What Doctor Do I See For Hemorrhoids

With These Treatments Hemorrhoid Symptoms Often Go Away Within A Week

Hemorrhoid surgery is safe and effective most of the time. If your doctor sees indications of a more complicated case of hemorrhoids or a more serious condition, they may refer you to a specialist like a gastroenterologist or a colon and rectal surgeon. During a traditional hemorrhoidectomy, a narrow incision is made around the hemorrhoids to cut out the swollen tissue. Learn the symptoms, causes, and treatments of hemorrhoids. Mary mcmahon individuals who experience recurrent hemorrhoids may find it useful to see a hemorrhoid specialist. He or she feels for anything unusual, such as growths. Additionally, you should meet with your doctor to discuss this bleeding. In most cases, your family doctor or primary care physician can help you manage hemorrhoids. You can discuss with a hemorrhoids specialist about your hemorrhoids related to severe conditions such as pain, clotting, and bleeding. If youve already popped a hemorrhoid, its important to take steps to reduce your risk of infection. General surgery 31 years experience colorectal surgeon: Removing the clot within the first 48 hours often gives the most relief, so request a timely appointment with your. Hemorrhoids are a very common problem.

Medical Treatment For Your Hemorrhoids

Dr. Rivas develops personalized hemorrhoid treatment plans after completing a thorough examination. The treatments we recommend may depend on the type of hemorrhoids, as well as your symptoms. Initially, we may suggest lifestyle changes to ease your pain, such as increasing your intake of fiber and water to improve bowel movements and sitz baths to alleviate pain and discomfort.

However, when at-home treatments fail, Dr. Rivas may suggest a procedure to destroy or remove your hemorrhoids, such as:

• Rubber band ligation
• Infrared, laser, or bipolar coagulation
• Thrombectomy

When Should I Worry About My Hemorrhoids And See A Doctor

You should see a doctor when youre suffering from any of the following symptoms:

• Bleeding from the anus, reddish or tar-colored stools, or spots of blood on your toilet paper.
• Pain in your rectum or anus.
• Milder symptoms like itching that dont stop after a week.
• A feeling of being full in your rectum even after youve had a bowel movement.
• Leaking stool.
• Any tissue coming out of your anus .

While hemorrhoids are generally mild, you should see a doctor to at least rule out anything more serious.

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Prevention Tips & How To Find Relief

There are many different treatment options for patients looking for at-home solutions. Smaller hemorrhoids can be successfully treated at home through a combination of dietary changes and OTC medicines.

• Get more fiber in your diet. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help ease digestion. If you have trouble changing your diet, talk to your doctor and ask if a fiber supplement may work for you. Drinking more water can also help.
• Use over-the-counter pain relievers and hemorrhoid creams. Oral pain relievers containing acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help reduce discomfort. Topical creams can also relieve pain and itching.
• Soak in a sitz bath. A sitz bath involves sitting in a warm, shallow bath for 10 to 15 minutes to promote blood flow and keep the perianal area clean. Some manufacturers make sitz bath apparatuses that can be attached directly to a toilet seat, but you can also use a regular bathtub.
• Sit on a donut cushion. Donut-shaped cushions can help reduce the pressure on your tailbone when sitting. Cushions like these can help alleviate anal pain and discomfort, especially for patients who spend most of their day sitting at work.
• Limit your time on the toilet. Sitting on the toilet for too long can increase pressure in the veins in your anus and rectum, which can lead to hemorrhoids. Dont stay on the toilet for longer than you need toit may help to keep your phone out of the bathroom and remove any magazines or books that you keep nearby.

What Treatment Methods Are Used By Hemorrhoid Specialists

A visual examination by a primary care doctor is often enough to diagnose a simple case of hemorrhoids, which can then be treated by using:

• corticosteroid cream, which can help to reduce swelling and pain
• hemorrhoid cream containing lidocaine, which helps to reduce pain
• stool softeners designed to minimise straining and constipation

Other useful home treatments include:

• applying witch hazel with a cotton swab
• wearing cotton underwear
• avoiding perfumed and coloured toilet tissue
• avoiding scratching the area
• using a warm-water Sitz bath to relieve the symptoms

In more complex cases, these treatments may not be enough to cure the problem. Where surgery is a recommended option, it will usually involve one of these procedures:

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Avoid Making Hemorrhoids Worse

• Blot the anus gently with white toilet paper moistened with water or a cleansing agent after bowel movements. Baby wipes or other pre-moistened towels are also useful for this purpose.
• Avoid rubbing the anal area. You can rinse off in the shower or on a bidet instead of wiping yourself with toilet paper. After cleansing, gently pat the anal area dry with a soft, absorbent towel or cloth.
• Use soaps that contain no perfumes or dyes.

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Lifestyle Changes For Managing Hemorrhoids

You may help prevent hemorrhoids from forming or from worsening with some lifestyle changes. These changes include:

• Do not while moving your bowels.
• Limit the amount of time you spend on the toilet.
• Increase fiber in your diet. Fiber helps give stool bulk so it can be moved through your intestines, and it also helps water remain in the stool so it does not become dry and difficult to pass.
• Increase fluid intake. Drink six to eight glasses of water and other liquids to help keep your stool soft.
• Exercise regularly. This will help regulate and stimulate your bowels.
• Apply topical ointments. OTC creams and suppositories can help relieve pain and reduce swelling.

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Eat A High Fiber Diet And Drink Plenty Of Fluids

Fiber is excellent for your health in many ways! Hemorrhoids are generally caused by strain on the blood vessels in the anus and rectum. Your first line of defense is to reduce the amount of pressure you put on your body while defecating. If youre not getting enough fiber in your diet, you may want to consider high-fiber supplements.

Fiber keeps your stool softas long as youre drinking enough water. If you are dehydrated, your lower intestine will remove the water it needs from your stool, leaving it compact and difficult to evacuate.

What Is A Hemorrhoid Specialist

A hemorrhoid specialist is a physician who specializes in treating, managing, and preventing hemorrhoids, inflammations around the anus and rectum. General practitioners, internal medicine specialists, gastroenterologists, and proctologists can all choose to pursue careers as hemorrhoid specialists. People who experience recurrent hemorrhoids may find it helpful to see a hemorrhoid specialist for more in-depth care than a regular doctor can provide.

These specialists usually handle other medical issues as well, but have received some special training in hemorrhoids and pursue continuing education to keep up with the latest advances in treatment and management. When a patient goes to a hemorrhoid specialist, the doctor will take a complete patient history, review the patients chart for more information, and conduct a physical exam. This will be used to develop a treatment plan.

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Change In Bowel Habits

With a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid you may develop the sensation that you cant fully evacuate your bowels. You may also notice a mucous discharge or difficulty cleaning yourself following a bowel movement because of displaced toilet tissue.

These symptoms can be uncomfortable but easily treated with medical intervention.

Do You Really Have Hemorrhoids

Many people who experience pain, irritation or anything outof the ordinary in the anal region probably assume its a hemorrhoid. But dontgo reaching for the medicated cream or pads just yet. Manyother conditions could be the culprit, including anal fissure, analwarts, an infection, anal cancer in serious cases, or even just a cut.

Work with a doctor to rule out those things and determinewhat treatment you need.

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What Is Considered A Large Hemorrhoid

Hemorrhoids can be classified according to how severe they are: Grade 1: Slightly enlarged hemorrhoids that cant be seen from outside the anus. Grade 2: Larger hemorrhoids that sometimes come out of the anus, for example while passing stool or less commonly during other physical activities.

How Do You Treat Hemorrhoids

Simple preventive measures can reduce your risk of hemorrhoids in North Carolina. Simple home remedies include the following:

• Exercise regularly. Obesity is a significant risk factor when it comes to hemorrhoid development, and regular exercise can help you stimulate your bowels. Aim to get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise each day.

• Seek topical treatments. Many drugstores in North Carolina sell hemorrhoid creams that can help soothe pain in the anal area while hemorrhoids heal. Placing an ice pack on the affected area can also reduce swelling in the area.

• Sit on cushions. Sitting on a soft surface rather than a hard surface can help reduce swelling and reduce the pressure.

• Facilitate regular bowel movements. Holding stool in can lead to increased pressure and straining during bowel movements. Scheduling time to go to the bathroom or going to the bathroom immediately can reduce hemorrhoid risk.

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Discomfort Itching And Irritation In The Anal Region

Theres really no reason to try and live with your hemorrhoids until the pain becomes severe enough to disrupt your life. Many effective nonsurgical treatments exist that can resolve your hemorrhoids, including:

Infrared coagulation

The highly effective IRC method utilizes infrared light delivered via a small probe to painlessly coagulate the blood vessels supplying your hemorrhoid. As the blood flow is blocked, the enlarged hemorrhoidal tissue shrinks and your symptoms resolve.

Rubber band ligation

This method also blocks blood flow to the hemorrhoidal tissue, which eventually causes the hemorrhoid to wither and die. Its admittedly more painful overall than IRC and may cause bleeding, but it remains an effective, nonsurgical solution for treating hemorrhoids.

You can rely on Dr. Clemens to focus first on diagnosing your condition correctly and then recommending the most conservative and effective hemorrhoid treatment available, including tips that help prevent hemorrhoids from recurring. Schedule your appointment today at Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center.

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What Can I Do To Help Prevent Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are prevalent, with up to seventy-five percent of people suffering from a case in their lifetimes. You cant prevent every case of hemorrhoids! But you can take steps to reduce the chances of having hemorrhoids in the first place, and to reduce the severity if you do get them.

There are two main strategies for hemorrhoid prevention: changing your diet and changing your lifestyle.

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How A Doctor Can Help

Doctors can recommend medical treatments and procedures that can reduce or get rid of hemorrhoids. Some of these procedures can be done right in a doctors office and involve very little discomfort.

• Medicated creams/ointments. If an OTC hemorrhoid cream isnt enough, doctors can prescribe stronger creams and ointments.
• Minimally-invasive procedures. There are some minimally-invasive procedures that a doctor can do in their office or in an ambulatory surgery center that typically doesnt require anesthesia or long recovery times. Some of these procedures include rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy injections, and laser/infrared coagulation treatments.
• Thrombectomy. For severe cases that develop blood clots and cause a lot of pain, your doctor can perform an external hemorrhoid thrombectomy to remove the hemorrhoid. Thrombectomies are most effective when performed no more than 72 hours after severe symptoms emerge.
• Surgery. There are several surgical options available when other treatments and procedures havent worked or if you have very large hemorrhoids. If youve struggled to find relief, talk to your doctor to learn if surgery is right for you.

What Are Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are swollen, irritated veins around your anus and the lowest part of your rectum. There are two types of hemorrhoids:

• Internal: This type of hemorrhoid is inside the rectum, so you wont be able to see it. They are usually painless, and the only symptom may be bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet after a bowel movement.
• External: This type of hemorrhoid is under the skin around the anus. It may look like pink or purple bumps. Because they are located in an area where there are pain-sensing nerves, they may hurt as well as bleed.

Anything that causes an increase in pressure can make the veins in your lower rectum and anus swell, causing hemorrhoids, says Dr. Buzas. This can happen if you are obese, pregnant, straining to have a bowel movement or lifting something heavy.

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Different Types of Hemorrhoids

There are two types of hemorrhoids: external and internal. External hemorrhoids arise from the anal canal, while internal hemorrhoids arise from the rectum, immediately above the anal canal. According to Cuckoo Choudhary, MD, associate professor of gastroenterology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, one type is not worse than the other, but both can cause problems. “It all depends on the size and degree of the hemorrhoid,” Dr. Choudhary says. “Untreated internal hemorrhoids can cause bleeding. External hemorrhoids can cause thrombosis , which gives way to severe pain from hemorrhoidal strangulation.”

If you know you have hemorrhoids and you have acute and severe anal pain, it could be a sign of thrombosed hemorrhoids.

Know When to See Your Doctor

Though the annoyance of hemorrhoids can be reason enough to call your doctor, use this checklist to know when a visit is a must:

• If you’re experiencing any type of rectal bleeding
• If the hemorrhoids are causing you pain or discomfort
• If the problems persist despite trying over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams or other remedies
• If you’re passing stools that look maroon in color or tarry in color, a sign of bleeding

If you experience a large amount of rectal bleeding that is accompanied by dizziness or faintness, be sure to seek emergency medical care immediately.

Where Can I Go For Hemorrhoid Treatment

An essential initial step is to see your doctor for hemorrhoid treatment. You and your doctor can create a hemorrhoid treatment plan that is appropriate for you and your body.

Making an appointment with your doctor is especially critical if you are experiencing any rectal bleeding.

Bright red blood following a bowel movement is a common symptom of hemorrhoids, but it could be a sign of something more serious. Let your doctor determine if you need additional tests because after all, its better to be safe than sorry.

Many treatment options can be done in your own home. Your local drugstore carries all sorts of ointments, creams, wipes, cushions, supplements, and suppositories that are all designed for hemorrhoid relief.

These over the counter medications are effective in treating hemorrhoids, and for your convenience, can be found at nearly every type of store in your area.

If your family doctor feels it necessary, he or she will recommend or send you to a specialist. Hemorrhoids are easily treatable, but in some cases, our genetics can make this anorectal condition reluctant to respond with basic treatments, and can often produce reoccurring, life-hindering flare-ups.

Cases such as these are better to be dealt with the capable hands of a gastroenterologist or proctologist. At the first sign of hemorrhoids, however, you dont have to worry about going to see one of these specialists right away.

• Treating Hemorrhoids: From Home Remedies to Surgery

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About Author: David Pruitt

David Pruitt is a writer for the Marketing & Communications division of OSF HealthCare. He has a bachelors of journalism from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and worked as a reporter before joining OSF HealthCare in 2014. An avid golfer and fisherman, David was born and raised Alton, Illinois, which is where he currently resides with his son, James.

Why Do Hemorrhoids Often Itch

Your anus is a very sensitive area, and when something isnt right down there, it can lead to inflammation and itchiness. In the case of hemorrhoids, the internal type can drag mucus from the rectum along if they slip outside your anus.

If the hemorrhoid stays prolapsed it may continue to secrete mucus. Your anus can find the mucus incredibly irritating, and this is what creates that unpleasant itchy sensation. Often the itch is made worse when the mucus and your stools combine as you poop.

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How Serious Are My Hemorrhoids

Treatment will depend on your symptoms, but typically,doctors will recommend conservativeoptions first.

Mild or occasional rectal bleeding may respond to changes in dietary habits, like upping your dietary fiber and drinking more water, Dr. Zutshi says. For periodic anal irritation caused by inflamed hemorrhoids, over-the-counter skin protective creams and warm sitz baths may help.

There are also some simple, in-office treatments for mild, on-and-off bleeding from internal hemorrhoids. Rubber band ligation is a commonly used procedure that involves placing little rubber bands above a hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply. The hemorrhoid then shrinks and falls off.

This procedure is usually only used on smaller hemorrhoids,Dr. Zutshi explains. But larger internal hemorrhoids can still be easilytreated with minimally invasive surgery.

If the issue is large internal and external hemorrhoids, a more invasive surgery might be necessary. However, if its only skin tags, which are residual hemorrhoid tags, these are usually not treated, Dr. Zutshi says, as trimming them off is very painful, and residual bulges may still persist.

Occasionally, external hemorrhoids become very painful whenthey develop a clot in them, she explains. This is called a thrombosed hemorrhoid.If you see your doctor within a few days of onset, the clots can be removed,Dr. Zutshi says. Otherwise it takes a few weeks for the swelling and pain tosettle down.