Pain Relief Tips After Barbie Butt Surgery

Hi friends. I had Barbie Butt surgery on 7/18 along with the colostomy and appendix removal (which had ruptured with no symptoms - go figure). I have easily adjusted to the ostomy, and there is no pain from that or the appendix removal. My butt is another story. Over 4 weeks, and it still hurts like… well, it hurts a lot! Any suggestions? Guidance for what may bring some relief? And for those of you who have had the surgery, when did you start feeling a little more like yourself? Appreciate you!

Hi Kbeckner, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and I remember asking my surgeon for more Percocet at week 4 after Barbie butt surgery, and he said no. I hung in there with extra strength Tylenol, and things turned around a week later. Sore for a few more weeks, but not at the same level. I hope you hit that point soon, too. Be sure to use a soft pillow when you sit, but not a donut, as it can spread your cheeks apart. I bought several inexpensive microbead pillows, and they made all the difference. Those of us who've had this procedure can really empathize with you. Hang in there!

I had my Ken butt on the 15th of July, and I'm still having a lot of pain too, so it's normal. Just bear with it, and it gets better. Soft gel cushions are a great help, or just lay down and relax. It's major surgery; you don't need to overdo it.

Yeah, you're about week four. This surgery is not easy!

I had almost the same procedure 50 years ago, and I still remember the pain I had for a while. I also had perennial fistulas. Check with your surgeon that you don't have that situation. What helped me was having 3 warm sitz baths per day. I'm told that is one of the most sensitive areas on the body. Eventually, it healed, and I felt better, but it took a while to heal. Hope you heal very soon.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Had mine done years ago. To be honest, I was very lucky; the pain was that bad before surgery. Post-op was less painful than before. If I had it done now, I would use a gel cushion to sit on. Get checked out to make sure nothing else is going on. I had an abscess and had to have stitches removed for it to drain.

Yeah, I'm finding this out. I still have some dissolvable stitches in, and this morning it feels like it's pulling a bit. I'm debating whether to go to the hospital and have that one stitch removed, as it's quite sore. The others feel quite normal. I don't want to get an abscess.

Mine took a long, long time to mend. Like 3-4 months. And it hurt a lot. I had a wound nurse come for almost a month for it to close. It wasn't pleasant.

Hi Kbeckner. I just had an ileostomy on the 17th of July, so pretty much we are on the same timeline. As it's been suggested before me, get a waffle cushion; it helps me a lot with sitting. I got mine from Amazon. 😇 Regarding pain, I use ibuprofen, which helps more than the paracetamol. It's still too early for you, as it's early for me. I guess time is our friend in here regarding healing time. And as others suggested in here, patience is important. It's a major surgery; it takes time. Make sure you have a daily shower and clean the wound. Sometimes I have two showers a day, or literally just clean that area without having a full wash again. Doing that also helped me with pain and discomfort.

Hi,

I had this surgery a little over 2 years ago. I had a pretty trouble-free recovery, but even so, it was 4 months before the ends of the scars stopped weeping. Still, it was probably over a year before the scars settled down and started fading. I think you need to draw a balance between keeping "active" so you don't end up with any movement restrictions and not overdoing it and opening up the wounds. I was very lucky to have a partner who would rinse and change dressings for me; I think this really helped. Doing it myself was like an absurd game of pin the tail on the donkey. Try to be kind to yourself, and if you feel tired, rest.

It's rated as one of the most painful surgeries, so pain is expected. 😁 Keep up on your pain meds and take them on time so they keep the pain down. Don't stop taking them if you don't have pain. I lived on Tylenol for about a month after I came home.

The bad news is that it takes a long time to heal because it is not like a simple cut where two pieces of skin are neatly rejoined. It requires what is called granulation, where new skin grows in. It takes a long time for that new skin to grow in and mature.

The good news is you can help that process and reduce the pain by packing the area somewhat tightly with gauze. Roll the gauze up to be about the size of a pencil and err on the side of using too much to ensure that it keeps your skin from rubbing on itself. Poke it in very tightly using your fingers. One of the issues is that the area is warm and damp, and movement/skin rubbing together causes the new and tender skin to constantly reopen. Change it several times during the day. Early on, it will get very damp and even bloody, so new, dry gauze is a benefit. It might also help to use some Triple Paste, a type of diaper rash ointment that provides a barrier that helps the skin heal.

Mine took a really long time to heal, but the worst of the pain subsided pretty quickly, especially with the daily gauze applications.

I would give it time, but with that being said, I will definitely be talking/communicating with your surgeon.

I had my surgery in January 2015, and the pain was so bad that I was bedridden for 7 months and on lots of painkillers. I previously had an extremely high pain tolerance, but during this recovery period, I couldn't do much... When I would go anywhere, someone would have to drive so I could lie down in the back seat. Fortunately, patience is a virtue... and it did go away!

Hi,

I had a permanent colostomy and APR surgery two years ago. It is painful and uncomfortable for a couple of months, then gets better.

Actually, after the removal of malignant rectal tissue, the skin is pulled together for suturing, and that causes pain.

Please use a sitz bath as often as you can. Walk with very small steps, but walk. It helps.

Sit on very soft cushions and an air mattress. Initially, you may not find it comfortable to lie on your side, and take pain relievers after consulting your doctor.

You'll realize one day that the pain has eased...it's just a matter of time. Take heart...

I had Barbie butt surgery on the 23/07/2025, along with more of my bowel removed, reformation of my stoma, and hernia repair. To be honest, I've had very little pain, but my wound is an open wound as the stitches didn't hold, and they have been unable to restitch the wound. I'm having daily dressing changes and have been told it could take up to 10 weeks to heal.

One year into stoma and two months now with reversal, just finding out what Barbie butt is. Of course, I have one, and now I'm finding out there is surgery for it. I love this website and thank everyone for their support. More surgery? Too soon for me to think about it. Best wishes to all who are healing now. You are rock stars.

Never heard of the term Barbie butt before lol, but this is the same surgery I had done. I was in a lot of pain a few weeks post-surgery. Turns out I had a large abscess. I had to be opened back up again to let all the fluids out. The doctor then decided to put a wound vac dressing. It was changed every other day for about 4 months until it completely closed and healed. Maybe check with your doctor to make sure you don't have an abscess.

Amphor. Worked great for me.

The recovery is a journey for sure.
I had pain for 4-5 years, but during my surgery, they removed about 1/2” of the coccyx—i.e., tailbone—and that is what hurt the most—all of the nerve endings there! I would advise you to do everything you can to avoid infection and/or abscesses. The previous post about regular sitz baths is a great piece of advice.
Give yourself permission to take your time, reach out to your surgeon or aftercare practitioner—use all the resources available to you.
Good luck! 👍❤️

It took me 10 weeks before my Barbie surgery felt somewhat comfortable. I was back to work full-time in 7 weeks. If I overdid it, I was uncomfortable and had to rest. Try sitting on soft pillows. It truly helps. Good luck!

I had APR/Barbie butt/stoma surgery in 2019. Initially, the butt pain was absolutely awful. It was definitely the worst pain I have ever experienced - a bit like a giant toothache. The pain reduced dramatically by about week 6/7, and I was back swimming in the pool approximately 12 weeks after surgery. Hang in there. It will get better. During the worst of the pain, I lay on my side, sat on soft cushions, took sitz baths, and took regular ibuprofen…

I refrained from sitting for weeks after surgery - stood to use the computer, eat, and used a bed siderail to go from standing to lying down...to let that incision heal. When I did start sitting, I used a higher chair and pillows and worked into it slowly. Got an Eggsitter pillow to use whenever I sit. No problems now, 5 years later, but still use the Eggsitter on long car rides. I did find info on how to not sit after surgery, etc., through Google.

If the incision isn't healing, check with the surgeon and find a good wound nurse (WOC that is used for colostomy help too).

I had exactly the same, but it was my acute appendicitis and subsequent scan that discovered my colon cancer. The barbie butt takes time to heal. There's a lot of internal scar tissue and bruising. Mine calmed down by 12 weeks, and I used cocodamol 15/500 for the pain, which also helped solidify my stoma output.

As with Gary, I think it was about 3 months before I was mostly healed. Warm baths, ketoprofen, and muscle relaxants helped.

I'm almost a year from having my Barbie bum. I still haven't fully healed, but prior to my ileostomy and stoma, I had papillon and chemoradiotherapy, which weren't very successful, so my skin isn't as good.

I still have pain in my bottom and sometimes bleeding.

I'm so much better than I was a few months ago, though, but it's a long haul.

I had this surgery on July 1, 2025 - so nearly 7 weeks now. I only sit on a Valley Cushion which, luckily, has been loaned for as long as I need by the hospital. I came off most pain meds by weeks 3-4 and now just need them occasionally. I think so far I've been really lucky though. I have been able to start exercises again as guided by physios - mainly Pilates-style core strengthening. My ileostomy has not been too difficult to manage really, although there have been a few leaks with a little sore skin occasionally.

I still take sitting down really cautiously despite the improvements as I don't want to undo any of the progress to date.

So far so good, but I am not looking forward to Capox adjuvant chemo for 3 months which starts next week.

Hope you start getting more positive healing soon. Mine really did improve daily from around week 4, without me really realizing it.

I had my surgery about 10 years ago. I found that the waffle cushions and sitz baths were the most important things in keeping the pain at a minimum. The waffle cushion can be inflated to various degrees for your comfort. I actually ordered mine pre-inflated, and it was perfect. I got the Ehob Waffle Cushion, and I am pretty sure you can get them on Amazon. The sitz bath was one that fit on the toilet and was perfect for the Barbie Butt sitz bath!

Hope this helps. You will get back to normal.

My butt was tender for about 4 months, so I carried a little pillow inside a soft fabric bag at all times and then sat on the bag.
Worth every second to have a sealed and sorted butt.

When my brother-in-law had his surgery, he developed an abscess inside, which they only found when it burst, so call your doctor to have yourself checked.