Hemorrhoids-To Treat or Not to Treat

[HuckFinn]

Apparently a lot of people with pelvic pain are also susceptible to hemorrhoids. O, the indignities we have to put up with! I got my first hemorrhoid four years ago, about a year after developing pelvic pain. For a while, the hemorrhoid was quite tender, but then it shrank and went dormant, and I hardly thought about it. There was no discomfort. The only symptom was infrequent streaks of blood in my stool if I had a hard stool.

Last week, however, I developed another hemorrhoidal inflammation, with a corn-kernal-size hemorrhoid protruding from the anus. It's in the same location as the last hemorrhoid, so I assume it's the same one, reawakened.

For the first few days, this hemorrhoid was very tender and itchy. Now it's only tender during bowel movements. I'm wondering, is it better to leave it alone in hopes of another dormant phase? Or is it better to get it treated? I read one website that said hemorrhoids get worse over time, so it's best to treat them early, either with banding, or by having a doctor zap them with an electrical device or laser? Any opinions on this subject?

[webslave]

The conservative approach to curing hemorrhoids
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=1254&p=5993

[HuckFinn]

Webslave, I've been squatting for four years at Dr. Wise's suggestion, and I also eat a healthy, high-fiber diet. Yet I still get hemrroids. In your post, you describe yourself as a "one-time sufferer" of hemorrhoids. What does that mean exactly? Have your hemorrhoids gone away completely? Or are they still there, but dormant?

[webslave]

Must be dormant, I guess. Remember that 40% of adults will experience hemorrhoids at some time. They are very common.

[Jay]

Hi Huck,

Good to hear from you again. Long time no talk!

As Webslave says, hemorrhoids are really common. The fact that they have so many potential causes makes it difficult to say whether you might be perpetuating them in some way, or if you are just a chronic sufferer. It's possible to be genetically predisposed. Straining during bowel movements is a big culprit, as is chronic bowel pressure due to poor posture or muscle tone (fits somewhat with our group in general). There are also dietary contributors, particularly a lack of adequate fiber and water.

This is a problem I deal with personally, and my mom has it especially bad. It runs in the family, in fact. She has a remedy that she finds to be very effective, which I'll try to get for you. Yes, I'd rather not know these things about my mom, but talking about pelvic pain really blows open the doors of modesty. :laugh:

If you find that conservative measures and lifestyle changes don't help, then there are more invasive options. However, your choices are more numerous than banding or lasers. There's cryotherapy, injection therapy, etc. Surgical excision of the hemorrhoid is usually reserved for really bad cases. It all depends on what your doctor finds to be appropriate for you.

[calguy]

I had surgery for an internal hemmorrhoid where they staple the skin and I guess that cuts off blood to it. 1 year later I developed CPPS, I am convinced this was the main reason I developed CPPS. I remember everything was so tight internally for a long time. Also during my pt treatment she really worked to loosen up that area where the scar was. She feels it was a big factor and probably set things off. I would say just be careful with the doctor you use. I think she might have over done it. I remember I even had trouble peeing for the first few weeks after surgery. So explore every other option but I know how frusterating they can be and loads of people get these procedures done all the time with no side effects, I was just one the lucky ones!

[HuckFinn]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Calguy. I've been wondering about that issue of scar tissue and what the implications of that are, since all treatments--laser, electrical, surgery--in essence replace the hemorrhoid with scar tissue. And I wouldn't think scar tissue would be as elastic as normal tissue. What prompted you to have hemorrhoid surgery? Were the hemorrhoids causing chronic pain or getting worse? --Huck

[calguy]

Ya chronic pain and not getting better, I just didn't expect it to cause me so many problems. It could have been all the tension I had been focusing on in the area before and after the surgery. I'm sure I was clenching from all the discomfort. After it was just not getting better, different discomfort but not getting better till finally everything blew up. The scar tissue had to be stretched out and it did help my recovery. Huge difference now when pt touches there than when she first started. Like I said a lot of people have surgery and no problems so I can't say if you should or not. I know they suck and if they get to a certain point I feel that is the only way to get rid of the problem.

[HuckFinn]

I'm curious about a hemorrhoid procedure called the Keesey Method, which uses some sort of probe to zap the hemorrhoid with electricity. The hemorrhoid then shrivels and disappears, leaving an imperceptible amount of scar tissue. From what I've read, the Keesey method is supposed to be pretty effective, painfree, quick, and less likely to cause complications than hemorrhoid surgery. At least that's what its practitioners say. I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried the Keesey Method and could share their experience?

--Huck Finn

[Rufus]

I used to have the worst burning after defecation.
Had a sigmoidoscopy done and the doc said there was redness.
Went to a GI doc who shoved a finger up there and said he found nothing.
Went to another GI doc who scoped me out good.
Found a fissure and some internal roids.
Have no problems defecating, walking running anything....

[BrettP]

Okay, I have been suffering from pain and itching the last couple weeks. I went to doc and he prescribed me HC cream, however, he didn't even bother to do an inspection. So I did a visual one myself, and low and behold, a blueish swollen thrombosed monster, which makes sense. Its slowly getting better but damn this sucks. Any tips on what made them go away. I can't really squat as I'm at work during normal time to crap. Suggestions welcomed :)

[BrettP]

Anyone got tips oN beating the roids? They are driving me nuts.

[BrettP]

I got rid of them for now. How? Metamucil every night... Preparation H for a week, and voilà, no more hemorrhoids.

[BrettP]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ITS BACK!!!!

[webslave]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemorrhoid