Hemorrhoids.
Not a very pleasant topic of conversation, but for many it is a medical serious issue, so let's have a frank discussion about this for a moment.
Hemorrhoids are a fairly common problem and affect a significant portion of adults every year.
A hemorrhoid is a vein that protrudes either inside or outside of the rectum.
This problem is usually irritating and sometimes painful, but it is not a serious medical condition.
The type of hemorrhoid and the symptoms you have will dictate what type of treatment is necessary.
Hemorrhoids are usually caused by too much pressure exerted in the pelvic regions.
Most often, someone exerts they type of pressure when lifting heavy objects, giving birth, or defecating.
What typically happens is that when you are straining the tissues in the rectum fill with blood.
If too much pressure applied it can cause the veins in the tissue to swell and stretch causing a hemorrhoid.
The most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are bleeding during bowel movements, where you could see red streaks on the toilet paper.
You might fee a burning or itching feeling near the anus.
You may also experience general pain and irritation when cleaning the area while bathing.
Any of these symptoms could indicate that you have a hemorrhoid problem.
There are four classes of hemorrhoids.
Type one occurs if there is only minor vein swelling inside the rectum.
A type two hemorrhoid occurs when the vein bulges out when the pelvic region is stressed.
A type three hemorrhoid happens when the vein bulges outside of the rectum and must be pushed back in, and with a type four it bulges at all times.
Four the last two types of hemorrhoids you should seek the advice of a physician, and you may need to have them removed.
The procedure the remove a hemorrhoid is called a hemorrhoidectomy.
Your doctor may try a fixative procedure to see if it would work instead of surgery.
With a fixative procedure the swollen vein is either tied off with a rubber band, or removed with a laser, so that the blood supply is cutoff and it shrinks, dies, and falls off.
This method is preferred over surgery in all cases.
However, in the most severe cases a hemorrhoidectomy will be required.
This the best long term answer to severe hemorrhoids but it is more costly and requires a longer recovery time.
Before ever trying surgery there are some home remedies that can be effective.
Most commonly a cold compress, or warm sitz bath, is used to help the swollen vein shrink back down and recede.
Often times just laying down and resting on your stomach, with a pillow under the pelvic region can mitigate symptoms.
If you have to sit for long periods of time try using a soft cushion to keep stress off of the affected area.