Hemorrhoids, When Do You Need To Take Action?

Hemorrhoids are a widespread condition, which can cause a great deal of embarrassment and frustration. If you have them, there is no reason to be embarrassed about your symptoms.

Hemorrhoids are also called piles. They occur because of the pressure on the veins around your anus and lower rectum due to straining with bowel movements or pregnancy. The most common symptom is bleeding with bowel movement (bright red blood). However, you may not experience any symptoms if the hemorrhoids only cause swelling and don’t protrude from the anus.

What Are Hemorrhoids? 

Even though piles are a very common condition, they can still be serious and cause pain and substantial discomfort. In this article, we will talk about them in detail, including what they are, their symptoms, how to identify them and when you should see a doctor for treatment.

Piles develop from swollen or enlarged veins that line the anus and lower rectum. They often result from straining during bowel movements due to constipation, diarrhea, pregnancy, or other disorders. However, they may not produce any signs or symptoms until they become large enough to stretch the tissue around your anus. Sometimes they go unnoticed because they don’t bother you enough to seek treatment. But they don’t always go away on their own and can increase your risk of more serious problems.

So the best treatment is prevention – you shouldn’t have piles in the first place! Unfortunately, there are no 100% effective treatments available yet. However, following a diet rich in fruit and vegetables will help prevent constipation, one of the leading causes. Once or twice a year, an anal exam by your family physician may be all that’s needed to check.

Symptoms Of Hemorrhoids

Symptoms include rectal bleeding, itching around the anus, pain during bowel movements, and feeling like a lump or swelling around the anus.

It is important to see your doctor if you notice symptoms for two reasons: piles can be an early sign of more serious disease, such as colon cancer. When hemorrhoids cause rectal bleeding, they are usually quite large and likely to cause pain. Large hemorrhoids make it more difficult to control bowel movements, leading to incontinence.

How To Identify Hemorrhoids

There are several ways symptoms may be identified by your doctor during your exam. Your doctor may do a digital exam after placing a glove lubricated with K-Y jelly on their finger. If this examination shows that you have them, your doctor will probably prescribe treatment.

Hemorrhoids that are made worse because of symptoms can usually be easily removed during surgery. Piles brought on by pregnancy are also easy to remove surgically, which causes hemorrhoids unique among the different types of surgeries done.

Surgery For Pregnancy-Related Hemorrhoids

Pregnant patients often have them, which develop because of the extra strain placed on their bodies by carrying a baby. The best treatment for these types is surgery, where the swollen veins are tied off with rubber bands or other techniques. 

Surgery associated with pregnancy can be performed under local anesthesia (stinging or burning sensation during surgery is actually a sign that the anesthetic is working), and you will be able to return home after a few weeks.

Other Hemorrhoid Surgeries

Piles brought on by constipation can also be surgically removed, but symptoms (pain and bleeding with bowel movements) usually persist for several weeks before they go away completely. These hemorrhoids are best treated through treatment such as rubber band removal, which can prevent them from developing in the future. Other piles will develop slowly over time and often don’t warrant surgical treatment.

When You Need To See A Doctor About Your Hemorrhoids

If your symptoms resolve on their own, they may not need to be treated at all. But piles that cause symptoms or bleeding will usually require treatment of some kind.

Hemorrhoid Treatment

Rubber band removal and other types of surgery are the treatments most often recommended. Treatment options such as creams and suppositories can also help relieve pain and itching associated. However, they do not offer a permanent solution as surgery does.

Natural Remedies For Hemorrhoids

There is no way to make them go away completely without surgical intervention; however, you can take some steps to keep new piles from developing and existing piles from becoming worse.

Some symptoms can be helped by taking steps to improve them through treatment methods such as hemorrhoid exercises. Some symptoms may respond well to diets, which are diets high in fiber and low in foods that cause constipation.

Don’t Ignore Hemorrhoid Symptoms!

If you have symptoms despite changing your diet or using treatments, don’t hesitate before seeing a doctor about them. If it is caught early enough, softening the stool will help shrink large soft tissue mass, causing hemorrhoidal bleeding, so this condition does not progress into a prolapse requiring medical attention.

Ask your doctor about HemWell, an FDA-approved, pain-free treatment that’s permanent. If your provider doesn’t offer HemWell, we can assist you in finding one that does. Please visit our website to learn more about this life-changing treatment. Learn more about hemorrhoids.