It has taken me a couple of weeks to prepare this highly scientific post about piles banding (haemorrhoid ligation, for those who prefer to use proper terms) because I wasn’t quite sure how to approach it.
Thank you for sharing! Having been through something very similar last year (I had a giant skin tag that my consultant looked at and said ‘well that needs no introduction as to what it is!!!!’) - I had it removed and then felt so sick from the general and couldn’t go to the toilet still after 3 days (worst thing I could have done was order a jacket potato with beans for my post up meal - I was full to the brim with fibre!) I had to go back in for an enema - which my husband witnessed !! Oh well my skin tag or bum chum as I affectionately named it is now no more. Even though I had a general I was told that I’d be fine to go back to work the next day! Seriously ?! I ended up having to take a week off sick and sat on a memory foam donut for the week!!
“ Bet Model Recommends ™️never gets piles or anything.”
I’m just glad I’m not the only one
Plus I was v close to banding (nearly also had them stapled -like a teachers display board) but they said they were insignificant -ruddddeee
Also
Just drive from Dorset and nearly took us out on a roundabout in Basingstoke (great obituary there) but I’ve sat back in the car now actually inappropriately laughing my head off.
I would imagine it’s something people could fight for, and publicize, and put pressure on local councillors, etc. my suggestion would be to get a journalist involved, maybe from the Guardian? You’re pretty well known, maybe you have some professional contacts? The point is that every procedure you mention is a common one, and folks should start fighting for more humane treatment. I would also be curious to know if men get sedation!
Truly a public service announcement - thank you Ruth!! I’ve had every ‘scopy’ going over the last three years ….. but not this….. goodness, that sounds positively barbaric …… bet the consultant wouldn’t have it with just paracetamol as pain relief afterwards! Hope you are on the mend ❤️🩹
As a Brit who has lived in the US for a long time, I was horrified by your description of procedures done without any kind of sedation or IV pain relief. Over here, ALL of these would have been preceded by IV sedation and painkillers: colonoscopy, internal ultrasounds, anything like that. It’s the norm, you don’t even have to ask! My last colonoscopy was hilarious, I giggled all the way through with awake sedation.
I had no idea the NHS was so barbaric in this regard, I am so sorry. My mother had a similar procedure many years ago when I was a child and I recall her being in intense pain. It’s awful, and people need to start demanding sedation. I’m sure your candor has helped an awful lot of people.
I would imagine it’s something people could fight for, and publicize, and put pressure on local councillors, etc. my suggestion would be to get a journalist involved, maybe from the Guardian? You’re pretty well known, maybe you have some professional contacts? The point is that every procedure you mention is a common one, and folks should start fighting for more humane treatment. I would also be curious to know if men get sedation!
I, Too, Really want to THANK YOU for cheering me Up, this evening, Ruth - You’re A Legend !! (Kids starting to drive me a bit Mental, right about now ) You’re Right : Supersexy NHS ‘easy access’ Shorts - but Your POOR Bum 🥹 😩! I Hope it’s now Fully recovered. The first cycle of IVF I did, 12 years ago now (Crikey) they didn’t give me enough sedation and it was Awful… not even ‘conventional pain’ as such, but the Weirdest Visceral sensation of the aspirator collecting eggs from my ovaries… And then, only last week - at the FIFTH Attempt to get my smear test done, One of the nurses had to actually Hold me down …!?! I’d even had 2 pre-emptive codeine pills AND a syringe of anaesthetic gel - still extremely Painful and uncomfortable 😣
Omg we are pile twins!!! The only one that bothers me has been described by my gp as a skin tag too, he tells me it can’t be bothering me, as it’s basically a dead pile, now skin tag. Oh really so explain then dear doctor why every single time i get an upset stomach, which is anytime im put on any antibiotics, the damn thing swells up to what feels like orange proportions, and hurts like hell!!!
So thank you so much for writing so candidly about your experience, knowing I have some internal ones that don’t bother me at all, I now know not to ask for pile removal surgery, as the only one that gets to me is the external “skin tag,” so it’s sounds like I too would have gone through hell and back for nothing, without you writing this., so thank you for literally saving my arse!!!
So grateful for you sharing this as a public service but also so angry that you’ve dealt with so many procedures with no sedation and little to no pain relief!
It must be for you to have experienced it so much! I’m in the States and they tend to be much more liberal with at least sedation- but of course you’re likely paying dearly for it! All I can say is that I’ve always had colonoscopies (many) under sedation here and will be soon having a LEEP in the other nether region under sedation.
I suppose I really wish your pamphlets had been much more accurate in reflecting the pain risks (and success rate!) so you could’ve avoided the whole ordeal! I can’t imagine the pain you dealt with. But seriously, as someone who has briefly considered what could be done about piles, I REALLY appreciate the public service you’ve provided here. You’re oversharing at all, in my book!
This is a public service blog post of the highest order. Thank you. It sounds HORRENDOUS. I am angry for you that the NHS thinks that leaflet is acceptable. But also horrified they let you go home in that state and that level of pain.
Ruth Crilly, never stop oversharing! I’ve been travelling for 16hrs with three kids, I’m knackered and I’m working tomorrow, this was exactly what my day needed!
Thank you for writing this Ruth. I keep considering getting this done as pregnancy did a number on my bottom! But I think it’ll give it a swerve. I had a c section and they barely gave me paracetamol and I kept fainting from the pain. When I got home my GP immediately prescribed me some strong opioids which took the edge off! There’s no way I’m going to get this done after hearing your story. I think I have a similar pain threshold and I’d really rather just suffer and continue using numbing cream! 😂
oh god nooooo!!! After after after! 😂 Christ no! The nhs isn’t that bad hahaha! But yeah I was given two paracetamol and they wanted me up the moment I could feel my legs.
Ruth trust me - you have stepped where angels fear to tread and good for you! Piles are SO common (and the only thing I ever had in common with my Uncle - and boy, did we chat bottoms!) so this is wonderful to read. I wish I’d bought shares in Anusol.
Wait til you have a dinner party and pass the blood pressure monitor round - for fun!!! Then follow with the oximeter. I love a pile chat - I know what we can talk about next time I see you 😅
Thank you for sharing! Having been through something very similar last year (I had a giant skin tag that my consultant looked at and said ‘well that needs no introduction as to what it is!!!!’) - I had it removed and then felt so sick from the general and couldn’t go to the toilet still after 3 days (worst thing I could have done was order a jacket potato with beans for my post up meal - I was full to the brim with fibre!) I had to go back in for an enema - which my husband witnessed !! Oh well my skin tag or bum chum as I affectionately named it is now no more. Even though I had a general I was told that I’d be fine to go back to work the next day! Seriously ?! I ended up having to take a week off sick and sat on a memory foam donut for the week!!
Sat on the loo a while back
“ Bet Model Recommends ™️never gets piles or anything.”
I’m just glad I’m not the only one
Plus I was v close to banding (nearly also had them stapled -like a teachers display board) but they said they were insignificant -ruddddeee
Also
Just drive from Dorset and nearly took us out on a roundabout in Basingstoke (great obituary there) but I’ve sat back in the car now actually inappropriately laughing my head off.
I love you 🥰
I would imagine it’s something people could fight for, and publicize, and put pressure on local councillors, etc. my suggestion would be to get a journalist involved, maybe from the Guardian? You’re pretty well known, maybe you have some professional contacts? The point is that every procedure you mention is a common one, and folks should start fighting for more humane treatment. I would also be curious to know if men get sedation!
Truly a public service announcement - thank you Ruth!! I’ve had every ‘scopy’ going over the last three years ….. but not this….. goodness, that sounds positively barbaric …… bet the consultant wouldn’t have it with just paracetamol as pain relief afterwards! Hope you are on the mend ❤️🩹
As a Brit who has lived in the US for a long time, I was horrified by your description of procedures done without any kind of sedation or IV pain relief. Over here, ALL of these would have been preceded by IV sedation and painkillers: colonoscopy, internal ultrasounds, anything like that. It’s the norm, you don’t even have to ask! My last colonoscopy was hilarious, I giggled all the way through with awake sedation.
I had no idea the NHS was so barbaric in this regard, I am so sorry. My mother had a similar procedure many years ago when I was a child and I recall her being in intense pain. It’s awful, and people need to start demanding sedation. I’m sure your candor has helped an awful lot of people.
CAN we demand that, I didn’t think it was an option?
There’s a good woman hour podcasts thingy on the woman’s right to ask for pain relief
I would imagine it’s something people could fight for, and publicize, and put pressure on local councillors, etc. my suggestion would be to get a journalist involved, maybe from the Guardian? You’re pretty well known, maybe you have some professional contacts? The point is that every procedure you mention is a common one, and folks should start fighting for more humane treatment. I would also be curious to know if men get sedation!
I, Too, Really want to THANK YOU for cheering me Up, this evening, Ruth - You’re A Legend !! (Kids starting to drive me a bit Mental, right about now ) You’re Right : Supersexy NHS ‘easy access’ Shorts - but Your POOR Bum 🥹 😩! I Hope it’s now Fully recovered. The first cycle of IVF I did, 12 years ago now (Crikey) they didn’t give me enough sedation and it was Awful… not even ‘conventional pain’ as such, but the Weirdest Visceral sensation of the aspirator collecting eggs from my ovaries… And then, only last week - at the FIFTH Attempt to get my smear test done, One of the nurses had to actually Hold me down …!?! I’d even had 2 pre-emptive codeine pills AND a syringe of anaesthetic gel - still extremely Painful and uncomfortable 😣
Oh my god, awful. Xxx
Forwarding this on to a friend of mine who is a bum doctor, for feedback purposes. Hope your back door is opening and closing smoothly again!
Like a dream. All hinges oiled.
Tremendous. Thank fuck for that.
Omg we are pile twins!!! The only one that bothers me has been described by my gp as a skin tag too, he tells me it can’t be bothering me, as it’s basically a dead pile, now skin tag. Oh really so explain then dear doctor why every single time i get an upset stomach, which is anytime im put on any antibiotics, the damn thing swells up to what feels like orange proportions, and hurts like hell!!!
So thank you so much for writing so candidly about your experience, knowing I have some internal ones that don’t bother me at all, I now know not to ask for pile removal surgery, as the only one that gets to me is the external “skin tag,” so it’s sounds like I too would have gone through hell and back for nothing, without you writing this., so thank you for literally saving my arse!!!
YES!!! This is exactly what happens!!! And it’s difficult to….navigate it.
So grateful for you sharing this as a public service but also so angry that you’ve dealt with so many procedures with no sedation and little to no pain relief!
I feel this is normal for the UK? X
It must be for you to have experienced it so much! I’m in the States and they tend to be much more liberal with at least sedation- but of course you’re likely paying dearly for it! All I can say is that I’ve always had colonoscopies (many) under sedation here and will be soon having a LEEP in the other nether region under sedation.
I suppose I really wish your pamphlets had been much more accurate in reflecting the pain risks (and success rate!) so you could’ve avoided the whole ordeal! I can’t imagine the pain you dealt with. But seriously, as someone who has briefly considered what could be done about piles, I REALLY appreciate the public service you’ve provided here. You’re oversharing at all, in my book!
This is a public service blog post of the highest order. Thank you. It sounds HORRENDOUS. I am angry for you that the NHS thinks that leaflet is acceptable. But also horrified they let you go home in that state and that level of pain.
But the Velcro shorts- OMG 😂
The Velcro shorts made it all worthwhile I have to be honest
Ruth Crilly, never stop oversharing! I’ve been travelling for 16hrs with three kids, I’m knackered and I’m working tomorrow, this was exactly what my day needed!
This is me too - why does everyone slow down at bloody stone bloody henge anyway?
Welcome! 🤣
Was chortling at the Velcro flap failing. Oh Ruth. 😂
Hahah.
Thank you for writing this Ruth. I keep considering getting this done as pregnancy did a number on my bottom! But I think it’ll give it a swerve. I had a c section and they barely gave me paracetamol and I kept fainting from the pain. When I got home my GP immediately prescribed me some strong opioids which took the edge off! There’s no way I’m going to get this done after hearing your story. I think I have a similar pain threshold and I’d really rather just suffer and continue using numbing cream! 😂
Wait WHAT? Did they not block you, you felt all the stuff going on?!
oh god nooooo!!! After after after! 😂 Christ no! The nhs isn’t that bad hahaha! But yeah I was given two paracetamol and they wanted me up the moment I could feel my legs.
I can't even imagine and then I did with your vivid description 😊 Thank you for sharing and this type of real talk is so very necessary!!!
Thank you x
Ruth trust me - you have stepped where angels fear to tread and good for you! Piles are SO common (and the only thing I ever had in common with my Uncle - and boy, did we chat bottoms!) so this is wonderful to read. I wish I’d bought shares in Anusol.
Oh, it’s a cracking conversation once you get going with someone who commiserates!
Wait til you have a dinner party and pass the blood pressure monitor round - for fun!!! Then follow with the oximeter. I love a pile chat - I know what we can talk about next time I see you 😅
Hahahaha!
I just choke snorted my Diet Coke. Thank you for this very important article. I hope you are recovered, grapes and all.
They’re still there so all good