Frequently Asked Questions in proctology

A

Appointment

All patients who have undergone surgery with us can come by without an appointment in the first 2 weeks after an operation if they have acute symptoms when the practice is open. Sometimes with some waiting time. If you have any organizational questions regarding the allocation or postponement of appointments for operations, please email us at op@copv.berlin.

 

Aspirin (ASS)

The blood thinner ASA (acetylsalicylic acid), also known as Aspirin®, should be discontinued 8 days before an operation if possible. In some patients this is not possible (heart attack, heart stent, stroke), so that surgery can also be performed with ASA, albeit with a slightly increased risk of bruising after the operation.

 

B

Bathing

A full bath can be taken from the 2nd postoperative day. Open wounds on the anus or coccyx should be swabbed twice a day with clear tap water for 10 days. There is no risk of infection. Then bandage dry.

 

Botox

Botox is a neurotoxin that is increasingly being used in medicine to treat muscle tension. In the case of anal fissures, it leads to muscle relaxation of the inner firing muscle and thus to improved blood circulation. This leads to faster and often more effective wound healing. The effect wears off after approx. 6 months and does not need to be repeated as the wound has already healed.

 

Bowel movement

Don't be afraid of your first bowel movement. The stool must be soft. If you have problems on the first day after the operation, be sure to take a mild laxative. If necessary, eat only light food 1 day before the operation. After a bowel movement, the wound must be rinsed with tap water for 2 minutes.

 

E

Exposure

After operations with open wounds, no sporting activity should be carried out for the first 2 weeks, as this can lead to injury to the wound with subsequent bleeding and wound healing disorders. This applies in particular to cycling and rowing.

 

F

Food

You must fast for 6 hours before the operation under general anesthesia, which means no food intake, no smoking and no coffee with milk, for example. For outpatient operations, you may drink still water or tea without milk up to 2 hours before the anesthetic.

After the operation, you should eat a light diet on the day of the operation and avoid flatulent foods such as bean or lentil dishes for the next few days. 

 

G

Getting up

On the day of the operation, you may stand up 1 hour after the operation and move around normally. At the beginning, always pay attention to your circulation, which may still be somewhat unstable due to the anesthesia. 

 

I

Incapacity to work

Depending on the operation, anus surgery can be very painful. You should always expect to be off work for 7-10 days. 

 

O

Operation day

Please come to the hospital or our practice on the day of the operation on an empty stomach. Blood-thinning medication must be discontinued for 1-3 days beforehand, depending on the active ingredient. Please wear comfortable clothing for outpatient procedures and remember to bring someone with you to collect you from the surgery.

 

Outpatient surgery

Outpatient surgery means that you come directly to the operation and go home again on the same day. You spend the nights at home in a safe environment. However, one requirement is

That you are picked up by a trusted person after the operation and that someone must also be with you for the first 24 hours after an operation to be able to call for help if problems arise.

On the day of the operation, you will arrive at our practice in Berlin-Lankwitz 30 minutes before the operation and can leave the practice 1 hour after the operation accompanied by someone else. 

 

O

Pain

Unfortunately, pain is also part of surgery, but there are differences. To ensure that you develop as little pain as possible, you will be given medication during the operation and all patients are given local infiltration analgesia so that you remain as pain-free as possible. Please be sure to take the painkillers administered during the first 3 days. Severe pain often only occurs after 2 days. Pain often persists for a total of 7-10 days, after which there is usually a significant improvement.

 

S

Smoking

The less you smoke before a procedure, the better the wound healing. You must not smoke for 6 hours before a general anesthetic. Every day that you do not smoke after an operation promotes microcirculation in the wound and thus wound healing. Please remember this.

 

Sport

Wounds in the anus area are very sensitive in the first few days and may be painful as well as bleeding. We do not recommend any sporting activities for the first 14 days. After that, sports that put a strain on the buttocks such as cycling, riding or rowing should be avoided for a further 2 weeks. Running, weight training or swimming can be done after 2 weeks without any problems.

 

Swimming

You can go swimming with open wounds without any problems. This does not interfere with wound healing, but salt water can cause burning pain. For reasons of hygiene, you should only enter public baths or saunas once the wound has healed.

 

W

Wound healing

Most operations on the anus result in an open wound, which usually heals without any problems. However, this can vary considerably depending on the size. You should expect 6-8 weeks. The wound will release some wound fluid, which is often yellowish and slimy. This is fibrin, the body's own wound adhesive, which is not to be confused with pus and is part of the open wound healing process. It is important to be patient and wait. 

 

Wound care

In principle, all open wounds in the anal area should be rinsed with clear tap water without additives twice a day for 1-2 weeks and for 2 minutes after each bowel movement. This reduces the number of germs. Afterwards, only a compress needs to be applied, possibly with some wound ointment such as panthenol. 

 

For a better demonstration of wound care, there is a very good video on You Tube. 

 

You are welcome to book an appointment with our doctors online. 

Wir freuen uns.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT NOW