Hemorrhoids - A plea - Do you have them - what do you do about them - my story

[episodic]

Hi,

Thank goodness for forums like this. I've got a terrible case of hemorrhoids and I'm 29. I've had a colonoscopy and there is nothing else wrong. The surgeon I'm seeing put me on a high fiber diet, and scheduled an appointment to see me back in 8 weeks.

I started out eating 100% of my fiber with the cereal Fiber One. I'm a big fruit eater already, and I started snacking on baby carrots (alot of fiber).

I have not went back to see the surgeon yet - but the indication is that if things don't get better I might need to have them removed (a painful process).

I really don't want to go under surgery - but the fiber thing isn't working at all. I'm using stool softners also.

I recently added 2 glasses of metamucil to my daily fiber regime, as well as a prep h suppositories after every bowel movement.

STILL - bowel movements are so bloody painful that I swear I'd rather someone punch me square in the nose repeatedly. For some reason I can't even sit when going I have to hover - sitting is excrutiating even worse. Bleeding is the norm every time as well.

It is all I can do to expel my business without passing out. I called the doctor the 2nd week and told him (again) what kind of pain I'm in (I don't think he gets it) and he presribed tylenol 3! I am literally scared to go to the bathroom it hurts so bad. I told the doc all of this to begin with (is what prompted the colonscopy).


So question is - are or have any of you been in the same boat? What did you do?

 

[Pliablemoose]

For the love of god, go get them removed & never post another thread like this.

Do I have a second?

 

[waylman]

try washing your ass

 

[SoylentGreen]

Substitute prep H with Krazy glue.

Then you won't have those painful bowel movements.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
For the love of god, go get them removed & never post another thread like this.

Do I have a second?

I will second that my Boss is a major Hemorrhoid tho...


Sysadmin

 

[episodic]

People post all sorts of whacked photos here, and I can't ask for opinions about a medical condition?

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: waylman
try washing your ass

Believe me, I do.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: buyer262000

Originally posted by: waylman
try washing your ass

Believe me, I do.

I would post your problem on WebMD if you want a serious answer.


Sysadmin

 

[Ninjja]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
For the love of god, go get them removed & never post another thread like this.

Do I have a second?

No you don't. Be more sensitive.

My friend has ulcerative colitis, and I recently read a website that talks about helping your colon out. I know it's not the same thing, but it talks about alleviating symptoms through diet. As well as eating fibre, you should try and eat what they call soluble fibres i.e. cream of wheat, potatoes, fresh pasta, fresh bread (not wonderbread stuff) and apple sauce. It helps create the gel lining we have in our colons and prevents your colon from becoming rigid around hard, impacted stools.

Dude, other than that, I have no clue, but I wish you all the best and hope you feel better soon.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: buyer262000
People post all sorts of whacked photos here, and I can't ask for opinions about a medical condition?

It's a thread asking about your painful bleeding rectum. No one wants to know about it, Trust me, even your doctor doesn't want to know about it.

Am I to believe you can't type Hemorrhoid Forums into google?

 

[waylman]

actually, i forgot to mention this. some soaps can act as an irratant (sp?) I had a bit of a 'roid problem and figured out it was due to the soap I was using. good luck! LOL (sorry for laughing..it's only funny when it's not you!)

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: Sysadmin

Originally posted by: buyer262000

Originally posted by: waylman
try washing your ass

Believe me, I do.

I would post your problem on WebMD if you want a serious answer.

I was thinking that since alot of ppl here have sit down IT type jobs, alot of ppl may have experienced this since sit down type jobs often precipitate this . .. .

 

[Borracho]

no matter how crappy of a day it is as long as you don't have hemorrhoids its ok.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: buyer262000

Originally posted by: Sysadmin

Originally posted by: buyer262000

Originally posted by: waylman
try washing your ass

Believe me, I do.

I would post your problem on WebMD if you want a serious answer.

I was thinking that since alot of ppl here have sit down IT type jobs, alot of ppl may have experienced this since sit down type jobs often precipitate this . .. .

The majority of the peeps on this forum are under 20 so they are in the process of being hemrrhoids and not having to deal with one so I doubt that you will get a sincere answer.

Sysadmin

 

[Pliablemoose]

Slideshow

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hemorrhoids.html

BTW, I had them once & only once, now I keep steroid suppositories in my refrigerator (5 years now) just in case they ever come back.

 

[AEnigmaWI]

read your hemorrhoid post..

I would find a colorectal specialist in your area..

Your symptoms sound more like an anal fissure than hemorrhoids. Anal fissure is a small cut or tear in lining of anus that is usually caused by having too hard / dry bowel movements and/ or diarrhea.

Fissures bleed, and can be excruciatingly painful. They are not the same animal as a hemorrhoid, and it is highly possible that you may have both if the surgeron saw a hemorrhoid. Hemorrhoids are usually external, and don't usually have the pain associated with defacation that a fissure would in most cases. They bleed, but not in the same way. Internal hemorrhoids are completley painless.

 

[Blastomyces]

If the hemmorhoids are painful then they are probably external (internal ones dont hurt). You should continue high fiber diet, stool softeners, and try a Sitz bath to relieve the pain. If they continue to hurt/bleed they will likely need to be excised. It's fairly simple and can be done as an outpatient, a little freezing and then some cutting, all done! Hope you feel better soon.

(BTW, the avatar is no joke, Im a surgeon in real life).

 

[PingSpike]

Pics?

(come on, some one had too)

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

You must get up and walk around every hour, if you have a sit-down job.
Walk briskly two miles every day.......Drink water, lots of it. There are suppositories the stimulate movement, try them.
My sis & I have to use them on our bed ridden mother They work!!
Brisk walks are good for the lower GI tract.

Never had'em but I will tell you the pain you feel during the first few after surgery will make you howl. So I've been told.

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: galvanizedyankee
You must get up and walk around every hour, if you have a sit-down job.
Walk briskly two miles every day.......Drink water, lots of it. There are suppositories the stimulate movement, try them.
My sis & I have to use them on our bed ridden mother They work!!
Brisk walks are good for the lower GI tract.

Never had'em but I will tell you the pain you feel during the first few after surgery will make you howl. So I've been told.

I've been doing a mile a day walking . . .I'm going to up it soon.

 

[AEnigmaWI]

If you have solid stools, and there are red streaks of blood, fissure is most likely culprit..

I have had occasion to research this kind of thing.. LMK if you want / need info or resources.

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: AEnigmaWI
If you have solid stools, and there are red streaks of blood, fissure is most likely culprit..

I have had occasion to research this kind of thing.. LMK if you want / need info or resources.

I've read about fissures, too. I kind thought I did not have a fissure since the surgeon did a colonscopy and did not mention seeing a fissure, but yes solid stools with streaks of blood is the norm.

I have read a ton on the problem through google. Problem is, there are so many recommendations, I thought talking to some real ppl that have had the problem could yield a subset of possible solutions that have worked for others.

As suggested earlier I went ahead an posted on webmd as well. I'll keep monitoring here, too.

Thanks for the serious replies I've got so far. . . Sometimes it helps just to talk about this kinda thing, heck I won't even tell my wife what I just said. .. This isn't a casual conversation even with friends usually . . .

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: waylman
actually, i forgot to mention this. some soaps can act as an irratant (sp?) I had a bit of a 'roid problem and figured out it was due to the soap I was using. good luck! LOL (sorry for laughing..it's only funny when it's not you!)

Me too. Ever since I stopped washing down there, no problems!

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: waylman
actually, i forgot to mention this. some soaps can act as an irratant (sp?) I had a bit of a 'roid problem and figured out it was due to the soap I was using. good luck! LOL (sorry for laughing..it's only funny when it's not you!)

Me too. Ever since I stopped washing down there, no problems!

Funny

 

[AEnigmaWI]

if you have streaks of blood, it's highly likely IMO that you have a fissure.

Most general surgeons won't properly diagnose a fissure, because it's not a real well researched thing.

You really need to get a colorectal specialist to take a look. He/She can tell you right away in 5 secs with out using any instruments if you have hemorrhoids and/or a fissure.

If it's a fissure, you might try the following:

1) Get some 0.10% nitroglycerin ointment. It has to be compounded at a pharmacy. Pre-prepared nitro ointment is in 10% concentration and is too strong for what you want. They will give it to you in a little plastic jar most likely. Rub some around the periphery of your sphincter, and try and push a little inside with just the tip of your finger.

Nitro ointment increases blood flow, and will relax your muscle down there. It can help with healing, and with continued use (3 - 4 times a day) will lower the amount of pain you are in.

2) Eat 35 grams of insoluble fiber a day. There are many kinds of fiber. Not all of them are the same. Oatmeal, many kinds of fruit etc.. have soluble fiber in them. This is great for health, but has no laxative effect. You need the kind of fiber in wheat or broccoli. A good diet is a bowl of high fiber cereal (not necessarily more than ) for breakfast.. a salad for lunch, some stemed broccoli, a small amount of protein like a chicken breast, and some fibrous carb, like brown rice, wheat bread, etc.. for dinner. It is important to have something like a salad at some point during the day because it increases the amount of water in your colon, and promotes sofer stools.

3) Take Surfak stool softener once a day. It's ducosate calcium. Dulcolax stool softener gels are ducosate sodium, and I don't think you want anything that has a chance of having lots of sodium in it passing by something that is open and bleeding. Ouch.

4) Take a tbsb of metamucil twice a day. If you tend to harder stools, take it with at least 14oz of water. This will also help keep your stools from being hard. Metamucil is a bulking agent, and will also help keep you from having diarreah. It seems like you don't want bigger stool, but really a bulking agent makes it soft and pliable but still formed.

5) Drink plenty of fluids. Don't drink alcohol, or anything with any amount of caffeine in it.

6) This is the hardest and most important thing.. when you feel the urge, go IMMEDIATELY. This is very, very important. When you retain stool, your colon dries it out, and it will be insanely painful to pass.

7) Use a showerwand or similar to bathe your anal area with very warm water right after bowel movements. This will relax the muscle and relieve a lot of the pain. Spasming of your sphincter causes much of the pain of a fissure once the BM is over.