CONSTIPATION can affect anyone at any point in life and whilst for some it is just a small inconvenience that can be endured,for others it can be a chronic condition with serious implications on their life.One such person is Dr Khan,a retired practitioner who started suffering from piles because of constipation.He was given a painful haemorrhoidectomy which served only as a temporary solution and the recovery from the procedure was incredibly painful.He says,For a while I felt quite relieved but over a period of time,my condition worsened.The urge to continually want to go to the toilet came back and I started suffering with rectal prolapse.
When quizzed about how his condition affected his daily life,his wife replies,Whenever we went out we had to check if he was fine.Sometimes our plans would be disrupted because of his problems and it was frustrating.As time went on I began to worry as nothing seemed to fix his problems.
Eventually,when further surgery did not work,he was referred to a surgeon capable of carrying out STARR.This was when his wife and he visited Pune to meet Dr Ashwin Porwal.He sat us both down and showed us the procedure that was involved.He made me feel safe.I felt very comfortable with him, says Khan.He adds,'Two days after the operation I got myself dressed.After the whole procedure,defecating was easy.About a month after the surgery I felt like I was back to normal.
Nearly one year later,Khan has not had any recurrences of his symptoms and is delighted with his results,so much so that he is anxious to convey his experience to others so that they do not continue to suffer in silence.Khan is now optimistic about the future and is confident that everything is well.He says,Im careful and I dont let myself get constipated now.I would recommend this procedure to patients suffering from the same condition. Although bleeding from the back passage and constipation are fairly common,medical advice should be sought;this is to rule out the potential onset of bowel cancer.
Repeatedly needing to go to the toilet and a feeling of fullness,not fully evacuating and straining to do so,anal burning,bleeding and continuous use of laxatives are some symptoms of chronic constipation.STARR surgery is done through anal opening without any external cut for chronic constipation and piles and requires only 24hours hospitalisation.