the week before and after - I did a lot of soups, lots of benefiber, stool softeners, fiber one and WATER! MOST IMPORTANT - READ DANIELLES EXPERIENCE - TAKE YOUR PAIN MEDS RELIGIOUSLY THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS until you get your bm's less scary. Just take lots of fiber, softeners, etc with them. If you don't your body will fight your recovery. I should have done my surgery 2 yrs ago but chickened out until I reached the point of no return. My surgeon says would have been even easier then. Do it and be done with it! Lots of good information and support here! We'll pray for you!

Hi Maggie -- Very encouraged by all your posts & I am glad that you are on your way to being normal again if not there yet :) I am dealing with an external thrombosed hemorrhoid since last 4 days, I have got it drained the day I started feeling the pain and discomfort .. I still am dealing with the discomfort and pain which limits me from doing a lot of activities .. do you suggest that I get a surgery to have this external lump removed? 

Hi Sahil - I would suggest visiting a colon/rectal surgeon and getting their opinion.  I have never heard of draining - sounds painful :( .

Mine started as a large internal cluster and a couple smaller external ones. I have always had a major bleeding problem until earlier this summer when the large cluster began to prolapse during bowel movements and I would have to "shove" it back in - and along with that came pain I had never experienced the likes of in my life.  My surgeon wanted to operate 2 years ago when I had the bleeding problem but I couldn't convince myself to do it.  Given that they were smaller the recovery might have been easier - but given that I spent 3 months prior to having surgery feeling like I was walking around with a razor blade up there (not pleasant) - my post surgery recovery has been a piece of cake.  It is so liberating to not have that cluster to deal with any longer!  Surgery is the ONLY permanent solution, and if the pain is impacting your day to day quality of life you should consider surgery.  As you see from all the posts here, the first days to a couple weeks are hard (seems to differ for everybody) but if you take it one day at a time...there is an end!  I'm sorry I made myself suffer so long!  Best of luck.

hi rachel. yes i changed my diet alittle about 4 days before. i drank alot of water and took 4 colace a day. 2 days before the surgery i ate very lite bcause i didnt want to be full of u no what. 2 days before i took 2 senakot. then the day of the surgery i did 2 enemas an hour before. i arived at the out patient center at 1030am. i went on the operationg table at 12pm. i was in recovery at 130pm. i went home at 230pm. i felt great, never took a pain pill in my life. about 8pm the numbness wore off and it hurt, i got alittle sick, almost flu like that nite till the next afternoon from the anestisia. by 12pm th next day i took my first pain med ever. crimson is rite. take ur pain meds before the numbness wears off. keep taking colace 4 times a day and metamucil 2 times a day at least the first week. after i had a bm, which does burn but only the first few days, i washed off in the shower. everyday gets easier. its really the first 3 days that suck. but u wont be bed riden. u will be fine. pain meds wont constipate u unless ur on them along time. take them thats my advice. skin tags are the least of your problems because when u go back for your checkup and if for some reason u have one they take it rite off in the office and it dont even hurt. but u shouldnt have one after anyway. im on day 10 and the only problem i have is that its healing and very itchy. but they said thats only for a week. i only took pain meds the first 3 days. i should maybe take one before bed and see if it helps with the itching. my hemroids didnt hurt either. but there embaressing. i did it more for cosmetic reasons. i dont mean to be rude but i felt embarresed during sex. everyone has there reasons but u dont have to live with them. i should of did it years ago. its not that big of a deal. just do it. join our hemroid club. we will all be hemroid free.

i forgot the things u will need will be colace , metamucil, pain meds, water, loose clothes for like 4 days. i bought extra underwear cause of leakage. 4x4 gause pads to put between ur butt cheeks. eat lite for a few days like jello and yougart. and i took ibprofin and tylonal. i didnt bleed exept for a bm. oh and gasx for the first nite. thats all i had and i was good. any other questions just ask. do not cancell that surgery. youll be sorry