For those of you who have experienced hemorrhoids before, you will know that it is often one of the most painful or unpleasant experience one can go through. You must have often wondered what do hemorrhoids look like?
Firstly, if you don't know what hemorrhoids are, they are like varicose veins and they are only found in the anal areas. They are distended and dilated veins from the hemorrhoidal plexuses - which is the complex of blood vessels in the anal canal and lower rectum area.
Oak Counter Stools
Due to the fact that the bowel needs to often contract and expand, the veins in this area need to be stretchable and rather flexible. This is why one cannot suffer from hemorrhoids on any other part of their body, because the veins aren't able to stretch like they do in the anal region when they are pressurized with blood.
If you are struggling to understand exactly what a hemorrhoid is, try to think of it as the feeblest part of an already weakened region of blood vessels. When you overstrain frequently in the toilet, the weakened veins are put under tremendous amount of pressure. Once the veins have expended to too great an extent, they cannot always return to normal size, resulting in hemorrhoids developing. The number of veins affected at such instances will determine the number of hemorrhoids you get.
Internal hemorrhoids
Internal hemorrhoids will occur if the engorged veins are on the inside of the anus. As such they may not be visible. Some bleeding may be experienced but are usually not painful. However if internal hemorrhoids become prolapsed, that is the engorged veins are on the inside but are so swollen that they hang outside where you can feel them, then you will see some soft tissue poking out of the anus. These are normally light red in color.
External hemorrhoids
As the term suggests, external hemorrhoids are those where the engorged veins occur on the outside of the anus instead of on the inside. External hemorrhoids can be felt as lumps of little bleeding areas underneath the skin. They will not be seen as poking through the anal opening, but are found developing on the rim of the anus. Given where they normally develop, they tend to be brownish in color. Bleeding is frequently experienced as friction and irritation occur easily.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids
The most painful type of hemorrhoids will be the thrombosed type. If you have ever experienced these or know someone that has, you will know that there is nothing that can be more painful in the anal region. The reason these are so painful is because the actual hemorrhoid has a blood clot inside it. Sometimes people refer to such hemorrhoids as non-malignant tumors. It is rather scary to think of it like that, but it actually sounds worse than it really is. Thrombosed hemorrhoids need to be seen to immediately so that treatment can begin before the pain becomes worse.
Visual inspection of hemorrhoids
The way in which many people come to the conclusion that they have hemorrhoids before going to the doctor is by using a mirror to see the area they suspect. That's often a shocking revelation to the recurring thought about what do hemorrhoids look like. They might look like small lumps of grapes coming out of the anus; these are probably ordinary internal hemorrhoids. The shape, size and color of the hemorrhoids will vary from one patient to the next, so don't worry if what you see or hear of doesn't exactly resemble what you are suffering from. Hemorrhoids are hemorrhoids, whether they are big or small, red or brown, painful or painless.
The color of hemorrhoids is mainly what is used to describe and diagnose what kind of hemorrhoids you have. The brownish colored ones are normally external hemorrhoids, the reddish or pink ones are often prolapsed internal hemorrhoids, and the dark red or purple/blue ones are most likely thrombosed hemorrhoids.
What should you do?
Hemorrhoids have been around for hundreds of years. Their history dates way back. Back then there weren't any medications or operations that could be used, but these days there are many different options for a patient that is suffering from this condition.
For a start, if the hemorrhoids are not thrombosed and are in early stages, there are several ways to manage them yourself.
Firstly, avoid undue straining when clearing your bowels. Do not be overly anxious about passing motion every day. In other words, do not try to force out stools when there is no real urge. If your daily diet is healthy with lots of fiber, the motion will come about readily and easily.
Next, practice good toilet hygiene after each session to ensure that bacterial does not cause further irritation or infection. However, do be careful not to rub too hard when cleaning. Use firm but gentle pressing or dabbing pressure during cleaning. Pressing in toward the anal opening as opposed to rough 'brushing' actions also help to push back small prolapsed hemorrhoids.
Other methods such as using warm baths or applying over-the-counter anesthetic creams also help to soothe the anal area to relief the discomfort or pain caused by hemorrhoids.
One other solution which thousands of sufferers have found to be of great help is H Miracle.
If the above suggested solutions do not relief your pain and discomfort, such as those of you with thrombosed hemorrhoids, then professional medical help must be sought. Surgical management such as rubber band ligation and hemorrhoidectomy may be deemed necessary. It is also to ensure that the problem is not due to something much more serious than hemorrhoids.
