Poopophobia. LOL Very apropos name! I think that one definitely develops this during the recovery process. I
Advil - any NSAID - can cause increased bleeding. I think it depends on the person as well. I was reading that NSAIDS can help some people with diverticulosis, for example, but for others it can cause bleeding.
I haven't heard of Gravol for nausea. Is that an OTC med? The dr prescribed phenergen and that has really helped, thank goodness!
Advil - any NSAID - can cause increased bleeding. I think it depends on the person as well. I was reading that NSAIDS can help some people with diverticulosis, for example, but for others it can cause bleeding.
I haven't heard of Gravol for nausea. Is that an OTC med? The dr prescribed phenergen and that has really helped, thank goodness!
PITA - I hope you can find a way to get your bm's to be less painful and not push. I remember reading that you have a regimen with your eating and softeners, etc. Have you ever tried relaxation techniques as well? I wonder if sometimes our anxiety about BM's makes it worse.
Oceanarcher, I think the pain is just as intense even on day 5. And it is still lasting as long. I seem to have more swelling last night and today and I don't know why. I am thinking that maybe it is just a different stage of the healing process?
I do have a fear of getting more hems, but I know I can't let that control my life. I am hoping that as I continue to feel better, I will be able to relax and not think about this all the time. I hope!
As for my spirits being high, you, soar, and PITA have a lot to do with that!!! It is amazing that you can connect with people from anywhere in the world. What you said about information technology is really true!
I do have a fear of getting more hems, but I know I can't let that control my life. I am hoping that as I continue to feel better, I will be able to relax and not think about this all the time. I hope!
As for my spirits being high, you, soar, and PITA have a lot to do with that!!! It is amazing that you can connect with people from anywhere in the world. What you said about information technology is really true!
I am finding that eating a high fiber diet and taking stool softeners, I am having numerous BM's throughout the day. I lose count. These are very painful, as you all know. So last night I didn't take a stool softener, thinking that maybe that would help reduce the times I am going. And this morning it was not as soft and was more painful. I went once and then a half hour later, I went again. I guess I will keep things soft and just go more often. I can't seem to find a happy medium.
The good news is that it is Day 5 and I am almost to the week mark! YAY!!!!!! I am looking forward to the pain decreasing. hoping hoping hoping!!!!!
Oh breezie I totally know how you feel!! I was having the same issue! (Going way too often so I backed off on the stool softeners just to find out the hard way I shouldn't have!) I was sick of having to always run to the toilet through out the day. The next day after not taking my stool softener and not overkilling on the fiber made me pay big time. It hurt so much so I thought to myself no more of this. I don't care if I have to go numerous times..as long it they don't hurt like this one! lol.
I'm so happy for you that you're at Day 5! My day 5 was absolutely miserable but that was because I didn't go to the bathroom until the 4th day after my surgery, so you can imagine how bad it was just the next day.
I haven't thought of relaxation techniques so I really should try it. I get anxiety very easily so when I'm at the toilet and I'm going and as soon as I'm done I worry that there may be more so I end up pushing a little and I really need to stop doing that because when I push nothing comes out anyway. You're right about having anxiety about BM's making it worse. That's me. I have to learn to relax and take deep breaths and remind myself that everything will be okay and not to strain!!
I'm so happy for you that you're at Day 5! My day 5 was absolutely miserable but that was because I didn't go to the bathroom until the 4th day after my surgery, so you can imagine how bad it was just the next day.
I haven't thought of relaxation techniques so I really should try it. I get anxiety very easily so when I'm at the toilet and I'm going and as soon as I'm done I worry that there may be more so I end up pushing a little and I really need to stop doing that because when I push nothing comes out anyway. You're right about having anxiety about BM's making it worse. That's me. I have to learn to relax and take deep breaths and remind myself that everything will be okay and not to strain!!
Ugh..sorry, I'm not very good at logging on here apparently. It always gives me problems loggin in. Anyway, it's PITA here that wrote you that last message :)
Thanks, archer. I'm definitely going to incorporate lots of fiber in my daily diet from now on. I had a pretty poor diet that included very little to no fiber and it was that way since I was a teenager which was around the time I started noticing my hems. As a young child I did not know the importance of pooing regularly (even though my parents told me it was) so I'd always hold it and when I would go I'd strain so hard. In my early 20's my hems got worse but I just tolerated them. Now at 34 I had to make the choice to have the surgery as they were out of control. Flare ups, all the time. I'd look at them in the mirror and they'd scare me because they were so big! They hurt so much...some days worse than others. They'd pop out from just standing there washing the dishes.
I've learned so much from doing research, talking to dr's and nurses, and talking to friends I've met online (this forum) that have been through the same experience :) It helps so much!
I've learned so much from doing research, talking to dr's and nurses, and talking to friends I've met online (this forum) that have been through the same experience :) It helps so much!
I'm a 25 y/o female (never pregnant so hemms not due to that) I had a colon-rectal surgeon in Indiana perform my surgery 05/10/12 under LA. I had tried suppositories for internals and then cream for a fissure. My fissure was located right by a large grade 3 hemorrhoid so every BM was terrible. ( It felt like I was passing broken pieces of glass and lots of blood in toilet) After a few months of extreme pain, my doc said surgery would be best. She had me start Miralax the week before surgery and said I can continue to use it the rest of my life if I want and my colon will not become dependent on it. The surgery consisted of internal hemorrhoids removal, removal of tag from old hemorrhoid, and botox shots to relax the sphinctor muscle. I felt ok the remainder of the day of surgery. The next morning however was bad. I was prescribed Norco for pain and ended up so nauseous and puked all day. I called the on call Saturday and was given Toradol. And then when I called my normal surgeon for a refill, was given an rx for Tramadol. Toradol would be my preferred as I did not expierence constipation or any other side affects. I had my first BM on the 3rd day after surgery and it actually felt better than before surgery. My surgeon says it was probably because of the botox shots helping relax the muscle.
I did notice that I have a nickel size "growth" coming out from the anus now and was completely freaked out by it. I called the office and the staff assured me it is normal. My butt looks terrible now considering before surgery, you could not see anything externally and now there is a huge mass. It has not reduced in size and I am now on day 12 of recovery. I go back for a followup June 6 and i'm praying it is gone by then. I do not want surgery again to remove this growth. Helpful tips from my surgeon consist of: frequant showers/ water only baths ( no salts, lotions, etc), Miralax every day, regular cotton underwear, and limited activity. She had me take off 4 weeks from work for recovery. I did go to a wedding on day 10 after surgery and. Besides shooting pains occasionally and trying to find a comfortable seating position, I did pretty well. I lasted for about 4 hours away from home. Overall, I am pleased with the surgery as my pain is about a 4 now, compared to a 10 before surgery. The thing that bothers me most is the "growth" because it will rub and bother me at times, not to mention how disgusting it looks. I do have sharp shooting, itching pains at times, usually if I try to walk at a normal pace. I will post again after my followup appt June 6.
I did notice that I have a nickel size "growth" coming out from the anus now and was completely freaked out by it. I called the office and the staff assured me it is normal. My butt looks terrible now considering before surgery, you could not see anything externally and now there is a huge mass. It has not reduced in size and I am now on day 12 of recovery. I go back for a followup June 6 and i'm praying it is gone by then. I do not want surgery again to remove this growth. Helpful tips from my surgeon consist of: frequant showers/ water only baths ( no salts, lotions, etc), Miralax every day, regular cotton underwear, and limited activity. She had me take off 4 weeks from work for recovery. I did go to a wedding on day 10 after surgery and. Besides shooting pains occasionally and trying to find a comfortable seating position, I did pretty well. I lasted for about 4 hours away from home. Overall, I am pleased with the surgery as my pain is about a 4 now, compared to a 10 before surgery. The thing that bothers me most is the "growth" because it will rub and bother me at times, not to mention how disgusting it looks. I do have sharp shooting, itching pains at times, usually if I try to walk at a normal pace. I will post again after my followup appt June 6.
Hi PITA. I kinda figured this was you. :) Well, I made a HUGE mistake today. I went once this morning. I was adding more whole grain fiber in today to try and firm things up a little. I have been mostly eating a lot of fruit since surgery and I thought that if I added in a little more fiber that may help. Well, by this evening I hadn't pooped again, so I began to panic. I took Miralax, nothing. I had taken stool softeners throughout the day. Nothing. Then I drank a cup of prune juce. Well, about 3 hours ago I started having diarrhea and it hasn't stopped yet. I am so exhausted. It's 1:15 am. I'm exhausted, sweating, hot, and my butt is very sore. I feel like an id**t. I think I am so fearful of getting constipated that I am over thinking the whole process. I hope it's done for the night.
I was thinking about you earlier actually and about how you didn't go until da 4 and then the terrible experience that must have been! It's no wonder you have some anxiety about this issue.
A dr gave me some advice a couple years ago that I think may be helpful. He said to never ever strain on the toilet. If you feel like you can't go or haven't finished, get up and walk around and do something else until you feel like you need to go again. But don't sit there and push.
Also, breathing deeply/mindfulness based stress reduction techniques may help with the anxiety. You can even find CDs online to help with that. If you search healthjourneys online they have some good resources. There are probably others out there. Learning skills for anxiety can help in all areas of our lives. I am a very anxious person and have worked for years to learn to live with it.
I was thinking about you earlier actually and about how you didn't go until da 4 and then the terrible experience that must have been! It's no wonder you have some anxiety about this issue.
A dr gave me some advice a couple years ago that I think may be helpful. He said to never ever strain on the toilet. If you feel like you can't go or haven't finished, get up and walk around and do something else until you feel like you need to go again. But don't sit there and push.
Also, breathing deeply/mindfulness based stress reduction techniques may help with the anxiety. You can even find CDs online to help with that. If you search healthjourneys online they have some good resources. There are probably others out there. Learning skills for anxiety can help in all areas of our lives. I am a very anxious person and have worked for years to learn to live with it.
Hi too young. I'm sorry you are having to go through this. I am only on day 5 since surgery, so I cannot speak from experience about the mass. But I have read a good portion of posts on this forum, and I think this is a common experience. Most people report that the mass or swelling goes away eventually. My surgeon also said that it i possible to have something that looks like a hemorrhoid after surgery and that it will go away.
I have not had the desire and/or courage to look down there and see what it looks like. I am not sure I can handle that yet. It would probably just freak me out more!
Best of luck on your recovery!
I have not had the desire and/or courage to look down there and see what it looks like. I am not sure I can handle that yet. It would probably just freak me out more!
Best of luck on your recovery!
Hi breezie, thanks for the tip on the healthjourneys site. I'll definitely have to check it out. And that is some really good advice from the dr that said to never strain, instead get up and walk around until you get the urge again. That is something I never did. I'd just sit there and insist that I'm not done and try to force it. Ugh..not smart. I need to break that habit. I will keep that advice in mind the next time I go to the bathroom (tomorrow morning).
I am so sorry to hear that you're in such pain and discomfort tonight :( I can actually say that I know exactly how you feel. Ugh...it is terrible and I know how much you're hurting but I promise you it will get better. Looks like the all the fiber kind of hit you all at once! I hope the diarrhea stops for you soon and doesn't continue through the night. That happened to me once a couple of weeks ago and it was miserable. I had sleepless nights from pain and then I finally was able to get good sleep and bam! I woke up to an urge that made me dash to the toilet. I was soooo tired and sleepy and in sooooo much pain at the same time. I'm hoping that does not happen to you!! How is your back doing? Any better?
I am so sorry to hear that you're in such pain and discomfort tonight :( I can actually say that I know exactly how you feel. Ugh...it is terrible and I know how much you're hurting but I promise you it will get better. Looks like the all the fiber kind of hit you all at once! I hope the diarrhea stops for you soon and doesn't continue through the night. That happened to me once a couple of weeks ago and it was miserable. I had sleepless nights from pain and then I finally was able to get good sleep and bam! I woke up to an urge that made me dash to the toilet. I was soooo tired and sleepy and in sooooo much pain at the same time. I'm hoping that does not happen to you!! How is your back doing? Any better?
You hit the nail on the head, PITA. I'm so tired and yet I have to stay close to the toilet and tub. I barely make it in there in time. Tomorrow is back to the diet I have been eating and just hope it calms down. My stomach/acid reflux is acting up which is unusual. I wish I could sip some ginger ale but it makes me too gassy. :(
My back is okay. It is hard to tell pain wise because I'm on all this pain medicine.
I can tell my body is feeling worn out, though. I think it's all the lying around, even though I do get up and walk a good bit around the house during the day. Also just the getting in and out of the tub a lot. I know that sounds odd, but it's kneeling down and then trying to flip onto my side and lie there. It's not very comfortable. It's a smallish tub anyway.
Thanks for checking in! It's almost 2 am and I'm sort of feeling alone in the world. lol
My back is okay. It is hard to tell pain wise because I'm on all this pain medicine.
I can tell my body is feeling worn out, though. I think it's all the lying around, even though I do get up and walk a good bit around the house during the day. Also just the getting in and out of the tub a lot. I know that sounds odd, but it's kneeling down and then trying to flip onto my side and lie there. It's not very comfortable. It's a smallish tub anyway.
Thanks for checking in! It's almost 2 am and I'm sort of feeling alone in the world. lol
Hi too young,
I'm on day 26 after my surgery and just several days ago started to notice that my little growths are disappearing. I too was concerned about them but after reading posts on here I learned that they're normal. I had 2 that I thought were pretty big so I had been monitoring their size for the past several weeks. The one is completely gone and the other one is getting smaller each day. I'm sure yours will start to shrink but since you're just past 10 days I'd say that's a little soon still. I'm sure by your post op appt on June 6 you'll notice that it's smaller.
I'm on day 26 after my surgery and just several days ago started to notice that my little growths are disappearing. I too was concerned about them but after reading posts on here I learned that they're normal. I had 2 that I thought were pretty big so I had been monitoring their size for the past several weeks. The one is completely gone and the other one is getting smaller each day. I'm sure yours will start to shrink but since you're just past 10 days I'd say that's a little soon still. I'm sure by your post op appt on June 6 you'll notice that it's smaller.
Aww don't feel alone! I'm here! I get like that sometimes too. It's not too late for me here (almost 11pm) so I'm still on my laptop but for you wow 2am. I hope you can get a good night's sleep and soon too. I know what you mean by feeling worn out. Physically and mentally! I know it can get discouraging at times but just remind yourself that it will only get better. Someone said this to me once and half of me was a little mad and the other half of me thought it was funny. He said, "Hey, no pain, no gain. And that goes for EVERYTHING." I was like, "Um, that's not nice!" But then I was like, "hey, that's kind of funny and kind of true too." He wasn't trying to be a jerk, he was being realistic. So what do I tell myself now? Lol. Yes, I say those words, "No pain, no gain" and I chuckle. I remind myself that when all this is over I will have gained a LOT and that's what keeps me going. I've done that for many other parts of my life too. Of course, not everything has to hurt in order for us to gain something. I just thought I'd share that with you lol, maybe make you laugh a little, hopefully! :)
2:30 and still having problems. More like gassiness and intermittent blow outs. Sort of like after a cleansing for a colonscopy. Every time I think it must be done, it starts up again. I am so tired!!!!
I wish that after this was all done I could go on a vacation, a cruise, and leave my butt at home.