Hemorrhoidectomy

[ochiatl]

RCL:
Thanks so much. Where can I get Colace?? Is it over the counter? I don't know why my doctor didn't tell me about it before. It is so hard to feel bloated and uncomfortable. But I am glad that I have found this board. It is very hard to sit down also, but not unbearable. I can't even imagine having a manual extract although a few times I simply wished someone would cut my entire butt off and give me a colostmy bag instead. However, I will check into the colace and give it a try and hope that it works.

[JASL]

Hi Tammy,
I'm new to all this * had my surgery the beginning of October * a horror. Had a hemorrhoidectomy, fissuredectomy & sphincterectomy. These boards, and particulary you have been my lifesaver. I'm much better now but going through all that pain and sitting in a sitzbath in order to "go" was horrorific. I have some questions for you: I am going into week 8 of healing and can't believe this is still going on. I move my bowels every morning (thanks to taking metamucil 2X day and 1 collace at night along with 100% high fibre all bran with raisens and topped with a banana with a tall glass of water afterward each morning, bran muffin (snack) and fruit and high fibre pita bread for lunch, brocolli and mixed vegs with every dinner, and an orange & some graham crackers before bedtime and of course water all day long. WHY is there still so much pain when moving my bowels every morning and WHEN will this finally stop? Of course, I have some blood as well but there is more blood if if have to go a little bit in the afternoon because there is more of a strain with just a little result as compared to a full bm in the morning. Even a little bit of stool in there is uncomfortable so I try to force it in the afternoon and that's when the trouble starts. I know this sounds nuts but it feels like someone is walking around in my rectum with fluttering and just weird feelings in there.

Did you or anyone else here on the Boards still have painful bowel movements after 8 weeks? Once it all comes out there is great relief * it just hurts coming out. Is this going to be our life forever now? My husband and I were planning to take a vacation in a warm climate in February but I am very reluctant to go ahead with the plans as I'm afraid this will still be going on or else the plane ride and the change of diet while away will cause constipation and problems. I just want to get this over with.

Do you or anyone on the Boards have any comments as to how long this will be going on and what are your experiences. Thank you, thank you in advance.

Originally Posted by Tammynoska

rcl, yes that counts. But did you take any laxative like the milk of magnesia and the mineral oil? You can't just let little bits pass, as this can go on and on reinjuring you, if you aren't taking any measures to make sure it doesn't happen again. Have you gotten and started on colace and metamucil? If not have your husband go out right now to your local drug store and get you some. This is urgent, and you need to do these things right now.

Let me tell you one important information. I had to dump the surgeon who did my first hemorrhoidectomy. The reason is when I got into trouble, he and his office staff gave me horrible, lame answers that only got me into more trouble. From their bad advice my stitches broke.

I was slowly bleeding to death, not to scare you, but I then went to my local emergency room. 2 times they sent me back home, as this happened on a major holiday weekend, and I kept coming back because I knew I was bleeding too much (1/4 cups of blood each time or more).

The third time, I had another colon rectal surgeon meet me in the emergency room. The er doctor tried to get me to see my first surgeon, but there was no way in hell I was going back to that horrible doctor. The new doctor took one look and said I had to be admitted.

I never went back or called that bad first surgeon again. I just stayed with the other one. I am telling you this, because so far your doctor and nurse have totally failed you with helping you to manage your stools, and the resulting impactions. If you find yourself in new trouble, bleeding too much, and can't move your stools, go to your local emergency room, and insist on another colon rectal surgeon looking at you. Sometimes you have to dump surgeons that give you lousy advice.

If I were in your place, I would first try taking milk of magnesia and mineral oil. Just staying in the state you are presently in, trying to naturally pass the impacted stool IS WRONG!!!! You need remedies to get it moving by tomorrow. If you haven't bought or taken milk of magnesia as of right now, send your husband out NOW, not tomorrow morning. This is no joke. You told me you want to avoid having painful digital impaction removal***so what are you waiting for? You these things TONIGHT:

1. milk of magnesia
2. mineral oil
3. colace 100 mg doses
4. metamucil wafer

This is not a choice but a necessity, or you will be back in your doctor's office getting your stool taken out. It won't come out magically, nor should you be letting nature take its course when your butt hole is now in a tight spasm due to the surgery, and will remain that way for a few weeks until you get healed enough. That is why you REQUIRE colace and these other things, to go softly and self*moving, in spite of the anal spasms.

[Tammynoska]

Walt, I'm really sorry about taking so long to reply, but this is the busiest time of the year for me, and I am crushed with work. I won't be able to respond properly until after Thanksgiving weekend.

Any rate, quickly, that A&D ointment is not the formula I use. Mine is:

active ingredient: white petrolatum 72.7%
inactive ingredients: anhydrous lanolin, light mineral oil, petrolatum, vitamin a palimate and vitamin d.

I found that the ingredients DO make a difference.

This particular mixture once was sold by Eckerds drugstore, but it seems that they lost or gave up the manufacturing of it. I went desperate trying to find it, then learned that CVS Pharmacy now was putting out their own brand with the identical ingredients. It did turn out to be exactly the same one. CVS doesn't call it A&D ointment, thought, but Protective Ointment.

Also, I don't know why your doctor gave you the nifedipine as an ointment. Everywhere I read the nifedipine was given as a cream. Will this make a difference?

I don't know, but I do know that I have not had the same results with other medicines that I had used as creams that were given to me identical strength in ointment form, such as elocon. The ointment version of elocon doesn't cut it for me.

Also, I don't know if in ointment form the nifedipine will inhibit healing or not?

Still everywhere I read, and according to my doctor, the nifedipine should be put on the same amount of times per day as nitroglycerin cream for fissures, and that is 3 times a day, spaced out, so always some nifedipine is working on the fissure.

As you figured out, I used a small BB size dose. You shouldn't use a penny-size or larger, or you may experience bad side effects of nifedipine, and it won't make your fissure heal any faster. If you posted any other concerns, I haven't had the chance to read, and will get back to everybody later this week.

[Tammynoska]

ochiatl, Colace is an over-the-counter drug. You should get the 100mg caplets or capsules (same thing). Many drugstores carry it. You can also find it at a lot of drug stores online.

[Tammynoska]

Originally Posted by anitraw

Tammy,

Ok it has been one week today sense I increased the colace and my BM today had a blood! It will be 8 weeks on Tuesday, and I thougt I should check with you and see if I should still give it some time? ?

Anitraw, it doesn't matter that you have been 8 weeks. Just one week ago you had major bleeding, and hard stools. You set yourself back then. So you have to give yourself 4-7 weeks to recover from that, no kidding. One week after such big bleeding is not enough to heal yourself completely. A blood means nothing---what do you mean by a blood? Each time I reinjured myself I bled, even 2 weeks ago I bled. That is what you face: that each time, either you have a stool a bit hard, or you push when you shouldn't, or you have harsh diarrhea you can expect to bleed, even at month 5. You are not dealing with a normal, non-operated butt, but a post-hemorrhoidectomy butt that just got abused badly only a few days ago. Rechange your thinking to that reality, and you will stop panicking---I didn't say you would be happy, I mean who is happy having a cut-sore-bleeding butt? No one, but at least you understand this is what is normal to heal from THIS particular surgery.