Haemorrhoids is a condition wherein the veins are swollen inside the lower rectum and on the anus. It is also known as piles. In this article, get to know more about the types of Haemorrhoids, its symptoms and self-help tips for haemorrhoids flare-ups.
Types of Haemorrhoids
There are two types of Haemorrhoids:
a) Internal Haemorrhoids – This is formed inside the rectum. It tends to bleed but is usually painless.
b) External Haemorrhoids – It is formed on the outer area of the anus and can cause pain.
Around 75% of people would have experienced haemorrhoids at least once during their lifetime. Although it is not a dangerous condition, it can create a problem with recurring anus or rectum pain. A person with haemorrhoids can experience intense pain during bowel movement.
Symptoms of Haemorrhoids
The usual symptoms of haemorrhoids are:
- Bleeding from the rectum or anus
- Itching around anus or rectum
- Pain in the rectum or anus
Haemorrhoids Treatment
Discuss with a specialist about the treatments and medical procedures that you can undergo to decrease or reduce haemorrhoids. In rare cases, a surgery may also be needed for piles treatment.
There are two techniques that are minimally invasive for removal of haemorrhoids:
- Bipolar Coagulation – It helps in shrinking the internal haemorrhoids
- Rubber-Band Ligation (Banding) – The doctor will cut off the blood supply to internal haemorrhoids by putting a small rubber band at the base of haemorrhoid. Without blood supply, internal haemorrhoids will shrink and fall within a week.
Before consulting a doctor, you can follow a few simple remedies to treat haemorrhoids at home. Get to know more about these remedies in the following section.
How to Deal with Haemorrhoid Flare-Ups?
Most of the time, haemorrhoids can be healed and pain can be reduced easily with some self-help tips. You can try these simple yet effective steps:
1. Increase Fibre Intake
One of the best things you can do is to increase the fibre content in your diet. This will allow the haemorrhoids to heal and reduce the pain. You can start by eating food with high fibre such as dry fruits, apples, whole grain, avocados, berries, broccoli, lentils, beans, dates, prunes, figs, potatoes, nuts and seeds.
You will need to consume 25 to 35 grams of fibre every day. You can also try fibre supplements such as psyllium husk. Just add a teaspoon of psyllium husk to water and drink it after stirring thoroughly. For some people, psyllium husk can cause bloating or gas. You can try other supplements such as methylcellulose or wheat dextrin if psyllium husk doesn’t suit you.
2. Reduce the Pain by Lubrication
Whenever you pass stools or have bowel movement, there will be a pain in your rectum or anus due to haemorrhoids. To ease the pain, you will need to lubricate the stool. You can do so by adding a teaspoon of oil with yogurt or apple sauce. Eat this in the morning with breakfast or in the afternoon with lunch. The stool will pass more easily causing less pain or trouble to you.
3. Don’t Delay Passing Stools
Whenever you feel like passing stools, you should do it immediately without waiting. Don’t try to delay to a convenient time. If you don’t pass stools immediately, then it can result in constipation. If you experience constipation along with haemorrhoids, then the condition will worsen. You will feel more pain and bleeding while passing stools due to constipation.
4. Use Step Stool
The position of the rectum is changed when the feet are elevated. This position helps you to pass stools more easily. If you are using an Indian-style toilet, it would be easier to pass stools. If you are using a Western-style toilet, you can use a step stool. This will help keep your feet elevated.
5. Over The Counter (OTC) Medicines
There are many medicines, which are available over the counter for haemorrhoids. You can use soothing creams such as Preparation H or other equivalents. You can also use hazel-infused pads. You can also ask the doctor for better prescription medicine if OTC medicines don’t help you.
6. Sitz Bath
Sitz bath is a type of bath where you need to sit in a plastic kit full of warm water. This kit is a shallow and round basin that helps in providing relief from the itching or pain around the anus area. You can soak your anus in warm water for 10-15 minutes twice or thrice every day. This will also help to clean the area around the rectum and perineum.
These tips will help control your bleeding and pain, which interfere with your bowel movements. If haemorrhoids persist even after following all these tips and make your life difficult, then you should consult a doctor.