Coping With Hemorrhoidectomy

I read all the other stories on this and other sites. I am an RN, and did my homework, including watching a video of the procedure. I was terrified going into surgery, and the preop med helped with this. I had general anesthesia in a day surgery setting for 1 internal hemorrhoid and 4 skin tags left over from previous bad hemorrhoids with pregnancy. The surgeon had told me that it is a painful surgery, and that the more external stuff you have done, the more painful, as that is where all the nerves are.

I started increasing my fiber intake in the 10 days before surgery, and had every bowel product known to man…just in case.

I was home by noon the day of surgery, with zero pain, because they shoot the surgical area up with anesthetic. I slept most of the first day. I started that evening with ibuprofen, ativan to help with muscle spasms, and lots of bowel protocol; docusate, MOM, senna, fiber, and tons of water.

On day two, as the pain increased and the bowel movements started, the pain was VERY intense. I ached from my low back down to mid-thigh. The area around my anus was bruised and raw, and ached worse. I had intermittent sharp pain that felt like a knife stabbing me up my rectum.

I took oxycodone for pain, which made me constipated and I even hallucinated a little. I produced a small BM of about 1 tsp of stool the first day, which I thought was a good start. Days 3-6 got much worse, pain wise, and I had a horrific couple of BMs which were larger and formed, though not exactly constipated, either. These left me wimpering, crying, panting. The pain lasted for hours afterward, despite the pain meds and sitz baths and showers. I also used lidocaine ointment with nifedipine in it, which was a nice lubricant, but didn’t seem to do much for the pain.

As the pain increased, the pain meds increased, the constipation increased. I tried to eat a light diet with 25-30 grams of fiber a day. Finally I called and asked for more pain meds and something for the nausea. I had never taken narcotics before, and apparently I get nauseated quite severely. I received dilaudid (7 times more potent than morphine) and although the pain was gone, I became violently ill and vomited all day one day.

By about day 7, I was sick and tired of this, and had I known it would really be this bad, I am not sure I would have done it. At about day 10 I was nearly off the narcotics, and able to venture out of my house a couple times, although sitting for any period of time takes its’ toll and increases the pain.

Today is day 12, and I cannot say that I would do it again. My GI system is still adjusting, and seems hard to predict; if I feel a stool coming on, I need to be able to get to my bathroom. Foods that I used to enjoy are hard to eat and digest, or I can only eat a few bites. I am not sure if that side effect will continue or subside as I heal more.

I did enjoy sex last night, although I told my husband to stay clear of that area entirely!!!

When I look in the mirror, I am not sure the result is better than what I started with, but I know it is still swollen and raw.

Ask yourself if you are doing this because of cosmetic or vanity reasons, as opposed to having problems being able to go to the bathroom. Make sure you know how narcotics hit you; for me, the feeling is not one I enjoy, and the constipation factor is hard to regulate. How much bowel protocol do you take to combat the effect of the narcotics? If you are the type of person that finds it hard to stay down in bed for any length of time, or you have kids or other obligations, it will be difficult to stay down and allow yourself to heal.

On a scale of 1-10, the pain was way beyond 10 at times, and even now, 12 days out, my pain is about a 3-4 all the time. Only you can make the decision, but make sure you have lots of bowel products and adequate pain control, or you will be very sorry! Good luck to you!