Swelling and Pain After Hemorrhoidectomy Surgery

Reading the posts has been both helpful and terrifying.  I have had internal and external hems for almost 20 years.  Most of the time I can manage them alright, but this week I have had the worst flare up ever. It has been excruciating - a combination of the hems protruding along with severe reaction to the creams the dr prescribed to try and help.  I have an appt with a surgeon next Tuesday. I would like to get a second opinion but if they continue like this, I may have no choice but to just move forward with the first surgeon I see. I am truly getting very anxious and terrified about the post-op pain. I don't know if it will be worse than what I am experiencing now. The only thing I tell myself is that at least after the surgery I will hopefullly not have hems anymore and can have a better quality of life. I haven't been able to work all week or do much of anything but lay in bed and try to walk around a little. It's been agony.  I wish there were more posts from people farther out from surgery who could share whether it is all worth it.

Hello..

I am sure you've read my posts and experience. Is it is a scary thing for sure and if I had read the posts before, I would have probably had second thoughts about the surgery myself. It has been 2 months now since my surgery...and the one thing I can tell you for sure is that it won't take 1 week of recovery. It will take 4 to 6 weeks...so be prepared to take time off work. Depending on what you do for work, will also determine how much time off. Also, get better pain killers and follow the advice from the posts. It is worth not having flare ups anymore. Good luck with your decision. I am still taking stool softeners and there is sometimes slight bleeding with BM but not as painful anymore. I can now say I don't regret having it done. There are some skin tags on the outside that will need to be removed in the future via freezing and removing.

Had surgery on the 27th of April. I can't teach, I'm in pain and I don't know what to do.  I was told that I would return to work on Monday and it will be Friday tomorrow.  When will the pain end?

soar for sure wrote:

ocean_breeze wrote:

Reading the posts has been both helpful and terrifying.  I have had internal and external hems for almost 20 years.  Most of the time I can manage them alright, but this week I have had the worst flare up ever. It has been excruciating - a combination of the hems protruding along with severe reaction to the creams the dr prescribed to try and help.  I have an appt with a surgeon next Tuesday. I would like to get a second opinion but if they continue like this, I may have no choice but to just move forward with the first surgeon I see. I am truly getting very anxious and terrified about the post-op pain. I don't know if it will be worse than what I am experiencing now. The only thing I tell myself is that at least after the surgery I will hopefullly not have hems anymore and can have a better quality of life. I haven't been able to work all week or do much of anything but lay in bed and try to walk around a little. It's been agony.  I wish there were more posts from people farther out from surgery who could share whether it is all worth it.

Hello..
I am sure you've read my posts and experience. Is it is a scary thing for sure and if I had read the posts before, I would have probably had second thoughts about the surgery myself. It has been 2 months now since my surgery...and the one thing I can tell you for sure is that it won't take 1 week of recovery. It will take 4 to 6 weeks...so be prepared to take time off work. Depending on what you do for work, will also determine how much time off. Also, get better pain killers and follow the advice from the posts. It is worth not having flare ups anymore. Good luck with your decision. I am still taking stool softeners and there is sometimes slight bleeding with BM but not as painful anymore. I can now say I don't regret having it done. There are some skin tags on the outside that will need to be removed in the future via freezing and removing.

Thank you for the post. It does help to hear that even with all the pain, it is worth it. I am trying to balance this with the reality of having lived with these things for 20 years and the excruciating pain when they flare up, plus the unplanned time off work and not being able to do things I enjoy. Also every single day I deal with them - keeping them clean, monitoring how they are doing, trying to assess if I need to use a cream or not, some bleeding, etc. It's been so long, I don't think I will know how to have a "normal" anus area again!!!! I also appreciate your honest feedback about how much time it will take for recovery. I have read some posts where people are out dancing or going out after a week, and that just seems too good to be true. I am a counselor and sit a lot, so I imagine sitting is one of the top things that will hurt the most post-surgery. I don't know that I have much choice at the moment about the surgery. I am hoping things calm down enough for me to at least get 2 opinions and have a choice of surgeons, but it's not going so great at the moment. The longer I have to wait to have surgery and not be able to work, the worse it is financially.

When you say get better pain killers, are you referring to anything in particular? I am not sure what would be best to ask for. I know that narcotics cause constipation, but I have a low pain tolerance to begin with so I'm sure I will need to use something more than ibuprofen for pain. 400 mg of Ibuprofen doesn't even get rid of a headache for me.

Thanks again. I appreciate hearing from you.

Hi. I am so sorry to know that you are in so much pain and struggling with returning to work. The only thing I can suggest about work is to look into FMLA if needed. There is only so much that is humanly possible, and I can't imagine teaching while you are in so much pain.

I have a question about stool softeners. Is there any particular one that people recommend? I already take Colace every day and have for years to keep stools soft. I also already use  Miralax when needed for the same reason. I really spend a lot of time it seems monitoring my bm's already.

I got my first hem after my daughter was born 20 years ago. Then a larger one when my son was born 17 years ago. Ever since I have tried to manage them but I do have flare ups that are horrible when they happen. I also had major back surgery 8 years ago and was put on massive amounts of narcotics. The surgeon NEVER mentioned the constipation or what to do for it, and I had a very, very bad time of it which made the hems as bad as they have been ever since. I've also had to take narcotic pain medications on and off for my back, so I have a good understanding of how they work and what to do for keeping things moving, so to speak. I'm hoping that knowledge will help me keep from having problems after surgery.

My husband was seriously injured this past fall and had surgery. He also had issues with the narcotic medication. His surgeon recommended drinking a mug of warmed prune juice, chased with a cup of coffee (or hot beverage). This worked like a charm. Just thought I'd share that in case anyone finds it helpful.

I take the generic brand stool softener from Shopper's Drug Mart. I am still on it two months post op.  I live in Canada and these Dr.s here think Tylenol 3 with Codeine is enough...well it isn't.  I would have liked something stronger because they are all constipating anyway so the concoction your husband drank sounds like a good plan!  You should take stool softeners before the surgery because the first BM is painful.  Take 4 weeks off work for sure and then play it by ear.  I was able to go out and about after 1 week but I wore diapers as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to control my BM because of all the swelling.  I never did poop my pants but the security was there which allowed me to leave the home.  I am a teacher too, so I was lucky that I took two weeks off and then had 2 weeks spring break.  The timing was perfect.  I didn't plan it that way, that is when the surgery got scheduled.  I remember for years having to "deal with them" too.  I still use baby wipes to this day but I don't have hemmies to clean and push back in.  That is what I recommend you do.  Never leave them dangling or else the pain is worse and I think the creams sometimes were worse.  I also have used witch hazel. My bum isn't throbbing after each bm anymore.  Overall I am glad I did it.

The pain will end. I am a teacher too and there was no way I could have returned to teach. I took 2 weeks off and then I had 2 weeks spring break so the timing was perfect for me. Would have been difficult standing or sitting for that matter and my biggest fear was what if I had to go to the washroom. I needed to use the shower and or sitz bath for the first 2 weeks for sure. Keep the stools soft...drink plenty of water, soak in sitz bath. Use witch hazel to help with soothing the burning. It will get better!

I have terrible pain after my bowel movement and it lasts for 4 hours then I feel normal. I am at 18 days post surgery / external thrombosed. I feel nerve pain in and around my tailbone and rectum on the side where they removed the hemorrhoids. Any survivors of this out there? Soo much pain!

I should probably clarify the above post. I feel "somewhat normal" I am definately depressed. Anyone else cry every day because of the pain and inability to have your life back? I am no longer on percocet. Made me crazy but am taking 1/2 Valium at 4 a.m. to calm my nerves for my morning b.m. I can make it through the B.M. but after....the pain is unbearable. Then subsides four hours later. It is not a burning pain, I think I pretty much have healed the wound with applications of manuka honey and antibiotic cream, but can not seem to rid myself of the aching in left gluts and bottom. Trying to stay positive. Remembering to laugh and smile. Peace and healing!

Soar for sure, I am really appreciating your posts. I am still scared of the surgery, but I don't think I have much choice. This flare up is the worst ever and is still not completely gone. I have already missed a week from work. I think it's time to just get it done and over with. I am not looking forward to the pain, but who would? I have 2 surgery consultations this coming week, just to at least have 2 opinions. I just hope I can make it to the appointments with all this going on! There are no colon-rectal specialists near me, so I will have to go with a general surgeon. But the one hospital I am going to for a consult is really excellent and well-regarded - about an hour away from my home. I think about things like that because I know how miserable rides home after surgery can be!  But the hospital closest to us scares me.

I also am trying to remind myself that there is a very high percentage of positive outcomes from the surgery in the long term. These hems have controlled so much of my life for so long.

It helps so much to know you are 2 months post op and feeling glad that you did it. I just have to psych myself into realizing that it will be painful but will eventually get better. Shew.

Yes you are right! I went to a general surgeon. The surgery itself was only about 20 minutes. The ride home from the surgery was easy as I was frozen and couldn't feel a thing. Once the freezing subsides is when you feel the discomfort. Ask for good meds!!!! I can now be away from home and have a BM without having to clean with baby wipes or wet paper towels and then push hemmies back in. Pooping in public WC was crappy business. LOL! But I just "dealt" with it. Good luck...hope you find relief soon!

I have had 2 surgical consults this week. Both went very well, and both told me the same thing. I am scheduled for a colonoscopy on Friday and then the hemorroidectomy next Wednesday. I am experiencing a very high level of anxiety. I'm really trying to psych myself out, but it's not helping. I'm most worried about the BM's.  This week I have been eating high fiber, drinking tons of water to try and prepare my body, taking stool softeners, etc and still having some harder BM's.  I am trying to figure out how to get them soft and firm so I know what I need to eat and do next week after surgery. I feel like time is running out to figure it out!

Black Licorice acts as a stool softener too..but it is candy so there is added sugar which isn't always your best bet. Try some psylium husk in you fruit smoothie. Water and prunes? Why are you having a colonoscopy before the surgery?

ocean breeze--