(continued from last post)

What was really annoying though was some of the side effects I felt probably post-GA and meds!

Firstly, I had to keep to small and easily-digestible meals because I was truly fearful of that first poop. According to the doctor, the first bowel movement could be a 10/10 pain and I was NOT looking forward to that?!

Secondly, I got very nauseous on my second or third night probably from the meds and also indigestion which was very uncomfortable 😭

Thirdly, I had to do regular sitz baths (it’s a little basin you place on the toilet bowl) with warm water and salt a few times a day, which helped to ease a bit of discomfort but is quite a hassle to prepare (need warm water and salt) especially because my heater takes time to heat up and I don’t have ready hot water at home 😣

I only had gas to pass and no bowel movements for the first three days, probably because of the enema did before the surgery that cleared my bowels out.

However, even passing gas was stressful because you can feel the soreness coming once you strain the muscles below. And every time I got that feeling, I wasn’t sure if it was just gas or it would be poop so I would be dreading it.

I managed fairly ok the first few days and I even got out to watch Jay Chou’s concert on Saturday, three days after my surgery 😂

Finally, I got to my first real poop on Sunday (yup I totally didn’t poop at all from thursday to saturday) and it was truly the most excruciating moment of my life 😫😫😫

I was prepared that it would be painful (doc did say 10/10 pain right) but it wasn’t just wound pain but breaking out into a cold sweat, wanting to throw up and feeling my whole body go weak all over – I’m not even exaggerating. It’s like the feeling of very bad diarrhoea with nausea and stomach ache, and crippling pain.

When I was done, it took all the energy I could muster to run up some hot water to bathe myself which helped to ease away a bit of the pain and then I just laid in bed for the rest of the evening/night because I was so completely spent, like every cell in my body had just gone through battle 😂😂😂

I somehow managed to make it through the worst of the pains by literally gritting my teeth and biting down on a towel (not even kidding), lots of deep breathing, and a book/video on my phone to distract me.

What else really help a lot are the warm sitz baths and running hot water on my body right after a terribly painful bowel movement.

Poops are still painful and super inconvenient (i really can’t poop in public bcos i have been pooping with my butt in a basin of warm water and then following up with hot running water and a salt water soak to wash up because I definitely can’t use toilet paper to clean as the area is still raw and open.

Thankfully I don’t feel like throwing up or passing out with every poop anymore and now it’s more of a very intense wound pain during bowel movement and for the subsequent 15-20 minutes afterwards. Feels like I just shitted very hard rocks. Hot running water offers so much relief from the pain really, I don’t care how much the PUB bills are gonna be this month.

This may sound gross but during the first few days post-op, the discharge and passing gas are gonna smell worse than rotting eggs because of the wound location, so even the smell gets to you and you feel damn sian and gross every time you need to pass gas, change liners, poop etc.

I also find a lot more relief in peeing while standing under running water because it’s also harder for me to pee now (cannot push with my butt muscle) and the running water helps to relax me.

By the way, there’s bound to be post-surgery wound discharge, which is supposed to take 1-2 months to really clear up, so I’ve also been doubling up my panty liners (up to my butt) and changing them 3x a day at least.

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 All the above means I have to be at home whenever possible, and so far, I’ve only stayed out for maximum 3-4 hours a day when necessary 😣

Now I know why a two weeks MC is so necessary 😅

I went back to the doctor’s on Wednesday for my check-up and the doctor was impressed that I was generally quite mobile with my sitting and walking. 😂 According to him, my first week of recovery would have been very painful because of the four large hemorrhoids removed and more stitching than usual 🙄

(I guess that means if you have smaller or lesser hemorrhoids removed/stitched, you might recover faster and feel less pain. Makes sense.)

Good news is, wound is healing well and if all goes well, I should be more or less ready for Okinawa in about a week’s time!!

I cannot wait to be 100% recovered, mobile and set free from my toilet man.

It’s really not fun to have to worry about every poop or pee and spend so much time in pain and discomfort 😭

As the doctor likes to remind me, “Short term suffering for long term happiness” lolol

After all this pain and recovery time and inconvenience, I really really hope the hemorrhoids are gone and never come back.

According to my online research, conventional hemorrhoidectomy (what I did) has a lower chance of hemorrhoid recurrence as compared to ligation or stapling (two other slightly less invasive methods of removal). I will have to watch my diet and drink lots of water and change my bowel habits though.

My next hurdle is tonight’s photoshoot for TVD – I need to get through 4-5 hours of
photo-taking 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Quite worried about leaving my toilet for so long so please 🙏🏻 Let everything go smoothly for tonight

If anyone is suffering from piles/hemorrhoids and is thinking of getting themselves checked out or having surgery, I highly advise you to get checked out first, figure out how serious it is or how much pain and discomfort it is causing you and see if it’s manageable with medicines and diet changes.

If you do decide on surgery, remember to give yourself at least one month downtime (two weeks mc minimum) with no strenuous activities during this period.

I read a lot of horror stories online and it seems that my experience with post-hemorrhoidectomy recover is pretty much the norm, with a lot of people who seem to be in even more pain than me, so I would say it’s really important to make sure the operation is done by an experienced colorectal surgeon (which i basically googled and found the first recommendation online for a private specialist) who knows exactly what he’s doing. Can’t imagine going through even worser pain 😵

👳🏻‍♂️ has been with me throughout to take care of me, buy me food, drive me around and being a great source of support for which I’m thankful.

I’m still anxious about my upcoming diving trip but I’m going to have faith and believe that I will be recovered and well in time for Okinawa! 🙏🏻

Not how I would choose to start 2018 but things can only get better from here, especially if I’m finally rid of this persistent problem that’s been bugging me for the past few years. Can’t wait for every day to pass so I get a little better every day!