Dealing with hemorrhoids – any advice?
in Health ·
Betty Thomas78 said:Guys, seriously, I’ve already vented about this mess before... But about two months ago, my life basically turned into a nightmare. Pain during bowel movements, bleeding... I haven't had a moment of peace since. It’s like a roller coaster—one week everything feels fine, the next week it’s pure misery. When the pain stops, the bleeding stops too. But once the pain kicks in, it’s like a damn faucet every single time I go. And look, I know I can be a total hypochondriac, so my brain immediately jumped to "Oh god, it’s cancer." Usually, things settle down after a few days, but this past week has been a complete disaster. Up until now, nothing looked swollen on the outside, but today? Total horror show. Everything is inflamed, swollen, and hurting—nothing like I've ever dealt with. I was just sitting at home crying because the pain was so intense that I actually ended up in the ER. The doctor checked me out, gave me some painkillers and some Detralex, and told me if this doesn't chill out, I need to head back to the hospital at the Mayo Clinic
In my 30 years, I have never experienced anything like this. If anyone has any advice, please, let me hear it. Like, what should I absolutely avoid eating? How long does this usually take to clear up? Please, someone, give me some comfort here. 🙂
Man, let me tell you about my run-in with this nightmare. A good while back, I went a bit overboard combining way too much BBQ jerky with a heavy amount of red wine—classic mistake—and ended up with stools so rock-hard they caused insane straining and popped several hemorrhoids. To make matters worse, a day or two later, I was out doing some concrete work around the house—it was summer, so I was just in shorts—and I didn't realize that all that fine cement dust was going to stick to my already irritated, swollen area. That night and the next day were absolute hell. It created this weird combo of inflammation and infection that even the doctor (we were at the Mayo Clinic too) was baffled by. He basically said there was no choice but to see a specialist because I could barely walk—it felt like I was constantly walking around with stinging nettles shoved in my underwear. They gave me some cream and told me to do warm chamomile soaks several times a day—honestly, the details are a blur. Anyway, once the infection cleared up, I started a routine where *every single time* I finish up on the toilet, I rinse the area with lukewarm water using a super mild liquid soap (the gentle kind meant for sensitive skin). Since then, I can confidently say I haven't had a single issue. Of course, you really should eat stuff that keeps things moving rather than slowing them down (everyone's body is different), but I’ve noticed I tend to go hard on spicy, heavily seasoned food, and this method has passed every test so far—the problem is officially gone!