what is the recovery time for hemorrhoid surgery

I just wanted to say "Thank You" to both of you for being honest and reassuring me that I am making the right decision. I would give anything to be "normal" again as far as BM's and everyday activities are concerned.

I will take the suggestions (warm baths, diet, more fiber) and stick with them...it is appreciated and always a good feeling to know I am not alone in this and can look forward to better days to come without the constant pain and symptoms that the hemorrhoids have given to me the past 7-8 years!

Sincerely, John

You're very welcome, John. This condition can be so painful and at least for me very humbling. Unless you have had them it is hard to relate to how much going to the bathroom can be debilitating and for me even sitting!

You will be fine-I'll keep you in my prayers and feel free to post when you are up to it and let us know how you are doing!

Lecia :-D

I starting to worry a bit. I had my surgery a week and a half ago. The pain is minimal now if only for this stinging feeling like an irritation from an open wound. I don't know what is normal anymore. I have to go to the bathroom like 5 times a day. And in between those I have the urge to go and it end up only bleeding. Like I feel like I'm having a BM and when I go and sit and all the pushing only makes it bleed. Quite a bit too. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen anymore. I thought that's what the surgery was supposed to take care of. So with that being said... is that normal for right now or did the thrombosed hemorrhoid come back?

One thing that I have discovered from reading these posts and talking to others, the doctors and my own experience is that there doesn't seem to be a real "normal" predictable recovery. There is a continuum in terms of pain, length of recovery, bleeding, problems with bowel movements.

I know I bled and oozed after I went to the bathroom and it lasted on and off all day-not heavy or anything just a slow ooze. These seemed to go on for 3 weeks though the amount and length of the oozing got shorter.

Your surgery wasn't very long ago at all-I would expect your body is adjusting to the surgery, inflammation response and different amounts of pain relievers, dietary changes and possibly activity. I would definitely call your doctor if you are worried though. That will help you feel more at ease. Try to relax-get in the tub with a good book!

Hope you feel better soon,

Lecia

I still have some "leakage" and oozing and this is week 9. admittedly some of this has been perpetuated by infections etc but even after I was over that there is an amount of ooze but it is far less than it used to be. One of the other posters here said he'd had the same thing for quite a long time.

I am improving evey day now and I must admit that it's a great feeling. I still do have a bad day here and there but the scales are tipping in facour of feeling good more than feeling like I'll never be normal again.

A positive outlook is key to recovery and even with all the challenges Iv'e had I am glad I had the operation

Cheers

Graham

I want to thank everyone out here for all the posts.I have external hemmoroids and they swell up everytime i have a bm and have to put proctosol on them and have to sit down for an hour or 2 until they go back in. I have surgery scheduled for 4-20 and now im going to just deal with the pain i have for an hour or so a day, it seems i can deal with that alot better then the horror stories i have been reading here. Out of the 13 pages of posts i think 2 people said they arent in that much pain and the others well im soooo sorry all the pain your incurring. Yes its a major inconvenience but maybe if i change my diet around and follow the pointers i got here it might be a little better on the bm's. Well good luck to everyone and God Bless..

It's been 2 weeks for me and the pain has gotten a lot better. At first the pain was so awful I didn't think I'd ever see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was painful but not unbearable. I've been thru childbirth twice but I bounced back quickly from that. So that was nothing compared to this. It still bleed and stings with BM but at this point it's all bearable. Good luck!

I had that same attitude for over 20 years: the frequent pain isn't all that bad at a given time.



In flight training, they teach you that it's easy to know you have an emergency when something goes really bad -- like parts falling off. But there's also the kind of emergency when a lot of little stuff starts to add up.



Living with hemorrhoids is like that: a lot of little stuff that adds up.



And they dont go away on their own.



After about 10 years of hemorrhoids, I started getting bouts of bleeding once in a while. Then more frequently. By the time I went for the surgery, I was getting to be anemic from the amount of blood loss.



Yes, the surgery will compress the next year's worth of pain into a few days. But once you get past that, you're in the profit zone.



The delays in my recovery are largely due to how long I waited before having the surgery. My last issue is that the muscles I've been clenching for 20 years to keep the hemorrhoids in check now can't unclench on their own. (Sort of an induced IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).)



But mostly, it's a case of now being aware of the induced constipation and gas this causes. I had it before, but now that I no longer have the pain and bleeding of the hemorrhoids to mask it, I've become aware of it.



Hemorrhoids don't go away on their own. They only get worse over time. They can cause secondary symptoms in the G-I tract after a while. The issues with the surgery do go away.



While recovery from the surgery is no fun, compared to 20 years of putting up with hemorrhoids, the surgery is a small price to pay to get your life back, in my opinion.



Just one perspective to consider before cancelling your surgery.

Hello All,

I took an appointment for hemorrhoids surgery on 3rd of April and just wanting to know abt the post surgery recovery and all. By reading all messages posted overhere, it seems to me that it is very painful. Can any one suggest me any alternatives if available for my hemorrhoids.

Compared to traditional internal surgery, the pain isn't really all that severe. But in internal surgery, you're on industrial strength pain meds for a while. The pain medications they send you home with after hemorrhoid surgery are very little help for the most severe cause of pain -- spasm. For that, you need to treat the spasm.



Yes, there's pain associated with the recovery. But it's a small price to pay to get rid of the issues you get with hemorrhoids.



Your options will depend on just how severe your condition is. I did a lot of reading before opting for surgery. One of the more helpful sites was: hemorrhoid.net/surgery.php

Most of us here are talking about the regular hemorrhoid surgery, not the "banding" or PCH procdures. (I think.) Usually, when the doctor recommends the hemorrhoid surgery, there are few other options.



I did find the study about the use of Diosmin as an alternative to surgery. (Discussed in healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=2e7354b6-ae71-4dab-90df-c7026eb1c66f&chunkiid=21574#P3). I tried the disomin/hesperidin treatment for several months (90 capsules). It helped a little with the minor bleeding, but not all that much with major bleeding, and didn't reduce the prolapse.



After trying everything else, and having reached the point where the hemorrhoids were runnnig my life, I went for the surgery.



My surgery used the harmonic scalpel, and I think it was a big help -- very little bleeding, and relatively quick recovery -- other than the issue of getting regular again. I had to call around to find a surgeon experienced with the HS (and who was on my health insurance).



The night after the surgery, you will be sure it was a mistake. After that, it'll get better, and you may find that your surgeon isn't such a bad guy after all. ;) And when you no longer fear the bathroom, it'll look like a good decision.



One thing that may help: I noticed after I scheduled the surgery that the doctor hadn't talked much about the recovery -- only that it would hurt, that I'd be out "maybe a week", and that it will be better after. I scheduled another appointment with the surgeon just to discuss the recovery process itself, and it gave me useful information. But then, I hadn't found this site yet, which also has useful information. ;)

Here's a litle tip....

When you have decided that you are fully recovered and decide to go to the local Farmers Market to buy groceries and you see fresh corn on the cob and think "what good idea, I'll buy some for a treat"......DONT DO IT!!

I did the above and discovered that fresh corn on the cob is the natural enemy of the post recovery butt.....THIS HURTS

Na....really....Yes it hurts but it shows that we have to re evaluate what we eat. I see plenty of posts here and medical advice that says you have to re learn the whole BM and diet regime.

SO heres the tip. Don't eat anything that wil not fully digest and leave hard bits behind. I dont know how long this continues for but in my case 9 weeks is not enough time.

Tip 2....DONT STRAIN when having BM's. It seems that either the specialist missed 2 minor hemerrhoids or they have developed in the course of my recovery ...hhhmmmmm... He wants to band these but I will leave that for a while I think.

Cheers

Graham

I'm on my 3rd week of recovery and it can be tricky. I have bad days and good days. I am still getting a lot of blood with my bm. I'm thinking the hemorrhoids came back. I also think I have a fissure. It has been real painful lately with burns and stings. I don't have my post op checkup till Thursday.

My doctor is telling me that (PPH) - Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids involves less pain and faster recovery. Has anyone reading this had this type of surgery or know anyone who has? Am I being told the truth?

My doctor is telling me he can perform a newer procedure called (PPH) - Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids. Does anyone on this board know of someone who has had PPH? Is it really less painful and faster to recover from?

I would never have had this surgey if I had known what a horrible and painful nightmare the recovery process is. If you haven't had the surgery yet, think very carefully before you do! I have never been through anything even remote this physically unbearable in my life. The detailed descriptions on here are very accurate, not exaggerations.