1.. General Information on Hemroids :
Normally, everyone has internal hemroids, but they are not normally noticeable - they typically remain out of sight and show no signs nor symptoms.
When the hemroids do initially show themselves, the common reaction is one of shock, fear and concern. All of a sudden, one's nice looking bottom has the insides look like they are falling out of it!
For some it's the shock of seeing lots of blood suddenly coming out or severe excruciating pain from a hemroid thrombosis. Enough to get any ones attention.
Fortunately, all hemroids really are, are swollen blood vessel, which for most people, are easily cured or relieved.
But having the problem of hemroids is an embarrassing one. We are trained about how dirty and unmentionable that area of our anatomy is, so when hemroids drop out to say "Hi, I'm down here.", the last thing we want to do is talk to people about the hemroids. Even talking to doctors about the hemroids can be embarrassing for those of us who just don't talk about such things.
The problem of shame may be exasperated even more with hemroids, if we believe we somehow caused the hemroids through a sexual act. One might feel that the doctor will pursue a too personal line of questioning with the hemroids. From my experience in discussing hemroids with doctors and surgeons, they haven't asked questions of a too personal nature - more interested in telling me what to do.
In fact, the problem of hemroids is so widespread in the community, that doctors will often be sufficiently skilled to perform a simple banding or injection while you are there in the office. They possibly see people suffering with hemroids every day and are not typically embarrassed by it from my experience. So, once one gets over one's own feeling of shame and embarrassment, realizing that the doctor wont likely get too personal in their questioning about your hemroids, you might feel a sense of relief about seeing them.
Another good idea, is to write down the hemroid symptoms one has, so that when one goes to discuss the hemroid symptoms with the doctor, it's just a matter of reading the symptoms out. So, even if one was to get a bit flustered, all the hemroid symptoms can be conveyed without the feeling at the end of walking out of the appointment, "Jeees, I forget to say that. Would that change his diagnosis ... "
Think about me and my hemroids. When I saw doctors, most of whom were males, they would have a look, some inside. Yes, that was embarrassing, but it was better for me to get the correct diagnosis and hemroid treatment options.
Self diagnosis of hemroids is difficult. A non-medical person may confuse hemroids with warts, abscess, anal fissure, anal prolapse, cancer or other conditions. A picture of hemroids is included here to assist you, but medical assessment is strongly suggested.
Our latest Hemroids page updates:
Updated sections include the page you are now on, Pregnancy, Bleeding Hemroids and, Home Remedies. The latter includes many home remedies for hemroid relief.
We have added a hemroid treatment overview page to help people see the range of treatments available.
Several of our pages have been broken up to be more relevant to people searching for a particular hemroid treatment or cure.
The hemroids cure page includes vitamins, foods and herbs that help prevent and possibly cure them.
The sections on What Do Hemroids Look Like, What Hemroids Are and Thrombosed Hemroids have been recently updated.
Considering surgery? Surgical Treatments for Hemroids has been updated and now includes a simple means of determining which surgical procedure, if any, you may benefit the most from. We have added three more surgical treatments to the list of hemroid surgeries you may be able to choose from.
If you are returning to the web site, as many of you do, now may be a good time to book mark us again with our new URL ( web address ). Also, trust the new web site design and name is more appealing and easier to navigate.
Written from a sufferer's past experience with hemroids. Down to earth, understandable and helpful.
Here's the start of the information on hemroids and the help you may be after:
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2... What do real hemroids look like? The common appearances of real Hemroids:
The most obvious symptom of Hemroids is that they are often felt and seen (for example, by using a mirror) as a tiny lump of grapes arising from the anus. The size, shape and number of hemroids varies from one person to another, as the real pictures of hemroids above show.
A hemroid can be larger than a grape, even walnut size, but typically they are the size of a pea.
Sometimes there is only one hemroid, while some people can have many hemroids - normally a small cluster of is found.
Hemroids can look like flattened grapes, some look like full grapes, while others may look wrinkly.
Hemroids may come out of the anus, that is protrude, other times the hemroids remain inside the anus out of view, while some hemroids develop on the skin outside of the anus.
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3... MORE common signs and symptoms of hemroids:
Another typical symptom is that hemroids often cover the anus, stopping the anus from being seen.
A very annoying symptom of hemroids is that they can cause one's bottom to become itchy, particularly round the anal opening. However, this hemroids symptom may also be a symptom of worms and or parasites, rather than hemroids as such.
Hemroids can also cause a burning sensation, pain and or discomfort around the anal opening.
Soiling of underwear can be a common symptom with hemroids as well. This hemroids symptom can cause the other symptoms of itching and burning - akin to nappy rash.
Hemroids can also cause a feeling of incomplete vacuation of the bowel - you don't feel like you've emptied your bowel, even though you have. This hemroid symptom is a particularly nasty one, as trying to get a stool out that isn't there can aggravate or cause hemroids in it's own right. I think the bowel is interpreting large hemroids or clusters of hemroids as a bowel motion that hasn't passed.
For some people, lumps or prolapse of the anal region is a common sign / symptom of hemroids. It may scare you immensely at first, as it did me, but the prolapse is normally only the hemroids acting up. An anal prolapse literally refers to the internal lining of the anus appearing outside the anal aperture opening. Hence if a hemroid appears outside the anal opening, you, by definition, have an anal prolapse!
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4... What are hemroids? There are several types to be aware of.
Firstly, hemroids are varicose veins of the anal region - enlarged, dilated veins of the hemorrhoidal plexuses ( hemorrhoidal plexuses being the network of blood vessels of the lower rectum and anal canal, to be medically precise ).
If the varicose vein is outside the anus, but close to it, it is described as an external hemroid, some doctors will even call a varicose vein on the upper part of the leg as a hemroid! Specifically, external hemroids have two main symptoms: They are seen as little bleeding areas that occur under the skin near the anus, which can be felt as hard lumps.
If the varicose vein is inside, it is referred to as an internal hemroid although they may bleed, they are seldom painful unless infected.
If the varicose vein is internal, but hangs outside where you can see it or feel it, it is referred to as a hemroid prolapse or a prolapsed hemroid.
The more veins affected, the more hemroids you have.
An alternative definition of internal hemroids that I have come across states that hemroids are normal and helpful, as they protect and cushion the rectum. It is only when they become troublesome that we have to worry.
An alternative definition for external hemroids - one encyclopedia I read referred to them as non-cancerous tumors! Medical jargon, enough to scare any one silly I think.
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5... Some symptoms of hemroids are used as the basis of classifying hemroids into Grades:
Grade 1 hemroids do not prolapse, may bleed. Grade 2 hemroids prolapse - pop out - when straining, but the hemroids go back in of their own accord; they may bleed. Grade 3 hemroids pop out when straining, tend to bleed more and have to be gently pushed back in. Grade 4 hemroids are showing all the time and bleed much more.
So, if your doctor starts to talking about your hemroids as a specific grade, you'll have an idea of what he is on about, as well as the hemroid symptoms he used to make the grading.
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A... Napoleon Bonaparte and his fight with Hemroids.
It has been identified by Dr. Paul Wolf, 2001, that Napoleon Bonaparte could have won the Battle of Waterloo by attacking earlier in the day, but Napoleon Bonaparte delayed his attack because he suffered greatly from hemroid pain that morning. By the time the afternoon came, the weather and so on, advantaged the British.
Napoleon Bonaparte suffered greatly from hemroid pain during many of his battles, as the tension of battle apparently caused his sphincter muscles to tighten horrendously on his hemroids, thereby generating massive pain and discomfort for him.
Napoleon Bonaparte used bathing to help control his hemroid pain, but during the battle of Waterloo he was constipated which made his discomfort and possibly his pain much worse and, he had no time to sit in a bath to ease his miserable state.
An interesting bit of hemroid history there, one I think many of us can understand and sympathize with!
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B.. Alternative SPELLINGS AND NAMES for hemroids
Alternative spellings for hemroids : Hemorrhoids and haemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids is the most common spelling and hemorrhoids is also the modern label in medical circles. Next in popularity comes hemroids, which is the way I and many others naturally spell it. Haemorrhoids is a term seldom used now - haemorrhoids is an older label that you will still find occasionally used in medical journals and texts. Why do I mostly use the word hemroids, instead of hemorrhoids? Hemorrhoids takes more letters to type and hemorrhoids is not the way I normally spell it - I frequently misspell hemorrhoids as hemorroids.
Alternative names for hemroids : Piles. The term piles has been used to describe hemroids for more than a century. In one of my medical texts from the 1800's, the term piles was evidently in common usage along with haemorrhoids. From what I can tell, piles was the term used by ordinary folk, while haemorrhoids may have been more restricted to use by doctors. The terms hemroids and hemorrhoids don't appear to have been used back then.
Common misspellings (? - may change from country to country) of the word hemroids: Hemmroids, hemoroids, hemeroids, hemerroids, hameroids, hammeroids, hemorroids, haemorroids, hemmoroids, hemmeroids, hemmorhoids, hemorrhoides and hemorhoids. Of these apparent misspellings, hemorroids comes at the top of the list - I guess people forget about the silent h in the middle of hemorroids.
Some trivia information on hemroids, which you may or may not, have found interesting.
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Good luck in your endeavors for hemroid relief and hemorroid prevention.
In summary, surgery will normally be a good treatment option for hemroids as it removes them, while soothing creams, baths, hemroid pillows cushions and so on, can quickly bring relief to hemroids that are showing themselves.
To remain cured of hemroids, or to prevent hemroids from developing, you can try the suggestions on this web site - for example, by avoiding those things that can cause them to develop, by taking in therapeutic doses of certain vitamins and minerals. Also, by avoiding the causes of hemroids, we have a much greater chance of preventing hemroids from coming back or developing in the first place, but there are no guarantees unfortunately.
Remember, this hemroid web site, like all our web sites, is an educational one. It is NOT designed to diagnose nor treat but to offer understanding, ideas and options for you to discuss with your doctor.
