Let's Talk About...

...hemorrhoids. Another down and dirty post on postpartum!

WARNING: This post is way TMI and probably more than you ever wanted to know about my butt and my bowel movements. I feel it's important to share this info for those that experience the same thing. You've been warn so read on at your own risk.

As I've mentioned on here and on Twitter, my butt has been KILLING me since I had AR. The first week, it really wasn't that bad. I had my first bowel movement and it wasn't that bad but it wasn't that comfortable either. I decided the second week after birth, I'd take a stool softener. Turns out, I probably didn't need it because it gave me total diarrhea. I figured okay this is normal and decided to just let it be.

Last week, things took a turn though...I would go to the bathroom and a little would come out and then a LARGE movement. Then my butt ached. The only way to describe it is the exact same way I felt when I was fully dialated and ready to push with AR. It wasn't painful or burning but achey. This was last Wednesday and Matt was working at the fair. I put AR to sleep at 7 and laid down to do the same but I couldn't. All I could feel was this pressure and ache and it was awful. I seriously text Matt like every 20 minutes telling him how awful it was. He texted back that he'd kiss my butt for me when he got home :) I tried witch hazel pads which did nothing. Thursday night I had Matt look, one of those things that neither of us ever pictured doing or asking when we got married, and he didn't see anything hanging out, just my stitches and a "normal" butt.

On Saturday, I sat on a small ice pack which really seemed to help. After it lost it's coolness, I took a break then sat on a big ice pack, like one you use for you back. Within about 5 minutes, I was shivering and told Matt I needed to go lay down. The whole night and next day, I had the shakes and felt awful! I think I just lowered my body temp too fast.

Sunday I took a Ducolax, which is a stool softener, and had a movement on Monday morning. It definitely came out much easier but still a little pain. I didn't take another one on Monday because I prefer NOT to take med if I don't have too and I didn't know if it was something you were supposed to take every day. Then came Tuesday morning...

I really wanted to take AR on a walk in her stroller because it was cool and not humid yet but I felt like I had to go. Right before we left, I had the urge and took her in her bouncer to the bathroom and sat down to go. A little came out fine but then the big movement was coming and I stopped. I went to wipe and oh, my husband used all the toilet paper and didn't replace it so I had to waddle to the other one to get a new roll.

We went on our walk and I felt like I still had to go but not too bad. A little before 10ish, I think, she woke up fussy. I changed her diaper and then felt the urge. I put her in her crib and went to the bathroom. It was HORRIBLE! I was trying to go without straining then she started SCREAMING so I couldn't relax. I won't even go into the details but I was in tears as I went to get her without having gone. When I wiped though, there was blood and not menstrual blood, this had been there since it started last Wednesday.

I picked her up and crawled into my chair giving her a pacifier. Then I called Matt in tears. We were both slightly irritated with each other that morning so I was apologizing before I said anything about bothering him at work. He was calm with me, told me to call the doc and reassured me it would be okay.

I called the nurse at my OB's office. She definitely thinks it's a hemmorroid INSIDE my butt. She called in a prescription for the ache which has an applicator to put inside (let me tell you how thrilled I am about that-not!), told me to take Miralax until I passed the hard BM and then start taking the Ducolax twice a day religiously until I got back to normal. I did use the word "turd" with her but I apologized before I used it saying I didn't know the medial term and that's the only way I knew to describe it. I also told her the pain/ache made me feel like I might be giving birth to another child. When I called Matt at lunch to let him know what the nurse said, I started telling him and AR started smiling. Glad she thinks this is funny!

Side note: Tuesday AR and I ventured out. We went to the bank drive-through to deposit a check and then went to Walgreens to pick up my prescriptions. I'd called ahead and asked for a big favor. The Miralax is OTC. I told them I had a newborn and asked if there was anyway possible I could get that and my 'scripts at the drive through so I didn't have to go in with her. They glady did it, no questions asked-THANK YOU WALGREENS!!!

Another side note: I have prescription prenatal vitamins from when I was doing fertility treatments at WU. The Monday before AR was born, I ran out and had no refills left. I didn't want to switch to OTC so my OB called in a 'script for me. Now I'm out of that and I got a refill. When I picked it up, I realized I have no more refills. Seriously, people? It's VITAMINS not the pain med 'script you gave me when I had her (which I have YET to fill). AR's doc told me to keep taking them as long as I'm BFing so give me a year refill or something, it's not like you can abuse vitamins!!!
I'd tried everything on my own first before calling...fiber bars, drinking lots of water, apple juice, apples, walking, etc...Mainly because I didn't want to admit it was a hemmorroid and I didn't want to deal with having more uncomfortable pain in that area. Good news though, hopefully relief is on it's way!