3 Popular Medical Treatments For Hemorrhoids

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If you are suffering from bleeding when you pass stool, i.e. if you see blood of a bright red color inside the toilet water or on your toilet paper, you have pain, irritation or an itchy feeling around your anus, or an obvious protrusion from your anus or swelling in that area, you may have a condition known as hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids occur when the veins in the rectum and anus swell or become inflamed. There are a number of popular medical treatments for hemorrhoids, some medicinal, while others involve going to a doctor’s office for treatment. In this article we will discuss a little bit more about the types of hemorrhoids, when you need to see the doctor, and some common treatments. When you’re finished reading you’ll have a clear understanding of what you need to do and how doctor can help with your hemorrhoid treatment.
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Where your hemorrhoid is located determines the symptoms. Inside the rectum is where you will find internal hemorrhoids. These generally are not uncomfortable; in fact you won’t be able to feel or see them. If you are straining when you make a bowel movement this can injure the surface of the hemorrhoid causing bleeding. Sometimes, an internal hemorrhoid can be pushed through the anal opening by excessive straining. When that happens, you have what is called a prolapsed or protruding hemorrhoid which can be frightening as well is causing irritation and pain. Under the skin in your anal region is where you will find external hemorrhoids. Unlike internal hemorrhoids which are generally not painful, external hemorrhoids when irritated itch and bleed, sometimes even pooling to form a clot. Hemorrhoidal clots are very painful and accompanied by inflammation and swelling.

If you experience bleeding during a bowel movement, you should see a doctor. Not all bleeding from the anal area is caused by hemorrhoids. Let your doctor do the physical and medical tests to rule out other conditions and diseases, providing you an accurate diagnosis of whether or not you have hemorrhoids. If you know you have hemorrhoids, and they are painful, frequently or excessively bleeding, and don’t respond to treatment at home. If you are passing bowel movements that are black, maroon, tarry, loaded with blood clots, or have an excessive amount of blood mixed in with the school, get to your doctor immediately. Schools like that can show a severe bleed somewhere in your digestive tract. Also go straight to the emergency room if you are experiencing severe rectal bleeding, are lightheaded, feel like you are going to faint, or are dizzy.

If you have an external hemorrhoid, the doctor will be able to palpate it for diagnosis by inserting a finger (they will wear gloves) into the rectum. However, as internal hemorrhoids may not be felt in a rectal because they are very soft, your doctor may also choose to use an anoscope, sigmoidoscope, or proctoscope to get a good look at the lower area of the colon and rectum.

Once your hemorrhoids are diagnosed, the next step is treatment. With hemorrhoids that cause just mild discomfort, you may be told to pick up over-the-counter ointment, cream, pad, or suppository. These products may use hydrocortisone or witch hazel to help with the itching and pain for at least a short time. If the over-the-counter treatments don’t work, they are procedures that are minimally invasive to help. For example, if you have a blood clot inside of external hemorrhoid, the doctor will do a minor incision to remove it, a treatment that works quickly and effectively.

If your hemorrhoids are painful or bleed a lot, there is an outpatient procedures. One is rubber band ligation, where the doctor places tiny rubber bands around an internal hemorrhoid’s base in order to cut the circulation of blood to the area. This might cause bleeding or be uncomfortable, but it’s not usually severe. The onset of the symptoms is usually somewhere between two and four days after the procedure. You can also have the doctor inject into the hemorrhoid tissue a chemical solution which will shrink it. This is called sclerotherapy. While injection causes minimal to no pain, it is often not as effective as rubber band ligation. Lastly, you may end up using infrared, bipolar, or laser coagulation. What this does is harden bleeding internal hemorrhoids and make them shrivel away. Even though coagulation doesn’t have a lot of side effects, there is more of a chance of your hemorrhoids coming back then if you were to use rubber band ligation.

If these outpatient procedures don’t do the trick, or if your hemorrhoids are particularly large, your doctor may suggest surgery. Some common surgical procedures include the hemorrhoidectomy, where the surgeon takes out the excess tissue that causes your bleeding. This can be done with sedation and a local anesthetic, a spinal anesthetic, or under general anesthesia. Hemorrhoidectomy, while it offers the most complete and effective method for the removal of hemorrhoids, it also has the most complications. Complications include temporary difficulty urinating and associated infections of the urinary tract. Most people also have pain after a hemorrhoidectomy. There are medications for this, and also a warm bath can be effective in helping to relieve pain. Another surgical procedure is a stapled hemorrhoidectomy. What this does is cut off the flow of blood to the hemorrhoid’s tissue. This is less painful than a hemorrhoidectomy and lets you get back to work faster, but it also offers a greater chance that the hemorrhoidal return as well as the possibility of a prolapsed rectum, which means that there is a part of the rectum that sticks out from the anus. It’s up to you and your doctor to decide which of these surgical procedures would work best for you.

You not have to suffer alone with it with hemorrhoids. There are a number of treatments that can be tailored to your needs. Make sure to consult with your doctor if you are concerned that you might have hemorrhoids, and you in your doctor can work out a plan for effective treatment.