Anyone can have hemorrhoids. Those who already have it can attest how irritating, uncomfortable, and painful they are. While this condition is hardly life threatening, the symptoms typically recur.
If you do not want this condition to bother you, then you should pay attention to the symptoms, get a diagnosis, find the right treatment, and benefit from the results.
Classic Symptoms
Everyone may experience the classic symptoms of hemorrhoids, especially those who have reached middle age. These symptoms are the following:
•Bleeding during bowel movements
•Itching and pain in the areas surrounding the rectum and anus
Depending on the type of hemorrhoids that you have, you may experience other symptoms.
Types of Hemorrhoids and Their Symptoms
Hemorrhoids are of two types. One is internal, and the other is external. Each type may have its own unique symptoms.
External Hemorrhoids and Its Symptoms
These swellings occur beneath the skin surrounding the anus. This type shows the classic symptoms of the condition – painful, itchy, discomforting, and irritating. Pain may come suddenly and harshly when there is clotting of the blood inside the hemorrhoid. Blood streaks may also happen with straining in passing your stool.
Blood clotting is unique to external hemorrhoids, and it may lead to surgical procedures when untreated. Because of its tendency to form blood clots, you may also hear health experts referring to them as thrombosis.
Internal Hemorrhoids and Its Symptoms
Other hemorrhoidal symptoms may happen when you have it in your lower rectum. Internal hemorrhoids produce bright red blood. You will see the blood either on the tissue paper upon swiping your anus, on the stool surface, or as drips in the toilet bowl.
This type may also grow to protrude outside of the anus, and you may mistake it for external hemorrhoids. What differentiates it from the latter, though, is typically the absence of pain. Other symptoms are the following: itching, irritation of the skin, and the urge to continue to pass stool after a bowel movement.
While it hardly comes with pain, if it does, then you should see your physician right away. Painful internal hemorrhoids may require emergency treatment.
However, just because bleeding is a symptom, it does not mean that you are safe from other diseases. This is why you need to have your condition diagnosed, to rule out other diseases with similar symptoms. You see, rectal bleeding can also be a symptom of rectal, anal, or colon cancer.
The following health conditions also have similar symptoms as hemorrhoids: inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, colon polyps, anal fissures and fistulas, and rectal prolapse. It is always best to consult your physician for proper diagnosis of your condition.
Paying attention to the symptoms will enable you to prevent it from getting worse. You can have your condition diagnosed, and get the most appropriate treatment- whether natural, medical, or a combination of both. You have several options for treating, avoiding, and preventing hemorrhoids.
By listening to your body and with the early diagnosis of the symptoms, who knows that it might save your life from the deadly cancer?
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