Ok, this might seem a weird question - it's not like you can ask friends/family/colleagues - how many wipes of your bum is "normal".

I cannot tolerate the thought of my bum being "unclean" so over the years, I've become more & more extreme in ensuring all is "ship shape" in that area!

A bit of personal background...when I was a child (about 40 years ago), from recollection I'd do a couple of wipes with a couple of separate tissues & that would be it....job done! However, as the years have progressed, I moved through stages ie a few more wipes with one of the wipes being damp, then using baby wipes etc. It (recently) had got to the point that even after using baby wipes & washing in the bath..I can go back in 30 minutes & there'll still be some residual tiny bits of stool that can be wiped from my bum. I should point out that in the past few years I've suffered from piles that have become gradually worse...after each bm, my piles swell out (like 3-4 grapes around my anus) & then retreat over the next 1-2 hours. It's this "retreating" that makes it hard to keep my bum clean..cos (I figure), when the piles flare out during a bm, then they'll be trapping some stool in the middle, as they reduce then this "trapped" stool doesn't necessarily retreat in an orderly fashion! End result...an unclean bum!!

You might laugh at all of this but it does tend to take over my life. The thought of going to the toilet in a pubic cubicle is completely out of the question (I need to wash my bum afterwards). Toilet time becomes time consuming etc, etc. If I haven't got a clean bum it actually stings.

Anyway on a positive note, I had the piles removed earlier in the week s I'm hoping that things are going to get better, but still the underlying question remains....how many wipes is normal *AND* are folks happy to put up with a 90% clean bum?!!

Applying a little general thought to the issue...if folks are using paper after a bm, then it's because there might be some stool "hanging around" down there. But all paper can do is remove the bulk...it can't really clean your bum totally...some will be spread ever so thin...but nevertheless it's still there. Wet wipes are better (softer & being damp, they clean up more), but they're still not 100%.

Therefore are the majority of the earth's population happy enough with an "almost clean" bum?!! Does this suggest that most adults will have some soiling on their underwear?

Ok, this might be a little off your main topic, but did you say that you had your piles removed earlier this week? I only mention that because everyone else who talks about having their hemorrhoids (piles) removed are in great pain - especially the first week and you aren't acting like you are in any great pain. What kind of surgery did you have exactly? Was it the traditional hemorrhoidectomy?

Just curious,

Dana

If your hemorrhoids are flaring up that bad after a BM then you need to be sure you are taking enough fiber to help keep them soft and also be sure to use a medicated wipe such as "Tucks" to help with the hemorrhoids. You would also be wise to have your doc prescribe something specifically to hlpe with your hemorroids that works better than over the counter creams or suppositories. The amount of rectal cleansing/wiping and your preoccupation with such is something you need to work on. You should not need to be that preoccupied that you have difficulty using a public toilet. Most wet wipes can be bought in travel size packet that would fit in a purse or pocket so cleaning up in a pulic restroom shouldn't be that big of deal. Good Luck.

For firewoman...

Yes I had my piles removed on Monday night (10 Jan). I can only give my view...it wasn't *that* bad. Sure my backside was very tender (& it still is a bit now), but I was pleasantly surprised at just how bearable the pain was. That said, going to the toilet a few days after was like having 3 very sharp knives shoved up your butt! The pain was sharp & intense but quickly subsided when i jumped into a nice hot bath.

I'm now day 6 post op...going to the toilet is now just a little uncomforatble (as opposed to searing pain). I can sit down on the sofa without braking my descent by taking the weight with my arms etc. At this rate, I reckon that in a few more days my toilet sessions will be ok again (phew).


I guess each person has different degrees of pain threshold & recovery periods, but for me, it's been much better than I expected & I wished I'd had this done years ago!

For direwonam (again)...

"Was it the traditional hemorrhoidectomy"

Yes, he went right in there & cut them all out, so that's about as traditional as you can get. I had a spinal & the anaesthetist gave me something to catch some ZZZ's while they got on with it (I figured I couldn't add much to the overall proceedings!)

Thanks so much for your reply,

Your hemorrhoidectomy experiences sound fairly positive. We hear a LOT of horror stories on this site, so it's nice to hear about someone having a positive exoerience. You give me hope when it's my turn to go under the knife.

Good luck with your healing!

Oh, and by the way, I use Tucks to wipe everytime I have a BM. There soft and medicated. I figure every little bit helps :)