Surgery Healing

If you are planning to have surgery or have had one, this post is for you. I will share my specific surgery experience here, yet you can take from it what you like and apply it to your life as you see fit. 

I would like to start by saying that I didn’t plan to write about my recent surgery because it was such an awkward topic to discuss. However, it seems that my speaking out about my healing process could help others heal faster too. 4 weeks ago today, I had anorectal surgery for hemorrhoids, a fissure, and a large skin tag. Yuk! Right!? Yet, these types of conditions are quite common in all body types and shapes. So many people suffer for years, like me, because of embarrassment, shyness, shame, and many other reasons. I lived with chronic itchiness for more than 8 years! In saying that, I am lucky that my only symptom was itching (pruritus) and not a lot of pain, which is more common. But this made it extremely difficult to diagnose properly and I tried all kinds of OTC and prescription meds for hemorrhoids during this time. Five years ago, I also had a surgery to fix a fistula, a small opening in the wrong place,  that appeared at one point. This did not fix the problem. For months after this surgery, the itching continued, and follow-ups with my surgeon (in public health care) left them at a loss as to why this was happening. I further explored skin and nerve conditions with other practitioners; alas, there were no concrete solutions. 

Keep in mind that with a chronic condition, even as simple as itching, when it impacts sleeping habits or other daily tasks, it can wear on one’s mental health. I was in tears because I just couldn’t take it anymore. The symptoms seemed to be getting worse. In the past 6 months, each morning, my worry was ramping up with the sight of blood spots on tissue, albeit small, they were still there. So, 2 months ago, late one night, I was awake with my intense chronic puritis and INCREDIBLY frustrated.  I had a sudden thought that maybe, just maybe there was a special place I could go that would know more about what was happening to me, so I opened my phone and search for hemorrhoid clinics just in case I could find a place that was familiar with that area of the body, even if I didn’t have a hemorrhoid, perhaps they could tell me why I am constantly itching. I happened to be in luck and found a specialty clinic called N. A. Hemorrhoids Centre-Calgary. Upon researching them, they were legit and have even helped thousands of patients manage symptoms such as anal pain, bleeding, itching, and discomfort! YES! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t found this place sooner. I was excited!

After my initial call to book an appointment, I was able to have an in-depth consultation within 1 week. It was super thorough, including an anoscope that revealed the issues & scar tissues (from a chronic unhealed wound – hence the incessant itching). After the assessment process, they were able to book my surgery within the month; however I postponed it by 3 more weeks so that I could have a little more time to prepare. Now, if you are suffering from any of these conditions and can go ahead with treatment right away – go for it! For me I wanted to prepare my mind and body (and family) for this procedure. The clinic did a good job of thoroughly explaining the treatment plan, along with what to expect. This clinic aims to have surgery-free treatment with the incorporation of collaborative medicines (eastern & western). Although if conditions are advanced like mine, then minor surgical intervention may be necessary. I was prepared for the news that my situation required surgery because of how long it had persisted. 

The preparation phase for me included sharing this news with my family and close friends so that they would know why my actions would change this summer. In letting them know, it also created a support system for me that I could lean on when needed or simply talk with about my thoughts & feelings. At first, it was truly hard to talk about because, as mentioned, how awkward I felt discussing this area of my body. Though it did get better over time. Surprisingly, everyone was supportive and wasn’t as ‘wierded out’ as I felt! 

Next up was to ‘mentally prepare my body’ for the change in what I would not be allowed to put in my body. I went as far as scheduling this in my calendar for all the days and all the things I could not ingest (or inhale 😉 during my recovery phase. I’ll admit, I did overindulge for a few weeks before my surgery, knowing that I would not have these things for a while HAHA. I allowed myself to enjoy all that I could and reminded myself that my new “no-no” list would be temporary. Yet, I have a strong feeling that practicing this “no-no” list in recovery will also change my behaviours for a long time, if not for life. This intake list includes: Alcohol (YUP – all of it!), beef, lamb, spicy foods, fried foods, and seafood. Before you get scared and say “I couldn’t do that”, I am 4 weeks off this list completely, and I feel great! If I can do it, so can you! There are a couple of activities like swimming or hot tubs that are not allowed, but those seem like less of a change (to me anyway).

In preparing my body, I wanted to seek out external support that I knew would help me feel grounded, balanced, and empowered. The 4 ways I chose to support my mind, body and spirit were yoga when possible, acupuncture (preset for before treatment & during recovery, reiki rebalancing, and connecting with a master empath. With yoga, it was a way to keep my body active while knowing I would be sedentary for a period of time. Acupuncture has always been effective for me, so I knew that a strong rebalance and diving into any energy centres that needed support could really boost my body’s energy and ability to heal. I chose to get one treatment shortly before my surgery and schedule one for 3 weeks after – you can read more about it in my post about acupuncture & hemorrhoids here. Reiki was a happen-chance addition to preparation that I was blessed to receive. It also helped balance my energy and confirmed, like the acupuncture, that my spleen health was on low energy reserves. This information empowered me to research more about spleen health and things I could do to improve it. I added ‘spleen healing’ to my list of to-dos for the summer. I am still working on this one and will post more information on this soon. Lastly, sessions with my master empath coach helped me calm my mind during times of chaotic thinking or overwhelm. If you are not an empath, that is quite alright, I would recommend connecting with a counsellor, therapist or psychiatrist for the extra support system if that is something you feel you would benefit from. Everyone is different and I’m sure that many people could breeze through the same discharge, minor surgical procedure with no problems at all! With my past experiences, I was aware that the colon can house certain emotions such as repressed emotions, sadness, grief, and other very large emotions that get stuffed down due to discomfort. I was pretty sure that I had some stuck emotions from past grievances but wasn’t exactly sure. Should you be curious as to what emotions or the spiritual meaning of your condition is, ChatGPT can spit out some helpful information – remember it is AI and only take from it what resonates with you. I think it is important to recap that grief and sadness are strong players in the emotions that get stuck in the colon, therefore, it would not be surprising to have intense moments where you cry inexplicably. I sure did, on more than one occasion during the assessment process at the clinic. The nurses were very kind to me and compassionate in care while explaining everything. I also explained to them that I just had to let my emotions flow freely as I was letting go of some of what was stirred up and getting released. Yes, that started from about the time I was informed surgery was needed, even though I was excited to finally see the light at the end of my (itching) tunnel, so to speak HEHE. Feel those emotions, let them be, then process what comes up in whichever way you can with yourself or your support system(s). My family, husband, and master empath were instrumental in my processes. Thank you to all of them for this. 

When the date came around for my surgery, I was ready! No more tears or worries, just eagerness. During the procedure, I was awake the whole time. It was strange to be able to talk about what was happening (if I wanted), I was also given the green light to play games on my phone or otherwise distract myself. Although the freezing had some painful pinches to start, it didn’t last long at all. The extraction of the scar tissue sounded like I was getting a haircut with the scissors’ “snip-snips” which I thought was oddly funny. The team was professional and diligently fast at what they had to do. They ensured that I was comfortable for the duration and checked in with me as needed.  It was over before I knew it! Going through this on your own, you can drive yourself home after the surgery, but they do recommend having a support person there for you. I would also recommend this, especially for picking up prescriptions and/or driving you home afterwards. 

The first two days are challenging to adjust to the new movement restrictions and resting. The clinic provides a comprehensive pamphlet on what to expect and what to do/not do on the day of surgery and the day after. There is a lot of information in these sheets and was my go to every time something different happened. Bleeding and spotting post-treatment are normal, yet it still felt worrisome at times. The clinic encourages you to call at any time you have questions or concerns. This was comforting! I followed the instructions closely.

Post-surgery recovery: What impressed me the MOST about this clinic is the post-op wound care! They don’t send you home and say “follow-up in 3 months time”, they have a specific wound care regimen that you are requested to follow for optimal healing. You are to revisit the clinic EVERY DAY for the first week, every 2nd day thereafter, eventually graduating to 2X per week and then weekly until final check and discharge. Let me tell you, if you think that many revisits are a lot, it is not! The peace of mind that I experienced each day, knowing that I was going to get checked out again, was immeasurable. My anxieties were kept at bay. I called when needed. I re-read my pamphlet so many times. Every single penny spent on this private care practice, was MORE THAN WORTH IT, for this exceptional wound care healing process. Of course, for the surgery itself too. 

I would say that making myself REST after treatment was the hardest part. I am a go-go-go type of person which made this part difficult. Although my pamphlet says to resume regular (light) activities as possible, I still wanted to prioritize resting my body. This included resting my mind too. For the first 7 days, I spent 8-12 hrs sleeping with up to 18 hours of resting time in a 24-hour period. I wanted my body to spend all of its energy focused on healing my wound. The other 6 hours were very light standing or slow walking as I could sustain the activity. I did not push the envelope at all! My husband was a sweetheart, & carried every last thing I couldn’t, including a full gallon milk jug (because they are over 8LBS when full :O ), he even took care of the laundry baskets and so much more – Thank you! Additionally, I said prayers and did meditations to promote positive energy where needed. Each clinic visit, they reported that my healing was going very well. Towards the end of the first week, they started to comment at the speed of my healing being quite fast. 

In the following initial weeks of healing, I connected with my master empath again for further energetic and spiritual healing. Only to discover some past-life trauma that I was continuing to carry in my colon area! WOW! Who knew? I sure didn’t. We worked together to heal 2 specific past lives where those timelines were continuing to hold me back in current day. After this session, not only did many things change for me in my daily life, but I believe this impacted my healing wound in profound ways I’m not sure I can fully articulate yet. I also completed my follow-up acupuncture session, which further boosted my energy and spirits. My overall energy feels higher than it has been in a long time. My mind feels free from the stress of a chronic pruritus – YES! My body feels stronger. My mind is happy.

Some other helpful tips that aren’t mentioned elsewhere:

• Pre-clean your home/living area so that you don’t have to live with mess during your recovery. I think that just made things feel better while healing.
• Get a BIG bag of cotton balls; they help keep the area clean and dry (with regular changes). Pretty sure I’ve had a ‘cotton-tail’ for the better part of a month now
• Epsom salt sitz baths are great and recommended, just don’t put too much salt in the water – it will dry out your skin. This causes more itch! NO!
• As mentioned, look into healthy spleen habits because one of the (many) benefits is properly formed stools. This is a must during this type of healing.
• A donut pillow can help, but too much use can limit blood supply to the area, preventing healing, so only use them when needed for pain relief, not all the time. I got heat rash from overuse of mine in a hot car on a (short-haul) road trip. More itch! Only in different spots on my skin. UGH.

This afternoon, I just got home from my 4-week check-up, and nothing but aces. The nurse commented that it doesn’t even look like I had surgery! She had to look hard to find the surgical site or any remaining sign that my skin was still healing – she reported pink and healthy skin! This makes sense as it was explained to me that they completely cut out my problem skin, creating a new wound for my body to heal the area. And heal the site is exactly what is happening! YAY! Only one more visit and then the final anoscope check at the three-month mark from the initial surgery date. Yippee! I am SO HAPPY!

There you have it, my experiences with problematic hemorrhoids, fistula, fissure, and skin tags. I hope that my words will help others who are suffering from these unwanted, uncomfortable, awkward, painful, and irritating conditions. If you are still reading this and want help with your symptoms, please check out N. A. Hemorrhoids Centres. There is a clinic in Calgary and one in Vancouver. Western Canadians are lucky to have these two clinics that you can travel to. Be mindful of the post-op wound care and work with the clinic to plan how long your stay should be while healing. I feel the need to share the photo below, because I am not the only one who thought the need to acknowledge their exceptional work. I snapped it in a way to keep names private. I was in my world during my assessment and surgery; However, in my second week of follow-ups, I finally noticed a shelf that was on display the whole time, which had so many thank you cards from patients! I thought, “how amazing was that!”. Their work stands out enough that multitudes of people showed their gratitude in this way. You just don’t see that much anymore. How cool!

What they can do can change your life!