What Type Of Doctor Deals With Hemorrhoids

How Can I Treat My Hemorrhoids

You can most often treat your hemorrhoids at home by

• taking a stool softener or a fiber supplement such as psyllium or methylcellulose
• drinking water or other nonalcoholic liquids each day as recommended by your health care professional
• not straining during bowel movements
• not sitting on the toilet for long periods of time
• taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin
• sitting in a tub of warm water, called a sitz bath, several times a day to help relieve pain

Applying over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams or ointments or using suppositoriesa medicine you insert into your rectummay relieve mild pain, swelling, and itching of external hemorrhoids. Most often, doctors recommend using over-the-counter products for 1 week. You should follow up with your doctor if the products

• do not relieve your symptoms after 1 week
• cause side effects such dry skin around your anus or a rash

Most prolapsed internal hemorrhoids go away without at-home treatment. However, severely prolapsed or bleeding internal hemorrhoids may need medical treatment.

Hemorrhoid Symptoms And Diagnosis: Internal And External Hemorrhoids

Itching, pain, and bleeding in the anal area are common signs of hemorrhoids.

Itching, pain, and bleeding in the anal area are common signs of hemorrhoids.

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Hemorrhoids occur when veins in the skin around the anus or in the lower rectum get swollen and inflamed. Its not exactly clear what causes people to get hemorrhoids, but there are some common, accepted risk factors and conditions that lead to their development.

Aging can decrease muscle tone in the area, weakening the tissue and causing hemorrhoids to bulge, while obesity and pregnancy can increase the risk for hemorrhoids due to increased pressure on tissue in the area.

Repeated straining to make a bowel movement, as well as constipation, are also associated with hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are generally not dangerous or life-threatening, but they may be painful.

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Research And Statistics: Who Gets Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are very common in both men and women, affecting about 1 in 20 Americans. The most common time to get hemorrhoids is between ages 45 and 65. Hemorrhoids are also common in pregnant women.

By age 50, about half of us have experienced hemorrhoid symptoms, such as itching, bleeding, and rectal pain. At any given time, about 10 million Americans roughly 4 percent of adults have hemorrhoids. Its estimated that 75 percent of Americans will have hemorrhoids at some point in their lives.

When To See A Doctor For Hemorrhoids

How long do hemorrhoids last? The answer to this is variable. Treatment for small hemorrhoids may work within a few days, while larger hemorrhoids may last much longer. Most hemorrhoids can be managed at home but if the or bleeding is severe you are soiling yourself with stool the hemorrhoids keep returning or you are experiencing pain, bleeding and itching from the hemorrhoids after a week, consider seeing your doctor for assessment and treatment.

Although not common, if you experience , , or large amounts of bleeding from your rectum, this is an emergency and you should seek medical help immediately.

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What Types Of Hemorrhoids Are There

• External hemorrhoids are near the opening of the anus. They may be painful, but home treatments usually work to control them.
• Internal hemorrhoids are inside the anal canal. They usually don’t cause pain. But they can itch, cause a feeling of pressure, and make it hard to clean around the anus. They may also bleed or leak mucus. Sometimes they stick out of the anus.

When Should I See My Doctor

See your doctor if you start to notice pain and discomfort around your anus, especially when you sit or have a bowel movement.

Seek emergency medical attention if you notice any drastic worsening of your symptoms or any of these other symptoms, especially if theyre interfering with your daily activities:

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Causes And Risk Factors Of Rectal Prolapse

Theres no single definitive cause of rectal prolapse, although a number of known factors can increase your risk of developing this condition.

• Chronic constipation
• Chronic diarrhea
• History of straining during bowel movements
• Weak muscles in the pelvic area
• Being of older age
• Previous injury in the anal or pelvic area
• Nerve damage

Sitz Bath For Hemorrhoids

This is a warm bath specifically for the hips and buttocks. You can obtain a small tub that fits over the typical toilet seat or sit in a bathtub in a few inches of warm water. Doctors recommend taking a 20-minute bath after every bowel movement as well as two or three more times daily. After each bath carefully pat the anus and buttocks dry. Do not wipe or rub hard.

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Are You A Good Candidate For Hemorrhoid Removal

The goal of hemorrhoid surgery is to remove the enlarged hemorrhoid tissue and relieve rectal , itching and bleeding. But surgery is not your only option. Hemorrhoid treatments include lifestyle changes, minimally invasive procedures, and surgery. Use the following information as a guide in making the decision to have hemorrhoid removal surgery.

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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Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation And Recto Anal Repair

Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation and Recto Anal Repair is a new procedure in which a miniature Doppler sensor is inserted in the anus to detect the arteries supplying blood to hemorrhoids. The surgeon can pinpoint the arteries supplying the hemorrhoids and can tie them off to cut the blood supply. The hemorrhoids are reduced almost immediately and within weeks, are no longer noticeable. The procedure is effective and virtually painless, but it is not simple.

Mayo Clinic: âHemorrhoids: Diagnosis and treatment.â

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care: âEnlarged hemorrhoids: What procedures can be done?â

UCSF Center for Colorectal Surgery: âHemorrhoids.â

Albuquerque, A. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, September 2016.

What Is A Colon And Rectal Surgeon

A Colon and Rectal Surgeon is a General Surgeon who has undertaken further training in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum and anus. The term Proctologist is an older term for a Colon and Rectal Surgeon.

Colorectal surgeons commonly treat conditions such as rectal cancer or colon cancer, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, diverticulitis, and infections of the anus. When medical treatment is unsuccessful, the surgeon will perform the appropriate test or operation, such as a colonoscopy, colectomy or colon resection, a proctectomy or rectal removal, or a hemorrhoidectomy.

Importantly, to look at the lining of the colon, a Colon and Rectal Surgeon will perform a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is instrumental in helping to prevent colon cancer by removing precancerous colon polyps. Polyps are overgrowths of the lining of the colon or rectum. If left in place, polyps can become malignant.

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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.

When Is It Time To See Your Doctor

While most people think of hemorrhoids as a minor problem, they can be very painful, explains Dr. Buzas. Knowing when to treat conditions such as hemorrhoids on your own and when its better to seek help can help you avoid unnecessary complications.If youre experiencing any of the following situations related to your hemorrhoids, make an appointment to see your doctor:

• You experience rectal bleeding or see bright red blood on your toilet paper.
• You have pain and discomfort in your rectum or anus.
• Youve tried over-the-counter remedies for more than one week without relieving your symptoms.
• You have bowel movements that are maroon or dark like tar in color, which can be a sign of bleeding.

If your rectal bleeding wont stop and you feel dizzy or faint, you should consider it a medical emergency that warrants a trip to the emergency room.When you see your doctor for hemorrhoids, youll first discuss your symptoms. Be sure to answer any questions directly and honestly, to get the best diagnosis. Your doctor will then examine you for external hemorrhoids, internal hemorrhoids and other potential issues.

Getting your hemorrhoids checked out is no different than and as important as getting a routine colonoscopy, Pap test, mammogram or prostate exam, Dr. Buzas notes. Theres no reason to be reluctant or delay your care.

• Geisinger store

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Eat A High Fiber Diet

Unless you have other medical problems that dictate a special diet, the best treatment for hemorrhoids is a high fiber diet. Eat fewer processed foods and more nuts, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables to help avoid constipation. A stool softener or fiber supplement may also alleviate hemorrhoid issues. Beware of laxatives because diarrhea is a side effect, and this irritates hemorrhoids more.

Try to drink 8 glasses of water every day. Its critical that you introduce new foods gradually so that you avoid gas. If your doctor recommends surgery or prescription medicine, youll likely still need to make dietary changes.

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.

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What Doctor Treats Hemorrhoids

If youre silently suffering the pain of hemorrhoids thinking that no one understands your pain, think again! The fact that hemorrhoid cure and its various misspellings and other associated phrases such as treat hemorrhoid from home are searched for on Google more than 12 million times monthly says quite a lot about this common disorder. If you use this fact to make the assumption that people like you, and me, would rather just cure hemorrhoids at home then youd be quite correct. Natural hemorrhoid treatment methods are most of the time hemorrhoids sufferers best friend. Most sufferers will find one right solution that would cure the problem for good all without the embarrassment of explaining every detail to your doctor.

There comes a time though when you have to bite the bullet and get yourself checked out by someone who knows more about hemorrhoids than most of internet hemorrhoid guides. Your question would then be what doctor treats hemorrhoids? Before I pose the somewhat complicated answer to that question though let me first tell you when you need to consider seeing your doctor about your hemorrhoids.

What Additional Qualifications Are Required By Hemorrhoid Specialists

After finishing medical school, a hemorrhoid specialist will complete a four-year residency in order to train in a major discipline, such as the vascular field or in gastroenterology. Once licensed to practice in one of these fields, a hemorrhoid specialist must then undertake a two-year fellowship to acquire the skills and specialist knowledge this area of medicine demands.

The Leading Medicine Guide’s quality assurance is ensured by the following acceptance prerequisites.

• At least 10 years of experience in medical treatment
• Mastery of modern diagnostic and surgical procedures
• Representative number of annual surgeries, treatments and therapies
• Outstanding focus of treatment in their special field
• Active member of a leading national medical society
• Managerial position
• Active participation in medical conferences, symposia etc.
• Research and teaching
• Quality management

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How Is Rectal Bleeding Diagnosed

When you see a doctor for rectal bleeding, youll be asked a series of questions to help identify the cause. These can include when the rectal bleeding began, any foods you ate prior to the onset of symptoms, if you were constipated, and if you were straining during your bowel movement.

Your doctor will also perform a full medical exam and take your medical history.

Tests that may help determine the cause of rectal bleeding include:

• Colonoscopy, in which a long, flexible tube with a tiny camera on its tip is inserted into the rectum. This allows your doctor to view the inside of the entire colon and look for any abnormalities, notes the Mayo Clinic.
• Sigmoidoscopy, in which a healthcare provider uses a sigmoidoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera, to view the lower part of your colon and rectum. This test can help diagnose bowel disorders and cancer, per the Mayo Clinic.
• Fecal occult blood test, which is a lab test to detect hidden, or occult, blood in stool. The test can be done in a few different ways, either by the patient collecting stool samples and returning them to their doctor or a lab, or using a flushable pad or tissue that changes color when blood is present, according to the Mayo Clinic.

About Los Angeles Colon And Rectal Surgical Associates

Gary H. Hoffman M.D., Eiman Firoozmand M.D., Liza M. Capiendo M.D. and Stephen Yoo M.D. specialize in colon and rectal surgery and general surgery. Although many of their patients are from countries around the world and from all areas of California and Southern California, most patients are from Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Culver City, the Valley, South Bay, Santa Monica, as well as outlying areas such as Lancaster, Bakersfield, Fresno and San Diego.

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What Is The Treatment For Hemorrhoids

Preventing the recurrence of hemorrhoids requires relieving the pressure of straining due to constipation or diarrhea. The most effective method to relieve constipation is increasing the amount of fiber and fluids in your diet. Eating the right amount of fiber and drinking six to eight glasses of fluid result in softer, bulkier stools. A softer stool makes emptying the bowels easier and lessens the pressure on hemorrhoids caused by straining. A reduction in straining also helps prevent the hemorrhoids from protruding.

Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In addition, we may recommend a bulk stool softener or a fiber supplement.

Medical treatment of hemorrhoids is aimed initially at relieving symptoms and includes:

• Tub baths several times a day in plain, warm water for about 10 minutes
• Application of a hemorroidal cream or suppository to the affected area for a limited time