A combination of rest, dietary changes and painkiller usage according to a physician’s recommendations will typically ensure a smooth hemorrhoid surgery recovery. Patients should get plenty of rest especially during the first two weeks, as any extra stress placed on the body can provoke the wound to reopen and potentially cause a recurrence of the original hemorrhoids. In addition, patients should increase the levels of fiber and fluid they receive in their diet both before and after the surgery in order to minimize the discomfort of bowel movements during the initial recovery period. Lastly, reasonable painkiller usage combined with home remedies can greatly aid in reducing the pain involved in recovery from hemorrhoid surgery.
Bed rest is especially essential in the first two weeks after the surgery. During this time, the surgical wounds are at high risk of reopening, and any excessive stress placed on the body can cause the hemorrhoids to relapse. After the first few weeks, a small, but consistent, level of exercise can sometimes be beneficial to patients, such as short, five- to ten-minute walks a several times a day. Additionally, it can be helpful for patients who are overweight to consider losing weight in a healthy manner to reduce the amount of stress placed on the rectum area, especially when sitting down. This will ensure a lesser risk of recurrence in the long run.
After rest and relaxation, changes to a high-fiber diet and increased intake of fluids will have the second largest impact on the smoothness of a patient's hemorrhoid surgery recovery. This is important to prevent the recurrence of hemorrhoids in the future, but will be especially helpful if practiced in the few weeks before and after the surgery. Increasing one's intake of fruits, vegetables and other high-fiber foods will almost certainly make bowel movements easier and greatly lessen the pain associated with passing stool post-surgery. Most of the time, laxatives or stool softeners will not be necessary if natural fibers are introduced into the diet early on.
Most patients will rely on painkillers from the moment they are released from the hospital through their entire recovery. Every surgery is different, so patients should listen to their physicians' recommendations, but the pain during recovery generally peaks during bowel movements. Many patients may, therefore, benefit from cycling their painkillers around this peak and, in some cases, adhering to a consistent schedule of activity, painkiller usage and bowel movements can greatly speed up recovery.
Lastly, simple home remedies can be a helpful complement to the above recovery tactics. Ice packs and creams or gels can help reduce swelling and irritation in the rectum area, and hot baths can, for some, ease the pain especially after bowel movement. As always, patients should maintain proper care and cleaning of the healing wound to prevent the possibility of infection or any other possible complication associated with hemorrhoid surgery recovery.