Coping With Hemorrhoidectomy

I have had problems with hemmorrhoids for the last 13 years. I feel that my lack of good bowel habits and diet were contributing factors. Over the years, I have developed my fixative measures to avoid surgery. These things included have a BM every other day, and using softners, suppositories, and fiber supplements. These things kept me somewhat comfortable until my first “bad” experience last year. I was deployed overseas, and could not stop the bleeding after a BM. I had to visit the doc, and after being seen by a surgeon, decided to wait until I got home to have them removed. I returned home and saw a surgeon who told me it would be an elective procedure, and that if my fixative measures were working, I could put it off as long as possible. Against my wife’s opinion, I decided to put it off, until a week ago…

On Christmas Eve, I had a BM that produced considerable pain. My fixative measures held, and I was comfortable within a few hours. The next morning, after watching my children rip into their presents, I had to have another BM, which was totally against my master plan. This BM produced the most pain I have ever felt, and bled constantly throughout the day. I could not stop it, and I could not get comfortable. Christmas evening, I asked my wife to take me to the local ER, hoping for some relief. They gave me IV pain meds (good ones), fluids, topical hydrocortisone and lidocaine gel, lorcet, and a reccommendation that I see a surgeon ASAP to remove my thrombosed external hemmorrhoids. I went home that night and took a pain pill, managing to sleep for several hours.
The next morning, a Saturday, I called the colorectal surgeon as soon as I thought they’d be open. Their answering service paged the on call surgeon, who called me right back. I was in considerable pain again, and he told me to not eat or drink anything, and bring myself to the hospital ER where he was doing rounds, and he’d see what could be done. Back into the car we went for a painful 30 minute ride.

After being checked in, the dr came down and examined me. He said he could remove the external piles there in the room, using lidocaine and nerve blocks. I wholeheartedly signed the consent, ready to let him borrow my pocket knife if he needed it, as long as the pain would be gone!

Let me tell you, lidocaine injections in the anus should be an approved form of torture! It was the most painful thing I have ever felt. Took all I had not to scream like a little girl. Once the lidocaine took effect, 6 shots later, I felt no pain. He removed three thrombosed piles, then gave me a nerve block injection (which also hurt like hell) to dull the post operative pain for the day. It didn’t work well, and neither did the lorcet.
THe first day was the worst. I could not get comfortable in any position, could not sleep that night, and had no interest in anything. The following days saw improvements in pain. The bath tub was, and still is, my best friend.
I followed up with the colorectal surgeon 3 days post op, and was told that I now need a full hemmorrhoidectomy to finish removing the external ones, and remove all my internal piles as well. I’m scared of what’s to come, but am ready to be rid of these things once and for all.

Please learn from my experiences. If you have hemmorrhoids that could use surgery, don’t put it off until they get as bad as mine did. The pain is not worth it!