Do you need hemorrhoid treatments or surgery? Read all you need
to know about hemorrhoids here.
Hemorrhoids are dilated blood vessels or veins in the anal or
rectal area. They can occur on the outside where they are felt
as small bumps when wiping. Internal hemorrhoids however, are
not seen or felt as they are in our anal canal. They are also
harder to detect as they are usually painless. Internal
hemorrhoids usually develop due to chronic constipation and are
also prone to develop during a woman's pregnancy period.
Symptoms of Internal Hemorrhoids Internal hemorrhoids are more
difficult to detect than external hemorrhoids because there is
very little pain, or sometimes even none at all. The common
symptoms are an itch or an unexplainable irritation in your anus
canal. The more obvious symptoms would be some blood on toilet
paper or in the toilet bowl after bowel movement.
Internal Hemorrhoid Treatments Several non-surgical methods that
can be used to treat internal hemorrhoids include:
*Rubber band ligation - A rubber band is placed around the base
of the hemorrhoid inside the rectum. The band will cut off blood
circulation to the area causing the hemorrhoid to wither away
within a few days.
*Sitz baths - Soak the rectal area in hot water for about 15-20
minutes, 3-4 times a day. This is a simple and effective
internal hemorrhoids treatment that will not only help ease the
itch but also shrink the hemorrhoid.
*Sclerotherapy - Also known as injection therapy. This treatment
is commonly used on small internal hemorrhoids. A hardening
agent is injected into the hemorrhoid, resulting in a loss of
blood flow that causes the hemorrhoid to shrivel away.
When an internal hemorrhoid persists or the lump grows too
large, doctors turn to hemorrhoid surgery. This treatment is
especially recommended when the internal hemorrhoid becomes
prolapsed or becomes very large after basic treatment. The types
of internal hemorrhoid surgery are as follows:
*Infrared Coagulation - A special device utilizing infrared
light is used to burn off hemorrhoidal tissue. This causes the
hemorrhoid to shrink and finally recede. Although this sounds
scary, it is very safe and simple.
*Hemorrhoidectomy - This treatment is only used for severe cases
where the hemorrhoid does not go away and the bleeding persists
after non-surgical treatments. During this hemorrhoid treatment,
the hemorrhoid is surgically removed while you are under
anesthetics. Depending on cases, you may be required to be
hospitalized and usually a recovery period will be determined by
the doctor.