Dealing with hemorrhoids – any advice?

My mother (69 years old) is dealing with some pretty significant issues regarding internal hemorrhoids, so I was wondering if anyone here has any personal experience using Pilex ointment?

It didn't do anything for me. Seriously, nothing at all, but that was back when I was already old enough to be looking at surgery. I hadn't used it before then, and honestly, I highly doubt it actually works...

I've been dealing with this for way too long now... honestly. I've cycled through a bunch of different creams, but nothing seems to actually do anything. No progress at all. I’m just losing my mind here, and frankly, I'm done playing around with endless tubes of cream and little ointments. I have no idea where to even begin anymore. 🙂

Maybe give Preparation H a shot. Though, honestly... you should probably go see a doctor.😉

Michael Diaz4 said:It didn't help me at all. Seriously, not one bit, but that was back when I was already old enough to need surgery. I wasn't using it before then, so I doubt it actually works...

What stage were your hemorrhoids at? For surgical treatment, we're talking stage III or IV, right?

Can first-stage hemorrhoids be cured conservatively? Like, can they actually recede if you fix your diet and use stuff to ease the symptoms?

lonefalcon41 said:What stage were your hemorrhoids at? If you're looking at surgery, we're talking about stage III or IV, right?

Can first-degree hemorrhoids actually be managed conservatively? I mean, is it possible for them to just recede if you tighten up your diet and stick to some topical treatments to ease the symptoms?

In my experience, things can get pretty intense. I've dealt with stage 4 cases, which are the toughest. You can usually manage stages one and two with conservative measures—and even stage three is somewhat manageable—but once you hit stage four, surgery becomes pretty much unavoidable. At that point, you don't have much of a choice. Stage one isn't critical, though. They say nearly 80% of people deal with hemorrhoids at some point in their lives. If it's just stage one, it isn't a crisis and you can handle it with more conservative treatments, but... I just can't. Treat the problem before it becomes an emergency. If you stay disciplined, stick to a healthy diet, and actually get your life in order, you can maintain progress. But if people slip up and slide back into old habits, things tend to get progressively worse as they age. By the time most people finally decide to go see a doctor, it’s usually too late. They often don't show up until they're already at stage four, which means they're looking at major reconstructive surgery for the anal area. And complications? They happen more often than you'd think. One of the big ones is that after a long period of neglect, you start dealing with polyps. Polyps are a real pain because they have the potential to be malignant. Usually, they aren't, but as they grow... TUMOR They can definitely turn malicious. Personally, I got lucky because mine were benign. Even if you don't get them all removed, the smaller ones might even recede on their own. But the large ones? You absolutely have to deal with those. There’s just too much risk of them turning problematic, which can eventually lead to colon cancer. It’s a long road to that point, but you really need to act early. The most important thing to realize is that you can actually stop first-stage hemorrhoids right there, or at least prevent them from progressing to the second stage. Honestly, you can live with certain types of hemorrhoids, and most people go through life without facing any major complications. Just remember, staying on top of it with conservative methods—like using creams—is key. I just can't. If you want to fix hemorrhoids—even just to manage them effectively—the DG HAL RAR method is the gold standard because it actually targets and destroys the blood vessels feeding the area. It’s a definitive solution, and honestly, it isn't nearly as invasive as people fear. If you catch it in the early stages, there are almost no postoperative issues, and within a few days, you're back to normal. That’s why I say you should jump on the DG HAL RAR method immediately; get it sorted right away so you don't have to worry about complications later. But that’s rarely what happens. Most people wait until things escalate and life becomes almost unbearable. They wait until complications make them question everything, and only then do they rush to the doctor, crying, "If only I had known sooner!" To be fair, when I was suffering through this two decades ago, this specific method wasn't even an option. I spent twenty years dealing with it. That’s why I recommend the DG HAL RAR method to everyone at the very first sign of trouble. According to the experts, handling it early allows you to bypass the worst complications entirely. Today, I feel like a completely new person. I can sit, walk, work, and drive without a single thought about it. 497 milesI mean, I'm sitting in my car for hours on end at a time... 746 miles Eighteen hours behind the wheel and I’m feeling absolutely fine—no lingering issues or side effects at all.

How exactly are the stages determined?

Hmmm, vividsailor7 might be able to explain this better, but I’ve read about it before. My professor actually discussed it with me after my surgery once I was finally back on my feet. He was sitting in this incredible leather armchair in the suite where I stayed during recovery. Basically, the first stage is just a slight sensation on the outside. If I recall correctly. The second stage is pretty much the same thing, just a bit more pronounced. In both those stages, things can resolve themselves once the inflammation goes down. The third stage seems to be the point where they don't go back in on their own, though a surgeon might be able to push them back in—but even then, it's not always a guarantee. Stage four is when you're looking at actual surgery, and nothing is going back inside. Hang on, let me Google this to be sure...

@Excalibur Okay, found it. I was right:
Hemorrhoid disease isn't the same for everyone. Generally, the symptoms depend on how far the internal hemorrhoids prolapse. Based on that prolapse, there are four stages. In stage one, the hemorrhoid nodes are slightly enlarged but don't actually protrude. However, they can still bleed. In stage two, the nodes do prolapse when a patient strains, like during a bowel movement. They become visible on the outside, but once the straining stops, they retract back into the anal canal. Stage three is characterized by a prolonged prolapse. Sometimes manual repositioning is required. Still, in most cases, they retract during sleep. That’s why it might be recommended for patients to handle their business in the evening hours. Fourth-stage hemorrhoids are the terminal phase of the condition. The nodes stay prolapsed constantly due to severe venous congestion. They can't be manually repositioned, and they very often lead to complications like bleeding, strangulation, and inflammation.

It's important to emphasize here that internal hemorrhoids are the most common cause of anal bleeding. But bleeding can also be a symptom of other anorectal issues, both benign and malignant. Every patient experiencing bleeding should undergo a proctological exam (digital rectal exam, sigmoidoscopy), and if they are over 45, an irigography or colonoscopy as well.

Hey everyone,
it's me again. Looks like I'm dealing with an anal fistula this time around. Has anyone here dealt with this before? Also, does anyone have recommendations for surgeons in Washington, D.C.?
Specifically, has anyone worked with Dr. Lastric or Dr. Filati? Thanks in advance!

Hey there!
How long does recovery actually take after getting surgery for a fistula and hemorrhoids? I've been scrolling through the last 20 pages here, and man, it’s all over the place. Every clinic seems to claim their specific technique is the absolute best—they promise you'll be back to your normal routine by the next day, blah blah blah... but then on the flip side, I know a few people who went through it (I'm not even sure which method they used) and they were dealing with unbearable pain for up to a month. So, I'm really hoping anyone who's been through this could share what their experience was actually like after the surgery

Matthew Bishop44 said:Hey there,
How long does recovery actually take after fistula and hemorrhoid surgery? I've been scrolling through the last 20 pages here, and honestly, it's confusing. Every clinic claims their specific technique is the gold standard—telling you that you'll be back to work by the next day and all that nonsense. But then again, I know a few people who went under the knife (I'm not even sure which method they used) and they were dealing with unbearable pain for up to a month. So, I'm asking anyone who has been through this: please describe what your experience was like after the surgery.

Hajde, just go back and find my old posts from March, April, and May, through June. I laid everything out right there. To be blunt, I couldn't sit down for 45 days. It’ll be easiest if you search for my name in the total user list. Just click on Michael Diaz4 and then hit the number indicating how many posts I've made. You'll see every single one of my posts in this thread. Go ahead and read through them to see exactly how it went for me...🙂

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good proctologist? I visited the Sun Clinic recently, but I’d really like to get a second opinion from a doctor. I'm just not sure which specialist I should reach out to! 🤷
thanks!

Drew Reyes5 said:Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a proctologist? I recently visited Sun Clinic, but honestly, I’m really looking for a deep dive from a specialist—someone whose expert opinion I can truly lean on—and I'm just feeling a bit lost on which doctor to trust with this! 🤷
Thanks so much!

Dr. Ivanovic and Dr. Kocman over at the Merkur Basketball Club. 🙂

shadowsailor10 said:Hey everyone,
it’s me again. Looks like I'm dealing with an anal fistula. Does anyone have experience or recommendations for surgeons in Washington, D.C.?
Has anyone worked with Dr. Lastric or Dr. Filati? Thanks in advance.

Honestly, finding out I actually have a fistula was more of a shock than I expected—it started as these tiny little needle-sized holes.
I ended up back in surgery through the ER. The only silver lining in this mess is that the perianal abscess basically popped on its own, so they didn't have to cut me open right then... luckily, he just gave it a little nudge with his finger, and now it's "flowing like a waterfall."

Current plan: soaking in a mild magnesium sulfate solution twice a day and waiting for my appointment with the digestive surgeon.

Best,

p.s.
Any advice on what comes next or what I should expect?

I've been dealing with internal hemorrhoids for a few years now. Up until lately, the main issues were occasional bleeding and some stinging during bowel movements. But over the last six months, my diet has gone totally off the rails—mostly just hard stools—and I’ve developed this bad habit of sitting on the toilet for thirty minutes or more at a time. Yesterday, I felt some pain near my anus after a bathroom trip, but I didn't think much of it. Then today, it hurt again, so I actually took a look—and Fact. There's a hemorrhoid popped out right by the side, and man, it hurts. I tried to push it back in myself, but it just won't budge. The pain isn't unbearable, but it's super uncomfortable, and honestly, I'm starting to worry about what happens when I really have to go. I haven't seen a doctor yet, but a nurse friend of mine took a peek and told me it doesn't look like it's fully prolapsed since it's right at the edge, and she said it wasn't anything too serious because it happens to her all the time.
So, for now, I'm just applying some Fact and trying not to move around too much, like she suggested.
BUT—I've been reading stuff online saying that once internal ones pop out like this, you're looking at surgery?
I'm wondering if there's any chance I can heal this (or at least get it to slide back in) if I fix my diet or start using some actual medication? I haven't really used anything before because the symptoms weren't that bad, aside from the bleeding, which usually doesn't hurt.
Looking for some advice from anyone who has dealt with this before.

Well, I figured it was finally my turn to chime in on this thread! Honestly, I’ve been dealing with such a massive headache lately—dealing with hemorrhoids, prolapse, bleeding, and all those other miserable things that just come along with it. So, about two days ago, I finally went in for surgery at Merkur Hospital under Dr. Ivanovic! And man, I seriously can't say enough good things about him and the entire hospital staff; they were just wonderful. I won't lie, the pain on that first day was absolutely brutal, but since I was getting injections, I’m actually feeling pretty okay now that I'm two days post-op! I actually ended up traveling straight from Washington, D.C. to Miami the very next day after the surgery (which, honestly, I wouldn't recommend to anyone, but there I was!). I haven't had my first bowel movement yet, so I don't really have any insight on that part of the recovery! But hey, if anyone needs any kind of info or has questions, just ask! Best wishes

Does anyone actually know if this is an emergency situation requiring surgery, or if there might be some kind of alternative approach I could try first?

Alexander Thompson5 said:Nobody actually knows if this is an surgical emergency or if there's some kind of alternative approach you can try first.

How am I supposed to know from all the way over here?
Most likely, it isn't urgent.
Apply some Fact, stay hydrated, and maybe take some Dulcolax or Portalak if things are feeling particularly backed up.
Just get in touch with your primary doctor.

Jessica Thomas said:Has anyone here actually used the Arithera clinic? They’ve been advertising on this forum lately.
I noticed their prices are pretty steep, so I'm curious if anyone can vouch for their actual results and quality of care.

Hey Kirst, I was just at Arithera this past Tuesday for a D-hal&RAR procedure, which—by the way—costs $3.25. Just a heads up, last year I had to undergo three traditional hemorrhoid surgeries within just four months using the Morgan-Milligan method (which should give you an idea of how much of a mess things were for me). I don't want to scare you off, but honestly, for what they charge, I feel like they're being a bit reckless with patient care. It's easy for me to stay calm because I've already survived three operations; I know the drill regarding pre-op and post-op protocols by heart. But for someone going in for the first time who's understandably terrified? Nobody will explain a thing to you unless you practically beg them. I actually ended up emailing my surgeon today because I'm incredibly dissatisfied with how my rectum looks; the mucosa was protruding everywhere before, and they promised this would fix it, yet it looks exactly the same as before. Not to mention, I haven't had a bowel movement in five days, even after trying everything they recommended (castor oil, prunes...). I even told him that I don't even feel like I had surgery because there's zero pain. Maybe I'm just frustrated and reaching a breaking point after all this misery, but my advice to everyone is this: whatever procedure you decide on—DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Talk to people who have actually been through it. I realize nobody can offer a 100% guarantee in medicine, but still... hang in there, everyone.

vividsailor7 said:How am I supposed to know from all this distance?
Most likely, it isn't.
Try applying some Fact, drink plenty of fluids, and maybe take some Dulcolax or Portalak if things are feeling really backed up and hard.
Definitely check in with your own doctor.

Thanks for getting back to me. I know it sounds a bit silly asking stuff like this on a forum, but I have an appointment with my doctor next week anyway. I’ve already been diagnosed with internal hemorrhoids—they can be painful or cause a burning sensation sometimes—but they've never actually prolapsed before, so I hadn't really done any deep diving on Google until now. Now that I am searching, everything seems to say it's Stage 4 and surgery is the only way out, which honestly freaked me out a little. I've been taking it easy yesterday and today, just applying some Fact, but I was wondering—can they actually shrink back inside? (Not specifically mine, since obviously nobody here can see what's going on, but just in general). I'm a bit nervous about the idea of surgery, but even more stressed because I finally landed a job starting this Monday after a long search, and I really can't afford to take sick leave right away. From what I've been reading, the recovery time for these procedures can be pretty long.