Be sure to see a hemorrhoids doctor before you start any hemroid treatment on your own, especially if you have any of the following symptoms, but haven’t been previously diagnosed with hemorrhoids:

• Anal bleeding
• Anal pain
• Swelling at the anal opening
• Anal discharge
• Dark black stools
• A fever combined with bloody stools
• Very thin stools
• Inability to pass stools
• Chronic diarrhea
• Chronic constipation

 

See a hemorrhoids doctor if you have any of the following symptoms and have already been diagnosed with hemorrhoids:

• Severe pain
• Moderate pain that doesn’t get better after one week of treatment
• If the hemorrhoids don’t start to improve
• Hemorrhoids prolapse (fall out of the anal canal)
• If the bleeding changes from bright red to a darker color
• Stools get darker
• If bleeding gets worse

Will I need a colonoscopy?

If you have external hemorrhoids your hemorrhoids doctor may only do a visual exam, but more likely than not you will need a colonoscopy or another type of colon exam. This is especially true if you have internal hemorrhoids, a colonoscopy may be the only way to identify the hemorrhoids.

Why do I need a colonoscopy?

The main reason is so the hemorrhoid doctor can give you a proper diagnosis, there are other colorectal diseases such as colon cancer, polyps, fissures, and fistulas that may have symptoms that are the same as hemorrhoids. It’s important to rule these diseases out as a possible cause of symptoms. Plus, in the case of internal hemorrhoids, this may be the only way that the doctor can see them.  Everyone over the age of 50 years old should already be getting preventative colon screening exams done. This is because the incidence of colon cancer increases as we get older. Early screening and treatment has helped to lower the death rates associated with colon cancer making colonoscopies an important diagnostic tool.

What kind of doctor specializes in hemorrhoids?

Gastroenterologists are doctors who specialize in the digestive system from the mouth to the anal canal. After high school, training includes:

• 4 years bachelor’s degree
• 4 years medical school
• 3 years residency
• 2-3 years fellowship in gastroenterology

If the gastroenterologist specialized in a gastroenterology field like GI radiology, or hepatology, which is the study of the liver and the liver, pancreas and biliary tree, then an additional 2-3 years in the specialty field will also be required. Proctology surgery and gastroenterological surgery are not included in gastroenterology, these are surgical specialties. So, a gastroenterologist isn’t just a hemorrhoids doctor, they are much more than that, they are trained to treat diseases and disorders of the entire digestive system.

Before Your Appointment

Make sure you don’t let embarrassment keep you from getting the answers you have about hemorrhoids. A lot of medical professions recommend making a list of questions and bringing it with you, this way you don’t forget anything. Your doctor has seen and heard it all before, so don’t hesitate to ask her your most embarrassing hemroid questions. If you’re curious about what causes hemroids, natural hemroid treatments, bleeding hemorrhoids, diagnosing hemroids, hemorrhoid relief, Venapro, hemorrhoid surgery or avoiding the 3 common mistakes, now is the time to ask.

It doesn’t matter how you spell it or misspell, hemorrhoids are an embarrassing subject to discuss. Because it’s so embarrassing, a lot of people don’t want to discuss their symptoms with a doctor, but it’s important to get a correct diagnosis before you just start treating your symptoms on your own. The most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are anal bleeding, itching, and pain. For the vast majority of people, these symptoms are minor and easily managed. In some cases, minor cases of hemmoroids may actually clear up on their own. Other more serious cases may require prescription creams or suppositories and in some instances even surgery.

What Is A Hemmoroid?

Well, a hemorrhoid is just a vein either in the anal canal or right at the opening of the anal canal that becomes stressed and then bulges out. Some people may only get one small hemmoroid, some people get a lot of little hemmoroids, and some people may get one really large painful one. The hemmoroids located in the anal canal are called internal hemmoroids and the ones directly at the opening are external hemmoroids.

What Causes Hemmoroids?

It’s not exactly known but these factors are thought to contribute to the formation of hemmoroids: excessive weight, pregnancy, poor diet, straining while using the bathroom, genetics, and aging.

What Are Common Hemmoroid Symptoms?

People who suffer from internal hemmoroids may not even be aware that they have hemmoroids as this type of hemmoroid is usually not painful due to a lack of pain receptors in the anal canal. Usually bleeding is the only symptom with internal hemmoroids. External hemmoroids usually exhibit the more common symptoms usually associated with hemmoroids such as pain, swelling and itching. In some instance, you may be able to see or feel the external hemmoroids as a small bump.

Do I Need To See A Doctor If I Think I Have Hemmoroids?

Yes, definitely. The reason for this is to eliminate anything more serious like colon cancer. Some other conditions of the colon area have similar symptoms to hemmoroids and these conditions need to be ruled out as a cause of your symptoms. This is especially true with any incidence of anal bleeding.

How Can I Treat My Hemmoroid?

When it comes to treatment, you have several options available. You can try an over the counter medication like Preparation H. Or you try some of the natural medications available online like Avatrol and Venapro. If your case warrants a more aggressive treatment, your doctor can give you a prescription for either a cream or a suppository with a stronger dose of medicine to help with the pain and swelling. In some serious hemmoroid cases, surgery may be required, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

Will I Need Surgery for My Hemmoroid?

As stated above, usually no. Most people can manage their symptoms without the need for surgery. You will only surgery if you have a very bad case. Hemmoroid surgeries have made a lot of advancements recently and there are a lot of hemmoroid procedures that are done quickly, with very little pain. Most of these surgical options don’t involve any actual cutting. In the bad old days of hemmoroid surgery, your only option used to be a hemorrhoidectomy which was when your hemmoroids were surgically cut off. This process is still in use today, but only for extremely bad cases. It fell out of favor because there are too many complications, a slower recovery time and the newer methods have proven to be much more effective. The newer surgical developments include rubber band ligation, Doppler guided hemorrhoidal artery ligation, and the stapled hemorrhoidectomy. In simple terms, these newer surgeries just cut off the blood supply to the hemmoroid which causes it to die. These surgeries can usually be done on an outpatient basis; patients will have less pain and a faster recovery.

Will My Hemmoroids Come Back?

In a lot of cases yes. It seems that if you are prone to hemmoroids, you may have a reoccurring problem.

Can I Prevent Hemmoroids?

Maybe. This is a cautious maybe because I don’t want to get your hopes up. In people with minor hemmoroids, the symptoms may clear up on their own and these people will have the best hope of

preventing hemmoroids in the future. People with a more serious case of hemmoroids may not achieve the same results. The best thing you can do is improve your diet with the addition of fiber. Eat of lot of high fiber foods like fruits, vegetables and high fiber breads. Try to find breads and cereal with 3 or more grams of fiber per serving. If you are still having a hard time getting enough fiber into your diet, try a bulk fiber that you add to your regular foods. Fiber will help make your bowel movements easier which is thought to be the main contributor to hemmoroids.

Why see a hemorrhoid doctor?

If you experience any bleeding, pain, itching, or discomfort around the anal region then it is quite possible that you have hemorrhoids. It can be tempting to self diagnose and start treating your symptoms without first consulting with a doctor but this definitely not advised and may present some serious health risks. There are several other colorectal conditions such as colon cancer, irritable bowel symptoms, fistulas, polyps, fissures, infections, Crohn’s disease, plus some other less common medical conditions that may present with symptoms very similar to those experienced by people with hemorrhoids.

What exams would a hemorrhoid doctor use to diagnose hemorrhoids?

Besides a visual exam, the two most commonly performed colon exams are:

Colonoscopy

The colonoscopy is the most comprehensive colon exam, using a long flexible tube with a fiber-optic video camera and a light, the gastroenterologist is able to get an excellent view of the colon. Colonoscopes also can perform additional functions such as removing polyps that may become cancerous. It can also be used for surgical procedures such as taking samples or passing surgical instruments like scalpels during procedures.

In order for the doctor to get the best possible view of the colon, usually a one day preparation is needed leading up to the procedure. The preparation process involves a liquid diet with a heavy laxative; expect a day spent within arm’s length of a bathroom. Most people who have had a colonoscopy say that the prep portion of the procedure is worse than the actual exam. The procedure is done while the patient is conscious but a mild sedative and/or pain reliever may be administered to make the patient more comfortable. The procedure usually takes less than an hour but your doctor may keep for a bit after the procedure to make sure there are no complications. Even with a mild sedative your doctor may advise you to arrange a ride home.

Sigmoidoscopy

This procedure is similar to the colonoscopy but only allows the hemorrhoid doctor to view the lower portion of the colon as the sigmoidoscope is just over 2 feet long while the entire colon is about 5- 6 feet long. This procedure takes about 10 – 20 minutes and also required a day of preparation leading up to the procedure.

What is a hemorrhoid doctor?

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine that involves the study of the digestive system from where food and drink enter the body through the mouth to the where waste leaves the body through the anal canal. Doctors who enter the field of gastroenterology are called gastroenterologists. Typical training includes a 4 year Bachelor’s degree, followed by 4 years of medical school, 3 years residency in internal medicine and then training is finished up with a 2 -3 year fellowship in gastroenterology. So depending on the program, a gastroenterologist has about 13 years of training after high school.
If a doctor then chooses to become a specialist in a gastroenterology field such as GI radiology, gastric medicine, hepatology (the study of the liver, pancreas and biliary tree), or GI oncology (the study of cancer of the digestive system) then an addition 2- 3 years in the chosen specialty will be added on to the training period. The field of gastroenterology does not include surgery; gastroenterological surgery and proctology surgery are considered branches of general surgery.

Conclusion

Consulting with a hemorrhoid doctor is important to correctly diagnose your hemorrhoids while ruling out other problems. Although a lot of people balk at the thought of a colon exam, it’s an important part of the diagnosing process and not as bad as you might expect, there is a minimum of discomfort. A colon exam does present some minor health risks, but the risks of not getting examined are usually far greater so consult with a hemorrhoid doctor at the first sign of symptoms.