Hemorrhoidectomy

[buckeyebaby]

Tammy, Thanks so much, I needed a little reassurance.
I had to laugh at "the blind leading the blind" comment.(Even though its no laughing matter)
My doctor really gave me no information on what to expect, I've only learned what I've read on this site. I started losing stitches at about 8 days after. I really admire how everyone tries their best to support each other and give encouragement. Sometimes that extra encouragement can keep you from losing your mind! Thanks.

[wjpjr]

Originally Posted by Tammynoska

In that context, God does not promise to make you happy in this world, to keep you free of grief, strife and suffering while you are on this planet as Walt, the human being. He does promise, through his Son, though, that if you keep your faith, inspite of these trials, to make you happy forever in the next world. Human life is fraught with terrible possibilities, ones that even make our experience in this recovery seem pale in comparison as far as the level of pain and fear.

You probably read my 2-cents on that therapist.

I hear you loud and clear about faith and therapist. I've always had a hard time comprehending how they can help more than some regular person willing to lend an ear other then being able to prescribe meds to put you in fantasy land. I don't really want to walk around like a zombie. I just want to heal and get my normal life back. I'm basically humoring my sister. It's amazing but do you know how difficult it is getting an appointment with ones of these therapist? More than half of this country must be seeking mental help since they are that busy. First you must be screened and that's if your lucky to get the phone answered.

Unfortunately you have to accept your family is a bunch of lunkheads when it comes to your problem, and stop trying to prove the severity of your problem to them, as it won't happen---they are intellectually dense about this, just as my family is. If you stop trying to make them understand, you will have less anxiety. All you have to do is schedule your meetings with them around your problem, or decline as I have had to do with my own family, since I still am nowhere ready to make long trips and participate in eating festivities because of my hair-trigger bowel functions that can occur at any given time, and leave me in pain afterwards.

Yep, family and friends eventually end up becoming lunkheads. I've already told my sister I'm not celebrating the upcoming holidays. All she did was hammer me about how my little nice would miss her uncle Walt at Christmas. Boy I love my sister but that seemed a little selfish. I sure would like to celebrate the holidays. We all certainly have not ask to be like this for god sake.

However, sometimes I go 5 times a day, and that means 5 damn times having to clean myself out. I find that even if I clean myself right after going, about an hour later a new piece of fecal matter has come in contact with my cut, and I will be forced to get it out. I really believe you are suffering for the same reasons that fecal matter is scalding your cuts. The trick is to gingerly clean it out without aggravating your cuts.

I'm glad I only have one BM a day compared to yours. Not sure I could deal with more than one after the pain starts and things down south get tight. You may be right about keeping the cuts clean but I need something to help close them. I'm hoping this next surgeon gives me a script of nifedipine cream 0.2%. The nurse/scheduler indicated he does prescribe nifedipine. Although, she also mentioned the dread sphincterotomy word . Sorry to read about your new cut. Do you think reappearing cuts are going to keep occurring without surgery?

I'll keep you posted ... more good healing success with your new cut.

[wjpjr]

Originally Posted by Tammynoska

Your surgeons are a bunch of control freaks. I am afraid it seems in their eyes, you have cried wolf one too many times, and they refuse to cooperate; or they are closed-minded, good ol' boys. You know what? It is a large world out there of doctors. Find a new one, make an appointment, come in there telling him you have a new cut. Don't mention your other surgeons refusing to give the cream, and tell him you have a pharmacy that will compound nifedipine in a cream of 0.2% for you, and ask for a prescription. At the same time, come in with a printout of the online study which shows nifedipine cream much more effective than nitroglycerin from this url--it's a adobe pdf file:

Tammy - Right on and thanks for that pdf reference. I printed it out and have booked an appointment with yet another as&hole (no pun intended) surgeon this Thursday.

[Tammynoska]

Anitraw, what do you mean by you don't see much improvement? In the bleeding or in the softening of your stools? Because if you don't see any improvement in how soft your stools are, then you should add one more colace.

But first of all, you should be taking the dosage in a split dosage, with one in the morning at breakfast, and one at your last meal, dinner. The reason is you need to be keeping your stools soft throughout the day. I have found that if I popped 4 colace altogether at dinner, the food that digested at breakfast would leave me with a hard start of stool in the morning, even though the rest would be soft from the colace I took at dinner. I learned I had to take one stool softener at breakfast to keep that meal from giving me a hard starting stool the next morning.

So if you are taking two colace, take one colace in the morning, and then have your two colace with your dinner. Don't take the colace on an empty stomach, as it can cause you stomach upset, just like metamucil. I do believe you should find in 3 days an improvement of stool.

I found that colace alone wasn't enough, along with that I had one pill of metamucil at dinner, or one metamucil wafer, but no more than that, as the combination would lead to diarrhea for me.

I have to add that you also need to be taking a moderate amount of fiber like raisin bran, like 1/2 a cup per day. It seems to me you cut out everything cold turkey when you got too much diarrhea, but you have to have colace with some regular fiber.

If you mean that you notice no change in the amount of blood, then if I were you, I would first get on the right amount of colace, fiber and a bit of metamucil to make my stools soft and flowing out on their own. Then, if after 7-10 days of having soft and self flowing stools your bleeding is still bad, or if your bleeding worsens, I would see my surgeon. I understand your fear of being touched: I was just like you. I refused inside exams my first 3 months.

The first surgery I had, though, I had bad bleeding due to several stitches that broke, plus I had an artery that the doctor cut by mistake. I had to let the doctor take a peek in the emergency room. Of course his peek made me bleed more, but I had to be scheduled for an emergency repair that very day so I had to put up with his looking quickly.

If you are still bleeding in 7-10 days like 2 tablesspoons of blood each time after getting your stools soft and not having to push to go, then you should let your doctor look inside of you. I want to remind you that I bled a thimbleful, or equal to about a teaspoon of blood for over 8 weeks each time I went. That was normal. When I was in trouble the first time, my bleeding got progressively worse over 7 days, and ended up being like1/4 cup of blood each time. I knew I was in trouble. Don't avoid help if you need it, but first get yourself to have soft and self-moving stools.

If I were you, I would schedule an appointment to have your surgeon look inside the day before Thanksgiving or 2 days before. This way you have a safety net, that if you are not doing any better, but seem to be getting worse, you will have treatment set up before all surgeons disappear during the holiday. If you are doing better, then the day before cancel your appointment. When I ran into trouble it was the 4th of July weekend, and no surgeon was around to help me; you can avoid that by at least making an appointment now before then, and have it set up. If you are okay, then cancel; if not, follow through.

[anitraw]

[QUOTE=Tammynoska]Anitraw, what do you mean by you don't see much improvement? In the bleeding or in the softening of your stools? Because if you don't see any improvement in how soft your stools are, then you should add one more colace.
Tammy what I meant was that I didn't notice much inprovment in my blood, the stool seemed to be a little bit more moving on its own I hope that by doing this change I start to heal. I did look inside tonight and saw less draining. At night I look before I go to bed and tonight it looked to be a little better...

But first of all, you should be taking the dosage in a split dosage, with one in the morning at breakfast, and one at your last meal, dinner. The reason is you need to be keeping your stools soft throughout the day. I have found that if I popped 4 colace altogether at dinner, the food that digested at breakfast would leave me with a hard start of stool in the morning, even though the rest would be soft from the colace I took at dinner. I learned I had to take one stool softener at breakfast to keep that meal from giving me a hard starting stool the next morning.

[COLOR=Indigo] I am taking the colace in split dosage, I take one at breakfast and then at night right before or after my dinner. I did increase my water I am drinking about 22-24 glasses a day now instead of 18. I feel like this is to much! I mean I never even drank one glass of water and now I am drinking this much. If I am not drinking I am going pee It is really not funny but I can't cry anymore or feel sorry for myself because it is killing me. You know the other thing is I never use to eat three meals a day and now I have to force myself to so that I can make sure that my Bm are right. I feel like I am gaining weight and I feel very stressed out. I mean tonight all I could do was yell at everyone and I think down deep inside I am only really mad at myself for doing this surgery. I guess I am doing ok I mean I really don't have any pain and this has to count for something right? I mean if I had a fissure I would feel pain right? On a scale I am about a 2-3 during BM's and it seems from what the people with fissures say it is about a 15. I just want it all to end.....


I am really scared of the raisin bran, remember when I had that really bad BM from the raisin bran? that was when you told me that I couldn't eat like a horse and that I needed to only eat a little... I do eat two wheat toast in the am and that has the same amount as fiber in it as the bran and my body seems to be doing ok, but I will try to add a little bit to my diet. Maybe I will try to use it as my snack during the day, I will just snack on it at my desk and see if I break it up through out the day if that will help my body break it down... I trust you 100% and if you think that I should or need to add bran I will again.. I am just scared.

If you mean that you notice no change in the amount of blood, then if I were you, I would first get on the right amount of colace, fiber and a bit of metamucil to make my stools soft and flowing out on their own. Then, if after 7-10 days of having soft and self flowing stools your bleeding is still bad, or if your bleeding worsens, I would see my surgeon. I understand your fear of being touched: I was just like you. I refused inside exams my first 3 months. [COLOR=Indigo] So what you are saying is if in 7-10 days I am still bleeding then I should let him look?

Do you mean any amount of blood? Shouldn't I still have bleeding for the next two months, I mean at least a little bit?

The first surgery I had, though, I had bad bleeding due to several stitches that broke, plus I had an artery that the doctor cut by mistake. I had to let the doctor take a peek in the emergency room. Of course his peek made me bleed more, but I had to be scheduled for an emergency repair that very day so I had to put up with his looking quick.
I really don't know how you do it. I mean you seem to be so strong and so understanding of this surgery, I mean you sound like you have done it 100 times. I can't get over that you have another cut I am so sorry to hear this, I thought for sure when you said that you were off the colace and doing good that you were on the healed end of things. I really hope this clears up faster for you and that you can go back to being off the colace. Maybe we will all be on the colace for the rest of our lives.. Now that scares me!!!
If you are still bleeding in 7-10 days like 2 tablesspoons of blood each time after getting your stools soft and not having to push to go, then you should let your doctor look inside of you. I want to remind you that I bled a thimbleful, or equal to about a teaspoon of blood for over 8 weeks each time I went. That was normal. When I was in trouble the first time, my bleeding got progressively worse over 7 days, and ended up being like1/4 cup of blood each time. I knew I was in trouble. Don't avoid help if you need it, but first get yourself to have soft and self-moving stools.

If I were you, I would schedule an appointment to have your surgeon look inside the day before Thanksgiving or 2 days before. This way you have a safety net, that if you are not doing any better, but seem to be getting worse, you will have treatment set up before all surgeons disappear during the holiday. If you are doing better, then the day before cancel your appointment. When I ran into trouble it was the 4th of July weekend, and no surgeon was around to help me; you can avoid that by at least making an appointment now before then, and have it set up. If you are okay, then cancel; if not, follow through.[/QUOTE

[COLOR=Indigo] I will call tomorrow and set this up I think this is a good idea.. I am not sure if he is still going to see me. I mean this is the second time I canceled surgery. Well if he discharges me from his care then I will just have to find a new surgeon, I mean worse things have happened to me...