A hemroid is simply a vein in the anal region that becomes stressed and then swells up. Because it is then swollen and protruding, it can then become further irritated by passing stools or other daily activities. Think of it sort of like a varicose vein in the anal cavity. For a clinical diagram that is not graphic in nature check out this hemroid picture.

Internal Hemorrhoids

Internal hemorrhoids are exactly what they sound like, hemorrhoids that are located within the anal cavity. Because these hemorrhoids are somewhat protected within the body, they usually don’t exhibit as many symptoms as external hemorrhoids which are a more painful condition. In a lot of cases, people with internal hemorrhoids may not even realize they a hemorrhoid. Internal hemorrhoids may become recognizable if a patient sees blood on tissue paper, in the bowl, or on stools after having a bowel movement. If blood is visible, it is always recommended that you immediately schedule an appointment with a doctor to rule out any other diseases or conditions that can mirror the symptoms of internal hemorrhoids.

It’s also important to treat internal hemorrhoids at the first recognition of symptoms because more serious problems may result if left untreated. When left untreated, internal hemorrhoids may become so swollen that they then protrude from the anal cavity, this can lead to two of the more serious types of hemorrhoids, the strangulated hemorrhoid and the prolapsed hemorrhoid.

A prolapsed hemroid is an internal hemorrhoid that gets pushed outside the anal cavity and when this prolapsed hemorrhoid then becomes trapped outside of the anal cavity due to constriction of the anal muscles it is referred to as a strangulated hemorrhoid. Once the hemorrhoid is forced out of the protection provided by the anal cavity they will exhibit more symptoms including pain and discomfort. Still, in most cases hemorrhoid surgery usually isn’t required and hemorrhoids are a manageable condition.

External Hemorrhoids

Recognizing external hemorrhoids is much easier than with internal hemorrhoids because you will have a lot more easily recognizable symptoms such as pain, itching, swelling and with external hemorrhoids the actual hemorrhoid can be visually seen or felt as a small bump located near the anal opening. When a blood clot

forms in an external hemorrhoid, this is referred to as a thrombosed external hemorrhoid and this is felt as a bump and can be extremely painful. In addition, a thrombosed hemorrhoid can turn dark in color and it may also bleed, but even though it looks and feels terrible, the condition usually clears up in 7 – 10 days. If the pain is too much, the thrombosed hemorrhoid can be removed by a doctor.

Regardless of which type of hemorrhoid condition you suffer from, a complete medical exam is always required. Anal bleeding can also be a sympom of some more serious conditions such as colon cancer , so diagnosing hemorrhoids should only be done by a doctor with a complete exam and not self diagnosed. Although potentially embarrassing and painful, hemorrhoids are usually an easily treated condition. Here’s an article to to learn about what causes hemroids so that you can learn about potential risk factors.