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Question: Possible thrombosed hemorrhoid?
| Salem
- Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:49 pm |
I am a 27 y/o female and I have what I am pretty sure is Hemorrhoids, possibly thrombosed. I am wondering if it is always necessary to visit a doctor (for a thrombosed Hemorrhoid) or if this can resolve on its own.
What I am wondering is that all the information I find says that thrombosed Hemorrhoids are painful, but this is not painful just irritating as it feels like a 'foriegn' object (ie I can noticeably feel it when I sit down, but it isn't painful). Should I wait a few days to see if it resolves itself or go on to the doctor?
I should mention that it appears to be a small lump in the skin (smaller than a pea), is smooth, is a dark bluish color that can be seen under the skin color, no bleeding, and is in the outer skin of the rectum. I'm sure that it is a Hemorrhoid because it appeared after I had a painful bowel movement after being slightly constipated. I had some sharp pain for a few hours afterward, that is now gone, and the next day I noticed the bump. It has been about three days and I just wanted to know how serious this could be.
Any information or advice is appreciated. Thanks.
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| angelseakr
- Sun Feb 06, 2005 3:34 pm |
Hi Salem, Like you said thrombosed Hemorrhoids are very painful
"External Hemorrhoids cause most of the symptoms we commonly hear about --- pain, burning, and Itching. If an external Hemorrhoid becomes strangulated (cut off from blood supply), a clot can form in it and become an excruciatingly painful thrombosed hemoroid. Because of these unpleasant symptoms, external Hemorrhoids get the most treatment attention. "
Once the rectal veins have been stretched out and Hemorrhoids created, they are difficult to get rid of completely and tend to recur with less straining than it took to cause them in the first place. Fortunately, good habits and simple medical treatment usually control Hemorrhoids well, and surgery is only recommended in unusually severe cases.
Listed below are the most frequent causes of Hemorrhoids:
Constant sitting
Straining with bowel movements (from Constipation or hard stools)
Diarrhea
Sitting on the toilet for a long time
Severe Coughing
Childbirth
Heavy Lifting
Avoiding the causes will prevent most cases of Hemorrhoids, but this advice is sometimes hard to follow. For example, how can you avoid sitting all day if you have a seated job? And most of us would like to avoid Coughing, Diarrhea, and childbirth, but that's pretty much impossible, isn't it? Here are some practical hints to help:
If your main job activity is seated, always stand or walk during your breaks. Make it a point to stand and walk at least 5 minutes every hour and try to shift frequently in your chair to avoid direct rectal pressure.
Always exhale as you strain or lift. Don't hold your breath.
Control Coughing, Diarrhea and Constipation with early treatment since Hemorrhoids may soon follow.
Make a rule: No reading or other relaxing activity while on the toilet. If bowel movements take longer than 3-5 minutes, something is wrong. If you want to keep Hemorrhoids away, maintaining good bowel habits and softer stools should be your highest priority
If these preventive measures fail, you must take action right away! Hemorrhoids are one condition that can be mild in the morning and become intolerable by nightfall
Once you have eliminated factors causing your Hemorrhoids, it's time to treat them. There are two treatment goals: first, take away the symptoms (burning, pain, Itching) and second, shrink the Hemorrhoids.
Sitz baths (soaking the rectal area in hot water, in a shallow bath) for 15-20 minutes, 3-4 times/day are a simple and effective treatment for both goals.
Pain medicine should be used for aching, but burning and Itching respond best to surface-acting creams and suppositories.
To shrink your Hemorrhoids back down to normal size, topical medications are again useful.
Cleanse the entire rectal area with warm water after each bowel movement, and use a bulk fiber laxative to soften stools. This helps eliminate straining with bowel movements.
Many people use bulk fiber supplements daily to prevent recurrences of Hemorrhoids. But remember, bulk fiber may take several days to work. If you have existing Hemorrhoids and hard stools are already present, you may want to use an immediate-acting stool softener and laxative to encourage elimination without straining and further aggravating your Hemorrhoids.
Recommended products:
Aleve (naproxen sodium 220 mg). Use this quick acting Anti-inflammatory for the aching discomfort of severe Hemorrhoidal flare ups.
Anusol HC cream (hydrocortisone 1%). For swollen external Hemorrhoids, brands containing hydrocortisone such as this one are effective at reducing the swelling, burning, and Itching sensations.
Anusol HC suppositories (hydrocortisone 1%). These hydrocortisone suppositories should be used for internal swelling and discomfort.
Citrucel (methycellulose 2 grams/tbs.). Softening stools and treating Constipation are crucial aspects of treating your Hemorrhoids. Many find this brand of bulk fiber laxative to be less gritty than others, and it comes in both sugared and sugar-free versions.
Senokot, Senokot S (senna concentrate, various concentrations; docusate sodium 50 mg per tablet is the softener in Senokot S). The active ingredient senna is a bowel contraction stimulant. If you desire stool softening or lubrication along with the stimulant effect, Senakot S is the recommended combination
Aggressive treatment using the above techniques should improve Hemorrhoids within days, but they may need 2-4 weeks of treatment to completely calm down. If they have not resolved to your satisfaction in that time, consult a physician. Other medical problems such as inflammatory bowel disease or bowel infection can cause Hemorrhoid-like symptoms. So if the problem does not clear up promptly with basic OTC treatment, see your doctor.
None of the OTC treatment methods listed above will be effective for thrombosed Hemorrhoids . These clotted Hemorrhoids are always very hard, have a smooth black or purple surface, and feel like a growth coming from the anus. They are extremely painful, and a tiny incision made by a physician to remove the clot alleviates pain and bulging immediately. Don't delay seeing your doctor for a thrombosed Hemorrhoid. Left alone, they take days or even weeks to go away.
Hope this helps
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