Swelling and Pain After Hemorrhoidectomy Surgery

The surgeon wanted lab work done - blood work and a stool specimen. I just got back from the lab. I have to collect the stool here at home and then my daughter is going to pick it up and take it back to the lab. I haven't had any diarrhea in a few hours because I have not eaten or drank anything so I could make it there and back and also be fasting for the lab.

It will be tomorrow at the earliest before I know anything. Now time to start drinking and eating some soft foods to get the runs running again so I can get a specimen.:-)

Breezie, I'm glad you spoke with the nurse and that she felt your pain. I'm glad they're running some tests because then maybe they'll have some answers for you. I feel so badly for you that you're going through all of this and now you have to try and get the runs going again :(

Today marks the 5th week post op for me :) I'm excited about that as things are getting a lot better. I'm back on milk of magnesia for the time being as my stools need to be real soft still otherwise my bms hurt! But when they're soft it's great, no pain! I'm looking forward to the 6th week because I know by then I will feel back to normal again :)

Yay PITA!!!!! 5 weeks!!!! That is awesome!!!!! I'm so glad you are hitting those major milestones.

You all are not going to believe this. I had diarrhea right up until I left for the lab. Ever since I have been home..... NOTHING! Just gas. Unbelievable. I mean, I am glad to have a day without the runs. But I also really want to have the tests done so I know what has been causing this. I guess that if it something unresolved it will come back. If not, then it was something that went away on it's own. I will still submit a sample whenever I get one. It's just so frustrating and yet so good not to have had diarrhea all day.

Day 14. I'm feeling better than I have in a while. I got a stool sample off to the lab today so hopefully by tomorrow or Friday I will know the results. Maybe it was just a virus or something. I have had pain in the anal area pretty constantly, but I started taking low doses of Advil and Tylenol today and that seems to be helping. I've been trying to walk around more as well.

I am eating soft foods yesterday and today - finally getting some food back in my system. I'm still afraid to eat "real" food. I've been hungry for a veggie burger all day, but that may be a bit much on my system just yet. Maybe by the weekend.

I hope you are all doing well!

I hope you get the test results back and can get some answers as well as relief. I hope it isn't diverticulitis because that would mean going on antibiotics. There is a product I gave to my mom to help her with her upset stomach. It is called seropeptase. Have you heard of it? My mom can't eat tomatoes too often particularly the seeds and other acidic foods. She has a sensitivity to wheat and is lactose intolerant too. I guess maybe those allergy tests should be done sooner than later. Also, have you heard of something called a leaky gut? We started thinking that my mom was having that and she saw a naturopath for some advice. After reading so much on line you start to become a hypocondriac thinking that you have everything you read. But I believe knowledge is power and I've learned so much just from reading all your advice. Maybe Ocean Archer you can ask your friend about it? PITA, you sound like you are recovering nicely so that is wonderful. Lonely, you just get your boss to read this forum and see if he changes his mind about not believing you. NO one can understand fully unless they've been through it. Especially because it is day surgery, everyone assumes its easy peasy like I was having a hang nail removed. Breezie,,....something must be causing all this diarrhea? I certainly hope you get some relief soon.

Hi Soar.

They are testing me for C. diff among other things. I looked up C. diff (of course) and it sounds scary. I have been doing the whole reading things online thing for a few days now and have myself scared silly. I didn't have any diarrhea yesterday (probably because of the immodium I took). I had to take milk of mag today to get a sample for the lab - the surgeon's office said that we needed to get a sample to figure it out. Well tonight I've had explosive diarrhea. It has been so painful - more painful than anything so far. I hope they get those results back soon so I know what is going on. It may not be until Friday or the weekend, depending.

I am so tired of feeling badly, and now I'm really scared. I guess I'm also afraid they won't find anything and then I won't have any answers. I am trying not to worry but when you are worn down, tired, sick, etc., it's hard to stay positive.

I also have a horrendous headache tonight. :'(

 

sorry I've been M.I.A. lately. Trying to plan a birthday party this Saturday for my 2 year-old son. I didn't think we had many friends locally, but somehow we managed to invite 40 people. wtf?  eh  We just moved into a new house, so trying to get that all decorated, and picking up a new car tomorrow from a dealership 2.5 hours away ugh. That's nothing compared to what you're going through Breezie. 

Thanks Archer! I have missed ya. The birthday party sounds like it is going to be fun!!! Is he old enough to have a theme? Congrats on the new car. We have been thinking about getting a new car, but I keep putting it off. I hate having a car payment, but our cars are so old I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to put it off.

You're right. I do need ANSWERS!!! I would feel better if it was a virus because then I'd know it would just run its course. I worry more that it is a bacterial thing and will need an antibiotic. I am allergic to some antibiotics and I hate the idea of having to take even more medicine that could have some other effects. But right now I will do anything to feel better! My husband got the sample in this afternoon, so I doubt I will hear anything tomorrow. Maybe Friday. I don't know what I'll do if I have to wait over the weekend. I realize in a part of my brain that my anxiety is getting out of control, but I'm having a hard time with the not knowing. My mind keeps going to the worst. Of course, reading stuff online has not helped!!!! 

I do work in a public service agency (mental health) with kids/teens/families. So yes, I can get exposed to lots of goodies. But I think most viruses would have set in before whatever this is. Also, no one at my work has gotten anything like this. I asked my boss the other day. They did get a respiratory thing going around right around the time I went out for surgery. Anything is possible though. My husband said I could have picked up the virus at the hospital itself (if it's a virus).

Tonight I had another bout of explosive diarrhea that was the worst ever. I was crying out and then I just plain cried. It was terrible. I am just so exhausted. I am also worried how this will affect my recovery and healing. I hope not too much. I just want to feel better. It's bad enough to have the recovery from this surgery let alone all this other stuff going on.

Last night I did get a good night's sleep in my own bed. I think I told you all that I have to stay downstairs to be near the tub; our upstairs bathroom only has a shower/tub/sink and no tub.  But downstairs is just our old futon that is super uncomfortable and hard on my back. Plus with all the diarrhea since Saturday I had not slept more than an hour or so at a time. So last night was just so good to sleep. I woke up a few times with itching in the surgery site. Yikes!  But I was able to fall back to sleep. I am waiting to see how this evening goes before I decide if I can sleep in my bed or not. I hope so.

Breezie, you poor thing. I have a good feeling it'll be better tomorrow. The power of positive thinking! ;)  And congrats on getting to the itchiness part. Sounds like you're healing up well down there. Is your back feeling better? 

Thanks, Archer. So far, today isn't going so great, but not having diarrhea at the moment either. I appreciate the positive thoughts! I am having the itchiness and some pain in the surgery area. Is there anything you recommend for the itching? My back is doing okay. I think it's just this futon. I was able to sleep in bed for a while last night, and it feels better when I can rest in my good bed.

The birthday party sounds like fun!  I loved that age with my kids. Mine are 20 and 16 now. The time flies by so fast. Enjoy every day. :) 

with me the more I leave the leakage untended, the more it itched and burned. Even when you don't have BMs, wipe (dab) the area clean every 30-60 minutes as needed. This won't cure the itch and burn, but helped a lot. 

Day 16. Wow. I can't believe I'm that far along. I called the surgeon's office this morning. There are no doctors or nurses in on Fridays.8-| All the office person could tell me is that I do NOT have C. Diff. I guess they instructed her to look for that. So it will be Monday before I know if the labs showed anything at all!  The good news is that yesterday and today, no diarrhea!!!!!!  Last night I had a soft, formed BM and I had another one this morning. They burn terribly and I have spasms afterward, but it is better than the nonstop diarrhea. I am thinking that all the diarrhea probably has set me back a little in terms of full healing and BM pain. Also, yeterday I started taking Metamucil instead of Benefiber - 1 tsp at breakfast with oatmeal. I'm still eating soft, bland foods and will continue to do so for a while - probably until BMs are not as painful. I am not taking any other stool softeners or laxatives, of course. Still taking the probiotic. Still soaking several times a day for the pain and itching.

Some other good news. I slept in my bed again last night!!!!  I had to come down and soak at 1 am for pain that woke me up. Then at 5 am I woke up with some discomfort and read Archer's post, so I just used some Tucks to dab at the leakage. Was able to fall back asleep until 9 am!!!!!  It felt so good to get sleep like that. I am realizing the more good sleep I get the more I realize how truly fatigued I am. The past week or two have really drained me.

My next appointment with the surgeon is Thursday afternoon. Oh, another update. Yesterday I called the dr office and got them to send a note to my work to cover me until at least through the appointment. When I go in, I plan to stand my ground for at least another week after the checkup, making for a total of 4 weeks off work. I really hope I am ready to go back to work by then.

Archer, hope your son's birthday party goes well tomorrow and that you all have tons of fun!!! Soar, I hope you are doing well and getting out on your bike! PITA, I hope your BMs are soft and that your pain level is reducing. Lonely.road if you are still checking in, I am thinking of you and hope you are recovering as well as you can be.

I'm still having a good bit of pain all day, even between BMs. Is this normal at this point?

3 BMs so far today!  Geesh!  I'm not taking stool softeners or laxatives. I think I will skip the Metamucil tomorrow morning and see if that helps. The BMs are intensely painful. Burning pain that lasts for a while. Any suggestions on how to reduce the BMs to maybe one or two a day? I am eating whole grains, fruits, and some veggies. Every time I have a meal, I am pooping. I was never like that before surgery.

On top of that I am pretty sure I have a yeast infection, which in turn affects the anal area. I am very prone to these and before surgery I was on a regimen of using a boric acid suppository 2x weekly. Only the dr won't let me use it until I am healed from the surgery because he isn't sure how it would affect healing. I also called my obgyn today and they said the same thing. They want me to try diflucan, but that doesn't do anything for me (I have fought this problem for years now so I know what works and doesn't work) and sometimes it can make me sick. I don't need that side effect right now. So....  I'm not sure what to do.

I do have a funny story to tell. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats. One of my dogs is an American Eskimo Dog - all white. We are getting a major storm front in our area, lots of wind and rain. Somehow, she got under our front porch and got stuck. My husband had to rip up a few boards to get her out. She was wet and F.I.L.T.H.Y. But the look on her face was priceless. She is always a happy dog, and she just looked like the happiest little dog with this smile on her face. My husband and I just had to smile with her. She is getting a bath right now. :)

Crunch time for party prep, but I had to check in. That's great news Breezie. It looks like maybe it was a virus that just ran its course. Good riddance! I had very little pain by 16 days, but I didn't endure the diarrhea hell that you did, so I was able to heal faster. Hang in there. Sleep a lot, heal a lot, and you'll feel normal in no time! Gotta go. Good luck tonight and tomorrow!