One day after using the bathroom, you notice a streak of blood on the toilet paper. You find you are more uncomfortable sitting down – in fact, it hurts. The area around your anus feels rather awkward and you’re not sure why. The reason is you have developed external bleeding hemorrhoids.
There are two types that can develop, external and internal. Internal are often easier to manage, and slightly less severe. Both are caused by the same practices, such as not getting enough fiber in your diet which can lead to constipation, straining to pass stool while on the toilet, dealing with diarrhea, or if you have become pregnant. The pressure from these occurrences has become too much for the veins in the rectal area and they have become inflamed and swollen with blood. When you have developed external bleeding hemorrhoids, the vein or veins will actually protrude from the anal opening. They may be third-degree, in which they can be pushed back inside the anus, or they may be fourth-degree, which cannot.
You may feel and itching sensation, and also the need to pass stool even though you’ve just gone. For the most part though, you will feel pain as the area is tender and see more blood on the toilet paper every time you defecate. The pain you experience will depend on how far the area has progressed in terms of its degree. If you get the area taken care of relatively quickly, further problems can be staved off. However, sometimes blood can pool inside the swollen vein and become a blood clot. This can be very painful and is known as a thrombosed hemorrhoid. These are more common when you have an external problem. If you notice the pain has increased and can feel a lump of tissue the size of a small pea, you may have developed this new issue. Though it is very tender, don’t worry, as the blood clot is not dangerous and will not travel to other areas of the body and cause damage. You can continue to treat yourself at home and use medications to relieve the problem as they often will resolve themselves. Should the issue become persistent and home treatments fail, you should call your doctor to see about other options.
It may seem scary when you realize something that is normally inside your body is now on the outside, but if you take care of the area, keep it clean, and avoid things that will make it worse, your body will tend to the rest. The problem will eventually go away and with a few adjustments to your lifestyle to keep it away, you’ll be able to move on with nobody the wiser.