THD hemorrhoidectomy works!

About a week after my thd, a huge hem "popped out" giving me tremendous pain. I went to the doc and she pushed it back inside, relieving much of my discomfort. She told me at the time that it was NOT a new 'roid and that it had been ligated like the other internal ones. She was hopeful that it would get smaller and eventually die due to lack of blood supply. 

I had the THD procedure on the 30th May and it has been an absolute nightmare.  I am still in pain now but if I compared it to the pain in the first three weeks this is nothing although having said that the pain is unbearable even now.   I have been in and out of hospital in the last five weeks and was even put back under anaesthetic to see if they could see a problem and have even had a MRI scan only to be told that the piles have thrombosed?   All I am being told is that they have not seem this before.   I am going for a second opinion on Thursday to see if anyone else has any answers.  I would never ever have had this procedure done if I had known what I was going to go through.

Vicki425 -  I was wondering if you had THD for internal hemmies? How long did it take them to disappear for you? I had the surgery 3 weeks ago for large prolapsed internal hemmies (stage 3), and although they are smaller than before, they're still there, still big (they were VERY big) and still prolapsing. Is it just a case of giving it time? I hope so, because at the moment I feel like it's failed and I'm back to square one and just want to cry! I can see that you suffered from post-op prolapsing. Did it eventually stop? How long would you say it took for them to disappear? Sorry about all the questions, but I don't know where else to turn.

Hi,
No worries in contacting me - I am glad to tell you my story. I had thd last January. I was in horrible pain for what seemed like 3-4 months. One of my hems did indeed prolapse and became very painful. Unfortunately it was an external hem and in May I had it cut off (thd is really for internal hems). I must say that that single quadrant surgery was a walk in the park compared to the thd. After I had thd, the internal hems seemed to shrink up over time. The outside of my anus was really smooth. However, after the second surgery (NOT THD) the outside of the anus is once again full of what the doc calls "redundant tissue" which to me feels like external hems. While I no longer bleed or have a lot of pain (there is some pain), cleansing after a poop is a huge problem. She (the doc) says she can't do anything about the redundant tissue and that I would just have to live with it. I am not pleased but if I were to compare it to my condition prior to the thd, I am far better off today, just not perfect. Have you been back to the doc? What does she say about the internal hems? I know they take awhile to shrink up. What thd does is cut off the blood supply so it is a process. I hope this helped. Good luck and feel free to contact me any time.

Quick update ....

Well since my First THD procedure i have unfortunately had to return to have it done again ...Although the first time round i wasnt in as much pain as i had been the surgery hadnt been as successful as it could of been therefore my surgeon suggested THD again this time stitching me slightly tighter and higher up ....
Well its now been 4 days since my operation and i am in considerable amount of pain ...My husband who has no time for my illness wants to divorce me because he can't stand me going on about being in pain any longer .I feel utterly miserable and before i went in for the second procedure i was uncomfortable but it was liveable ..i was at the gym 5 times a week excersizing with ease and happy ...now i am in an incredibly amount of pain with a 4 year old to deal with no help from anyone and i wish i had never had it done ...the pain is particularly bad after a BM ..whereby all i want to do is bathe and moan in pain ...the painkillers im taking aren even touching it in terms of relief ....If the surgeon thinks im going back in to have the tags removed he can think again ..has anyone else had to have this done a second time round ????

I had a second surgery but it was not THD but the old fashioned, cut it off type of surgery. I am still having problems so I see the doc again next week. I have a feeling that there is one more surgery in my future.

Vickid425....

I honestly feel your pain ...When i was about to go down for surgery the registrar (who was pretty ignorant and beside manner left alot to be desired) put me down for thd , open hemerroidectomy and banding ...i was in such shock and completely non plussed with her attitude i signed the form just to get rid f her quickly ...as soon as she went i burst into tears and told a nurse what had happened and under no circumstances did i want a open hemmerroidectomy ...short of it is this is ended up with the resgistra coming up and apologising and removing the open hemmeroidectomy from the admissions form and then my surgeon paying me a v isit to reassure me he wasnt and isnt going to perform that procedure (this is what put me back a couple of years to start with and he knew full well under no circumstances did i wasnt to be cut) ..i was informed that i would feel a more bruising pain than last time as there is already scarring but my god this is horrendous ..i have a very high pain threshold and i do not consider myself a wuss when is comes to pain i promise you but this ....is beyond child birth even which i have experienced twice both times without pain relief.Last night was the worse as i had taken the stool softeners as advised but it acted like a full on laxitive and everything came flooding outof me like water ...eventually i took so many pain killers it was this that pretty much knocked me out and allowed me some sleep ..my husband is bloody useless and simply cannot cope when i am ill or in pain .. in every other way hes brilliant and im painting a terrible picture when i shouldnt ...but i guess some people are just like that ...Im at that stage whereby i dont even want to eat anything for fear of having to go the toilet ....one can only cross my fingers and hope this gets better so far 6 days on it isnt looking likely ...good luck with your visit and if you dont want to be cut tell them so there are other options like THD again and i would much rather this than the cutting ...this is very painful but im positive cutting is worse judging from many posts i have read

In actuality, after the 2nd surgery where my external hem was cut off, I felt very little pain. It was called a one-quadrant hemorrhoidectomy and my doc used what she called a "harmony scalpel" which is supposed to hurt less. I was back at the gym in a week (as opposed to 2.5 months after THD). I am not sure what the doc will say when I see her next week but I am hoping for a solution. I have low level pain, much tissue on the outside of my anus and I feel like I am back to square one, like I never had anything done! I am frustrated but I don't have the pain you are suffering from. Keep taking those pain killers and don't let up on them. I, too, was afraid to eat anything for fear of having a BM so I understand what you are going through (somewhat). I am so sorry to hear that you are having that much pain but please know that it is temporary... and some day you will be glad you don't have those awful hemorrhoids any more.

Thanks for your reply Vickid425 ..i will most definately keep you up to date ...no one can fully understand exactly how awful it is to suffer with this untill they have actually gone through it themselvews ..having said that on a more positive note this pain i am experiencing is a darn site less than the actual 3 years of pain i had before ...like you though i just fiinding it terribly frustrating when i was leading a fairly nrmal life before the second op ...lol ...you live and learn ..am smiling today everyday im hoping for better and better x

Hi Noods, I had my first THD done 5 weeks ago and think that I may be looking at a 2nd procedure too as things haven't fully resolved and don't seem to be improving any further. Like you, I think I need everything stitching higher and tighter to fully resolve things. I've read a lot of posts about people being in terrible pain, but they all seem to say that it does resolve and sorts the problem out. I just want a life that's not ruled by the pain of hems. Try to stay positive and hopefully the pain will subside a bit every day and you'll be back to a normal, active life x

Thank you intc2rd ....yes the pain of the hems is far worse i agree .My whole life has revolved around the toilet now for about 4 years and im cheesed off with it ..lol ...I think this time round because ive had somewhat a reprieve from severe hem pain first time round it hasnt done me any favours ....if you read back after my first THD procedure i was literally gushing about how fantastic it was and painless ...needless to say this was obviously because it hadn't worked all that well ..and after my first bwel movement i was pretty much back to square one but without pain and bleeding ..just very difficult to defacate because of blockage .(sorry about info lol ) ...im now eatin my words i can tell you   even passing gas is a major problem ..is suspect this is due to swelling ...if i could get hold of fleet enemas i would just to make the bowel movements faster lol ...one thing asthetically my bottom looks slightly more attractive in a less squashed hedgehog kind of way and slightly tidier ...im scraping it here for positives ..lol ...and trying of course to be humourous ..best of luck with your surgery keep us informed and up to date ....

Sounds like we've had very similar experinces. I had very little pain after my first surgery - more like mild period cramps, but it became apparent that the prolapse wasn't fully resolved and the hems don't seem to be shrinking any further so I'm off back to see the surgeon in a couple of weeks to discuss the next steps. I'm better that I was pre-op - the prolapse is higher than it was and the hems are smaller, but they were large and low! They do rule your life though and, like you, I want a life where I'm not aware of my bottom every minute of every day. I'm preparing myself for more pain next time, but if it works, it will be worth it. The only other option is the traditional cut and my surgeon has said that I would have to have 3 seperate ops due to the arrangement of my hems. If he cut them all off in 1 go then the scar tissue would heal too tight and I wouldn't be able to open my bum to pass a BM!!! No thanks! But, I really don't think I could go through 3 cutting ops either. So, am praying that a 2nd THD will finish everything off. I've found this board really helpful and Vicki425 has been wonderful with her support and care. Like you say, unless you've been through it, you have no idea. I wouldn't wish bad hems on my worst enemy and hope and pray that we'll all be hem free soon x

Noods, can I ask how soon you knew that the first THD hadn't fully worked and how long it was between having the first and second THD. Thanks x

Hi intc2rd ...

To be perfectly honest when i came home from the hospital the first time round everything was very tucked in and tidy ..after the first bm it wasnt as tidy anymore ....and i thought then ..hmm weird it looks like its prolasped again (im not in the habit of studying my bottom hole btw just after this felt it necessary) ..then i would have to say it was probably about 2 weeks after this that again after a BM i was incredible pain ..the dragging sensation the bleeding and the inability to be abe to stand up for more than 3 minutes without having to sit on something hard for relief ...this continued every time i had a bm and then it did eventually calm down abit ...but it wasnt right ... thats why i went back to the Dr and he refferred me back to the surgeon who in turn told me that they hadnt stitched me high or tight enough ...and i would have to have the procedure done again ...since that meeting with the surgeon though i had been coping well ...the only irritating thing that i had to put up with was the inability to get "clean " without the use of 20 packs of andrex (exaggeration but you know what i mean) ...but in short to answer your question i would say pretty much straight away after op i knew i would be going back ...:( and i had the first op in November 2011 and 2nd 5 days ago July 2012 ...there was a cancellation and i was called in ...hope this helps xx

Hi Noods, that sounds very similar to me. I think it was at about 5 days after that I felt the prolapse again when I went to clean myself after a BM. At first they would retract on their own, then as the days went by they wouldn't and I'd have to push them back myself. I was so depressed as I really thought that I was going to have my life back. I cried loads! I actually took photos of before and after, so I know there's improvement, but I'm not 100% - more like 60%. Pain is less than it was, but I still can't exercise too much or stand for too long as it causes them to prolapse again. I'm going back to see my surgeon on 6th August and hope to have it done again in September, but not sure if I need to leave it a certain length of time between ops - I'll find out more when I see him. Really hope that this second one works for you and things get better as the days go by. Make sure you keep us updated xx