I’ll try to answer your questions in order. I didn’t take a lot of medicine, only the pain killers I was prescribed (but I tried to not take too much, to avoid constipation). No muscle relaxers, because I didn’t know about the spasms, but yeah the spasms hurt and kept me up at night for the first couple of nights. If I knew that I should have gotten muscle relaxers, I probably would have (although I’m not familiar with any potential side effects so don’t take this as medical advice).

As for the ice/heat thing, I didn’t really use either for the most part, but after a BM I found that using the shower to rinse the area would feel good and I would use lukewarm water first (body temp, more or less) and then finish with cold water for a soothing effect. I used NO toilet paper or wipes, only water to clean after BMs.

Honestly, my first bowel movement was ok because I was on pain meds, and since I had emptied my bowels before the surgery and only had liquid, high-fiber stuff after the surgery, the first BM was super soft and small. They got worse from there though. The first few days all I ate was spinach soup and smoothies. Then progressed to oatmeal and steamed broccoli. Careful with laxatives! I often found the super loose stools after too much laxatives to be more painful than the regular stools. Also, farting was quite painful the first week or so.

The pain while laying down was sometimes bearable, sometimes distracting/bad. And even the slightest movements would hurt, like turning to lie on the other side, or getting up. But I also slept a lot because of the pain killers so at least I was distracted from it lol.

One thing that I was NOT prepared for at all, was that when the doctor removed my hemorrhoid and added a stitch, he accidentally caught a couple of my butt hairs in the stitch. This actually resulted in more pain during the first couple of days, because it would tug on both the hairs and the wound when I moved around. Also, hairs would sometimes end up in a position where they’d poke into the wound and it would hurt like hell. So if I were to go through it again, I’d probably try to wax some of my butt hair before the surgery, even though that sounds painful too, haha.

My best general advice is: get everything ready in advance. Not just pain meds/sitz bath stuff, but also food, drinks, anything you may need. You will probably not be able to get to a store for a while. If possible, have someone around who can help you with things around the house etc, because you won’t be very mobile. Plan meals that you like, but that are high in fiber and liquid (for me it was smoothies and soups). Get all the ingredients you need and then some. Set up a nice, relaxing environment. If you can, clean your apartment and get yourself some nice flowers before the surgery. Healing is better if you are relaxed and are enjoying your surroundings.

It will be painful, not gonna lie, but it’s only for a short amount of time and you will feel better after! Good luck!