What Are The Types Of Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids can happen inside or outside the rectum. The type depends on where the swollen vein develops. Types include:
- External: Swollen veins form underneath the skin around the anus. Your anus is the canal where poop comes out. External hemorrhoids can be itchy and painful. Occasionally, they bleed. Sometimes they fill with blood that can clot. This is not dangerous, but can result in pain and swelling.
- Internal: Swollen veins form inside the rectum. Your rectum is the part of the digestive system that connects the colon to the anus. Internal hemorrhoids may bleed, but they usually arent painful.
- Prolapsed: Both internal and external hemorrhoids can prolapse, meaning they stretch and bulge outside of the anus. These hemorrhoids may bleed or cause pain.
Why Does It Still Look Like I Have External Hemorrhoids After Hemorrhoid Surgery
After a hemorrhoidectomy, it is completely normal to experience a great deal of swelling. In many cases, swelling will put those who have recently had a hemorrhoidectomy into alert.
It is important to understand that post-operation swelling is not the continued occurrence of external hemorrhoids. Recovery time for hemorrhoidectomy varies from patient to patient. Some patients can take as long as two to three months to completely recover.
During the weeks following your hemorrhoidectomy, swelling is a normal side effect of surgery. Unless accompanied by severe hemorrhoid pain and hemorrhoid bleeding, it is not to be a concern.
Minimally Invasive Hemorrhoid Relief
If home remedies for hemorrhoids havenât worked, you may consider minimally invasive treatment options. These procedures are used for internal hemorrhoids and are usually performed in out-patient settings.
Hemorrhoid Banding
Hemorrhoid banding is a painless, 5-minute and nonsurgical solution to aggravating hemorrhoids.
Using a special applicator, weâll place a small rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid, restricting its blood supply. This doesnât cause pain because there arenât any nerves at the base of the hemorrhoid. Over the next few days, the hemorrhoid will shrink and eventually fall off during a bowel movement. You may not even notice it.
The procedure only takes a few minutes, can be performed in a doctorâs office and allows you to return to your life immediately. Plus, our specialists and staff will provide you with a comfortable, professional experience. We understand the sensitive nature of this condition, and weâll make every accommodation necessary to ensure your privacy.
Read more about hemorrhoid banding
Laser, infrared, or bipolar coagulation
These techniques use a laser or infrared light or heat to treat hemorrhoids. They cause the hemorrhoids to harden and shrivel. Coagulation may have fewer complications than rubber band ligation. However, recurrence rates may be higher than with rubber band ligation.
Sclerotherapy
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How Do You Shrink External Hemorrhoids
There are many methods you can employ to shrink external hemorrhoids. To start, you can use topical based treatments, like Preparation H, hemorrhoid wipes with calming, anti-inflammatory ingredients, or natural extracts like coconut oil or aloe vera.
Applying these creams, ointments, or extracts directly to your external hemorrhoids can encourage them to shrink faster.
Sclerotherapy is another option for sufferers with constant flare-ups of external hemorrhoids.
Chronic external hemorrhoids are injected with a chemical compound that is designed to shrink them and help subside future flare-ups.
Your doctor can recommend additional non-operative or surgical treatment options to find which method is best for your hemorrhoid condition.
What Should I Eat If I Have Hemorrhoids Diet
Individuals with hemorrhoids should soften their stools by increasing the fiber in their diets.
Fiber is found in numerous foods, including
- fresh and dried fruits,
- whole grains, and
- cereals.
In general, 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day is recommended, whereas the average American diet contains less than 15 grams of fiber. Fiber supplements, like psyllium, methylcellulose, and calcium polycarbophil, also may be used to increase the intake of fiber.
Stool softeners and increased drinking of liquids also may be recommended, as well as bulk-forming laxatives. Nevertheless, the benefits of fiber, liquids, and stool softeners have not been well-tested with respect to hemorrhoidal control in scientific studies.
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Why Do External Hemorrhoids Itch
External hemorrhoids often cause moderate to severe itching around the anus. The itching comes from the inflammation of your anal area.
As inflammation increases due to external hemorrhoids, the intensity of your itching will increase as well.
For a list of products that can help, take a look at our guides below.
Hemorrhoids Treated With Preparation H With Biodyne
Hemorrhoids are among the most common of healthailments, affecting approximately eight out of ten people throughouttheir lifetimes. Hemorrhoids are simply enlargedor varicose veins of the anus and rectum. There are two types ofhemorrhoids – internal and external – that can occur separately orin combination. Hemorrhoids may have a genetic component, but theyare most likely caused, and remedied by, such things as diet andtoilet habits.
Internal hemorrhoids are often present withoutcausing any discomfort or even awareness of their presence. Untilthey thrombose or bleed you may not know you have them. Internalhemorrhoids can prolapse through the anus and thiscan be very painful.
External hemorrhoids develop under the skin justoutside the opening of the anus. They are tender to the touch andare round and purple in colour.
While there is no conclusive evidence as to thespecific cause of hemorrhoids, there is a long list of contributingfactors. These include constipation, straining during a bowelmovement, pregnancy, lifting heavy objects, prolonged sitting orstanding, being overweight, and faulty diet. Downward pressure cancause the small veins around the anus and rectum to stretch. As theveins lose their elasticity and retain excess blood, they becomemore vulnerable to injury, possibly triggering bleeding, which isoften the first indication of hemorrhoids.
While about half of hemorrhoid sufferershave a family history of the condition, diet may be responsible.
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When To Call Your Doctor
Its always a good idea for anyone with hemorrhoids to consult with his or her doctor. However, you should call your gastroenterologist right away if you experience a lot of blood in the stool, dark tar-colored stool, or excessive pain. While most cases of hemorrhoids are not medically concerning, some of the same symptoms can point to more serious conditions including anal fissure, anal cancer, colorectal cancer, perianal abscess, and inflammatory bowel disease. A GI doctor will help you access your symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis.If you are experiencing the symptoms of external hemorrhoids, request an appointment at GI Associates and Endoscopy Center today. As the largest gastroenterology group in Mississippi, we have three convenient locations to serve you. Our doctors can provide options and help you decide on a treatment plan.
What Do External Hemorrhoids Look Like
External hemorrhoids are much easier to self-diagnose because they can be seen and felt, while internal hemorrhoids tend to be less obvious.
External hemorrhoids can be described as any of the following:
- Soft lumps that appear in bunches around the anus.
- A hard, red lump protruding from the outside of the anal area.
- Mucus-covered bumps.
- Bumps that secrete blood when wiped with toilet paper.
Many symptoms of external hemorrhoids, such as pain, can also be caused by other conditions. Therefore, it is important to see a health care practitioner for a formal diagnosis.
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What Type Of Doctor Treats External Hemorrhoids
Your primary care physician can treat smaller, less severe external hemorrhoids. In some cases, they can prescribe a stronger hemorrhoid cream or suppository. If you have a more serious case of hemorrhoids, or your external hemorrhoids are persistent, your doctor may refer you to a specialist called a gastroenterologist. If you require a surgical procedure for your hemorrhoids, you will want to find a colon and rectal surgeon.
External hemorrhoids are the most bothersome type of hemorrhoids. Although they can be painful and uncomfortable, they are treatable and can often be resolved without a surgical procedure.
External Hemorrhoids Guide 101-Continued
How Long Do Hemorrhoids Take To Heal
For many people, hemorrhoids last and last. Ongoing pain is especially common for people over age 50. For many people, hemorrhoidal pain returns years after treatment, and for many others the condition comes and goes, becoming more common over time.
Do Hemorrhoids Ever Go Away on Their Own?
Sometimes they do. Smaller hemorrhoids are apt to go away in just a few days. It’s a good idea during this time to avoid further irritating your rectal area by keeping the area as clean as you can.
How Can You Make Hemorrhoids Go Away?
Tougher cases of hemorrhoids may not go away on their own. After trying home remedies and over-the-counter options without success, you will need to talk to your doctor about other treatment options.
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External Hemorrhoid Itch Relief
External hemorrhoids can become extremely itchy. The itching may even affect your quality of life.
There are ways to relieve and soothe the symptoms of itching. One way is to have a sitz bath.
A sitz bath involves sitting in a few inches of warm water for 15 minutes several times a day.
This reduces swelling that causes itching.
Witch hazel for hemorrhoids and over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams can be used to reduce the symptoms of itching, as well.
Additionally, applying a cold pack or ice pack like hemorrwedge can numb the area and bring down swelling that causes itching.
Medical Procedures For Hemorrhoids
If your symptoms are severe or aren’t getting better after a couple of weeks, your doctor may suggest a procedure to shrink or remove the hemorrhoids. Many can be performed in their office.
Injection. Your doctor can inject an internal hemorrhoid with a solution to create a scar and close off the hemorrhoid. The shot hurts only a little.
Rubber band ligation. This procedure is often done on prolapsed hemorrhoids, internal hemorrhoids that can be seen or felt outside. Using a special tool, the doctor puts a tiny rubber band around the hemorrhoid, which shuts off its blood supply almost instantly. Within a week, the hemorrhoid will dry up, shrink, and fall off.
Coagulation or cauterization. With an electric probe, a laser beam, or an infrared light, your doctor will make a tiny burn to remove tissue and painlessly seal the end of the hemorrhoid, causing it to close off and shrink. This works best for prolapsed hemorrhoids.
Surgery. For large internal hemorrhoids or extremely uncomfortable external hemorrhoids, your doctor may recommend surgery.
- Hemorrhoidectomy. The most effective technique is to completely remove the hemorrhoids. But recovery is painful and can take several weeks.
- Hemorrhoid stapling. This technique cuts blood flow to internal hemorrhoids and moves prolapsed tissue back in place. Recovery is easier, but thereâs a greater chance of the hemorrhoids coming back.
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Hemorrhoids Treatment: Rubber Band Ligation
The principle of rubber band ligation is to encircle the base of the hemorrhoidal clump with a tight rubber band. The tissue cut off by the rubber band dies, and is replaced by an ulcer that heals with scarring.
A similar procedure was described in 460 BC by the Greek physician Hippocrates:
And hemorrhoids you may treat by transfixing them with a needle and tying them with very thick and woolen thread, for application, and do not foment until they drop off, and always leave one behind and when the patient recovers, let him be put on a course of Hellebore.
Rubber band ligation can be used with first-, second-, and third-degree hemorrhoids, and may be more effective than sclerotherapy. Symptoms frequently recur several years later, but usually can be treated with further ligation.
The most common complication of ligation is pain. However, bleeding one or two weeks after ligation or bacterial infection in the tissues surrounding the hemorrhoids may occur.
What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor
You may want to ask your healthcare provider:
- Why did I get hemorrhoids?
- What is the best treatment for me?
- What lifestyle changes can I make to keep from getting hemorrhoids again?
- When will symptoms improve?
- Should I look out for signs of complications?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
An estimated 15 million Americans have sought treatments for hemorrhoids at some point in their lives. But many more suffer needlessly. Dont be too embarrassed to talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms. If hemorrhoids cause pain or discomfort, your provider has treatments that can help. You can also take steps to keep hemorrhoids from coming back.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 01/18/2021.
References
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How To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids: Diagnosis And Treatments
Most individuals who have hemorrhoids discover them by either
- feeling the lump of an external hemorrhoid when they wipe themselves after a bowel movement,
- noting drops of blood in the toilet bowl or on the toilet paper, or
- feeling a prolapsing hemorrhoid after bowel movements.
With a history of symptoms, a physician can begin diagnosis on the basis of a careful examination of the anus and anal area. Although the physician should try his or her best to identify the hemorrhoids, it is perhaps more important to exclude other causes of hemorrhoid-like symptoms that require different treatment such as
- anal fissures,
This is true whether or not hemorrhoids are found during anoscopy.
How To Get Rid Of External Hemorrhoids Without Surgery
After identifying the hemorrhoids, you can rid them through at-home remedies, which eliminate them naturally.
You can either have a warm bath or relax in a bathtub with a few spoons of Epsom salt. Besides, you can apply a warm compress for around 10 to 15minutes. To shrink the size, you can use a cotton pad soaked in an astringent.
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Other Ways To Shrink Hemorrhoids
Some of the true and tested techniques for shrinking hemorrhoids include:
There are some foods that you should refrain from eating once you have an onset of hemorrhoids as well.
A list of those foods which should be avoided includes the following:
- Dairy products
When Hemorrhoid Surgery May Be Necessary
Very few people fewer than 10 percent of all adults who see a doctor because of symptomatic hemorrhoids will require a surgical operation.
Surgery to remove hemorrhoids is called a hemorrhoidectomy.
Your doctor may recommend a hemorrhoidectomy if:
- You have large external hemorrhoids
- You have both internal and external hemorrhoids
- An internal hemorrhoid has prolapsed
In a hemorrhoidectomy, the doctor makes a small incision to remove the hemorrhoid and surrounding tissue before closing the wound with stitches.
A hemorrhoidectomy is performed in an operating room and can be done under general anesthesia, in which you are unconscious and unable to feel pain.
It can also be done with a spinal anesthetic block while you are awake , or with a combination of relaxing and sedating drugs given intravenously and a local anesthetic injected around the anus.
Hemorrhoidectomy is associated with postoperative pain, but the procedure is successful for 95 percent of cases.
More recently, another option aimed at avoiding the postoperative pain of a hemorrhoidectomy has become available, called a stapled hemorrhoidopexy. A circular stapling device pulls the hemorrhoidal tissue upward and to its normal position, stapling it in place. The staples eventually fall out over time.
There are many options for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Its best to discuss the benefits and risks of each of these with your doctor in order to come up with the treatment plan that is best for your particular case.
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When Do I Need To See A Health Care Provider For Hemorrhoids
You should see your health care provider if you:
- Still have symptoms after 1 week of at-home treatment
- Have bleeding from your rectum. Hemorrhoids are a common cause of bleeding, but other conditions can also cause bleeding. They include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, and anal cancer. So it’s important to see your provider to find the cause of the bleeding.
Your Internal Hemorrhoid Problem
Visit your doctor to learn more about this issue and discuss the treatment approach that’s right for you. To find a local colorectal specialist, try our Find a Doctor database.
As with all medical issues, your physician is the ultimate source as to what procedure best fits your needs. Discuss all options and get a second opinion if you have any doubts. These articles are intended to be a source of general information only.
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How Long Do External Hemorrhoids Last
It all depends on the type of hemorrhoids youre suffering from. Nevertheless, the condition eases up if you follow at-home and medicated measures. The most common hemorrhoids last about a week, while severe cases might need medical procedures.
If hemorrhoids are caused by pregnancy, then they would disappear soon after childbirth.
Thrombosed Hemorrhoid Symptoms And Treatment
Robert Burakoff, MD, MPH, is board-certified in gastroentrology. He is the vice chair for ambulatory services for the department of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, where he is also a professor. He was the founding editor and co-editor in chief of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
A hemorrhoid is a swollen vein in the anus or rectum, the last part of the large intestine. Thrombosed hemorrhoids happen when a blood clot forms inside a hemorrhoid. The blood clot blocks blood flow, causing painful symptoms.
Most thrombosed hemorrhoids are external, but they can also be internal. External hemorrhoids form in the tissue outside the anus, while internal hemorrhoids are inside.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids are also known as acute hemorrhoidal disease or perianal thrombosis. Perianal is a general term for the area around the anus.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids may appear as a single lump or a circle of lumps. In most cases, the blood clot is reabsorbed by the body and the symptoms go away.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids are not considered dangerous, but they can be very painful. If symptoms do not go away, there are multiple treatment options ranging from topical creams to surgery.
This article discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatment for thrombosed hemorrhoids.
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