Hemorrhoid surgery is known as hemorrhoidectomy. That’s quite a mouthful. It’s surgery done to remove hemorrhoids to ensure that the patient has enduring relief. This surgical procedure is done for less than one percent of hemorrhoid cases. Only for the most rare and stubborn hemorrhoids should you consider surgery.
For the majority of people, hemorrhoids are a transient condition that goes away with time. All you’ll need to do is clean up your diet, consume more fiber and water, practice good hygiene and engage in regular exercise. Almost all sufferers will be able to avoid hemorrhoids just by making these necessary changes.
However, there is always the rare minority who has chronic hemorrhoids. Despite their best efforts and what they do, the hemorrhoids are persistent and cause distress. In cases like these, your doctor may recommend surgery to alleviate your suffering and put an end to the problem.
The surgery itself is not complex or life-threatening. There is no need to be overly worried. Hemorrhoid surgery is NOT open heart surgery. The procedure is minimally invasive and will be performed under local anesthesia. It may be done in the surgeon’s office as an outpatient surgery.
Though the process is pretty simple and straightforward without much risk, you can still expect it to be a little unpleasant and painful. This is surgery after all and there will be some aftercare and a short recovery period. This is par for the course with all surgeries. The good news is that the consequences are less severe with hemorrhoid surgery due to the less invasive techniques employed.
Hemorrhoid surgery works by cutting off blood supply to the hemorrhoids. By preventing blood from reaching the hemorrhoids, the hemorrhoids will wither and die off naturally. One way of doing this will be to use a procedure known as rubber band ligation (RBL).
In this procedure, the doctor will place a tight band around the hemorrhoid so that blood cannot flow to it. This method strangulates the blood flow to the hemorrhoids. It can be a painful and uncomfortable procedure. You may choose to opt for stapling which works in a similar manner to cut off blood flow but is less painful than RBL.
There are other methods that are used too. Your doctor may discuss the different options available and guide you on which is the best option for you. Other procedures are:
• Laser coagulation / heat coagulation – With these methods, a clot is formed in the blood vessel that block blood from reaching the hemorrhoids. Once again, the goal is to starve the hemorrhoids of blood.
• Sclerotherapy – The hemorrhoids are injected with a hardening solution that will make cause them to dry out, shrivel and fall out within a short period of time.
Surgery is also used to remove hemorrhoids that are large or severe. Oftentimes, the hemorrhoids are prolapsed, internal hemorrhoids. As with all surgeries, there are the usual risks and post-operative care that can be expected. Surgery for these hemorrhoids will be done by making surgical incisions at the base of the hemorrhoids and then excising them completely.
You can expect recovery time to last anywhere from 3 weeks to a month. It will be normal to have some bleeding and you will be prescribed a course of antibiotics to prevent infection. You may use ice packs to numb the pain and discomfort.
The hard truth is that surgery is painful and it will take time to recover. However, the chances of the hemorrhoids recurring are much lower. Despite this, very rarely is surgery used to treat hemorrhoids because it is usually more painful than the hemorrhoids. It should only be used as a last resort for the most severe and chronic cases.
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