After hemorrhoid surgery, you may experience anal pain, light bleeding, itching, and severe discomfort for a few days. You may also experience hemorrhoid recurrence if you fail to follow your precautionary measures properly. Taking proper care and changing daily routines is necessary to manage this situation.
Preventive measures prevent the risk of hemorrhoid recurrence and reduce the discomfort, pain, and itching in the anal area. Let’s have a look at all hemorrhoid surgery post-op instructions.
The Post Operative Instructions For Hemorrhoids
Pain and light bleeding are the two commonest symptoms after hemorrhoid surgery. Anal pain can continue for about two to four weeks.
Bleeding and releasing clear or yellowish fluid, particularly during bowel movements, can also continue for the same duration. These symptoms usually alleviate with time.
After surgery life might seem a bit different, you can do small daily routine activities after a couple of weeks. Exercises that require great effort, such as jogging, heavy lifting, and other physical activities, are still discouraged by doctors. It is because these activities can enhance anal pain and bleeding.
Taking care of yourself daily helps you recover from hemorrhoid surgery quicker with more efficiency. Hemorrhoid patients should follow all hemorrhoidectomy recovery tips below-mentioned after surgery:
What To Eat After Hemorrhoid Surgery?
It is always important to adjust your diet after hemorrhoid surgery so that you can digest and defecate easily. Soft bowel movements are always the primary demand in the healing of the anus after surgery.
All you need is a diet that prevents constipation. Constipation is caused by hard bowel movements that cannot pass easily through the anus. During defecation, hard feces exert force on the walls of the anus, causing more damage and bleeding.
Therefore, always follow the diet that your doctor has prescribed you. This diet usually involves the below-mentioned food:
- Food rich in dietary fibers: Dietary fibers always aid in better and easy digestion. By promoting efficient digestion, fibers prevent constipation, and bowel movements pass easily through the anus. Start a high-fiber diet after hemorrhoidectomy and continue for about three to four days.
Food rich in fiber includes whole grains, such as oatmeal and bran flake cereals, and legumes, such as soybeans, black beans, lentils, kidney beans, and chickpeas.
The fruits such as oranges, pears, berries, and apples with the skin on. It also includes the vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, and green peas. - Increase your fluid intake. Drink plenty of water and take fruits with high water content. Start drinking healthy fruit or veggie juices. Excess fluid intake also makes stools softer and prevents constipation.
- If there is still a risk of constipation, recommend your doctor. He will suggest some stool softeners and laxatives.
Some may include Colace, Surfak, Benefiber, Citrucel, FiberCon, and Metamucil. These help make stools softer and easy to defecate by absorbing more water and promoting intestinal muscle contraction.
It is important to remember that laxatives and stool softeners are not a substitute for fiber-rich foods. They can be used as additives to fiber-rich diets.
What Physical Activities Can You Do After Hemorrhoid Surgery?
Hemorrhoid patients often ask, can I walk after hemorrhoid surgery? So, yes, you can walk after hemorrhoid surgery.
It is always recommended to keep yourself active through light physical movements. Walking is the best option in this sense. It is because slight physical activities boost blood flow, which promotes efficient healing.
But be sure to rest when you get tired. Exercises such as jogging, running, heavy lifting, etc., should also be avoided. Heavy weight lifting and quick movements are also not recommended. Further, do not drive by yourself.
Avoid driving for about two to four weeks, depending on your condition. Prolonged sitting can also negatively impact the anus, and bleeding may occur.
Which Medications Should You Take After Hemorrhoid Surgery?
Consult your doctor about the medications. The doctor will determine whether or not medicines must be taken after hemorrhoid surgery.
If there is a need for medicines, you should take your medicines at the prescribed time and follow all instructions provided by your doctor.
Mostly pain killers are prescribed to reduce anal pain. Doctors may recommend narcotics for relieving pain.
As an alternative to or in addition to narcotics, you might benefit from using Ibuprofen (400-600 mg) every 6-8 hours if you are not sensitive to anti-inflammatory.
Antibiotics can also be prescribed. Follow your doctor’s prescription while taking antibiotics. Besides these medications, laxatives are prescribed to prevent constipation and make stools softer.
There is a chance of medicines interacting; therefore, Inform your doctor if you are already taking some other medications. Be sure to tell him about your medical history and any existing illnesses.
It is important not to stop taking prescribed medicines alone just because you feel better. Sudden discontinuation of medication can also result in severe side effects.
How To Take Care of Your Wound After Hemorrhoid Surgery?
Bleeding can occur if anal wounds are not taken care of. Damaged anal areas can also cause the recurrence of hemorrhoids. You can take care of wounds properly by following the below-mentioned steps.
Use of Sitz Bath
Hemorrhoid patients are always advised to sit in sitz baths after hemorrhoidectomy. For about fifteen minutes, you should sit in a sitz bath containing 8 to 10 centimeters of warm water.
Sit at least three times throughout the day, more often after a bowel movement. Pat, the area was dry afterward.
Make sure that your bottom is properly immersed in water while sitting. Also, avoid using soap while taking a sitz bath, as irritation can be expected otherwise.
As you follow these steps, you will feel relieved of pain and discomfort.
Use of Medicated Pads
Medicated pads or non-alcoholic baby wipes should be used instead of toilet paper to dry the anal area after a bowel movement. It will keep the anal area clean and prevent itching.
There is only sometimes a need to wear a dressing. You can wear a thin or feminine gauze pad (such as Panty liners). It will prevent the soiling of your clothes due to anal leakage.
Use of Topical Creams
You can apply over-the-counter or prescribed numbing cream to the anal area after hemorrhoidectomy to boost healing and alleviate the pain.
Other Precautionary Measures
- You should apply ice on the anal area several times daily for at least five to ten minutes.
- Use a soft pillow under your hip to prevent swelling. You can also sleep on your stomach if you feel comfortable.
- Stay on the toilet for a short period. Also, avoid straining during bowel movements.
- You should use a small step stool to support your feet when sitting on the toilet. By doing so, your hips will be flexed, and your pelvis will be upright. As a result, bowel movements can be easier after surgery.
A Guide To Other Hemorrhoid Surgery Post-op Complications
There are some complications that hemorrhoid patients have to face after surgery. Let’s have a look at them.
Urination
Some patients feel difficulty in urination after hemorrhoid surgery. It is because of the change in the normal metabolic function of the bottom of the body.
Some patients cannot relax during urination even when their urinary bladders are full, and they need to void them.
It does not mean you start drinking a lot of fluid or stop drinking it to sort out this issue. Start sitting in warm water and try to relax properly. Don’t strain during urination.
If difficulty during urination is severe, some patients also go for a bladder catheter. But it can be very uncomfortable, although it can relieve urinary urgency.
Skin Tags After Hemorrhoid Surgery
If you have had hemorrhoid surgery, you may still notice that you have skin tags around the anal area. It feels like you still have hemorrhoids. It can be due to the following reasons:
- Occurrence of post operative swelling at the anus.
- Presence of some residual tissues that are not excised at the surgery.
Swelling can go on its own with time after surgery. Extra tissues can be removed again through a small surgery using anesthesia.
Tenesmus
Tenesmus is a condition usually after surgery in which you feel as if you have to have a bowel movement without stool in your rectum. It can last for a month after surgery.
Bleeding
Every patient undergoing hemorrhoid surgery has to face anal bleeding. The bleeding becomes extreme, more particularly during bowel movements.
This is particularly due to unhealed tissues having leaking blood vessels there. If you have extreme bleeding, consult your doctor immediately.
When To See A Doctor?
You should go for medical attention immediately if experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Increased bleeding
- Severe constipation
- Facing digestive issues
- Increasing pain in the anus
- Swelling in anal wall muscles
- Leakage of pus from the anus
- Feeling blood clotting or thrombosis in legs
- Swelling and redness in your groin or leg.
- Redness, itching, and severe irritation in the anus
- A pain in the back of your knee, thigh, or groin.
Further, if you doubt that some of the medications you are taking are resulting in side effects, inform your doctor about it immediately.
Conclusion
Proper self-care is needed after hemorrhoid surgery. You should follow all above mentioned hemorrhoid surgery post-op instructions to heal from an anus wound faster and effectively.
Taking a fiber-rich diet, eating plenty of water, sitting in a sitz bath, taking medications, and avoiding heavy physical exercises are needed to alleviate the pain and discomfort after hemorrhoid surgery.
All these steps also prevent the recurrence of hemorrhoids. If you are still experiencing severe bleeding and other serious side effects, you should immediately seek medical attention.
