Hi firstly happy new year to all and apologies for the long post - I have had bowel related symptoms mainly constipation but sometimes diarrhea as well as bloating and intermittent abdominal pain for most of my life and was told many years ago that it is "probably ibs". I have had a recent FIT test which was negative. I have also suffered recurring hemorrhoids but these have usually settled in between flares. However I have recently been suffering a prolonged "flare" in which I can't remember when I last had a BM that wasn't painful and it's been almost constant for a few months now . I saw the GP a couple of months ago and she said she couldn't see any internal piles only one small outer one. I have had piles many times before and can see what I assume must be older piles protruding (please excuse TMI!!) .
I know hemorrhoids can be painful but I can't understand how i can be in this much pain (which is most of the time not just when going to the loo). The GP prescribed anusol HC steroid cream which has made no difference whatsoever and neither has OTC creams. I don't really want to keep using steroids either due to the risks to the skin which may compound the issues.
In the past the GP has advised me to eat a high fibre diet, drink plenty water and be active all of which I do and have done for years. I also use Laxido which does seem to help manage my issues with constipation. So am at a loss as to what else I can do but the pain is making me miserable to say the least.
I am wondering whether I should press my GP for a referral to a specialist but am concerned about this as the little I know about hemorrhoid treatment does not sound very pleasant nor necessarily effective? I also am concerned as likely to be very long nhs waiting lists and cannot afford private health care.
Does anyone have any experience of hemorrhoid treatment in the UK or have any advice on what to say to my GP?
I am an anxious person, easily stressed and notice that I am often tense in my body. Obviously relaxing during a BM that is very painful is difficult! I wonder if my stress /anxiety is a factor because I can't understand why I am so susceptible to hemorrhoids. Could some physio help?
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Jojams
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When l was first diagnosed 6 years ago with IBS it was down to me having hemorrhoids which were quite painful. Since then I think l have only experienced having hemorrhoids once. This is because l make a point of not sitting down for long periods of time so that may be a problem if you are not active enough too. I go for walks for at least 20 minutes per day. I also go swimming.
Stress and anxiety also contributes to IBS flare ups.
Thank you for your reply and advice I am active everyday so don't think this is the reason for me having persistent hemorrhoids. I think my activity helps my stress and anxiety though.
I agree with Mountainhare1, be as active as you possibly can every day. Walking is an excellent exercise and is very enjoyable for me. It certainly helps my anxiety and it makes you breath and use your lungs and gets your heart pumping, especially if you can do some hills or inclines. It also increases the blood circulation which can only help with hemorrhoids.
Thank you for your reply. I agree that keeping active is good for anxiety and ibs in general unfortunately it is not making a difference to me having hemorrhoids.
Hi, you can have an injection to shrink piles. I paid privately for this treatment so not sure if it's available on the NHS. I needed a further injection a few weeks after the first. They have greatly eased the pain the piles were causing me. I still suffer a lot with IBS pain but at least no longer also piles too.
Thank pink crayon for your advice and glad that you are not suffering with piles but sorry to hear that you still have pain from your ibs. I will ask my GP about injections.
Hi, just wondering about the injections? Is it painful? I have heard about The Rubber banding method, and having them lasered off. But I keep being told that mine are grade 3-4 and nothing they can do for me. I also get told it can be quite painful and long recovery time. What do the injections do? I hope it's okay that I ask. I tried researching to no avail. Maybe they don't do this procedure in the States..
Hi, the injection was a bit painful but was short lived and eased after 24 hours. It took 3-4 weeks for the piles to start to shrink and then I had the 2nd injection after the 4 weeks just to ensure they would fully shrink- which they did.
I have had several injections for piles over several years. Each lasts a number of years, but then the piles return. You can only have a few of these injections. You may experience a slight lower stomach ache for a few hours after them (a bit like a period pain).
I don't think hemorrhoids are anything to do with not being active as I suffered with them even though I was active every day. More recently, I have also suffered from IBS, which I now manage with diet.
I had a hemorrhoidectomy 5 months ago. Yes, it was very uncomfortable afterwards, but it worked and I am back to doing Pilates, cycling several times a week and doing all I did before.
Tend to agree with Suecats that you just need to make sure you drink enough, I don't think it matters what, milk, cola, water, orange juice, whatever. As a child I got constipated and my mum who was a nurse was always telling me I never drank enough, and warned me I'd get haemorrhoids if I didn't when I was older, I kept not drinking enough, not deliberately, I just drank when I felt like it, which is of course never enough as you only get the thirst urge when you are already dehydrated. So hemorrhoids started I think around age 25 maybe (59 now), but I learned to live with them, as they were only internal ones, causing blood in the toilet, and not constant, and no real pain at all really. About 2 years ago however I suffered what I now know to be a prolapse, after a walk/ bit of a run. I didn't know how to deal with it, which i do now, too late, alas! So I just tried the usual hemorrhoid creams when it happened, Preparation H etc, etc not realising you actually have to push them back in to instantly cure the prolapse. Sadly it had been out for several days before I realised this, since when they always come out after a BM, at least I know now the instant cure for that come on just a piece of kitchen towel folded in four and wet then just keep gentle pressure on then and they shrink and slide back in as you keep the pressure on within two to three minutes. They also come out unfortunately if I walk/ stand up, which means very little exercise for me! Sitting/ lying down is the only way to keep them in. I tried eating little for three days, as every BM is what causes the main problem, and that worked well for a couple of days with no BM'S allowing them to heal a bit I guess. anyway solution I believe is most importantly push them back in the instant they ever come out, then secondarily make sure you drink enough of whatever, just drink! Also of course eat some vegetables/ fruit etc. Sorry for TMI and length ๐.
Thanks for the advice as I too have internal Prolapsed hemorrhoids. They are Grade 3-4 so surgery will be of no help. Even the rubber banding method. I tried pushing back in with my finger and ended up giving myself an anal fissure..so that hurt quite a bit so I have stopped. I also bleed from them heavily at times. But no surgeon can do anything for me, so I have to live with it. I'll try your towel method..but it makes me nervous pushing them back in.
Hi Eliana, yes, please do try it works brilliantly for me, just push the slightly wet square sheet against the protruding piles with three or four fingers, just gentle pressure, you will think nothing at all is happening, but it is!! The fluid is draining out of them constantly as you keep the pressure on, you can adjust the position of your fingers as you feel fit nd as I say around 2 / 3 minutes later or less you will be amazed that they will suddenly have shrunk and then just keep pushing and adjusting and they will slide back in๐. Just be patient for that first two minutes, I keep thinking every time nothing is happening, but they really are draining away and it does work every single time. Occasionally, maybe once every six or 12 months, after they have shrunk down there may be an awkward one to just push back in. I then get another square of paper towel , wet it and squeeze, then put some lubricant on it, Preparation H, anusol, Vaseline, whatever you think best, not for their "shrinking abilities" as they are already shrunk, purely for the lubrication which will make it slide back in much easier. Hope it works for you!
Thank you for your reply Suecats glad to hear that you had treatment and recovered well after a time. How long did the recovery take roughly? Having suffered recurring hemorrhoids since my late teens i imagine that unfortunately they will return if I have treatment. Wondering if anything like specialist physio might help with techniques for going to the loo that puts less strain?
I was on pain killers for 3 weeks and it took about a month to feel comfortable enough to sit, but 2 months before I was comfortable enough to start cycling again.
Mine were at the stage when they always came out after a BM and also occasionally if I had been squatting gardening for a while.
13 years ago I had a rectal prolapse that was fixed using an internal mesh via keyhole surgery.
Just out of curiosity are you having problems with the mesh? I will never have mesh surgically again because they have ripped apart and now they are around my organs. I'm always in pain. I had it done on two hernia's. I'm in a class action lawsuit. Our bodies don't like anything foreign in them (mesh, etc) and will most likely reject it as they did with the mesh.
Hi, Happy New Year to you as well. First, I'm so sorry to hear you are going through a lot of pain. I can relate to pain..but mine is more Prolapsed Internal Hemorrhoids that are Grade 3-4. They cause a lot of pain. This is because I have suffered from constipation most of my life..I am 61. I remember as a child I would have problems going to the bathroom and constipated. But I was going and after straining I would finally push the stool out. I think the reason why was my Parents (well, actually they were my Aunt and Uncle who raised me) but to avoid confusion I just call them my parents.
They gave me a tall glass of milk at each meal (milk in cereal in the mornings). This was back in the 70's when bowel problems were not really talked about so I never said anything to my parents that it was hard for me to push stool out. Looking back I now know that I ate a lot of cheese and dairy (milk) and for some odd reason I would eat evaporated milk. I liked the sweetness..but all of this contributed to my difficulty as milk and dairy are very constipating. Now, I try to stay away from dairy because it gives me bad intestinal spasms and stomach aches. I also drank a lot of coke. I don't think I ever (except rare occasions) I would drink water. I'm also on a very low fiber diet. All that fiber does is bulk up my stool too much and I end up not being able to push it out. Now, I have no feeling or urge to go. Gastroenterologists and colon and rectal Doctors just prescribe Miralax (Laxido) like candy. I can't take the stuff. It's not strong enough and makes my stool sticky (sorry for TMI) they just give the same worn out advice..drink more water..more fiber. What they don't realize is one size does not fit all.
I recently went to see a new Gastroenterologists for my internal prolapsed hemorrhoids and external. I do not really want surgery because of pain and very long recovery time. I went to a Colon surgeon a few weeks ago and she was rude to me. She said "There is nothing I can do for you, you have too many folds in your anus". Then I went to another Gastro..and he was of no help he just put a finger inside and said "your fine" even after I told him I bleed so much for internal hemorrhoids that I fill up the whole toilet with blood three times after I flush..more blood in toilet. He said "well..your fine and it's a long recovery time". So I am on my next gastro but all in all I have given up on ever getting help. It seems like all they want to do is perform colonoscopy's because that's where the money is..not really so for office visits. They just hurry you in and out of there.
He did prescribe me Bentyl and Levsin for my spasms but they are constipating and I had to stop taking them.
Then one day I hurt my back terribly and I had to go to a Pain Management Clinic. After going there several times I was prescribed Vicodin. They did not tell me opioids were constipating and I went back in and the nurse told me to take Senna. So I don't go the bathroom all week and take the Senna every Wednesday night. By Thursday morning after a few strong coffees and Apple Juice (a mild laxative) I finally go with the help of Senna,
Apple Juice and coffee. After two years I got tired of it all and stopped taking the Vicodin cold turkey. The pain management place tried to put me on Linzess, Trulance, Relistor and other meds you take on a daily basis but I never took them.
Just keep going to Gastroenterologists and tell them fiber does not work for you and see if they have other solutions or try a Colon and rectal Doctor. I see specialists and don't go to a Doctor because they don't know much about IBS, pain, cramping, constipation.
Is there something different you can try other than the Laxido (Called Miralax in the States)? I would get as many opinions as you can and don't let them talk about fiber.
I do Colon massages. I see a few people mention exercise but it does nothing for me. Just old worn out advice that Gastro's used. I looked it up on You Tube (Colon Massages). That's the only thing that helps me. As far as physiotherapy you can try that. I had it several years ago but don't remember it helping. Sometimes I would get a professional massage and that seemed to help.
Well.. sorry I couldn't be of more help as I only have the internal prolapsed hemorrhoids, bleeding and constipation. Try to find a good Gastroenterologist or Colon and Rectal specialist. I did try the Anusol suppositories for hemorrhoids but it was a pain in the butt to push them in (pardon the pun). I could never get the darn thing in there.
Sorry for the length of this and I hope you get it all worked out.
Hi Eliana10 thank you for taking the time to reply in detail and share your experience. Really sorry to hear that you are suffering and still struggling. I agree that doctors give the same old advice about exercise and fibre etc but this doesn't work for us all. I have not seen a specialist so plan to ask for a referral. Although my pressing issue is the pain from hemorrhoids and painful BMs I think that need to address the underlying issues of my ibs otherwise the issue is likely to continue. Out of interest did you notice worsening of your bowel issues during menopause? I am 47 and (not confirmed) but suspect I am in perimenopause due to other symptoms and wondering if this might possibly also be a factor.The colon massage sounds interesting i will have a look for this. Thanks
Yes, at the age of 49. They found large cysts (when my appendix ruptured) on both my ovaries. I had to have the tubes and ovaries removed which put me in menopause surgically..(early). I did notice some bowel problems afterwards..but nothing like it is now..
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