Anal skin tag removal

Digestive health
1

I wanted to post my experience because I read a lot of horrible things about anal skin tag removals.  

I thought I had a hemorrhoid.  I bled and felt the little lump.  I lived with it for 4 years until it got too irritating.  I booked an appointment with a colorectal doc who did a quick physical exam and told me I have an internal hemorrhoid and an external skin tag.  She said they don't remove the internal hemorrhoids unless they really have to because the recovery is difficult.  She said the external skin tag was created from a fissure when I was constipated. I had chemo 4 years ago for ovarian cancer so that is when I was most constipated.

She said the skin tag could be removed in office with shots in the anal area.  Um, no.  She then said, because I have a previous cancer diagnosis and my aunt died of colon cancer, I qualified to get a colonoscopy.  She could take it off the skin tag during the colonoscopy. She would cut it off and cauterize it.

I decided to do it.  I was told I would need a week to recover.

The prep was the worst.  I got through 7/8ths of the prep before I threw up.  Then I waited two hours to drink the remaining prep. The next day I felt nauseated but didn't throw up again.

The colonoscopy portion went ok.  The IV was fine because they gave me some numbing medicine.  I have had a lot of IVs and they are way easier with the numbing shot first. However, when I was in the procedure room, the anesthesiologist pushed the meds through my IV way too fast, it totally burned, way more than it burned with chemo. Then I quickly fell asleep.

I woke up afterwards with gauze in my bum.  They sent me home and I drank a milkshake to calm my stomach, then I went straight to sleep.  I woke up later and ate a small dinner and took a normal dose of Miralax.  Then I took a bath.  I tried removing the gauze early on in the bath but it hurt. So I waited for the bath water to let the gauze float off.  Then it didn't hurt. 

That night I took another normal dose of Miralax. The next day I pooped, but it didn't hurt. It was very loose.  So daily I have been told to take 3 baths a day AND after every poop. I have been taking two doses of Miralax a day and it has totally worked to keep my poop loose and pain free. My doctor had said to take a different stool softener but I know Miralax works for me so that is why I am taking it.

My doc gave me a SPRIX prescription. It is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever that is a nasal spray.  Follow the directions and it won't burn as much. Holding your breath is key.  I have found it to be helpful in reducing the swelling of my anal wound and the pain has decreased.

I am on day 3. So far, little pain and I am up doing laundry, etc.  I will update when my week is up.

I think the baths are key to not getting an infection in the anal wound. I want to avoid an infection at all costs.

2

Update: I am on day 8 today. Yesterday I noticed I did not have any irritation/pain.  Today is the same. I feel normal again and I am now grateful I had the anal skin tag removed. I continue to take two doses of Miralax a day in order to keep the poop loose and pain free.  I will probably do that for one more week in order to let the wound heal more fully.  I also will continue to take a bath after every poop (twice a day) for another week.

Full disclosure: I only had one anal skin tag removed.  I am a stay at home mom so I have the time to bathe multiple times a day.

3

Many years ago I was concerned about a lump near my anus. I decided to get myself checked out at a sexual health clinic here in the UK and was told it was a skin tag. They froze it off there and then. It didn't even hurt much.

4

can you write more about managing pain after surgery? How long after did it stop hurting? when having a BM! did it feel like a fissure? I cant imagine how they expect healing when one has to have a BM!

5

I had 2 skin tags one big one the size of my thump nail and the other one was a small one. I had one of them for like 5 years but recently it grew a lot, so i decided to do something about it. READING these stories online really scared me , people talking about pain worse than giving birth. I cancelled my appointment, but then this insecurity really fucked me up. I got a laser skin tag removal 2 days ago and i feel nothing. Sometimes i feel a bit of pain but its 1/10. i went to the washroom too that wasnt bad, the skin tags hurt more than this and my bum finally looks normal. I would recommend everyone to do it and not read these online stories and get scared. I am making a journal of my journey and i have pictures too. For people that need motivation and want to know a story of someone who went through it. I almost had a panic attack at my appointment at the doctors she even told me to leave if i want to but i went with it. I AM SO GLAD!

6

i am booked in to have a large anal skin tag removed in July and i am petrified! i cried at the pre op ive worked myself up so much. The surgeon will be putting me to sleep, cutting it away and leaving it to heal on its own. They have said that its going to be painful afterwards. Ive read horror stories online people saying they wish they hadnt had it done because it was so painful and im on the verge of canceling and just living with the discomfort i dont know what to do for the best

7

i just had this 8 days ago and it looks almost worse than before the surgery! I have a hard lump in the middle of my bumhole now. Its half in and half out and its way harder than the tag was. Did anyone else experience this post op? Im literally going mad with the hand mirror. I still have one more to get removed but now im scared. It was fairly painful procedure but thats wouldnt stop me from getting it again but if this hard lump doesnt go away then i dont want the other surgery. Thanks pls i need advice

8

how are you getting on with the recovery?

9

hi,

i had botox injected into my fissure to try and heal it. but i have a skin tag left over , they didn't remove it. My skin tag gets swollen and sore, going to ask them to remove it at the follow up apt. Did your fissure heal? how has recovery been from skin tag removal? which stool softener did they tell you to use? i thought miralax was one.

I am also a stay at home mum

10

Hi, can you please let me know how you are now? I just had this 3 days ago and have the same thing. After going to the loo, I checked in the mirror and I have a lot of red lumps, hard and angry looking protruding from my bum. Please let me know how you're getting on, I am seriously upset

11

oh my i feel u on thisi was a lunatic with the hand mirror wish i wouldnt have been. caused myself more grief . i can confirm most of what youre seeing if it looks like my panicked post.. is post op swelling had follow up appointment and im healing fine scheduled for the final one on july 24 . put the mirror down and continue after care it goes away

12

thanks for asking MUCH better now extreme difference still slight hardness just inside anus but its all just temporary because of how sensitive the area is

13

Thanks so much for reply. Was your lump bigger than the tag itself? Mine looks like a hemmy, but can't possibly be and there are multiple 'layers' of it - feel so yuck and I'm on holidays next week! Hopefully I improve asap

14

yes it was like worse than the original tag. the tag was at the top of my hole lol not inside and poking out. i was sure it was a huge hemmy or something . it was buigger after bms too. its swelling and most of it should go down but honestly after one full week post op i was freaking out. it wasnt gone and it seemed worse than after day one of surgery . it took 2 full weeks to look mostly normal again. i was terrified i did it for nothing but just wait.

15

Thanks so much for reply. When did pain and discomfort subside for you? Still can hardly walk 4 days post op

16

how are you both feeling now? I am on day 4 and in so much pain. I have a bump that hurts to touch also. did it go away? still in pain?

17

I just had this done today. I had two small skin tags removed. I look in the mirror today and it looks worse than before. A large bump right in the middle of my hole and the skin tag was actually above that. How long does it take to start looking normal down there again?

18

Right after you had this done did you have a swollen hard bump? Right now it looks worse than it did before but maybe it’s just swelling and that will go away?

19

i had 2 anal skin tags removed and was dissapointed with the result. i have more skin tags and hems and am waiting for surgery.

20

hi, why were you dispointed in results?