Dealing with hemorrhoids – any advice?

wearyheron98 As expressed by:
This is my first time posting on this thread and my very first time ever using this forum, so please bear with me if I seem a little lost around here.

During my own personal "ordeal," this forum and its standout members have been such a massive help to me. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone, but especially to Michael Diaz4—my true mentor and a real lifesaver.

Here’s my take on things and what I've experienced so far:

I’ve been dealing with hemorrhoid issues since I was seventeen. Maybe it’s just my genetics playing tricks on me? It makes me wonder: how much can we actually push back against our DNA? To what extent can we truly be the masters of our own bodies and our own lives?

Since then, I’ve completely cut out anything spicy or intense from my diet. I'm a vegetarian now, and I don't touch alcohol, coffee, or cigarettes either. Still, it's pretty obvious that any kind of excess—any lifestyle imbalance at all—can trigger the kind of disruptions that eventually lead to health issues.

My struggle with hemorrhoids was hovering right on the edge of being critical until this past January. It all started with a minor cold that turned into a mess of mutated microbes and an ear infection. I had to take some pretty brutal antibiotics, and since I wasn't getting any decent probiotic support, everything just went south. I ended up dealing with massive constipation and total blockage, which triggered Grade 3 hemorrhoids, a fissure, polyps, and several old and new external skin tags.

The pain was just... unreal. It was this intense, relentless ache that hit right after every single bowel movement, and once it started, it didn't let up. I’m talking nine straight hours—from early morning all the way through 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. Honestly, words don't really do it justice. Then again, I suppose pain is always relative and subjective, isn't it?

As our resident expert Michael Diaz4 once pointed out, you aren't truly ready to face surgery until the pain becomes absolutely unbearable and the situation feels impossible to manage—assuming, of course, that you're dealing with at least third-degree hemorrhoids. Until then, you actually have the "luck" of sticking to conservative treatments. But a word of warning: if you leave second-degree issues untreated, or if you pair them with an erratic lifestyle and poor eating habits, things are only going to get worse.

I headed into that surgery with nothing but pure dread in my eyes.
Back on April 2nd, 2015, I underwent the IBM procedure at the Lastrić Clinic. The whole experience was handled with such professionalism. Everyone there was incredibly friendly, and honestly, it was a wonderful, painless process.

To be honest, my recovery was pretty brutal—just as painful as the period leading up to the surgery. It makes sense, though. When you consider what they actually did—an arterio-venous ligation, internal polyp resection, fixing a fissure, and that external anal reconstruction (RAR)—it’s a lot for the body to handle. The pain didn't really start to taper off significantly until after a full month had passed. I'm still struggling with sitting for long periods; it's just not comfortable yet. My best bet is either lying on my side or taking a light stroll. But, I actually made it into the office today. Progress, I suppose.

Based on my own experience, I’d say you’re looking at about 45 days for a full recovery.

After everything I've been through, I can honestly say I feel like a new person. I truly believe the worst is behind me now. That intense pain wasn't just suffering; it was my body sending me a message, forcing me to stop and actually think about things. Looking back, that pain was like a life coach I didn't know I needed. It was the only way I could have realized that my internal systems were completely out of sync with the world around me. There's no arguing with that.

Even though I’m a vegetarian, my emotional life and my diet clearly aren't in sync. My food choices lack variety and balance. I tend to eat too fast—I really need to slow down and chew more—and my portions are always off, either way too much or way too little. It creates this constant imbalance between yin and yang, an upset between the acidic and the alkaline.

Diet matters. It really does. Eating a healthy, varied diet—plenty of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and inulin, plus staying hydrated—is everything. At the end of the day, what we eat and how we live directly impacts our digestive lining. If that mucosal barrier gets compromised, we're essentially leaving our bloodstream and our entire system wide open to damage from pathogenic microorganisms that were perfectly fine living in harmony with us until things went wrong.

My own experience aligns perfectly with what modern science is proving: probiotics and prebiotics are the future of medicine. We need to move away from those harsh antibiotics that just wreck everything, destroying the harmony and the delicate balance of microorganisms in our digestive tract—a system we simply can't survive without.

On a side note; the natural broad-spectrum antibiotic found in oregano oil is incredibly fascinating.

For those of us dealing with issues involving venous-arterial circulation, or even hemorrhoids themselves, I truly believe there is an underlying emotional component. It’s often about suppression. We struggle with being completely honest with ourselves and others. We tend to lean toward false tolerance or taking the path of least resistance by bottling things up. But how can we truly love anyone else if we don't first love ourselves with all our heart and soul?

Looking back at all the posts here, especially from those facing recurrences, I feel my proctologist did exactly what he was supposed to do. He did his job well, and now the outcome of my surgery will depend entirely on how I manage my diet and how I live my life.

We are the architects of our own fortune!
"Watch your thoughts, for they become your words.
Watch your words, for they become your actions.
Watch your actions, for they become your habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny,
your reality or your illusion." (Anonymous)

Be mindful of what you eat, because that food becomes your body, your health, and potentially your illness.

To my fellow forum members: thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for all the help and for sharing your experiences on this topic.

Don't lose hope; this too shall pass.

Thank you.🙂

Sarah Rivera77 said:Hi everyone,
I’m asking for help because I feel like I’m losing my mind here...
For about a month now, maybe a little less, I've been feeling pressure in my rectum, right below the tailbone....
It's much worse when I'm sitting down (and I sit for at least 10 hours a day), and sometimes it feels like all the bones in my pelvic area are going numb.

My bowel movements are inconsistent—sometimes they're fine, other times they're very loose or non-existent.
For the last few days, I've been using suppositories in the evening (in case these are hemorrhoids), and I feel like they might be causing the loose stools. Is that possible??

The pressure is so intense that it feels like my rectal muscle has weakened, almost like it's somehow left open.

Please, I need advice!!!!!!!!!!

Best regards!

If you're able to handle such loose stools, then everything is likely okay in that regard, but you should definitely go see a doctor if you suspect something is wrong.

Sarah Rivera77 said:Hey everyone,
I’m reaching out because I’m honestly losing my mind over this...
For about a month now—maybe slightly less—I've been feeling this constant pressure in my rectum, right under the tailbone.
It gets way worse when I'm sitting down (and I spend at least 10 hours a day in a chair), and sometimes it feels like all the bones in my pelvic area are just going numb.

My bowel movements are inconsistent; some days they're fine, other days they're rare and nothing happens.
For the last few days, I've been using suppositories in the evening (in case this is hemorrhoids), and I feel like they might be causing the constipation. Is that even possible??

The pressure is so intense that it feels like my rectal muscles have weakened, almost like things are staying open.

Please, any advice?!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Look.
It’s most likely hemorrhoids, but to rule out anything more serious, you should go see a proctologist.
There’s no reason to be scared or embarrassed by an exam. If it’s just hemorrhoids, you'll know; if it turns out to be something worse, God forbid, catching it early is the only way to handle it.

cosmicviper18 said:You guys aren't giving me much to work with here... Does seriously nobody else deal with hemorrhoids? Or am I just the only one...
I’ve posted about this before and didn't get a flood of responses, so I'll try one more time.
Can anyone recommend a private proctologist or a clinic in New York City? If it could be part of a hospital system so I don't have to pay out of pocket for the exam, that would be great...

I've been dealing with hemorrhoids for about 16 years. Ten years ago, I went to see Dr. Fili at the John Filati Clinic over on Štoosova, near Kvatrić. Right now, I'm actually undergoing "treatment" at the Lastrić Clinic over on Malešnica, specifically at Stenjevečki 5. Basically, I paid $117 for an exam, where they found three Grade II hemorrhoids that needed banding. Since they handled the first one right then and there, I paid for both the procedure and the exam together for $200. Today I'm going in to fix the second one, so I'll be paying $117, and then in a month, I'll go back for the third—another $117. So, all told, it comes to $0.43 for the full exam and getting all three sorted out. They take all major credit cards and offer payment plans. Both Dr. Filati and the doctor at my current clinic seem solid. If you want to avoid the fees, you can just use a referral at a public hospital. My mother saw a proctologist at the Mayo Clinic, and I think she waited about a month.

So, your options are either use a referral and wait to get into a hospital, or just go get seen immediately for about $117.

There's also the Butterfly clinic's proctology department, and plenty of others, I'm sure.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Just one more thing—can hemorrhoids actually come back after surgery?

cosmicviper18 said:Thanks for all the suggestions!

If I could just push a little further with one question—is it actually possible for hemorrhoids to "come back" after surgery?

Once you've had the HAL ligation procedure, no...

Michael Diaz4 said:After getting the HAL procedure done, no...

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. For me, they came back seven months after the surgery. Whether that’s because the procedure wasn't handled right or just how my body reacts... who knows.

They did come back, though. Just nowhere near the levels I had before the operation...

crimsongull20 said:It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. For me, they came back seven months after the procedure. Now, whether that happened because the surgery wasn't done quite right or if it's just something that can happen regardless—I honestly don't know.

Still, they returned in much smaller amounts than they were before the operation.

Which hack performed the procedure that caused his sperm count to drop like that? It shouldn't ever come back...

I had an external hemorrhoid about the size of half a pinky finger burst and bleed all over last night—it basically just flared up out of nowhere. Since then, I’ve been spotting a few drops every time I go. It hasn't stopped yet. What have you guys used to successfully stop the bleeding?
And just to be safe, my wife thinks this amount might be a bit much (she's comparing it to a menstrual cycle)—would you agree?

Greetings to everyone struggling with hemorrhoids..

I’m dealing with an external hemorrhoid, or what is actually called perianal thrombosis. It flares up every few years; in the past, it would resolve quickly, but not this time. A few years back, Hemopropin did the trick. Now, I’ve been suffering for four months straight without relief—I've tried Hemeroprotect, olive oil, propolis drops, and finally went back to Hemopropin, but it isn't working this time around.

Cold compresses provide some relief, but the pain returns the moment I take them off. Does anyone have advice on other ways to treat external hemorrhoids? While olive oil and Hemopropin offer temporary comfort, they don't actually clear it up—the issue just resurfaces after using the restroom. The pain levels fluctuate between severe and manageable. Obviously, I can't apply cold compresses 24/7. I don't think it's drastic enough to consider surgery yet, though I am getting concerned given that this cycle of worsening and improving has dragged on for four months.

Michael Diaz4 said:Which amateur messed up so bad that the hemorrhoids came back...? They really shouldn't ever have to go back in...

The crowd isn't going to his office; he’s based in Germany. Though, maybe I jumped the gun on accusing him. It might just be the fissure causing issues—honestly, that feels more likely. Until I get a new diagnosis, I can't say for sure if he actually botched it.

I do know there are cases where hemorrhoids return after an IBM procedure, and in those instances, you can just do it again. You'll even see it stated on the websites of clinics that perform the surgery, like Arither's:

http://arithera.com/en/proctology

... If for any reason the procedure did not result in a satisfactory way, it can be repeated...

Look, they came back for me too—six months after my IBM procedure. My surgeon confirmed it during my follow-up, so much for that whole "they never come back" theory... That’s just plain wrong. Sure, I’m still at stage one now when I was sitting at stage three before the surgery, but honestly? I feel a million times better. At the very least, the bleeding has finally stopped.
I mean, I am being way more careful with what I eat now—if I’d actually had this kind of discipline earlier, I probably could have avoided the whole surgery altogether.
I really resonated with some of the stuff wearyheron98 posted on the previous page:
"I can say my proctologist did his job exactly as he should have, and the aftermath of my surgery will be whatever I deserve based on my diet and how I live my life."
👍
"Watch what you put in your body, because it becomes part of you—your health, and potentially your illnesses."
👍

Hey,

This is my first time dealing with this kind of mess. I feel like I checked every single box for developing hemorrhoids: genetics, spending way too much time on my bike, sitting all day at work, and then throwing in a few days of bad eating, drinking, and smoking...
It’s an external type and basically popped out overnight. No bleeding yet, but it hurts like hell, especially when I'm using the bathroom.
I’ve already started using cold compresses and taking lukewarm or cool showers.
Can anyone recommend specific meds or creams? I see so many different things mentioned on here—Pilex, Hemopropin, etc.

Also, should I go get a medical exam? I'm worried if it's something like a thrombosis where surgery might be the only fix.

thanks

James Williams76 said:Hey everyone,

I’m dealing with this for the first time. Honestly, I think I checked every single box for developing hemorrhoids: genetics, spending way too much time on my bike, sitting all day at work, plus a few rough days involving bad food, alcohol, and cigarettes...
It's an external one and basically popped up overnight. No bleeding yet, but it hurts—especially when I have to go.
I've already started using cold compresses and taking lukewarm or cool showers.
Can anyone recommend any specific meds or creams? People mention so many things here—Pilex, Faktu, Hemopropin...

And should I be heading in for a checkup? Just in case it's something like those thrombosed cases where surgery is the only fix.

Thanks.

Well, obviously you should go get checked out... Don't hesitate. We can't exactly hand out diagnoses on a forum. It might be hemorrhoids, but a professional needs to take a look to be sure...😉

So, my whole hemorrhoid nightmare actually kicked off about four years ago. Back then, I’d maybe deal with one flare-up a year where I’d just rub on some ointment for a few days and call it a day, but since I work in accounting—you know, sitting in a chair for eight hours straight—things just kept getting worse. It eventually reached a point where I was bleeding for three months straight before I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor. The doc I saw prescribed some Hepatrombin ointment and a nitroglycerin spray to get the bleeding under control, and then he told me I’d need to come back for a banding procedure using those little plastic rings. Basically, they tighten the hemorrhoid until it cuts off the blood supply and just dries up and falls off.
I ended up having seven of them banded the first time around—honestly, I lost count during the second round. Look, people, the pain is absolutely brutal, so please don't rush into it unless you have to, even though once it healed, it felt amazing to be bleeding-free for a while. Sadly, they all came back after a year, so I headed to a private clinic for sclerotherapy on four of them. I paid 622 miles for the rectoscopy and the sclerotherapy, but even though the doctor swore they wouldn't return, they were back within six months. At that point, I just decided I was done trying everything.
Just to give you some context, I’ve been eating super clean for years now—no greasy stuff, nothing spicy or acidic, no sweets, no white bread or heavy pasta. I stick to tons of veggies, boiled meat, yogurt, and grains. Even with all that, I still get bleeding every month or two, so I went in for a colonoscopy, and the results just showed hemorrhoids; everything else looked totally fine.
A little while back, I decided to skip follow-ups with the doctors who did my procedures, but a colleague recommended a different specialist. When I saw him, he basically told me straight up that nobody can truly fix this because I'm just genetically predisposed to it—it's just how my blood vessels are built. He said even traditional surgery might not stick because they'd just come back, so his advice was to just watch my diet and keep things regular since my intestinal lining is pretty sensitive. I should also mention I developed a fissure that bleeds too, so if my stool gets even slightly hard, the bleeding starts immediately.
According to him, I should stick to boiled foods instead of anything grilled, eat plenty of yogurt and grains, and when the bleeding does start, just use ointment and take Detralex tablets.
Sending love to everyone out there!

Walter Sullivan3 said:My issues with hemorrhoids started about four years ago. Back then, I’d maybe get an inflammation once a year, rub on some ointment for a few days, and it would clear up. But because of my job—I work in accounting, so I'm sitting down for eight hours at a stretch—the situation just kept getting worse. It actually started bleeding three months before I finally decided to go in for an exam. The doctor I saw prescribed some Hepatrombin ointment and a nitroglycerin spray to handle the bleeding, then told me to come back later for banding using those little plastic rings. They tighten the hemorrhoid until it essentially starves from lack of blood flow and eventually falls off.
I had seven hemorrhoids banded the first time. The second time? Honestly, I lost track. People, listen to me: the pain is absolutely brutal. Don't ever agree to it if you can help it. Even though it felt great afterward with zero bleeding—which was such a relief—they all came back a year later. So, I went to a private clinic for sclerotherapy on four of them. I paid 622 miles for the rectoscopy and the procedure, but they were back within six months. The doctor insisted they wouldn't return, but he was wrong. At that point, I decided I wasn't doing anything else.
Just for context, I haven't eaten fatty, spicy, acidic, or sugary foods in years. No white bread or pasta either. I eat plenty of vegetables, boiled meat, yogurt, and grains. Still, every month or two, the bleeding starts and then stops. I even had a colonoscopy, and the results showed nothing but hemorrhoids; everything else looked normal.
A while back, I decided to skip follow-ups with the doctors who performed those procedures. A colleague recommended a different specialist, so I went to see him. He basically told me straight up: nobody can help. He said even a traditional surgery wouldn't work because my vascular structure makes me prone to this happening again. He told me to watch my diet and manage my digestion since my intestinal lining is compromised. I didn't mention that I also developed a fissure that bleeds, too—if my stool gets even slightly hard, the bleeding starts immediately.
According to him, I should stick to boiled foods rather than anything grilled, eat lots of yogurt and grains, and when the bleeding kicks in, just use ointment and Detralex tablets.
Best of luck to everyone.

Where did you have that done? You might want to try the IBM method...

Michael Diaz4 said:Wait, where did you even go for that...? You should really look into the IBM method instead...

I went to BL for the ligation at the medical center and then did the sclerotherapy over at Euromedica,
honestly, it feels like everyone is just out to grab your cash.

I’m still holding out hope that there’s actually a solution to this...
I've been dealing with hemorrhoids for ages, but lately, the itching has reached a whole new level of unbearable. I honestly don't know what else to try applying...

I just saw an ad on TV for Hemomax, so I suppose it’s worth a shot. It’s been bothering me for a few days now—it’s slightly better today, but who knows if it’ll just resolve itself? I can't be bothered to wait... I think I'll pick some up. They claim it's the best, though they all say that...

Good afternoon. I’m 15 years old, and for quite some time now, I’ve noticed small spots of blood on the toilet paper after bowel movements. At first, I didn't think much of it—I assumed it was nothing serious and would just pass on its own—but as time went on, I stopped paying attention to it. However, recently, after dealing with some hard, dry stools, I noticed a tiny bit of blood again and decided it was time to actually learn more about what might be going on. After doing a fair amount of research online, I've come to the conclusion that I might be dealing with hemorrhoids. Since reading up on the subject, I've made some significant changes to my lifestyle. I've been focusing heavily on my diet and hydration; specifically, I've started chewing my food much more thoroughly—sometimes up to three times longer than I used to—and I've almost entirely cut bread out of my diet. I'm also drinking significantly more water than before. Additionally, I've adjusted my sleep schedule; I used to stay up until 3:00 or 4:00 AM, but now I try to head to bed around midnight. I suspect these changes in my routine have had a positive impact on my digestion, which used to be quite irregular, characterized by hard and dry stools. I've stuck to this new regimen for a full week now, and the results have been noticeable: my bowel movements are regular, they aren't hard or dry anymore, and there hasn't been any blood on the paper afterward. Even so, I wanted to ask for some perspective. Should I still go in for a medical checkup once I get back from summer vacation, or is it unnecessary? Is this something I should truly be worried about, and do you think it's definitely hemorrhoids or could it be something else? If it is indeed hemorrhoids, do you think they might be first-degree, given that the symptoms vanished once I started taking better care of myself? Also, am I perhaps overthinking this and worrying too much about something that isn't a big deal? I apologize for asking so many questions, but I'm genuinely concerned and would truly appreciate any insight or help anyone can offer. Have a wonderful day. 🙂

Rachel Howard3, if those symptoms don't come back, you probably don't need a checkup... just keep enjoying those benefits.