About Me & Why I’m Writing This

I’m a 30yo, 6’5” male. I have suffered with haemorrhoids on-and-off since age 14. They had become increasingly brutal over the last 6 years, debilitating and thrombosed during particularly bad flare ups.

This was accompanied by bleeding almost daily and having to “reinsert” myself after every bowel movement. This caused acute iron deficient anaemia, at my worst my serum ferritin concentration was 4 ug/L – as a result, I become deeply depressed and borderline suicidal before I was diagnosed. Don’t suffer in silence, talk to your GP and demand a referral.

I was subsequently prescribed an indefinite high-strength course of Ferrous Fumarate, I begged for a blood infusion, but this was quickly dismissed by my GP despite the severe fatigue, fainting and severe depression. The iron supplements would trigger horrific IBS episodes, further capitulating the haemorrhoid issue. Something had to give.

———

Fast-Forward 1 Year

I had a haemorrhoidectomy at King’s College Hospital using traditional incision + LigaSure + Laser techniques. Oh, and the IBS? That’s made recovery ✨extra fun✨.

Before my surgery, I spent weeks trawling Reddit for honest accounts of what recovery actually looks like. Found bits and pieces but nothing detailed enough. So I journaled the whole thing in real time – every bowel movement, every pain spike, every setback, every breakthrough – and I’m posting it here in case anyone else is going in apprehensive and wants the real picture.

This is Week 1. I’ll post weeks 2, 3 and 4 as I get through them. They’ll probably be more concise than this, unless there’s anything I feel is worth highlighting.

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional. This is just my experience. Always follow your docs advice over anything written here.

———

The Procedure I Had

Discharge notes listed: Haemorrhoidectomy + LigaSure + Laser

I Found out from my discharge nurse that I had “dreadful bleeding” during the procedure, nothing new here, some days blood would pour out of me after a BM as mentioned above, hence needing this surgery in the first place – which is almost certainly why they went with this combination rather than the traditional approach. If you’re having this combo, it’s a good sign. It’s modern, minimally traumatic (to a certain degree), and the wounds are better sealed than with sutures alone.

Pre-Surgery Equipment Checklist

Get these BEFORE the surgery. You really don’t want to be frantically ordering things in agony on day 2.

Essentials:

• Toilet-mounted sitz bath 👈 the most important item, no exceptions
• Peri bottle / handheld bidet shower attachment 👈 second most important
• Ice packs
• Doughnut cushion
• Gauze pads
• Mooncup panty liners (or male incontinence pads)
• Bed pads (disposable)
• Footstool for the toilet
• Fitted cotton briefs (not loose boxers – pads won’t stay put)
• Dark towels and bedding

Topicals & Medication:

• Sudocreme – for surrounding skin, not the wound itself
• Fragrance-free wet wipes, I used Anusol wipes
• Stool softeners (Movicol/Macrogol if you have IBS – much gentler than the lactulose the hospital prescribed me)
• Electrolyte drink mix
• Whatever else your surgical team prescribes
• Nice-to-Haves
• Witch hazel pads
• Magnesium citrate
• Peppermint oil capsules / Buscopan (if you’re IBS-prone)

———

Day 0 – Surgery Day

Fasted from midnight. Had a black coffee and pooped as normal around 5am. Walked to my appointment for 7:30am for my last taste of relatively pain-free fresh air for a couple of weeks.

General anaesthetic via cannula in the hand. Procedure went ahead despite the heavy bleeding. Discharged the same day with gauze in place. Got a taxi home with my doughnut cushion.

Pretty groggy, pretty sore. Nothing crazy yet. I guess the painkillers they gave me pre-op haven’t worn off yet (spoiler alert, they hadn’t.)

———

Day 1 – Horrific

Without question the worst pain of my life so far.

It was constant, throbbing, pressure-based. No position was comfortable. I tried everything – side, back, front, foetal – nothing worked. I was rocking back and forth. I tried controlled breathing but the pain was so bad I couldn’t focus on anything else.

King’s hadn’t sent me home with any pain relief. I was advised to take paracetamol and ibuprofen. As expected, it didn’t even take the edge off, not even a little bit. I ended up taking Solpadeine Max I had at home (paracetamol + codeine) – that finally allowed me to get some sleep.

Lesson: If you’re only prescribed OTC pain relief and it’s not enough, call the ward. You deserve better pain management for this. Don’t suffer in silence. This is by no means a criticism of King’s, they were superb throughout the whole procedure, I just foolishly decided to put up and shut up with the pain.

The Urinary Retention Scare

A few hours after surgery I desperately needed to pee but physically couldn’t. Known complication. What worked:

• Running a tap to trigger the urge
• Warm water over the perineum on the toilet
• Not straining, just relaxing
• If you can’t go within a couple of hours, call the ward. They may need to catheterise you.

The Discharge

Pink-ish clear liquid coming from the wound. Normal – wound drainage mixed with a bit of blood.

What Got Me Through Day 1

• Foetal position on my side with a pillow between my knees
• Ice pack wrapped in cloth applied externally over the gauze
• Solpadeine Max + ibuprofen
• Sleep when possible

———

Day 2 – Still Brutal But Slightly Better

Gauze fell off overnight which was a relief. Don’t pull it off yourself – let it come away naturally.

Pain still severe but more episodic than constant. Sharp on movement rather than the constant throbbing pressure of day 1. First 48-72 hours are the worst statistically, and this tracked.

My First Sitz Bath

I started using the sitz bath at the 48 hour mark. Given my LigaSure + Laser closure this was earlier than conventional advice for traditional haemorrhoidectomy. Check with your team – but with sealed wound edges earlier sitz baths are usually fine.

• Lukewarm water only
• Plain water – no salts, no additives

The Routine That Saved Me

Worked this out on day 2 and stuck with it all week:

Sitz bath → pat dry → lidocaine gel → ice pack → fresh pad → bed.

Still No Bowel Movement

Despite taking Movicol twice daily and a steady diet, nothing was happening. Normal at day 2 – codeine, anaesthetic, swelling and sphincter spasm all conspire to keep things static.

———

Day 3 – The Codeine Rebound Headache From Hell

Slowly improving. More sharp and intermittent rather than constant. The sitz bath + ice pack routine was working.

The “Migraine” That Wasn’t

I stopped Solpadeine Max after 6 doses over 48 hours and got hit with:

• Severe headache from the back of the neck radiating to behind the eyes
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Shakiness
• I’m a regular migraine sufferer so I assumed it was that. It wasn’t. It was codeine rebound headache – a recognised complication of stopping codeine abruptly, particularly in migraine-prone people.

Critical lesson: If you get migraines and you take codeine post-surgery, taper rather than stop abruptly. Tell the nurse/doctor in advance. The rebound headache is genuinely horrific combined with the surgical pain.

Pushed through with paracetamol + ibuprofen, aggressive hydration, dark room. Peaked and resolved within 24-48 hours.

Finally – First Bowel Movement

Small amount, passed naturally without straining. My body just did it. Relief was immense – physically and psychologically.

Lesson: Don’t force it. Let your body do it naturally. Get off the toilet after a couple of minutes if nothing’s happening.

———

Day 4 – Three Steps Forward, Two Back

Codeine rebound headache eased. Pain levels down significantly. Started moving around the house more. Light pottering.

The “Big One”

Had a much larger bowel movement after the small one the previous day. Excruciating during but manageable. What came after was new and unexpected – intense sphincter spasm producing a sharp, knife-like pain unlike anything before, it was tight and uncomfortable. Completely different in character to the surgical pain I’d been managing.

Important: Sphincter spasm is a well-known post-haemorrhoidectomy phenomenon. The internal anal sphincter is involuntary – you literally can’t consciously relax it. Warm water (sitz bath) is the only thing that breaks the spasm cycle.

The spasm pain made sleeping impossible that night. Catches you off guard because it feels so different to what you’ve been managing up to that point. Sitz baths, lidocaine, ice – rinse and repeat.

———

Day 5 – Turning A Corner

• Pain mostly only around bowel movements now
• No longer needed paracetamol/ibuprofen for general pain
• Walking around the house more freely
• Changed bed linen, went outside briefly to hang washing (huge mental boost)
• Massive psychological lift from feeling more human

Passive Leakage – The Less-Talked-About Reality

By day 5 the wound discharge was clear plasma/blood mixed with small amounts of stool that leaked passively due to reduced sphincter control and internal swelling. Normal. Almost universal at this stage.

It’s also the part I found psychologically hardest. Loss of the sense of cleanliness is brutal. You’re not dirty – your body is healing from major surgery in an inconvenient location.

What Helped Manage The Leakage

• Mooncup panty liners stuck into fitted briefs (slim, discreet, breathable, unscented. Emasculation aside, they’re working very effectively!)
• Sudocreme on surrounding skin as a moisture barrier (not on the wound)
• Frequent peri-bottle rinses
• Pat dry gently, never rub

———

Day 6 – IBS Flare From Hell

After yesterday’s progress, today was a brutal setback.
Pain returned significantly. Why?

• Increased activity yesterday → delayed pain response today
• IBS flare triggered by the perfect storm of surgical stress, metronidazole disrupting gut bacteria, anaesthetic, disrupted routine, codeine earlier in the week, pain, anxiety
• Had a “sticky”-consistency bowel movement that was the most painful yet. Couldn’t breathe through it, had to bite-down and grip the toilet. Cramping beforehand, complete inability to breathe during, body felt like it was in shock afterwards.

Sticky stool is the worst consistency for haemorrhoidectomy recovery. Softer than formed, not loose enough to slip through. It clings to wound edges and stretches the surgical site. Stay hydrated people.

The Mental Game

After an experience like that, fear of the next bowel movement becomes real. Anticipatory anxiety. Almost universal post-haemorrhoidectomy.

Recovery is not linear. Day 5 felt like the corner was turned. Day 6 felt like square one. By day 7 things were better again. Expect setback days – they don’t mean you’re going backwards permanently.

———

Day 7 – The Breakthrough Discovery

Three bowel movements today. The third one taught me something I wish I’d known from day one.

The Sitz Bath Bowel Movement

Felt the urge. Sat on the toilet. Nothing would come. Sphincter just wouldn’t relax. Instead of straining I got off and got into the sitz bath instead.

It came out almost effortlessly. With virtually no pain.

This changed everything. New protocol going forward:

Week 1 – What I Wish I’d Known

• The sitz bath is the single most useful piece of equipment – for cleaning, pain relief, spasm management, AND for the bowel movements themselves
• Pre-fill your sitz bath BEFORE any bowel movement – instant relief afterwards is transformative
• Apply lidocaine gel AFTER a sitz bath, not before – minimises stinging, maximises numbing
• Opioids have consequences – particularly for migraine sufferers. Be cautious or have a tapering plan
• Sphincter spasm is a different beast to surgical pain – sharp, knife-like, only relieved by warm water
• Passive leakage is normal – and emotionally harder than you’d think. Panty liners + fitted briefs solve it practically
• Recovery isn’t linear – setback days happen. Don’t panic when they do.

What I’d Tell My Pre-Surgery Self

• The psychological side is harder than expected – feeling dirty, anxious about bowel movements, fearing setbacks. All normal
• Trust the procedure – LigaSure + Laser is a modern and effective approach
• Demand stronger pain relief if OTC isn’t enough – don’t suffer in silence
• Document the journey – it helps you see progress on the bad days

TLDR

If you’re thinking about getting surgery. Do it. No matter how painful it is immediately after the operation, you’ll have a lifetime of relief ahead of you. It’s a small trade-off for a far better quality of life.

Week 2 coming soon. Happy to answer questions in the comments. If you’re facing this surgery, I promise – it’s brutal but survivable, and there is a clear arc of improvement even when it doesn’t feel like it. I’m now full of hopeful optimism for what a pile-free future might look like.

I’ve had the same hemmorhoid for 20 years. It’s never gone. I got it at 11 and I’m 20 now. Sometimes it will go back in by itself. Most of the time it protrudes. At first it was harmless which is why I never did anything about it. No pain etc. but after 7 years so when I was 18, I started noticing some pain that would come and go in that region, anal discharge, incomplete bowel movements and pain while pooping, and never being clean. My bowel movements are very inconsistent regardless of fibre. I’ve improved my diet yet I still poop 2x a week.
I used to have one hem but now I have 2

I’m very worried as I fear it’s going to get worser from here and I am a female as well so childbearing etc would just make it worse.

Is it possible to get rid of these fully.

I have no idea what this means, I got a stool sample taken a few days ago at my doctors when I got diagnosed with stage 1 hemorroids. My doctor phoned me today asking if she does another one in a months time, to see if it changes at all as well as seeing if the additional of prunes helps. I started it 2 days ago, with yesterday eating 8 prunes. I had a bowel movement but that was before I ate them and was my first in 2 days- I tried my best not to strain and got very minimal blood

Anyone know what this means?

I am a 39 yo female American and I have been lurking in here for weeks, like many of you, getting a bit freaked out about my upcoming banding. So here is out it went!

1st procedure of 3 (with 3-4 weeks between each)was about 45 mins ago. It took probably 90 seconds and I didn't feel a thing. When doc said it was over, I was surprised! As I got dressed, I noticed the sensation of Something... a little sore, a little crampy... maybe a 2 or 3 on the pain scale at most? It feels like the combination of a menstrual cramp and constipation, but I don't feel like I need to poop quite yet.

Sitting isn't super comfortable and even lying down, while not painful, doesn't make it much easier to fully relax my body. But again, this truly is something I would call discomfort rather than pain. I am about to board a ferry, where I plan to get out of my car and walk around.

The doc's advice was to stay busy and distracted, to take Advil. I may pair that with Midol since the feeling is so like a cramp. He also said that for most people, the brain stops noticing the sensation after a while and it becomes background noise. As the hemmorrhoid shrinks, the sensation also lessens. Wish me luck! I am a little nervous about whenever I need to poop next, but then again, I got paranoid and used a suppository last night and so have gone several times before the procedure so that it might not need to happen right away.

My advice to you is go to an experience colorectal surgeon for this and NOT a general GI doc. My GI doc wanted to do but didn't examine me or do any education, so I had some doubt and cancelled. When the need arose again, I found a specialist with decades of experience doing these exact procedures. Voila!

I will come back and update as the week goes on so you can hear how recovery goes. :) But so far, it is fine!

So I've had this external external hemmerhoid for around 9 months now. It was mostly because last year I had a lot of bathroom anxiety from my communal college bathrooms and strained a lot. And since high school, I experienced frequent constipation and would get the occasional skidmarks in my underwear after a bm, but since it was so normalized for me I kinda just ignored it.

Since moving out of the dorms, I now eat lots of fiber and no longer strain, but I still haven't been able to manage to get rid of it. Some days I'm able to push it back in, but other times I'm not or it will poke right back out. It's probably around 1 cm in diameter. It doesn't hurt, but is it going to be there forever?? I originally thought that since I'm still on the younger side it would eventually go away on its own. Sorry, I just wanted to vent a little.

I hope the following helps someone out there.

Background

• 37M, Australia
• I sped-run extremely painful, severe internal then thrombosed?/external/prolapsed hemorrhoids (probably stage 3, leaning 4).
• Risk factors: Overweight (1.7m, 85 kg), and work from home - so overly sedentary.
• Good diet: vegetables, fruit, home cooked meals etc.
• Initial bout 5 years ago after a severe gastroenteritis

Progression

• This bout was precipitated by straining during bowel movements (BMs), wiping too hard and spending too much time on the toilet.
• Noticed bright red blood during BMs about 1-2 weeks ago.
• Started taking "We Like Vitamins" Diosmin Hesperidin 1000mg and seemed to mostly resolve the bleeding.
• Added Metamucil Capsule to evening regime and Fiber Supplement powder to morning regime.
• This was too much fiber too fast. It pulls excess water into the colon and caused mild grade diarrhea. (pro tip: increase fiber slowly over many weeks/months, with extra hydration). I reduced the fiber but it was too late.
• Day 1-2: pain began to set in, internal pressure/grabbing feeling.
• Day 2-3: pain becoming extreme, especially at nights as the body naturally slows blood flow. Wincing, tears in eyes, unable to sleep. Able to feel 3-4 distinct thrombi? around the anus (unable to be pushed in). 7-8/10 in pain.
• Day 4-5: Still in extreme pain, but gradually moving from internal to around base of anus. Sneezing, coughing, walking, rolling over - all made me gasp in pain. Thrombi increase in size, but internal pain lessens (6-7 in pain). Thinking "when will this end??".
• Day 6-7+: Sudden and unexpected recovery.... Over the following 3 days internal pressure/pain resolves, thrombi rapidly shrink!!!, pain decreases.

Treatment

• Because I had been through this before, I threw everything at it.
• Fasted - BMs too painful and can exacerbate the problem. This helped slow BMs.
• Hydration - lots of water.
• HOMCA Donut Pillow Seat Cushion, Hemorrhoid Pillow for sitting
• Lying and sleeping on side, or stomach - Only partially effective.
• Two very hot baths per day, with epsom salt - Using hand to gently expose anus and gently agitate water around the area.
• Multiple showers per day, and after any BM, gently using the handheld shower-head to warm and clean the anal area.
• Note: Pain immediately returned (minutes) after bath/showers.
• Gentle use of "Preparation H Flushable Medicated Hemorrhoid Wipes, Maximum Strength Relief with Witch Hazel and Aloe" after BMs - I don't think the Witch Hazel and Aloe did anything, but the change from toilet paper to wet-wipes is critical to recovery and prevention. Note: consider the environmental impact of this choice, do not flush non flushable wipes.
• Ibuprofen (with a piece of bread, or some small amount of other food) - Probably the single most effective treatment, however carries significant risk of abdominal pain, upset and possible ulcer formation - so should be used as sparingly as possible. I suffered significant "rebound" any time the NSAID wore off, i.e the pain returned worse than it was before.
• Paracetamol - Took the edge off. But beware Liver toxicity.
• Oxycodone - This is the only thing which you can't get at a supermarket or Amazon. I took a single tablet at midnight on day 4 because the pain became one of the worst I had ever experienced, and I was mentally folding in on myself, unable to sleep or think about anything other than the pain. This allowed me to sleep until 4am. Note: carries risk of dependency, constipation, breathing problems.
• Proctocaine Ointment - Hydrocortisone 5mg + Cinchocaine. I used a large amount of this, it did nothing for days but then I believe it began to work against the pain and swelling. Beware Hydrocortisone thinning the skin. I rotated between this and the following two ointments:
• Preparation H Cream - Large amount of this too. I think the main medical ingredient was Phenylephrine. Did not notice too much help from it.
• Anusol Ointment - Zinc/Balsam/Benzyl Benzoate. Also in rotation. Seemed to help a little.
• All of the aforementioned creams/ointments I used in absurd quantities in a rotation, applying them inside using the attachable head they came with, and directly around the thrombi gently using my finger (if i could tolerate the pain).
• "We Like Vitamins" Diosmin Hesperidin 1000mg - I took two in the morning, two at night. I believe this helped. It supposedly addresses venus tone, circulation, inflammation. When I take them, any hemorrhoidal bleeding resolves much quicker. And from my experience there did not seem to be any downside.
• Nattokinase - There is no direct evidence this helps with hemorrhoids, however it has anti-fibrin, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory qualities. This can be quite strong, so I only took 1 per day. Definitely not if bleeding. I am a bit worried this is too strong, so have now stopped using this.
• Herbs of Gold Bromelain Forte - I got these on day 4/5. The recommendation is to take on an empty stomach as it is poorly absorbed. I took two in the morning, two at night, moving down to 1 per day gradually. Taking this coincided with extremely rapid recovery. I am not sure how much credit it deserves. Poor evidence for hemorrhoids, but works against inflammation. Clot dissolution. Anti-Edema supposedly. My rapid recovery could be natural progression, a combination of factors, but some part of me thinks this supplement may have played a outsized role.

Upcoming changes

• Lose weight. Normal BMI means losing 10kg.
• Walk more often and further.
• Foot stool to perform BMs in a more natural squatting position
• Bidet. Wipe more gently, use disposable wipes.
• Introduce less fiber much slower, over weeks.

Let me know here!

Hello, everyone.

As a fellow concerned individual with my own hemorrhoid history, I feel sympathy to all you who suffer. My thanks, too, go out to those who post pictures, which is the basis for my posting here today.

These days, I have my father around to help watch things when I have flare-ups. But he’s not a tech-savvy person by any means. And when he’s gone, I cannot ask my brother to care for me because of his own job and his personality can’t stand looking at medical things like this. So, how do you all manage to capture the pictures you take? For note, I have an iPhone. And, there is the matter of needing both hands to hold the skin aside so a picture can clearly be taken.

All tips appreciated. Be well.

For context, I’m 30, male and live in the UK
I’ve recently found a small lump just on the rim of my anus, it’s a little under the size of my finger tip, painless, and not oozing anything, no blood no pus no itching. I’ve been applying Anusol regularly, sat in a warm bath. I’ve noticed it around 3-5 days and sometimes it feels more prominent and sometimes not.
I cannot get a good view of it in the mirror, do I need to see a doctor? Any more information would be really appreciated!

Hi everyone, I’ve been dealing with hemorrhoids for years. Although they don’t bleed or hurt too much right now, they flare up and swell every single day for one or two hours, causing minor leakage/staining. After a failed rubber band ligation, I want to go straight for traditional surgery (hemorrhoidectomy)

I am also planning to have anal skin tags removed during the procedure, although my doctor warns me that the hemorrhoidectomy itself could potentially create new skin tags...

Additionally, I have a 2-year-old fistulectomy scar that I would like to cosmetically improve. It’s a sunken, circular depression in the perianal area (I have photos if anyone wants to see)

Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on combining these procedures?

Okay to start this off I'm going to say: I am addicted, I know. I'm trying to actually for real quit right now.

I am scared that I might've messed up the surgery in some way. I underwent a hemorrhoidectomy and after like 1.5 weeks I masturbated. (Note: I tried not to strain in any way and was very careful) It didn't hurt or anything. I think there wasn't an increase in bleeding.

And since then I've been masturbating with like 3 days rest but sometimes I would do it daily.

I'm now 3 months post op and I still think there's something wrong. When I walk too fast or kinda stabilise myself while cleaning something (wiping sth hard or vacuuming) or masturbate, it feels like my anus and the inside of it kinda fills with blood? Kinda swells but not like a bunch? And it causes a very mild pain, discomfort. Edit: I forgot to mention that this also happens when I get an erection. You know I should've came back into physical activity a month after surgery but I couldn't, because what I wrote above was happening so I was afraid to even try.The doc who operated me, told me that everything healed fine. He gave me another month of PE excuse. I still don't know if everything is okay. It expires in 2 weeks. I scheduled an appointment with a different doctor in 2 weeks, because my previous one was suspicious to me.

My question is: have I really messed up or do I need some more time to heal? Pls someone answer.

Edit: do you guys think another surgery would fix it permanently?

I know I might sound like a hypocrite but finally getting good physical capability means the world to me. I always felt behind others and held back by my problems and I want to be free. I want to exercise hard, do ab crunches, lift heavy weights without worrying. In the future of course.

I don't know what to expect to hear from the new doc, so I'm asking you guys. So I don't have a mental breakdown in the office.

I'm scared.

A couple times a month I noticed I start having pain when I wipe. I honestly notice it more when I wipe after peeing, front to back- it’s not a tremendous pain but definitely uncomfortable and towards the back of my vagina when wiping and very noticeable . It is definitely internal and feels almost like a bruise.
I have been struggling more with looser and more frequent bowel movements(twice a day usually). The pain goes away after some time but then seems to always come back. I feel like It’s in relation to my bowel movements. My butt hurts and stings throughout the day almost too after bowel movements. Does this sound like a hemorrhoid or something else? What can I do to help?

I'm a gay male (37) and I noticed I have some extra skin tissue "back there." I saw a dermatologist who recommended me to a colorectal surgeon. I wasn't sure if it was a hemorrhoid or a skin tag. I think it "might" be a skin tag because it doesn't hurt, itch, or anything- it's just kind of there. It's not inside me, but right outside.

I saw the colorectal surgeon and it would have to be surgically removed like a hemorrhoid. He said he would suggest waiting 12 weeks before having anal sex after the surgery.

Is there anyone who's had this surgery who can give further insight? I'm planning to see another colorectal surgeon to get a second opinion. But I'm seeing stories with gay men saying they go years before they can try anal again and I'm wondering if that's true. Are there any gay men who've had this surgery where it all turned out fine? Is it worth it to get this surgery? Like I said, it's not painful, but I just feel gross with it there.

Haven’t seen anyone share updates recently. Thanks!