Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

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Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby BackDoorSally » 16 Sep 2011, 12:06

My mother had a hem-ectory, at age 32, which was excrutiating for her. She's in her 60s today and said she never had a problem since then. Im a 29 Female and had an elected SKIN TAG removal yesterday morning under General Anesthesia. A couple years ago I had a fissure/tiny hem cauterized at the docs office (not enjoyable but endurable), and changed my diet. Raw foods was the key. If at least one of my meals every day is made of raw veggies (salads) and I'm eating yogurt, I'm fine. But if I eat steak and mac and cheese, pasteries and naughty stuff low and behold the blood returns. Its not rocket science. Since then I developed a "moderately sized" tag, which would get a little irritated and sore. COSMETICALLY I deplored it (gosh I love speaking about it in the past tense now!), and I would almost daily examine it, so it became an all around nusance and secret obsession. My doc said it was harmless and didnt require removal, let alone going under GA. But I insisted both. Last summer I had a kitchen accident resulting in three stitches in the webbing part between my index finger and middle finger. That shot of lidocain was excrutiating, I screamed like a banchee, and the thought of any injection/stitching in my rectal area made me squimish. Even though I can get a flu shot without blinking, had a genital piercing in my younger days, this I guaged beyond my pain threshold. The night before surgery was psychologically a journey in it's self. I hardly slept a wink, and read all these posts of horror stories which made me very anxious. Before op the doc reminded me recovery was very painful, it was hard weighing in whether I was doing the right thing. But I overheard a cancer patient talking to his nurses about his next surgery, and a wholesome yuppy woman getting a bladder sling bc of a rough pregnancy that broke her pelvis, which gave me perspective to suck in my nerves for my comparatively minor procedure. My doc was informative but in his tone he was almost bored by what was about to happen. I overheard him say to the anesthesiologist, "she's just got a tag, normally i do this kind of stuff in my office but shes anxious about the shot" Darnstraight I am! Not to mention the stitches. Once I was in the operating theatre ready to go, I was HIGHLY tense while all the docs and nurses were sharing inside jokes and morning updates like an episode of Grey's Anatomy, but a little dose of medicine relaxed me immediately. I woke up feeling fine, and became alert quickly because I had light anesthesia. They offered me juice which I accepted and a muffin?!?! which I declined thinking I have no intention of passing carbs through my backdoor while there are stitches. I am equiped with vicodin, a sitz bath and lidocain cream for the area. I got home and was dopey the whole day and felt nothing, but as Ive read, its day 2,3,4 and 5 that can be problematic. This morning (24 hrs after surgery) my husband REMOVED THE GAUZE (what a trouper) and took a peek, I wouldnt let him spread my cheeks too wide in fear it would hurt or tug at the stitches, so he could hardly see anything. There was a lot of blood on the gauze, but I wasn't bleeding per se (I envisioned messiness, but it was tidy). Together we spent 10 minutes jimmyrigging the sitz bath. I did that just fine. Im always sitting on my hip/haunch, not direct down. I feel a slight brusing feeling near the left side my tailbone, subtle but odd. And I havent consumed ANYTHING but GATORADE, because my painkillers make you constipated. Why should I put anything solid through my colon for several days if I know a BM will be painful? I drank 1,000 calories in Gatorade yesterday and maybe will have some broth tonight. I read about someone eating Granola on day 3, which sounds like a bad choice for a first food. I'm terrified of BMs, and want to avoid one at all costs for at least 3 or 4 days. Maybe 5 days. 5 day juice fasts are very healthy. No where have I read you HAVE to have a BM within a certain time frame. Seems like a good plan to urinate the calories. I'm def going to try doing a BM in a sitz bath while the hour of truth arrives, as so many people here said positive things about it alleiviating the pain. The other worry is that once this is all done, I'll get more tags. I don't know, seems like a gamble. But I rather try for none and fail, than letting this bother me forever. Interestingly, my husband never cared one way or the other about the cosmetic issue of it. He wants me to be happy and healthy, which are the values I would want in any sexual partner (husband bf or friends with benefits). So even if another grows back, his support is reassuring. Its only DAY TWO so I'm lacking any wisdom just yet on the recovery side of things. So far the hardest part was the night before surgery, and the anticipation and self doubt about deciding to embark on this. Knowing its done feels PRETTY GREAT. Now I want to put off the BM as long as possible. I can take 2 vicodin every six hours but ive only needed 1 every 8 hrs. Hopefully after day three I can start taking half-pills. Has anyone done the strategy of only consuming caloric liquids while healing? If so I wonder how that first BM went considering you've given it many days to heal? And if I do put any solids in me it will be smoothies or yogurt.
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby val » 16 Sep 2011, 13:54

The anaesthesia you were given, and all those pain meds are going to constipate you. The longer you go without a bm, the harder it will be, as it dries out inside you.
My advice would be to still drink a great deal, but get some kind of stool softener into you very quickly. Try miralax/movicol or milk of magnesia.
And just stick to softish foods for a while.
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby Guest » 16 Sep 2011, 14:21

I second Val. I had a skin tag removed with my LIS, had a bm the next day. It wasn't painful. You don't want to avoid bm's to heal. As Val said the pain meds will constipate you and the longer any stool sets in your colon, the harder it will be.
I say soft foods with a fair amount of fiber and Miralax- as Val said...
Good luck!
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(Day 4) the Booty and the Beast

Postby BackDoorSally » 18 Sep 2011, 12:14

Thanks for your advices! I did restrict solids and emptied myself out before the surgery so I wouldn't have any stool to begin with. But in the event some tiny morsels do exist I took some benefiber and some miralax in stages with my gatorade yesterday (on Day 3). On day 2 I also had a healthy helping of prune juice. Day 3 also had chicken broth that this time included some tiny soft carrot bits. And made fresh carrot/applejuice with my juicer which was nicely filling. Walked around outside for fresh air, felt very functional. But by the evening I was whiney and grumpy because I was hungry, and it didn't help that my husband watched a marathon of Diners Drive Ins and Dives followed by Man vs Food nation. I got a really bad headache that evening, even though I'd been consuming water/gatorade like crazy. Now it's Day 4, almost 2pm, and I havent had a single vicodin all day. There's no more leakage/blood, so I don't have to wear liners anymore (there wasn't a lot to begin with, but I reckon this may change after a BM). I have no tightness or pressure in my bowels as there's nothing really in there except prune/carrot bits. Still haven't had a BM, but decided I need to start consuming more heartily. After a nice walk outside, I made a big smoothie of strawberries, cantalope, watermellon, with some benefiber mixed in. Been taking lots of epsom salts baths (now in the tub, as the sitz one has become uncomfortable for 15-20min soaks). Still feeling cowardly about the 1st BM. I may brave yogurt tmw (Day 5), is there any reason to avoid dairy? Thank you again for all advice and tales of experience.
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby Guest » 18 Sep 2011, 20:30

Hey BDS,
I got my fingers crossed for you and am really interested to know how your 1st bm goes. I took vicodin for two days after my LIS and skin tag removal and from that short period of time could tell that my bm's were firmer than they normally were.
I would be scared out of my mind if I hadn't had a bm in four days after this type of surgery. I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to prolong a bm after surgery.
I haven't heard of anyone on here having any problems with yogurt :) Eat some veggies and fruits. Pea soups, beans, etc... I promise it will all come out fine, but avoiding and prolonging bm's can be a real problem and isn't necessary. The key to healing is soft, well formed bm's!!
Good luck!!
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby BackDoorSally » 20 Sep 2011, 20:48

I hit 'send' button, did I lose my reply?
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby BackDoorSally » 21 Sep 2011, 19:33

So day 4. I wound up eating pea soup, Dawn!!! Put our Hurricane Irene 'survival' stash to good use. And a smoothie with some miralax. That night i felt the rumblings of a BM, got so antsy, ran around the house announcing this to my husband and dog, then lit some candles in the bathroom to set the mood (i don't know WHAT rationale I had going on here, it just seemed ceremoniously appropriate). I put some lidocaine ointment on, feeling the course stitches (that actually look so much smaller than they feel) and braced myself holding the towel bar for the moment of truth, and then... the sensation stopped entirely and I lost the need to go. I waited a good while but didnt want to strain or force it so I cleared away my props and returned to the sofa feeling dejected. I stayed up to 3am expecting the feeling to return, but it didnt. Day 5. I woke up, now the Monday after my Thurs surgery. And hoped really hard for something. I upgraded to heartier soups and yogurts. I was so hungry. I would go the entire day with not so much as a rumble. I started to feel itching (the begining sign of real healing) Day 6. At noon I felt the urge, like an old familiar friend. I rushed to the bathroom, scrapped the highfalutin candles, got some lidocaine ointment on and braced myself in my best position...ready for IT. After my bowels tightened I realized I was at the point of no return, clutched the towel rack, and heard plop...plop...plop. Music to my ears! AND I felt NOTHING. I wouldnt have known anything happened if it werent for the soundeffects. I beamed with the biggest smile. Showered. Ran out. My husband and I did a celebratory jig. Then later that night I had THREE more BMs, all perfectly soft and painless. Found it easiest to shower in between. The last BM I didnt even use the ointment. By bedtime I was a little sore from all the action, but only slightly. I couldnt wait to share my victory, but once I typed it out I hit 'post' instead of 'send' which deleted my story, then I did the same mistake again. So hopefully third times the charm! The swelling has gone down so now I'm very aware of the stitches, they poke a little (more tickly than prickly). So I'm looking forward to those being gone. It looks great down there (I wish I had the courage to look right after surgery to compare, but i guess its the end product that matters). I'm so happy to be able to share the tale, and to have this resource of so many others who care about bums! Later that night I had some fried chicken for dinner (like the pooping mood candles, a totally misguided fancy). My stomach had been on a smoothie and broth cleanse so it responded to the chicken unfavorably. I'm still taking a little miralax sporatically throughout the day (actually ive been using the duane reade knock of brand and saved 50%). When a miralax commerical came on TV my husband called me over "hey honey look!", so I guess I need to get my groove back on things of which I remind him. Im SO happy with the results so far, and will keep fingers crossed the tag doesnt return in multiples. Tmw marks one week from my surgery, and I'm so glad that, like my deriere, it's behind me.
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Re: Skin Tag Removal Surgery (Day 2)

Postby Guest » 21 Sep 2011, 20:17

Oh wow!! Unbelievable 6 days without a bm and you're ok!! Image
I've been waiting for your update. I was thinking you were going to come back and say you gave birth to a basket ball Image
That's funny about the candles! But hey whatever creates a relaxing atmosphere, Lol. I took my husband with me and he was my labor coach. :oops: I went the day after my surgery. I honestly couldn't believe it didn't hurt.
Miralax is definitely a life-saver! I have no doubt things wouldn't have turned out too well for you without it!
I imagine fried chicken was a little to greasy on your tummy after the fasting,Lol.
Just be sure to keep up your good fiber diet and the Miralax. You may have been a little backed up after so long without going, although you really didn't eat much so it's hard to say., but the bm's should do nothing but get better! If you took those turds after 6 days then I'm sure you can handle a poop everyday without a problem. Image
Sounds like you are doing great though! You made it through the first week! :) The second week was the golden week for me and has the popular vote for most on here as showing a huge improvement Image. I could definitely feel a difference in the swelling and bruised feeling around then.
Take care and congrats on getting your life back!
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