What are haemorrhoids?
Haemorrhoids are enlarged blood vessels around the anus. They are normal and form a very important part of maintaining bowel continence and essentially they stop you going to the toilet when you don’t need to. Everyone has piles or haemorrhoids to a certain extent, however, when they become too big, they start to give you symptoms and problems and that’s when treatment may be necessary.
What causes haemorrhoids?
There are several causes of haemorrhoids with one of the most common being constipation. This is usually a function of a poor diet and not enough fluid intake. Continuous straining or sitting on the toilet for long period of times, often whilst scrolling on your phone, is something can predispose or can worsen haemorrhoids. Piles and haemorrhoids often are of course very common during pregnancy mostly due to the added pressure caused by carrying a baby.
What are the symptoms of haemorrhoids?
Piles are generally considered very common, and the symptoms can range from quite mild to really quite severe. They can feel like lumps coming down from your anus when you go to the toilet, sometimes you may have to push them back up, sometimes they go up on their own and sometimes you may notice they’re permanently out.
Haemorrhoids can cause pain, they can cause bleeding and itching also. They can also cause a moistness or a seepage of liquid in the area which can be irritating and stain your underwear. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you may require treatment or management of the haemorrhoids so please contact us for an initial consultation and assessment.
How can haemorrhoids be treated?
At Home
If you have experienced any of the symptoms of haemorrhoids there are many measures you can take initially such as improving your diet, increasing your fluid intake, avoiding straining when on the toilet and taking measures to avoid constipation. There are many over-the-counter medications that patients often find very useful in soothing the acute flare-up of symptoms.
In the Clinic
There are some very simple things we can do even in the clinic such as placing small elastic bands around the haemorrhoids to restrict the blood flow and cause them to fall off within roughly a week. Our Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, Rajeev Peravali, can talk you through all the treatments available to you during your consultation.
Surgery
For more severe haemorrhoids it may be that you require surgery to remove them. This can be the traditional haemorrhoidectomy which involves cutting off the haemorrhoids. The biggest down side of this operation is that it is painful and you can expect around 6 weeks of pain whilst the area heals.
eXroid procedure
There are newer procedures that are available to treat piles such as the eXroid procedure that is offered by Midlands Colorectal. There is no anaesthetic required meaning that you don’t need to be put to sleep and this is considered a very low risk procedure. A low electrical current is then applied towards the affected area causing them be starved of blood supply and consequently to shrink. eXroid procedure is virtually painless, however, it is not available on the NHS so only private clinics that have are fully trained in administering the treatment, such as Midlands Colorectal, can provide it.
If you are concerned about haemorrhoids and any pain or discomfort you may have, our team will be more than happy to help and investigate your symptoms further. Please email us at [email protected] or enquire online to learn more.