Treatment for bleeding hemorrhoids comes in many different forms, ranging from simple home remedies to the involvement of surgical procedures. While there’s no need to jump the gun and immediately seek out more invasive measures, it is always a good idea to find out where you stand in terms of hemorrhoid development. Often they will start small and only continued aggravation will lead to larger problems. Based upon their condition and degree, treatments may be as easy as a few days worth of work.
First try treatment for bleeding hemorrhoids at home. Fill a bath with enough warm water to cover the anal area and sit in it for about fifteen minutes. This will help with discomfort as well as itching. Make sure it’s warm water and not hot; you don’t want to burn yourself or make swelling worse. Outside of the bath, you can apply ice packs to the area for about ten minutes in order to help reduce inflammation. Then switch out with a warm compress for another ten minutes. Try doing either one or both of these methods several times a day and especially after you have a bowel movement.
Bleeding hemorrhoid treatment not only means caring for the affected area, but also making sure the problem doesn’t get worse. If you find yourself constipated, eat more fiber or try a few gentle stool softening products. If you have diarrhea, find out the cause (it may be due to an illness, in which medication might be necessary). Whichever is the case, try not to strain while passing stool. The pressure you place on the anal area will only enlarge the vessels further. Don’t rub the area when drying from a shower or wiping after a movement. Instead, gently pat it dry with a soft cloth. Keep the area clean and make sure not to use any soaps that contain potential irritants such as scents or dyes.
If home remedies don’t seem to be the answer, you may find help at your local drugstore in the form of medication. Creams and suppositories made specifically for this sort of problem can help soothe skin irritation and provide lubrication for bowel movements. Products containing 1% hydrocortisone cream can reduce itching. Just make sure the product is able to be applied to the anal area. Some are for topical use on certain areas only and the skin around the anus can be too tender or delicate for its use there.
When bleeding hemorrhoid treatment performed at home fails to do the job after a few weeks, even if you’ve taken off a few days to relax and allow the area to calm down, then it’s time to see your doctor. There are several nonsurgical methods that can be used to treat the area and rid you of the problem. Your doctor may suggest rubber band ligation. Using very small rubber bands for this procedure, the doctor will wrap them around the base of the bulge of the vein in order to cut off the blood supply. The goal of most nonsurgical methods is to remove the excess blood supply to the area. Once the area shrinks and dies, it will fall off along with the rubber band. This will leave a small scar.
It is these small scars that also help support the surrounding tissue and prevent future outbreaks. Coagulation therapy which utilizes heat, often from infrared lasers, aims for the same result. This time it is the heat that destroys the blood supply and fixes the problem. There are some rarely used options, such as injection sclerotherapy and cryotherapy. Injection sclerotherapy involves the injection of certain chemicals directly into the swelled area in order to disrupt blood supply and create scar tissue. Cryotherapy uses freezing methods. Speaking with your doctor about your condition and all various methods available can help you choose which option is best.
The last resort is surgery, in this case hemorrhoidectomy. Usually the problem must be large and internal for this to be an option. Surgeons have various methods of removing hemorrhoids through hemorrhoidectomy. These can range from the newest technique which utilizes a special “staple” gun to laser treatment to the older use of the scalpel. You may either be completely anesthetized or have a local anesthesia (usually near the spine) in order to prevent pain during the procedure. Afterward you may either stay a night at the hospital or go home. Drugs such as pain killers and antibiotics may be prescribed. However, even after surgery, you may experience recurrences and may require nonsurgical procedures to take care of the issue.
A lot of possibilities are available to you. Go ahead and try a few home remedies and see if it solves the problem, but if at any time you become uncomfortable or believe something else is wrong, don’t hesitate to call your physician and set your mind at ease.