Figured I'd post some of my experience as well as ask a few questions.
First question: how long did your bms cause burning after the fact. I still have to get to the toilet with only moments to spare, and I have to sit in the tub after for relief from the burning lava feeling in my hole. I can't wait for this to end.
Next questions: how long did you experience anal leakage?
Experience.
Day 1-2 I had minimum pain. I barely took pain meds, really only took Motrin to help with swelling and stools softners. I had more anxiety about when the pain would come than anything else.
Day 3. Stil minimum pain but had my first bowel movement. Wasn't as bad as I expected but that's probably because I was still numb from the local anesethic they used.
Day 4-5. Pain was unbearable but I stayed on top of my narcotic to make sure that I didn't feel like death. Slept most of the day and night. Occasionally over slept. (Make sure you set an alarm for meds or you'll regret it. In the evening I felt the urge to go to the barroom but every time I sat down on the toilet nothing happened. So I spent 3 hours goin back and forth to see if it would happen. Frozen hot dogs in a zip lock bag made the perfect ice PAC for my pain though!
Day 6. Still no poop. Called doctor and was told to take a dose of milk of magnesia. If it didn't work in 6 hours, take a second dose. It didn't help. At all. Literally nothing. Didn't have much pain from my but, but mostly pain from feeling pressure of needing to poop but not being able to. I didn't take any narcotics because I was constipated enough. So I took Motrin. I felt weak and tired. Couldn't keep my eyes open most of the day even without meds.
Day 7. Still no bm called doctor again was told to double my stopper softners and take miralax. And if nothing to call back. Still only took Motrin and no bm. By this point I was panicked my the though of pooping or needing to go to the hospital. So my anxiety got to an outrageous point. That night doctor told me to take magnisum citrate to wash my bowels. If that didn't work I was to do an enema the next day. I had gas the entire night but no poop. At this point I was barely eating for fear of becoming impacted. And I was only eating crackers, water and occasionally a few pieces of bread.
Day 8. Woke up with a lot of pressure to poop. I squatted on the toilet, and ended up having to push out a hard stool that seemed to be a blockage. Didn't poop for 6 hours after that. But I was in pain for a majority of the day. Around dinner time I got diarrhea, it went on well into the night. Still no appetite. The burning pain after bm was almost unbearable.
Day 9. Thanksgiving. I didn't sleep well for fear I would soil myself in my sleep. I had 4 bms before noon. I hate a bowl of soup and that was it.
Day 10. Still light appetite. But completely off narcotics. Felt like I might see the light st the end of the tunnel. From this point on it has gotten better.
Day 11-14. I have still not gained my appetite back, though I'm sure it's more mental than physical. I have a panic attack every time I feel a bm coming, and I only eat 1 small meal a day with stool softners and water the rest of the day. For fear or big bowel movements. I have what I think is a small external hemmrhiod that pooped up Day 12. I've been using witch hazel multiple times a day to help it shrink completely. As well as hemrhiod cream for the ocassional itchy. I have developed a vaginal bacterial infection from the anal leakage. (Yes. I know gross. But just beware it can happen). The leakage and burning after poop are pretty much the only thing left I'm dealing with. I'd say I'm about 85% back to normal. A bonus is I've lost 15 pounds since surgery. I hope this is my new normal. I miss food. And I miss not having to get in warm water after a bowel movement. It's very time consuming.
Other than that I'm back to my normal day to day. I've cleaned my house played with my kids and I'm back driving. So I'm mostly back to my normal routine (3 young kids at home.)
Just wanted to share my experience. Hope someone can answer my questions. Or walk away with some tips.