The term hemorrhoids refers to the stretching and enlarging of the blood filled sacs that naturally cushion the stool through the anal canal. Thrombosed hemorrhoids are when these sacs develop a blood clot. They can be quite painful so knowing how to treat them is essential.
Common causes of all types of hemorrhoids (including thrombosed) are pregnancy, sitting for extended periods of time, and difficult bowel movements. Hemorrhoids occur in at least 50% of the population, and some people estimate as high as 85%.
When you get a thrombosed hemorrhoid, it will sometimes resolve itself, especially if you take warm baths and apply hemorrhoid creams.
Many doctors however do recommend surgery for this condition. This is not as scary as it sounds, and can often be done on an outpatient basis. For an external thrombosed hemorrhoid many times a small incision is made in the hemorrhoid itself and the clot is removed. Other times the entire hemorrhoid is removed. There is also the option of rubber band ligation especially for internal thrombosed hemorrhoids.
If your hemorrhoid pain is severe and you decide to have surgery, than you will want to take some after care measures to make sure that everything goes well.
One of the most important things is that your bowel movements remain soft after surgery. This will help your incision to heal faster and to be less painful. In order to achieve this you should take an over the counter stool softener along with a fiber supplement.
Other than that you can take warm baths to help keep the site clean and allow it to heal, and you can take Tylenol for any pain.
All in all, thrombosed hemorrhoids are one of the most difficult and painful types to deal with. If you have a hemorrhoid that is interfering with your life, than you should certainly see your doctor.
Other Hemorrhoid Information
Filed under Hemorrhoid Surgery by on Oct 26th, 2009. Comment. 
Dealing with a thrombosed hemorrhoid can be a very painful and difficult experience. It can hurt… a lot and even make day to day activities difficult if not impossible. There is hope however, for feeling better, and even preventing a recurrence of this condition.
What is a thrombosed hemorrhoid?
This is a hemorrhoid that has developed a blood clot. It most commonly occurs in prolapsed external hemorrhoids, but can you can also get just a plain external or internal thrombosed hemorrhoid. They can also look very frightening – turning purple or blue and sometimes bleeding. The good news is that although they can be quite painful they are not particularly dangerous. Sometimes these can be treated at home, but sometimes you need to see the doctor to get the clot or the hemorrhoid itself removed.
Thrombosed hemorrhoid treatment.
One of the things that you want to assess when you are treating thrombosed hemorrhoids is how much they hurt. Most will resolve themselves in a week or so with some palliative care, but if they hurt a lot you may want to make a trip to the emergency room where the doctor will most likely make a small incision to remove the clot and also the pain.
If you choose to treat the hemorrhoid thrombosis at home there are several steps to become more comfortable, and that really work. You will want to Ice, Soak, Soften, and Medicate.
Ice. There are basically two different ways to apply ice. You can apply an ice pack to your backside or you can get a small insertable device called hemorr-ice. They work the same way, the cold reduces both swelling and pain. The big advantage of the hemorr-ice device is that it fits very well in the anal area, giving more direct relief. However, if you have external thrombosed hemorrhoids ice packs may very well be enough.
Soak. Soaking in a warm bath for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day (or as often as you are able) will not only keep the area clean, but will speed the healing process and provide pain relief.
Soften. It is an unfortunate fact that most hemorrhoids are caused by and can be prevented by diet. Eating a high fiber diet will soften the stool and make it easier for the hemorrhoid to heal, as well as make it less painful to use the toilet. Unfortunately, changing eating habits usually doesn’t work fast enough to help with a thrombosed hemorrhoid – although it will help to prevent it from returning. Thankfully, there are some good over the counter stool softeners that work very well and will allow you to get soft stools fast and reduce the irratation caused during bowel movements.
Medicate. There are two different ways that you can medicate your hemorrhoid. The first one is topically. There are many choices when it comes to topical pain relief for hemorrhoids. Preparation H is a good choice, especially in suppository form, but there are also some natural oil products on the market which provide relief as well. The other way to medicate is by taking a pain pill. With hemorrhoids you will want to avoid NSAIDS such as ibuprofen and aspirin as they can make the bleeding worse. Tylenol is a good option and generally very effective at treating hemorrhoid pain.
Of course if you are bleeding from the rectum it should be taken seriously. While the majority of the time rectal bleeding is linked to hemorrhoids, sometimes it can indicate other conditions like cancer and should always be checked out.
Having a thrombosed hemorrhoid hurts, but it is not the end of the world. Try the above treatments. They are effective.
Other Hemorrhoid Information
Filed under Hemorrhoid Surgery by on Oct 20th, 2009. Comment.
Sometimes hemorrhoids don’t respond to traditional or home treatments, and they become more and more painful or start to bleed profusely. This is when it is a good time to look at your hemorrhoid removal options. Of course, you will want to consult your doctor to find the best option for you.
If you are thinking about having an hemorrhiodectomy, it is important to consider all of the options available to you. There are new techniques and surgeries that have a much shorter recovery time than traditional scalpel techniques and that can be performed on an outpatient basis.
Surgical hemorrhoid removal:
There is really only one way to remove hemorrhoids and that is through surgery. There are basically two types of surgery to remover hemorrhoids. Traditional and laser hemorrhoid removal. Of the two laser has a shorter recovery time and causes far less pain, in a large part due to the cauterizing effects of the laser.
Other options:
Rubber band ligation is a procedure in which a rubber band is placed at the base of the hemorrhoid causing the tissue to die and fall off. This procedure is very successful and requires a minimum amount of recovery time. Most people can resume all normal activities except heavy lifting within three days. With this procedure you can expect pain for one or two days and then you can expect to function like normal.
PPH hemorrhoid surgery is a procedure that actually pushes the hemorrhoids back into the anal wall where they belong and uses staples to keep them there. This surgery has a very high success rate, but is not right for everyone and you should always consult your doctor.
Other things to consider:
If you do a hemorrhoids removal procedure it can be very successful, but you need to change your eating and bathroom habits if you want your hemorrhoids to stay gone. Following a high fiber diet will (among numerous other health benefits) give you softer stools and make going to the bathroom much easier. Also, when you feel the urge to go, you should go right away. This helps to avoid constipation – which is a main cause of hemorrhoids. By making a few simple lifestyle changes you can help yourself to get the best results from hemorrhoid removal.
Other Hemorrhoid Information
Filed under Hemorrhoid Surgery by on Oct 17th, 2009. Comment.
It used to be that when you got surgery for hemorrhoids you were in for a very painful and long recovery, but with current surgical techniques that has changed a great deal. Most hemorrhoids surgery can now be performed on an outpatient basis and has a much shorter recovery time. This is due in large part to two relatively new surgical techniques.
Of course if you are not sure whether or not you have hemorrhoids you should always consult with your physician to rule out more serious conditions.
When You Should Consider Surgery
Surgery is a viable option to treat hemorrhoids if all else has failed. If you are considering surgery than you should ask yourself the following questions.
- Have I changed my lifestyle to promote regular soft bowelf movements?
- Have I treated my hemorrhoids at home?
- Are my hemorrhoids interfering with my lifestyle?
If you have worked with your doctor and tried every other treatment option than you may want to consider surgery for hemorrhoids.
The two better options for surgery.
1. Laser surgery for hemorrhoids
Lasers have changed all kinds of surgical procedures including ones to treat hemorrhoids. Most of the time laser procedures are done on an outpatient basis and can even be performed at a hemorrhoids clinic that specializes in the procedure.
If you opt for laser hemorrhoid surgery you can expect less discomfort and quicker healing than with a traditional hemorrhoidectomy. For a detailed explanation of laser surgery procedures go to hemorrhoid.net.
2. PPH surgery for hemorrhoids
This technique also known as a stapled hemorrhoidopexy is a techniqe that was developed in the late 1990’s and has been used with great success since then. In plain English what this technique does is return the swollen tissue to the correct place in the rectum and then staple it in place.
While this may sound painful, it is actually a very good technique to use for severe hemorhoids. It also is often done as an outpatient procedure and has a much shorter recovery time than traditional surgery for hemorrhoids.
Here is a short video that explains PPH hemorrhoid surgery.
If you have tried every other option and the pain and irratation of your hemorrhoids is interfering with your life, than it may be time to consider surgery. Be sure to discuss with your doctor all of your options and to ask your surgeon how many procedures they have performed and what there success rate is.
Other Hemorrhoid Information
Filed under Hemorrhoid Surgery by on Oct 10th, 2009. Comment.
Hemorrhoids surgery is an option if you have no other choice for effective hemorrhoid relief and all other options have failed. There are several ways that surgery can be performed, and some are better than others. As always be sure to consult with your doctor for personalized advice about your hemorrhoids.
External Hemorrhoid Surgery
It unusual for external hemorrhoids to be removed by surgical procedures. Occasionally surgery is advised if large and very uncomfortable piles are present or if you are having anal surgery anyway.
Internal Hemorrhoid Surgery
Inflaimed Internal Hemorrhoid
Surgery is most commonly used to remove large internal hemorrhoids that have not responded to other treatments. The hemorrhoid is removed in a procedure called a hemorrhoidectomy. This has been traditionally done with a scalpel, which requires a very painful and long recovery time, including a hospital stay of about 3 days. There are two new procedures that drastically reduce recovery time if you need hemorrhoids surgery.
Hemorrhoid Laser Surgery
This procedure like many other laser procedures is relatively new. Hemorrhoids are removed much like in traditional surgery, but there is very little to no bleeding involved because of the cauterizing action of the laser. One of the best things about the laser procedure is that the hemorrhoids surgery recovery is much faster and generally requires no hospital stay. Also, this procedure has a very high success rate of 98%. It is a good option if you need surgery.
PPH Hemorrhoid Surgery
This surgery is also known by the names is also known as Procedure for Prolapse & Hemorrhoids (PPH), Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy, and Circumferential Mucosectomy. This procedure uses special tools to return the hemorrhoids back into the anal wall (instead of protruding) and then stapling them in. There is an excellent detailed explanation of this at hemorrhoid.net. This option also has much less hemorrhoid surgery pain than traditional hemorrhoidectomies.
What To Ask When Considering Hemorrhoidal Surgery.
Here are some questions to ask your doctor or surgeon before committing to surgery.
- Are all of my non-surgical options exhausted?
- What type of procedure do you recommend?
- Will this be an outpatient or inpatient procedure?
- What is the success rate of this procedure?
- What will my recovery time be?
- How many of these surgeries have you performed?
- What can I do to keep my hemorrhoids from coming back?
Surgery can be an excellent option for hemorrhoids that have not responded to other treatments and can provide a great deal of relief, but should always be your last resort.
Other Hemorrhoid Information
Filed under Hemorrhoid Surgery by on Oct 10th, 2009. Comment.