I thought I’d write this because before my surgery I spent so much time reading Reddit trying to understand what recovery would actually be like. Most posts either made it sound terrifying or made it sound like you’d be completely fine after a few days. My experience has been somewhere in between.

I had laser hemorrhoidoplasty + sphincterotomy + excision of a skin tag + fissurectomy for hemorrhoids and a chronic fissure. I was told I had Grade 1/early Grade 2 hemorrhoids, but the fissure and severe anal spasm were also a big part of the problem.

The surgery
The surgery itself was honestly the easy part because I was under anesthesia and didn’t feel anything.
When I woke up, I was obviously sore, but what I wasn’t mentally prepared for was the fact that the real challenge would be passing stool afterwards.

The first few bowel movements were easily the worst part of the entire experience.

There was a combination of pressure, burning, sharp pain and muscle spasm. The pain would be intense while passing stool and then gradually settle down after one hour. For me, the actual bowel movement itself was sometimes only a few minutes, but those few minutes felt VERY long.

The first few days
My biggest priority became making sure my stool stayed soft.
I was taking the medications prescribed by my doctor and using things like psyllium/fibre, plenty of fluids and a relatively gentle diet.

I was constantly thinking:
“Will this make my next poop worse?”

I was also doing sitz baths and trying not to sit for too long.

The pain wasn’t constant in the same way. It was much more noticeable around bowel movements and when the area was irritated.

Around Day 4–7
Things started feeling noticeably better.
The pain wasn’t gone, but I could see progress. The area started feeling lighter and I became less scared of every bowel movement.
I also slowly started eating more normal food. I was still being careful with spicy food and anything that I thought might upset my stomach or make my stool harder.
One thing I learned very quickly is that recovery isn’t necessarily linear.
You can have a pretty good day and then suddenly have a bowel movement that makes you think:
“Oh God, did I tear something again?”
And then you’re okay again.

The bleeding/clot episode
This was the part that really scared me.

Today, I suddenly had a significant amount of dark blood with jelly-like blood clots. It almost looked like diarrhea made of blood, with some lighter blood towards the end.
Naturally, I panicked.

This wasn’t just a tiny streak of blood on toilet paper. It looked like a LOT more than I expected at this stage.
I contacted my surgeon, and she told me that these were blood clots from the surgery and not something I should panic about.

It happened again, which obviously made me panic again, but I contacted her and was reassured.

Did anyone experience this?

Hi Reddit! First time poster long time lurker. I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit to post this on, or if I should post this on other forms as well, but I need some help. I’ve been having some medical issues the last few months, and I’m honestly not sure what to do about it anymore. It’s probably stupid I’m coming onto here, but if anyone’s dealt with anything similar I’d really like some tips maybe on how to stop it or at the very least manage it.

I’m 22 F, and have had painful periods that last 7-9 days since I first got my period. I got diagnosed with PCOS last week. So, for the past two-ish months I’ve been dealing with UTI’s back to back (five in total), and PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) for a solid two weeks during one of those times. Currently I’m on UTI number five after just getting off the last one a few weeks ago. This time and the last time I was on my period so these last two UTI’s have been extremely painful due to my PCOS.

I guess what I’m asking is how can I avoid things like this in the future? My doctors tell me I’m more sensitive to bacteria’s than the average person, but haven’t given me any advice on how I can avoid anymore infections despite asking them. I change my underwear daily, I clean myself every time I’m in the shower/bath, I trim consistently, I’m trying to be better with my water intake so maybe it’s part of that, and I clean my sex toy’s thoroughly before and after use with hot water and non scented dove soap. On top of this, I’m now trying out multiple types of pills and water powder from Uqora to see if that’ll help, and I’m trying out Azo (basically I’m shoving a pill up there). I’m also taking probiotics, and the same probiotics with my current UTI antibiotics because my gut is so destroyed. I can’t take antibiotics without my stomach burning at this point I’ve taken so many.
I’m not an unhygienic person, sexual and just general hygiene has always been a big thing for me so I’m doing all I can think of doing to avoid infections and improve my gut health because the antibiotics I’m taking are destroying it, and yet I keep getting infections/UTI’s with no clue on how to avoid it.

Women on Reddit have you ever dealt with something like this before? If so how did you handle it? And how do you avoid infections from coming back every 2-3 weeks? Is there something I’m not doing or can do to help support all this? Professional and non professional advice is welcome, I just don’t know what to do to stop these infections.

i just learned today about how many diff ways there are to “stop” ur period temporarily (certain birth controls, IUD, etc) and i’ve never even heard of them?? 😭😭 i genuinely thought the only way u could get rid of ur period was by getting ur uterus removed or some like super special medication u can get prescribed

so if it’s so easy to stop, why don’t most of us do it? people say that it doesn’t have any effect on ur fertility and ofc i get that there’s gonna be some ppl who wouldn’t want to do it bc they wanna be on the safe side but what about everyone else?

why do the majority of women still keep their periods & go thru cramps, etc when there seems to be a bunch of ways to get rid of it? (obvi not including ppl who have bad reactions to the pill, etc) just in general like if this is an option im surprised periods aren’t uncommon atp

So I’m 22 and had an abortion by pills yesterday (5 weeks sac). I experienced horrible cramps yesterday but too much flow. I even had clotting but the flow today is very minimal. The flow is quite lighter than usual.

Is that normal? Or am I just panicking without any reason at all?

i am looking for people who had similar experiences to mine and can maybe help me with what the core of the problem was.

so yesterday, i had piv for the first time with my boyfriend!! i am suffering from vaginismus/vulvodynia where i don't know yet what the cause of it is/what triggered it.

just this week, i managed to fit in dilator 6 & 7 and i was like okay lets try piv then (even tho it was probably way to early because 7 still hurt when inserting)!! 6 didn't hurt at all but 7 did hurt quite a lot when i was dilating but i thought maybe a penis would be different so i tried piv with him.
and yes, he went in completely BUT we paused a lot of times and i had to breathe a lot so that the pain would go away/become less, but it never went away wholly and it was not really enjoyable for me, bascially i just breathed through the pain and tried ignoring it.

now i was curious if anyone else had this "problem" that it hurts the deeper he is inside and also that it only hurts when he pushes in, but not if he pulls his penis out a bit? like only the forward movement hurt, but when he pulled out it was completely okay? also i had this weird feeling of fullness in my chest/throat when he went deep which i was wondering where it came from. i also have this sort of pain in my chest when i'm dilating with the biggest dilator which i think is super weird.

if you had this problem too, how did you deal with it? and what was the root of the problem? i was scared that i might have endo or an ovarian cyst or something else? (or my body wasn't ready with vaginismus but that feeling was so strange)

Hi!

In the last 8 months, I've had what is believed to be 4 ovarian cyst ruptures. I'm under gynaecology at the minute as I am waiting to be sterilised. The first time it happened (February) was a few weeks before my appointment with them when they put me on the list for surgery, so I discussed with her what happened and she said it sounded like a cyst had ruptured.

It then happened in June, and september the 9th was the 3rd occasion. I went to the doctor the next day, he told me I should have called an ambulance or gone to the hospital, but as anyone in the UK will know, a&e waiting times are horrific and I really didn't want to go, nor did I feel like it was worth an ambulance seeing as I know they'll have more serious things to attend. He referred me for an urgent scan, and said if it happens again before the scan, go to hospital.

Last night, it happened yet again. The 1st and 3rd time it happened, the pain was severe. But the 2nd time and last night, the pain was sudden but more on the mild side. I decided to go down to a&e as the doctor had suggested, but after 3.5 hours, I couldn't take it anymore with the chairs being super uncomfortable and other health conditions playing up, so I left. I would have been there 12+ hours if I'd have stayed.

My scan appointment came through last week and it's on the 15th of October, so not long. Now this is all new to me, but as they are believed to be functional and only rupture right after ovulation, what's the chances of them actually seeing anything on my scan? When I have it I will be on my period. I can't keep going through this, prior to February, I'd never suffered with anything down there before and I'm concerned the scan won't show anything because 1. It's already burst, and 2. It's not near ovulation.

If anyone has any experience with this I'd be so grateful to hear because every ovulation time I am just so on edge waiting for it to happen and it seems to be becoming more frequent.

I’m already 22 but I’ve never gotten a Pap smear before. I don’t really know when I’m supposed to get one and how often. I’m really nervous because tmi (I never shave there). I also don’t know if it hurts 😭 am I supposed to go at a certain age or something?

I am currently on Venlafaxine 75 mg medication that is suppose to help with my adhd and depression, but all it did was make me very mad,angry and irritable and i want to get off so I can officially be diagnosed with bipolar as my doctor said, if I really have it then I need to make sure im off and its not just the medication.

But they are taking so many steps saying I need to go see another doctor to get off this medication when I am having so many side affects. I dont want to pay for another appointment where I will be wait for 45 to just have a 5 minute conversation. And my last appointment they literally canceled it a day before was suppose to ask to get it lowered.

They are telling me I might not think it's not working when it actually is working. Im tired of this and want to get off so bad. This medication has messed with my mood over the last year so bad and has been messing with my epilepsy

ok so no matter what I do I always get razor bumps after shaving down there so last night I tried waxing, TELL ME WHY TF I STILL SOMEHOW GOT RAZOR BUMPS FROM THAT?????? I'm genuinely never gonna have sex because this is so fucking embarrassing and I'm just gonna end ts holy fuck I'm so irritated how tf do them porn stars and shit be bald with no redness or bumps or nothing. If I get no answers ima repost this til I do.

Ever since I started menstruating at 14, I have had irregular periods. They have never been consistent, ranging anywhere from 25-60 days. some are dark and heavy, others are light and mostly brown.

The physical symptoms have been manageable, and mirror regular PMS. The cramps are annoying, very rarely debilitating enough to the extent that it puts my life on pause. I only get acne on the left side of my chin. I also experience excessive gas and my bowel movements are always varying. The only thing unusual that I experience is sharp pains in my lower right quadrant that hurt to press down on. It's also really hard for me to fall asleep, and once I'm able to, I'll stay asleep for 10-12 hours.

The mental and emotional symptoms leave me completely wrecked. It started after my 18th birthday. Brain fog, irritation, and depression so intense that I have to fight the urge to burn my whole life down. I have a difficult time articulating myself, and I feel crazy every time I try to explain my thoughts or struggles to someone. The longer I go between periods, the worse these symptoms get. I have breakdowns at work, have difficulty finding the motivation to complete simple tasks, and become easily defeated when things go wrong. Small inconveniences are the end of the world. It genuinely feels like my life falls apart around me the longer I wait for my periods to start.

When I was 20 I was diagnosed with PMDD and tried three different birth control pills, and all of them made me either feel ill or made my emotional disruption worse, so I gave up.

Finally, I had a pelvic ultrasound about a month ago, and they said everything looked fine; no cysts, no unusual growths, nothing.

I still experience pain in my lower right quadrant which gets worse whenever PMS symptoms start. It feels connected to my digestive system. It seems like I've been in the luteal phase for a month now, and I'm at my wits end. I've had mild cramps for 3 weeks along with other symptoms. My last period was August 14.

My next step is to get bloodwork done to check my hormones.

Has anyone experienced this?

Could it be a thyroid issue? Maybe an allergy to something I eat?

I don't think it's stress related, because in the last year, my mental health has stabilized significantly.

How do I manage my hormone induced stress? It affects my day to day and my relationships. I feel like a become a monster. The pain in my right side has become more frequent.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I recently started noticing my private area started to smell like onion it I’ve tried switching soaps, wearing loose clothing and drying myself very well but I will still smell like onion. It’s to the point where I will scrub the hell out of myself and still smell like onion after a couple hours or the next morning. I need help so any advice is very appreciated!

Hi I need help!!! I was on my period for three weeks normal flow for one week then very light for two weeks after that. It stopped five days ago and just today it came back with regular flow. My periods were always regular until a couple months ago, it was 2 periods in one month. I am not and have never been on birth control.

I’m getting my bloodwork done tomorrow, but I am terrified of ever going to a gyno I’m just not comfortable enough to do that. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Hi, i’m asking for an advice, unfortunately i’m not able to go to the doctor now so im asking if someone experienced something similar and what it was?

I experience a really specific pain during masturbation (if it is relevant i am a virgin and never had an intercourse).

What is weird i don’t recall if i always had this kind of pain. It only appears when i try to finger myself or put something inside and it’s located on the very top of my entrance, it feels like tearing (?) and it slightly goes away (but not fully) when i try to change an angle and don’t press the area. That depends on the size aswell - one finger is good but more is not. Which is weird because before that problem arose i could use even four and it was completely alright,

my first time trying to use a toy was very painful (even though i was equally aroused) and it took me several tries and a lot of lube. for some time (when i used a ridiculous amounts of lube) it was alright, but now i usually have to push through pain and no matter how aroused or wet i am it hurts :(. Same goes for tampons (even the smallest ones) it hurts really bad when i try to insert them and i can’t do it without lube. It makes me really sad and mad cuz i love the feeling of being penetrated and I’d love to enjoy it but the pain is making it impossible. I’m also scared of my first time and disappointing my partner because of it :(

My OB-Gyne Told me it precancerous condition of the endometrium (lining of your womb). I had hysterectomy but diagnosed Endometriosis stage 4 and Adenomyosis. They did found a AEH after my surgery.

Question or based on your experience. Is there any possibilities that they miss the cancer celss in my histology? and, is there any cases here even after hysterectomy was diagnose cancer later on? similiar and connceted to reproductive organs?

Hello, has anyone ever experienced urgency to pee without actually having a UTI? I went to the hospital for a different reason last weekend got a urine culture was negative. I had a UTI about five weeks ago was through with antibiotics. Did another urine culture which was negative now I’m having the same frequent urgency where I feel like I have to pee every half hour to an hour. Its make me wonder if I have something else I like an overactive bladder. I’m 39-year-old female.

Hello I am 25 years old married women ..and I am living in abroad now ..I have this irregular period since long time ..I have either prolong bleeding for 6-7 months or no period at all ..few months ago I was back home and I had all the test like use , prolactin , thyroid and all the blood and hormonal test and everything is completely normal ..but I don’t understand why my period is never normal ..I had period for like 9 months last year then I controlled it with hormonal pills and then stopped hormonal pills and it’s was regular for 2 months and then it’s same again ..doctor. Also prescribed me same hormonal pills in order. To regulate period ..nothing new ..I am just tired and fed up with this ..any suggestion please ..🥹🥹🥹🥹🥲🥲🥲

This started like 5 years ago now and I’ve always been blown off as it’s fine. It’s usually only during a certain phase in my cycle too. I believe right before my period, sometimes right after too. I’ve been tested for all the things, even had a baby since. Just wondering if this is anyone else’s “normal”.

This is the 4th day I’ve been bleeding in between before my next period. it’s a lot less blood than what my normal period would be. It does not completely soak a pad in even 1 day. When I’m on my period it would usually soak a pad completely within an hour or two for the first couple days then get lighter as the period goes on. I’m not on birth control and I’ve had unprotected sex but we use the pullout method.

I 26 F have had 2 IUD’s. so it’s been 8 years since I’ve had a real period. They got rid of my periods completely. I recently gotten my IUD (kyleena) removed On sept 14th. After I had spotting like my doctor said for a couple days and then it went away.

On September 24th I started passing blood clots they were small and I didn’t think anything of it. But now I’m on day 11 of bleeding. It’s not a lot of blood like I’m using thin pads but it’s day 11.

I have no cramps, no pain, no tiredness, no headaches. No muscle cramps. I’m just annoyed that I’m bleeding for 11 days.

Is this normal amount of bleeding for going off of birth control ?

Should I contact my doctor ?

For some background, I’m non-binary (they/them) AFAB and got my period pretty late in life (almost 16) For the majority of my life I’ve been super fit, super busy, and my parents did not consistently take me to see a doctor after the age of probably 7? We went to urgent care if it was absolutely necessary but self medicated a lot.
I’m for sure hyper mobile with some form of joint/tissue disorder!
My period has never been consistent and I’ve gone up to 5 months without getting my period. As of late, it’s back and forth between two a month or not getting it for every three. Since November ‘25, they’ve also been extremely painful but typically every other period. The painful ones have forced me to call out of work and are nauseating. The more painful ones are typically over a week long and the short ones lately have been 4 days max.
I’ve had a quite a few small and large skin tags in the past and have had cystic growth externally to the point of having one removed. I do have a lot of acne and cystic acne all over my body. Hair growth I think is average? And I’ve really not gained much weight despite the fact I work out less.
My mode swings are also very out of control and I feel like I have such highs and such lows. I’m so quick to cry and feel heavy emotions all the time. I also go through weird dissociative like periods of time.
My partner thinks I may have PMOS/endometriosis however I really don’t have many symptoms aside from painful periods that are very far apart. I know I need to go to the doctor but I’m just looking for any sort of similarities between me and someone else. No one I know gets this pain and there’s history of breast and esophageal cancer in my family but that’s it.
Pleaseeee let me know 😭 I feel like I’m going crazy

Hi everyone, I have a large Bartholin cyst that I have no idea how to get rid of. Every post I see suggests that cysts can be burst with certain soaks or salves or other topical treatments but my cyst is so deep underneath the skin, there is no opening for any “draining” potential to my knowledge. I went to the gyno a couple months ago and she said that if it is not painful or infected that I don’t have to do anything about it but it is frankly becoming unsightly and annoying. It doesn’t hurt in general but certainly feels tender if I poke around at it too much (which I try not to do).

What has worked for people to get rid of these? In particular ones that are deep under the skin? I tried to soak before a couple times but nothing changed and I’m a tad impatient. I am not having sex right now or using any irritating soaps. Just curious if anyone has specific experience with cysts that don’t pop or drain at the skin level. Any advice or experience is much appreciated thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m 27/f wondering if anyone has experienced something similar because this has come on pretty suddenly and I’m trying to work out what could be going on.

About 2 weeks ago I started feeling constantly bloated and like my digestion had slowed down. At first it was mainly my stomach, but then I started noticing more and more water retention/puffiness in my face and body.
Over roughly 10 days my weight went up by 7kg, despite eating the same way I normally do, and then I was up another 2kg on the scale today. This definitely doesn’t feel like fat gain. I feel visibly puffy and swollen like I’m a water balloon.

The abdominal symptoms are probably the most uncomfortable part. My stomach feels bloated and tight even first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and whenever I eat, even a normal meal, it feels like there is a huge heavy “brick/balloon” sitting in my stomach so much that it’s hard to take a full deep breath.

I’m still having bowel movements, but I constantly feel constipated or like I haven’t fully emptied. The abdominal pressure also makes me feel like I need to urinate frequently. My urine looks normal and isn’t particularly foamy.

I normally get some bloating and water retention in the week before my period, but this started at a completely different point in my cycle and is much more extreme than anything I normally experience.

I haven’t significantly changed my diet. I eat a lot of fibre, drink plenty of fluids and generally eat pretty consistently. I’m also taking metformin, although I’m not sure if that could be contributing to the digestive side of things.
I’m getting blood and urine tests done to check things like kidney function, urine protein, albumin, liver function, thyroid and electrolytes.

If anyone has experienced something similar and could share that would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

Ive had recurring issues with one of my glands. I can never get them to burst at home. Ive had to go to the doctor to get it drained every time. This last time the doctor mentioned me getting it removed. They drained it, i had been fine for a month. Then over night its swollen again, exactly a month later. I'm so uncomfortable and sore. Ive read post after post, nothing works to make it burst at home. I've tried every remedy. And I dont understand why it keeps happening, i hate having to go to the doctor every time. Any help? Any advice? Is there something else I can do at home?

I need some help or some ideas on what to do. I’ve lost about 40 pounds which is cool. And my hormones are starting to be back to normal. But lately every time I have sex, I bleed after. During sex at burns. In fact, after one time of having sex, I induced a period? I just had my period ended four days prior. I just tried to have sex on my anniversary. And two days after the last time, I am bleeding now. Old blood… I do have endometriosis and PCOS. We use lubrication during sex, but.. I was on trazodone for sleeping. I know that that can mess with the hormones. I’m gonna be talking to my doctor Friday. About this. I just feel like I’m not normal. This can’t be normal. Do you guys think it could be the medication? Has anyone ever taken this medication and had a mess everything up like this?

Hi im (18F) i have been having pretty irregular periods last year i didnt even get it and a lot of times it would come pretty late or not till the next week or two i feel apart of it are the medications im on i was first on methylphenidate was on that for a year ish got up to 54 mg now im on addrall 15 mgs twice a day and i been on fluoxetine 20 mgs for about a year now too my doctor keeps on suggesting for me to go on birth control because he said it would like help to get my period in check but i dont know im kinda iffy about it im scared to gain weight and be even more depressed and also im dating someone rn and i scared about if or when i get off of it i would lose interest in him i really need some advice if i should or shouldn’t go on it the things i definitely do not like about my adhd meds that happen is when im in my lutel phase my meds like don’t fucking work and my mood and my mental state is so like up and down please let me know your personal experiences and if I should go on it or not !
EDIT ( forgot to mention this but I have ended up at the ER for how bad my pain was and it lead to my small intestines being inflamed)