what is the recovery time for hemorrhoid surgery

hello all
Well here i go first of all i can sympathise with you all about the pain.I am in the forces ie Army i have suffered with piles since i was 30 i am now 37 anyways because of severe bleeding over the years i decided to go to civillian hospital they checked me out and befor i knew it i was back in having Hemorrhoidectomy Operation.This included the sewing up of a fishcer that i had also I went in 21st november 2006 came out 23rd november 2006 I passed bm the first 2 days then nothing for 9 days and boy was i in severe and uncomfortable pain to combat this pain i applied pressure to my coxic area and pressed down on my glutus maximus believe you me this really helped everyone finds there own way right anyways it did at times feel as if i was constantly giving birth soi kept up my soup , all bran and water and fruit diet which really helped my stools bleeding has now stopped 2 weeks after the operation, i go to toilet every 3 days now my stools are still very soft and like Mr whippey this is due i believe down to the narrowing of my anal canal after the OP can anyone tell me when the pain will stop as i still suffer from pain and Mr Whippy stool effects.It has been 5 weeks now. oh! and i recommend that people have more than a week off work after the Hemorrhoidectomy operation.

I had a hemorrhoidectomy 5 weeks ago, and I'm prbly about 60% recovered. But it was a bad, experience well was for me according to the doctor i would be fit 4-6 weeks. I didn't see any really noticeable improvement until 2 weeks after the surgery,no more bleeding and that meant that I could go without WEARING pamper nappies. It has basically been a "2 steps forward, 1 step backward" type recovery. And the doctor said that I'm doing better than most! really.Now, at 5 wks, I still have to take the odd paracetamol every 3 days to ease pain from BM and my bowels are still not regulated. I tend to go to toilet every 3-4 days and even though BM is soft i am still in pain if i press down on my coxic the pain is not so severe, but i reckon my anal passage has narrowed due to the operation it at times feel when i have BM that i am having a long BM but when i check it is only a inch or two of stool. I have noticed now after the removel of my 3 internal hemorroids and stitching of my fischer i now have a external hemmorrhoid but i will wait untill i arrive home from tour to get this stranglelated.The latter has been the most frustrating problem.But can anyone help me and by letting me know will i get any better ie pain will it subside in time and also will my anal passage allow me to have a proper BM like normal people have mine are constantly very soft Mr Whippy like stools and not as i remember medium to hard BM .Help or advice in this matter would be appreciated
MANY THANKS TOM

I had hemorrhoid surgery two weeks ago. This was such a mistake...wish i would have never done it. My main problem was having to wear a catheter for so long because my bladder would never work right. Well, i can finally pee now, but have a bad UTI from the sitz baths and the e-coli sneaking up into my urethra, i guess.

I was wondering if any one out there still has tissue on the outside of their rectum. I still have so much tissue back there...it's shrinking some, but it's worse than the original hemorrhoids were. I just wanted a normal looking anus, and wanted to not have to soak in the tub after each BM to get clean. Im not in too much pain now, just itching really bad, and the UTI....just concerend about all that tissue will back there.

I had my hemmoroidectomy 17 days ago. I have four scars that look like pockets or extra skin left. It is hard to wipe and get clean. I am going to a different doctor to have them removed. I won't go back to the quack that did this to me. For pain I am taking Loratab 500 mg ( it works pretty well but you have to take one motrin w/ them to be able to urinate). As far as the itching goes, Dibucaine creme works for pain and ITCHING. Get your doctor to prescribe it. I take Konsyl Fiber two to three times a day and have soft stools. Only my first two bowel movements were painful. Eat three small meals a day and fruit. If you only do liquids it will constipate you and might cause your rectum to narrow from not stretching from the bowel movements during your healing. But make sure you take your fiber and drink plenty of water. Hot baths help alot! I am down to one to two pain pills a day. I was taking 2 Loratab and 1 Motrin every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I feel weak all the time if I walk around. Does anyone else have skin left or pockets around the rectum? I went back to my primary care doctor and she said it is not suppose to look like that after the surgery. I am waiting to go to another doctor to get these removed.

I'm preparing for a triple hemorrhoidectomy and wondered across your posts. I want to thank all of you! This is the only site where I found the "real" story. The surgeon told me that the pain would be a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 and recovery would be about two weeks. However, reading your posts makes me realize what a 10 pain feels like! I did notice that some people do not seem to be in as much pain as others.

I wonder whether the magnitude of post-op pain has to do with not only the type of procedure, but the extent of the procedure. For instance, if the procedure was to remove only external hemorrhoids, it seems like the pain may be less than if the procedure was to remove both internal and external. Also, I understand the "stapling" procedure has much less post-op pain but it is not recommended for women. I also wonder about the extent of the pre-op symptoms. I assume that the pre-op symptoms must have been very bad for you if you chose surgery as the solution.

Would you mind posting what type of procedure you had (traditional or stapling), what type of hemorrhoids (internal/external/both), and what your pre-operative symptons were?

Thanks!
Getting Nervous

FloridaGirl -

Although I haven't had this surgery done yet (it's scheduled for January 5), I talked to my surgeon today and asked about the extra tissue. Unfortunately, he said that I am at high risk for this as well. They refer to it as "skin tags" or "dog ears". As I understood it, the surgeon tries to prevent this by "pulling everything up tight", however, sometimes due to the size of the pre-op hemorrhoids, etc., it is hard to avoid. He also indicated that until all of the swelling goes down (about 6 weeks) it is very difficult to know how it will heal up. and whether it will correct itself. He has had this issue with some of his patients before and had to "correct" it. According to him, the "correction" procedure is much easier than the initial hemorrhoidectomy and is generally done in the doctor's office. One last item to note is according to him, most people don't have this corrected immediately. In fact, he suggested a couple years after the hemorrhoidectomy. Sounds like a long time to me!!

Good luck to you and let us know how this works out.

GettingNervous

hi all well its me again my stools have now come through soft again thank god! i seem to be going every 5 days i am still in pain day 4 constapation for some reason then day 5 i go normal but with 5 days of stools all in one go.I am on soups fibre and water and rice all the time and some roughage foods can anyone tell me will this continue any longer i have now been 6 weeks after hemorroidectomy operation and as i have said befor i did haver 3 external hemorroids and a fischer which was stitched all bleeding has now stopped but anal canal has shrunk is this normal and will i ever be able to have normal stools again please help if or advice would be gratefull in this matter.
tom

Florida Girl...and to all who have given an answer re: extra tissue.

I feel for you as well, but it's comforting to know that someone else out there is going thru the same thing as I. I hate this extra tissue that is on my bottom....it's way worse than the actual hemorrhoids were. I could at least sit down on my old hemorrhoids, but this extra skin, it's tough to sit down....feel like I'm sitting on a golf ball or something. Gosh, I hope this goes away. Anyone else out there have extra tissue like this. I had the traditional cutting of my hemorrhoids....not laser.

Thank goodness for forums like this... internet might be worth something after all. For those of you following the whole thread here, I'll try to reply to some questions with what I've learned.

I'm now one day short of two weeks since my surgery (pain for xmas AND new years). I had several internal and external hemorrhoids removed, an anal fissurectomy and a sphincterotomy. I went in thinking I was only going to have one external hemorrhoid removed and would be home (in pain, but home) same day. I woke up in the hospital with a nurse telling me that I had a LOT more work done than planned and they'd be keeping me to monitor pain levels. Monitor pain levels? Yah.

I cried pretty much all night and the next day. I was getting morphine and another anti-pain/anti-inflammatory by IV every 2 hours and didn't get ANY relief! I met with the doctor briefly the next day before being released and took his advice to heart as I felt it was my only hope to get out of the little hell I'd woken up to.

Hot water... and even more so SALTY, hot water is your best friend. Luckily, I didn't have work over the holidays, so 5 times a day for 10 mins minimum at a time and ALWAYS immediately after a BM, I soaked my bum in the hottest water I could tolerate. I dumped roughly 1/3-1/2 cup of epsom salts in the bath every time. The first 4-5 days were absolute torture. While I didn't have a lot of bleeding, the pain was sickening (literally). I stayed with the FREQUENT baths though, and I tried to walk (very, very slowly waddle really) as much as I could stand.

My one-week checkup went VERY well. The doctor said things were healing much better than he expected and attributed most of the success to "living like a fish" (again, hot salty water). I still have some discharge - mostly white or very light yellow. BMs are better, but still the low-point of my day - I've used wet-naps since surgery and swear by some light dabbing followed immediately by the bath (Thank God our culture keeps them right next to each other!). I too have some extra skin flaps, but they are slowly shrinking a little more each day. And for the lady who asked, men have trouble too.

Would I do it again? Ask me again in a month or so. I had some real trouble with BMs before the surgery, and I feel like I'm pretty much back to where I left off. If I can get to a point where going to the bathroom is a 5-10 minute break like it is for most people, I'll call the thing a success.

In summary:
- Yes, plan for more recovery time than your doctor says. You'll want to be off that extra time even if you are physically able to be back on the job.
- Hot, salty water - as hot as you can, as often as you can, for as long as you can.
- Worth it? The jury is still out, but I haven't lost all hope just yet.

God Bless - May we all heal sooner rather than later!

This thread has been helpful.. but I had a question to anyone who may have had the PPH procedure. I had it on the 26th of Dec, and for the most part the recovery has been far worse that i expected or was told. Mainly I've had this feeling of soreness and sometimes burning soreness that has yet to really go away some 9 days later. Moreover, today I about scared myself to death when a good amount of dark red blood came out during a BM.. and then kept happening for about 5-6 times, up until I felt light headed from all the blood loss. I called the doctor who didn't seem too alarmed and said that "a little" bleeding is normal and can occur as far out as this.. but that if it kept happening I should come in for possibly some stitching on what ever is bleeding. Well, finally the heavy bleeding seems to have stopped, but now I get these occasional very dark brown "Wet farts" that come out when I sit to go.. I'm eating as much fiber as possible, and don't know what else to do. I'm dreading having to travel from Phoenix to Washington DC via a stop off in Denver on Monday, and the lack of proper restrooms and hot water to sooth my butt after a BM..

Anyone have any experience with the healing process of the PPH? I was told it was a lot easier than the traditional surgery, and if so.. God bless you all that did that!

I had a hemorroidectomy done on January 3. The removal of an external hemmoroid and banding of two internal hemmoroids. I am doing great. A bit tender, which is to be expected. I have had two bm's and the first was of course painful and the second was tolerable. I am pleased with the way every thing is coming along and am able to resume normal activities and a regular diet. There is a trace of bleeding from the external incision, but is very minimal.

Hi everyone,

Sorry to see that many in this forum has had a really bad experience.

I had a quadruple hemorroidectomy, a spincterotomy, and a fissurectomy all at the same time on November 16th, 2006 :-( . Just to give everyone a recap. I was in serious pain prior to surgery from the fissure, so the pain afterwards was not too terribly bad compared to the pain from the fissure.

Prior to surgery the doctor came in the room where they were prepping me and ask how was I feeling, I said I am in major pain, he said good! I thought you sadistic bastard... >:(

After surgery, I understand now why he said this. He didn't want me to be in some strange sense of thinking that after surgery I was going to feel like dancing, he was cutting my butt open for crying out loud, its going to hurt later. XD

Right after surgery, I felt like I had been hung on a coat rack by my rectum. That was the worst part for me. I felt like I needed to urinate but could not for several hours. Funny thing happened right afterwards, I woke up and the nurse was bringing me pain medicine and the anesthesiologist was there, I said "this isn't going to constipate me is it?" The anesthesiologist said, "Your going to want to take these... :-) " Guess you had to be there, I was really concerned about being constipated and the first BM was going to hurt like I had read and been told.

I followed the doctor's instructions very carefully after I got home that day, hot baths as hot as you can stand at least three times a day and after every BM. I was prescribed Lortab for the pain and also Valium to come me down. He told my wife that I was very high strung so he gave me the Valium. He said to initially take 2 Lortabs every 6 hours and at the 3 hour mark I could take up to 4 Advil’s. I kept this up for about the first 10 days after surgery. My first BM came the next evening after surgery, I was so scared that it was going to be very painful. But I had prepared myself going into surgery and had kept my stool soft for many months because of the fissure. So the first bowel movement was not as painful as expected, more of a burning than real pain like I had before. :-D

:-) Take note! If you are not having a regular BM every day, this can't be normal... and maybe that's why there is pain associated with the BM. Go get some Sennakot and take a couple to get your bowels moving... My doctor recommended I take Sennakot (generic is vegetable laxative) if I didn't have a BM after 2 days. He also said I could take some stool softeners and definitely drink at minimum 1 glass of Metamucil a day, which I am still doing and probably will do from now on. I joked with the wife and told her, I believe I can poop on command now.

At my 3 week check up, first one, the doctor said everything looks good and if I am still having any problems in 3 months to come back and see him.

! IMPORTANT!! I was very weak after surgery for weeks, feeling tired a lot and such, but you must push through this and get some exercise. It is hard coming back from surgery any type of surgery. I tried to return to work after 10 days and made it about 6 hours and decided to go home. I returned the following Monday a week later. So 3 weeks after surgery is more realistic, at least in my case. For about 4 to 5 weeks I had drainage coming from the incisions and the doctor's nurse said this is normal and I could have it or some bleeding for up to 2 months. I used the 4x4 gauze bandages and just folded one in half and kind of tucked it in there to catch any drainage.

Well, thank God that after it stopped draining, (and the hair grew back, whoooo that's another story) :$ , I am getting much better. Of course, I had major pain prior to surgery, so this was a walk in the park compared to that. Every day I praise God that I can use the bathroom without worrying if it is going to send me through the roof. ;-)

I am now at 7 weeks post op and yesterday I had blood after a BM for the first time in a while and have gone twice since with no blood %-) . I guess something broke loose in one of the incisions. I don't have any skin tags but a couple of bumps back there where there were some small hemorrhoids prior to surgery.

I hope you all the best and pray that God will sustain you all through this period in your lives. I don't ever want to have to go through this again, but I will never go through the pain I had prior to surgery again, just have the surgery and get it over with. You'll be glad you did after the healing process is over. I have no regrets and am glad that I am finally returning to normal. :-D

Run2H20 wrote:

Hello All, I had the hem staple done 2 wks ago . Barely used loritab , almost no pain , even during BM . Problem for me was internal . Swelling so bad stool could not pass out of me !!! 3 days after surgery no problem with BM and was so happy !!! :D Then each day BM got smaller , now RIGHT BACK WHERE I STARTED ! Must eat very little or to much will build up in me , bleed again , so mad !!! I had (guess still do)class 4 . At least I do not have pain , but not being able to go is not much better ! And don't say more softeners ! Gets any softer it will be PEE . Any body else like this ? Maybe the surgery will work better for someone whose problem is not as bad as mine ?

Today, was the FIRST day I had to run to the bath tub filled with HOT HOT water to ease the discomfort I felt after a BM. OMG, never in my life have I experienced this pain. I've had a small prolapsed hemorrhoid over the years but never had problems with it, until the last 3 days. Researching pain relief, i.e. hot water, prep H., and others, I think I will finally stop being embarrased and put and end to this scenerio. "Surgery" I dread it fully!!!

After researching the 2 types of surgeries and reading all of these post, I think I will take my chances and go with the lesser of the 2 evils, the stapling. My heart and empathy goes to all of you whom had the conventional surgery and are still experiencing HELL. Also, I wish to thank all of you for your personal stories on the outcomes of post hemorrhoidectomy procedures. For me, it has answered many scary questions of PAIN & RECOVERY. Once this is done, I will come back here and post my story.

Sincerely,

AJ

It was such a relief to find this board. I have had problems with hemorrhoids for 4 years since my last pregnancy and unless you have had hemorrhoids yourself people just don't understand the pain and agony.

I have had rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy and hemorrhoidolysis all in an attempt to avoid surgery. The problem with my case is that my hemorrhoids are in the transitional area, meaning they are not internal or external exactly so really surgery is the only way to really deal with them.

I also have some problems with mucosal prolapse due to some nerve damage I experience during childbirth which causes pudendal neuralgia so surgery has to be proceeded with caution due to this preexisting condition.

About three weeks ago I had one terribly thrombosed hemorrhoid that was removed. The area of tissue was bigger than a quarter and is part inside and outside. I was feeling kind of blue about not feeling better yet when I came across this board and read that others also take awhile to heal though I am so sorry for your pain.

I felt like the doctor was a bit misleading when he said I would be tender down there but would be better in a couple of weeks. I am reading that my experience is not unique. I realize doctors do not want to scare patients but it actually started to make me feel more scared that maybe there is something wrong or maybe I am just a woos.

I may need more surgery in the future but if it will really put an end to the suffering of hemorrhoids I will do it. I figure I am in pain anyway and it has controlled my life for so long and I am tired of trying to put my bottom back together everytime I have to use the bathroom.

It was so helpful reading your posts and I wish you all the best! If you are reading please consider posting your experience, it really helps!

Wow everybody....just wow.
Surgery scheduled for Monday morning, Jan 15, 2007.....5 days from now.

I cannot tell you how frightened I am right now after reading all of these posts. I'm scheduled for surgery in 5 days. But now? I'm not sure that I can!

I'm a 38 years old male and I am really considering not doing this. I bleed regularly from internal and external hemorrhoids. I'm careful about taking care of "that area" and I really don't "suffer" from my hemorrhoids, that is, they are troublesome as hell, but they aren't "killing me".

After this coming Monday however I am now convinced that they most certainly will be killing me and I'm going to be regretting ever having even considered the procedure.

The doctor told me 2 weeks of recovery. I now know that is highly unlikely. I can deal with extended healing. What I cannot deal with is people saying that on a scale of 1 to 10 the pain is a 10 and hearing that a BM is akin to giving birth to a 15lb watermelon wrapped in razor ribbon! Somebody here actually described it just that way! RAZOR RIBBON?!!!

If there is no way that anyone can convince me that the pain is manageable then I really think I just might say forget it!....I love my hemorrhoids!

Can somebody please tell answer this question. Honestly, is this "cure" worse than living with the condition forever? Has nobody come up with the perfect cocktail for the pain? I'm taking notes here but I see that nobody here has provided a complete pain management regimen that will make this all worth my while. When it all comes down to it, all I'm talking about is managing the pain while I heal. Isn't it possible to keep the pain to a reasonable level for a couple of weeks?

Really Looking for some positive encouragement here, Please respond ASAP!

Frightened in Wheaton, IL