Bleeding Hemroids 101 – Your Guide
Getting hemroids can be a big discomfort, painful, and embarrassing. Having a bleeding hemroid can be even more disturbing than a non-bleeding one. People who aren’t used to having hemroids, bleeding hemroids at that, may resort to panic and think that they are suffering internal bleeding. Fear not. Even bleeding hemroids can be cured.
What is a hemroid?
A hemroid is a swollen vein in your rectum or anus area. It can be quite a discomfort to have, as a hemroid is usually itchy, painful and irritating. You can get a hemroid if you experience constipation and when your bowel movement is accompanied by undue straining or hard stools. Sometimes, a hemroid can be caused by other factors such as heavy lifting, pregnancy and childbirth, sitting for long periods of time, or sever coughing fits.
What is a bleeding hemroid?
A bleeding hemroid is a swollen vein in your rectum or anus area that is accompanied by bleeding. The hemroids bleeding may be more evident during bowel movement as the straining may cause the hemroid to rupture even more. Bleeding hemroids symptoms include blood in your stool, blood coming straight from your anus, or blood when you wipe your anal area. If the blood is bright red, this indicates that you have bleeding hemroids. If the blood is darker, then this suggests that the bleeding is a lot further up the anal canal and may not be cause by bleeding hemroids. There may be times when the bleeding is so profuse that the person with bleeding hemroids becomes anemic because of iron deficiency. Sometimes, bleeding may be so severe that the toilet becomes covered in blood after each bowel movement.
Bleeding Hemroid Treatment
If you’re dealing with a bleeding external hemroids, the first step is to take a sitz bath. A sitz bath is a form of bleeding hemroids treatment. It is hydrotherapy that entails you to immerse yourself in cold water and some heat and this will cause the bleeding to stop. Aside from the sitz bath, an anti-inflammatory cream should also be used on the area with the hemroid in order to stop inflammation or infection. If you experience pain, oral painkillers should be taken as bleeding hemroids may be quite agonizing.
Internal hemroids appear in the rectum and are usually caused by too much straining during bowel movement. The veins that line the walls of the rectum get enlarged and fills with too much blood, and bulge out because of this. If you ever notice red streaks in your stool, it is important that you consult a doctor to check whether you have a crack in your rectum, or if you have to be checked for other diseases such as colon cancer.
If you’re dealing with bleeding internal hemroids, then it would be best to go to a proctologist, a doctor that specializes in the treatment for bleeding hemroids, as the doctor would know best what to do to get rid of the hemroid. Doctors may suggest that surgery be done in order to stop the bleeding and to get rid of the internal bleeding hemroids completely.
There are many other treatments available for the curing of bleeding hemroids. Injection sclerotherapy entails that a chemical solution be injected around the blood vessel in order to shrink the hemroid. Hemroidal tissue can also be burned away by laser coagulation or infrared photocoagulation, and this entails the use of special devices. A hemroid can also wither away via rubber band ligation. This entails that a rubber band be wrapped around the base of the hemroid in order to cut off its circulation. Lastly, a hemroid can be removed via a hemroidectomy, or hemroid surgery.
Lowering blood flow can also be used to cure bleeding hemroids. This is through the use of creams and suppositories. Alternative therapies like homeopathy and herbal treatment can also be used to treat bleeding hemroids. A fibrous diet which helps reduce constipation can also give you temporary relief from bleeding hemroids. Stay away from foods such as pizza, which is said to be one of the worst things for hemroids.
All in all, if you are suffering from bleeding hemroids, it is always wise to have a check-up with your doctor just to be on the safe side. When there is bleeding in the rectum or anus area, there is always a high chance of infection during bowel movement so it would be best to have medicines that combat inflammation or infection. If you are not keen on taking oral medication, then ask your doctor for topical remedies that can take its place. There are many over-the-counter medicines that can help alleviate the discomfort, bleeding, and pain that hemroids bring. With a little medical help, you need not suffer from hemroids for long.