Hemorrhoids, or hemorrhoids around the anus, are a condition that can develop during pregnancy due to poor diet, excessive straining during bowel movements, or frequent constipation. Basically, hemorrhoids are varicose veins in the rectum or anus that result from pressure on that part of the body. Hemorrhoids can swell, bleed, and itch. This is accompanied by rather unpleasant sensations, which are not easy to get rid of. Hemorrhoids are usually not a serious medical condition. However, if a person is taking blood thinners or has cirrhosis of the liver, the bleeding can be severe and prolonged. There are various ways to treat hemorrhoids that can help you successfully cope with it and prevent it from reappearing.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: How to treat hemorrhoids at home
Step 1. Take a sitz bath
When taking a sitz bath, immerse your thighs and buttocks in warm water. Warm water helps soothe hemorrhoids, relieving soreness and itching.
- You can use either a shallow bathtub or a special device that fits over the toilet lid.
- For quick relief with a lasting effect, you need to immerse the anal area in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes twice or thrice a day.
Step 2. Use wet wipes
With hemorrhoids, the veins become inflamed and swollen, and dry toilet paper can scratch or injure them even more. Instead of toilet paper, use baby wipes or wipes that can be flushed down the toilet.
Since wipes with scent or alcohol can irritate hemorrhoids, try not to use them
Step 3. Use topical preparations
For the treatment of hemorrhoids, various over-the-counter topical preparations are sold: creams, ointments, healing wipes and suppositories.
- Most of these medications contain witch hazel or hydrocortisone, which can help relieve pain and itching caused by hemorrhoids.
- Some drugs contain steroids, anesthetics, astringents, and antiseptics.
- These over-the-counter medications should not be used for more than one week. Only the attending physician can prescribe a longer course of treatment.
Step 4. Take over-the-counter pain relievers
Pain is a common symptom of hemorrhoids, especially during bowel movements. To relieve hemorrhoid pain, take over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen with topical medications.
Aspirin should not be taken by children or adolescents. Children and adolescents can develop a rare but dangerous condition such as Reye's (or Reye's) syndrome as a result of taking aspirin. Reye's syndrome, manifested by swelling of the liver and brain, can be fatal
Step 5. Apply a cold compress
Due to hemorrhoids, the veins become inflamed and swollen. An ice pack or cold compress will reduce inflammation and swelling by slowing down blood flow to the hemorrhoids. To feel relief as soon as possible, place an ice pack or cold compress in a sealed sandwich bag and place it over your anus.
Do not use an ice pack or cold compress for more than 20 minutes. It should take at least 10 minutes before you can reapply it
Step 6. Keep it clean
If you have hemorrhoids, then first of all you must make sure that the anal area is always clean. Take a bath or shower daily and gently wash the skin around your anus with a gentle stream of warm water. When using soap, remember that it can irritate the hemorrhoids.
Method 2 of 3: How to prevent recurrence of hemorrhoids
Step 1. Do not strain during bowel movements
Most often, hemorrhoids form if a person pushes too hard in the toilet. The cause may be constipation or chronic diarrhea caused by digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. Another reason may be that a person just sits on the toilet for a long time, being distracted by reading or playing on a smartphone.
- Don't sit on the toilet longer than you need to.
- Sitting on the toilet, try raising your legs slightly. This will help you use less effort to defecate.
Step 2. Immediately respond to bowel urges
If you have a tendency to hemorrhoids, you need to go to the toilet immediately as soon as you feel the urge. If you postpone bowel movements "for later", waiting for a more appropriate time, it can provoke constipation, and bowel movements will be more painful. This can cause hemorrhoids or aggravate the condition of an existing one.
Step 3. Change your diet
If you are often worried about hemorrhoids, then by making changes in your diet, you can avoid recurrence of hemorrhoids. Eat healthy foods, avoid junk food / drinks - this will help improve intestinal motility and reduce the likelihood of constipation.
- Add fiber to your diet. Fruits, vegetables, pasta and whole grain breads, seeds, nuts, and oats are high in fiber.
- Try a fiber supplement. Fiber supplements include psyllium seeds, wheat dextrin, and methylcellulose. By taking supplements daily, you can be sure you are getting 20 to 30 grams of fiber every day.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water every day can improve your bowel movements, thereby reducing the likelihood of constipation. Try to drink 1, 5 - 2 liters of water daily.
- Because caffeine and alcohol can affect bowel function, you should refrain from consuming them.
- Try a stool softener. To make a simple stool softener, you can add a spoonful of mineral oil to applesauce, yogurt, or other soft foods. Eat this softener in one of your meals, but don't use this recipe too often.
Step 4. Exercise to lose weight
Being overweight can be the main cause of hemorrhoids because it puts additional stress on the veins. In addition, physical activity itself will be very beneficial and will help reduce constipation.
Step 5. Try traditional medicine
While medication is most effective, herbal therapy or vitamin supplementation can also be helpful. Most often, such folk remedies are used:
- Aloe vera
- Vitamin E
- Yarrow
- Allspice
- Yellowroot root
- Myrrh
- White oak
Method 3 of 3: Get medical attention
Step 1. You may need to see a doctor
Hemorrhoids are usually harmless and can be easily cured. However, some people may have complications. Be sure to see your doctor if you have any complications due to hemorrhoids, or if your condition has not improved after a week of using OTC drugs.
- Sometimes, chronic and long-term blood loss due to hemorrhoids can cause anemia. Anemia is characterized by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, which makes it more difficult for the body to deliver oxygen to the cells. Symptoms of anemia include weakness and chronic fatigue.
- If the blood supply to the hemorrhoids suddenly stops, strangulated hemorrhoids may develop. Infringement of the hemorrhoid is accompanied by severe pain and can lead to necrosis (tissue death) and gangrene.
Step 2. Try to treat hemorrhoids with non-surgical methods
Your doctor may recommend different approaches to treating hemorrhoids that do not require surgery. Due to the fact that these methods are minimally invasive, they are safe, effective and carried out in an outpatient setting.
- Latex ring ligation is a minimally invasive procedure during which a latex ring is used to restrict blood flow to the hemorrhoid. The doctor puts a ring on the base of the hemorrhoidal node and within a week the node dies and is rejected.
- Injection sclerotherapy is a procedure that involves injecting a chemical into inflamed tissue. As a result, the hemorrhoid shrinks and pain and inflammation decrease. Although it is a relatively painless procedure, ligation is still a more effective treatment.
- Coagulation is a technique that uses a laser, infrared light, or high temperature (bipolar). As a result of this procedure, the inflamed hemorrhoid shrinks and hardens. Coagulation has few side effects, but there is a higher relapse rate than ligation.
Step 3. Agree to surgery
In some cases, non-surgical treatments for hemorrhoids may be ineffective. If other treatments have not worked, or if you have very large hemorrhoids, your doctor may recommend that you have them surgically removed. There are several types of surgery. The operation is performed either on an outpatient basis or in a medical facility. It depends on the complexity of the surgical technique and the stage of the hemorrhoid. Long-term, persistent bleeding, infection, and fecal incontinence may occur after surgery, although long-term complications are rare.
- Hemorrhoidectomy is a procedure in which hemorrhoids and tissue around them are surgically removed. Hemorrhoidectomy is the most effective way to get rid of hemorrhoids if other treatments fail.
- Stapling hemorrhoids / hemorrhoids - This procedure involves suturing the hemorrhoids surgically to stop blood flow to the affected area. It is believed that this method is less painful than hemorrhoidectomy, but it often leads to recurrence of hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse.
Advice
- If you are worried about hemorrhoids, then you should not have anal sex. During intercourse, hemorrhoids will irritate and bleed, which will contribute to the spread of blood-borne diseases.
- Hemorrhoids are common during pregnancy and after childbirth. You should not take any medications on your own, as you do not know how they can affect the course of pregnancy. Be sure to consult your doctor!
Warnings
- If you find blood in your stool, talk to your doctor. Although blood in the stool can appear precisely because of hemorrhoids, it can also be a manifestation of a more serious disease, such as colon cancer.
- Be sure to see your doctor if your hemorrhoids are so painful that you cannot defecate. Your doctor will prescribe an effective ointment or remove a hemorrhoid if it is thrombosed or has a blood clot.
- Be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have any underlying medical conditions, previously had allergies, or are taking any medications or herbs. All of this can affect the choice of medications.
- Some people may be hypersensitive to the astringent and pain relieving ingredients found in hemorrhoidal creams, so use with caution.