This is my second post about my h. surgery back in 1999. The things I painfully recall in aid of a fellow doper!
I had them really really bad and had to have major surgery to cut them out. I have never been more miserable in my life. The first bm after the surgery had me literally screaming. It took a long time for them to heal up and I still have “flaps” left over and the ugliest star you ever didn’t want to see. I’d do it again, though, if I were ever again in the shape I was, because you just can’t live properly with a squash hanging out your backside and afraid to go to the bathroom.
Things to know:
DO NOT eat gummy bears the evening after your surgery (I had surgery in the a.m. and stayed in hospital overnight). In fact, I wouldn’t eat anything for a couple of days. Think of it as a liquid crash diet.
DO drink lots and lots and lots of water. The anesthesia and pain meds really dried me out and exacerbated that first painful bm.
DO NOT try to have a bm just because you feel you ought to go because it’s your usual time or whatever. Wait until you really gotta go and hope all that water smooths things out for you. It’s still gonna hurt like hell.
This should be self-evident, but DO NOT wipe that first bm with toilet paper. Use a sitz bath or soft damp cloth or something very very gentle.
THE BATHTUB IS YOUR FRIEND. This is what the Nurse told me and she was right. I had some concern about infection because I had read about someone infecting a surgical incision by taking a bath when the doc said not to, but I did it anyway. I figure, that area is gonna get plenty of infectious type germs anyway just by virtue of the location. The Nurse was right. The only place I was halfway comfortable was in the tub. I spent A LOT of time in the tub. I used the sitz bath, too, a little, but not for long periods at a time. I believe using that sitz bath at the advice of the first surgeon I went to before surgery contributed to my problem. Something about sitting in that position for any length of time.
DISSOLVING STICHES DON’T ALWAYS DISSOLVE. Just when you think things are heaing up, you get this pricking feeling. I had to have the surgeon pull about 3 of the stiches out.
PROPOXYPHENE IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH. Maybe nothing is. It took the edge off, but I still had a great deal of pain. And I like to think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. Also you have the dehydration problem with the narcotics.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO CALL THE SURGEON’S OFFICE. They are there if you have questions or problems. Don’t worry about bothering them even if it’s a stupid question. They’ve had stupider.
This advice is for you, MLAW:
DON’T SAY “Oh my god what the hell did they do to you?” when you first see the aftermath. Expect massive bruising.
DON’T LAUGH when your SO is crying, trying to go to the bathroom. For a fella I suppose it won’t be as bad for the pee part anyway.
That’s all I can think of right now. I may think of more as the evening progresses now that I am reliving the agony.
PS: Remember I had what the doctor said was the second worst case he’d ever seen. Perhaps it won’t be as bad for your SO. I sure hope not. Also, you may not want to tell him, they can come back. Or new ones can be created. Or something. I have just a little internal one now and am taking all steps possible to never get one again!
