I had haemeroidectomy [hemorrhoidectomy] 3.5 years ago, and would say to anyone don’t do this unless you absolutely have to.. I had piles for many years before I even saw a doctor. Sometimes they were relentless and would bleed/exude some kind of mucus every time I went loo. But much of time they hardly effected my life. In late 2001 they clearly bled outside of me being on the toilet and I also was developing some pain in my left testicle, so I went to see Doc, who suggested ointment and I did this. They also thought pain may be virus. I went back a week or 2 later with worsened pain, piles were no worse and maybe better. Still I was booked for checks at hospital. For many months I had checks scans, ultrasound etc.. Piles were getting worse and I was getting worse generally, tiredness, dizzy spells etc. nothing awful but worrying me as maybe something bad was happening inside.

May/June 2002 while on holiday in Prague I had a bad patch with roids and after struggling for week, came back to England resolved to completely change my toilet routine. I did and almost immediately began to show improvements. What I did was change to leaning forward on the seat, lifting my heels, and not straining at all and as being as quick as I could, get of, wipe bum and done. No more reading on loo or even waiting in any way. Checks had come up with nothing and in Nov 2002after giving me final test results which found nothing, and last check on piles, I was given all clear. Sounds good. On 2nd Jan2003 I gave up smoking, I was 49 and had smoked pretty heavily since my teens, all the tests and pain etc made me feel I had a kind of 2nd chance and I didn’t want to mess it up by puffing in more crap. It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t all that hard.

I put on weight and mentally at least felt better. I was still getting tired too quick and odd feelings. Also had side effects from good circulation returning to places it hadn’t seen for years. Now within a year not sure when maybe the extra weight, maybe the better circulation peversely aggravated the piles, they bled again or at least something did, it was clearly in the stools. It was only for a few days, and I don’t recall it being paimful like it had been in times before. Still I wnet back to Docs and in turn back to hospital. I am in UK so by time I am being checked things are pretty much back to normal. However on examiantion I was told I would need surgery as I had 3 large haemorrhoids [hemorrhoids]. Was told injections wouldn’t be any use.

Went for surgery I think in Feb 2004. When surgeon looked at my notes he expressed doubts about giving me the op and said he wanted me to have colonoscopy. He never gave me clear reasons for this, and of course this worried quite a bit. He never suggested it was good or bad but said at one point maybe if all was clear I would decide not to have the operation. He never examined me beyond a cursory glance at my bum. Anyway perhaps feeling both relieved and dissapointed (that I had more probing and waiting to get through) I went along with it. June had colonscopy, and I had been slowly been feeling fitter and healthier over the preceding few months. Everything turned out to be OK, I was on a high. I tried to find out what would happen re the op. but no-one there was involved in those decisions.

So of I went lAugust got letter saying appointment for op was late Sept.. I was about to go on hols so though I will, spend the time exercisng and getting fit and see how I felt on return. I mention here although piles did not hurt or bleed in anyway, there were a few things that bugged me. The skin aoruind my anus was all flappy now and never returned to a pretty normal bumhole, at times it would itch, and I had a more sweaty bum. I was made uncomfortable by these rather than really concerned, and most of the time I was good and had enjoyed my best summer for many years. On return from hols., I wasted time on catching up at work and left it late to go and see Doctor. I explained situation, he said I should go as appointed for op. and talk it over then. With hindsight he completely bottled it, he never even examined me. So went for op. My turn now to bottle it, instead of saying I want things rechecked and reappraised I offered a feeble, well see what you think and if you consider it inevitable that I will have to have this, go ahead. So I had 2 tied off and 1 cut out.

Things weren’t too bad at first, you expect it to be painful etc, it was but nothing excessive. After a few weeks it slowly began to sink in how much more difficult it was to fart, go to loo etc., more strain, this seemed totally illogical when the thing that aggravates piles the most is strain!. However went back for the routine checkafter 2months still believing things would be OK. The guy who examined me said wasn’t quite healed yet but not bad. Then he said at least I had good sized hole still , sometimes the op restricted the opening, noone had said this to me before op… He also gave another little pearl the haemerrhoids usually cam back in 10 years or so. Great. However he seemd to think things OK and that was that. By Jan 2005, I was having to go to pee far more often than before op, I was continuing with difficulty farting and actually going to loo. These was not really difficult but markedly more so than natural. Most of day I felt like I wanted to go to the loo, but in reality didn’t need to. I my anal passage did not close in the vice like manner it always had and left me feeling things were never squeezed out as the should be. In other words that you always had a bum partly full of undipensed fecus.

I also began to feel uncomfortable sitting down. It took me whilc to realise what this was all about, but in the end it is my cocsic, which seems to have been left more exposed and now gets inflamed and extremely painful. I have had to live with these things now for 3 years nothing ahs improved I have had some very difficult periods with prolonged pain from cocsic and from bladder problems all of which I put cak to being caused by the op.. I go to the toilet 1st thing every day and am reminded how rubbish this job was, it plays on my mind hugely, all day I feel between minor constipation, nervous colon, ittchy anus, never 1005 certain everthing won’t let go. Too often want to pee, sit back inmy car or whatvere and feel the pressure on my cocsic, which can drive you wild with unrelenting irritation.

This operation has made my life truly awful, it won’t kill me, but often I think it would be better if it would. I hqave to face perhaps 20 or 30 years like this. If I did not have wife andf child I feel I would end it. When things were at there worst before this operation, there was always the knowledge that tomorrow would be better. This I no longer have, and although there are better days there are no good days. Please think hard before you go down same route as me.