Dealing with hemorrhoids

Just get rid of the worry....

Does he take insurance, or do you have to pay out of pocket for exams and procedures?

Everything comes with a price!
Has anyone here ever dealt with a perianal fistula?
I've been struggling with this for about four months now, and honestly, the pain is just brutal. I've been going back and forth for checkups, and my doctor is finally recommending surgery. I’m a bit nervous about how the whole thing actually goes down—especially since he mentioned I'll likely need chemo treatments afterward, which is definitely weighing on my mind.

So, hemorrhoids are basically just swollen veins in your lower colon. They usually pop up if you have a genetic predisposition to weak veins, or if your diet is a mess, your bathroom routine is totally irregular, or you’re pushing yourself way too hard physically—plus, there's definitely a family connection involved. To stay ahead of it, I'd say focus on strengthening those veins by getting out for regular walks, keeping things moving with better gut motility, leaning into natural remedies like chitosan, and making sure you're consistent with probiotics to keep everything balanced.

If you're dealing with hemorrhoids, sitting in some St. John's Wort tea and rubbing on some St. John's Wort oil can actually help quite a bit.

dustyowl29 said:Does he take insurance, or do you have to pay out of pocket for exams and procedures?

Nah, he's strictly private practice.
You pay for the procedures, but that usually covers all your follow-ups.
At least that's how it worked for me.
Paid once$833 and that was it.

Don't be lazy with me! I actually went out of my way to dig into Dr. Filati, and honestly? It’s not looking great. Word is he doesn't have much actual clinical experience under his belt, and he gives off this vibe that he's just in it for the money—like he’ll push for surgery even when it’s totally unnecessary. I actually had two well-known people confirm this to me after they went to him for a consultation.
I did hear about a really solid proctologist over at the Sun clinic, though. I'm going to try to get an appointment scheduled for next week, so we'll see how that goes.

lol... give me a break

whatever

look, I know he helped me out big time, and if I had to, I’d go right back to him
and let's be real, hemorrhoids aren't some thing that just vanishes; once you've got them, they're part of you forever since we're talking about swollen veins in the colon

how much clinical experience does someone even need for all this to be worth it anyway?

people only end up seeing him when things get desperate, when surgery is basically the only option left

but hey, go ahead and keep asking around, maybe head over to the Sun... and let me know what they say

I don't find this funny at all. I actually want to know a bit about the doctors I might end up trusting with my life. I’m planning on heading out to the Sun, and we'll see what happens from there—I might even make the trip to see him, depending on how much the procedure costs, especially since I'm looking at a pretty intense surgery.

So, I realized yesterday that this lump—basically a vein about 1.5 cm long and 5 mm wide—isn't soft to the touch anymore. It’s gone hard, and it actually hurts... probably a clot formed. There’s intense pressure in the rectal area, the pain is moderate, and there's some itching too. Plus, my bowel movements have been totally irregular. Since my job is pretty demanding and puts extra strain on that specific region, I can't exactly work right now—I need to take sick leave. Given that I doubt this is just going to vanish on its own, what do you guys suggest? Should I go see a specialist for a procedure, or...?
btw, a few people I know have actually recommended this doctor after seeing him themselves..
Besides, he’s clearly the most high-profile guy out there—if I type "hemorrhoids" into a search engine, his articles pop up in the top five results. He seems to have pieces published all over the health websites..
Also, it says here that before any kind of procedure, you need to get some tests done, like a rectal scan and stuff, so I'm wondering if he handles that in-house or if I'll have to go somewhere else for the diagnostics..

Look, it’s true—every kind of cutting comes with its own set of consequences. But if it makes you feel any better, these kinds of procedures are usually outpatient, so it's not exactly some massive, life-altering surgery...
Filati is pushing for the operation because he knows all the other fixes are just temporary band-aids—eventually, you're going to have to get it tied off and cut out just to live a normal life and get back to work..
I can't even function properly right now; every time I make a sudden move, I get this terrifying sensation like everything is about to burst and my eyes are going to pop right out of my head..👎
At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at Stage 4, and there's really no other way out..

Jesus, I finally broke him open!!🙂

His family basically built their entire fortune on people's backsides. Literally...
From what I know, his old man was also a private proctologist and a pretty big name in the field. But word is he had this whole "cut first, ask questions later" approach to surgery. If my memory serves me right, my dad actually went to see Dr. Chavcic or maybe Cucevic over at Rib. Something like that.

I finally got my referral for an exam—heading over to Vinogradski tomorrow, I guess... or maybe I'll just hit up Rib. Still haven't quite decided yet.

So, I noticed they’ve got proctology clinics over at the Dubrava Basketball Club, Rib, and Mercury now... I think I'll go swing by and see how they handle things before I make up my mind..

So, I headed over to Rib because it wasn't packed... saw Dr. Gojevic there..
He noted that after a four-hour wait, he could see an old, thrombosed external hemorrhoid. Everything looks orderly otherwise.
The plan: get my digestion back on track (taking some Metamucil and probiotics in the morning), apply Fact cream three times a day, soak in chamomile baths twice daily, and knock back two boxes of Detralex—two tablets, twice a day.
Follow-up is in two weeks..
I asked him what was going to happen with it, and he just said it should recede..
Apparently, if I’d shown up earlier before it became thrombosed, he would've just cut it out—since now there's a high risk of bleeding.
Anyway, I picked everything up, so we'll see if there's actually any progress..

Dr. Gojevic is fine—I've been seeing him at Rib for two years now—but honestly, I really wish his exams weren't so painful.
I actually went to the Sun clinic to see Prof. Chavcic, and man, that guy is incredible. The exam $100 was completely painless because they use a ton of anesthetic there. It feels like the folks over at Rib are either cheap or just don't bother using it at all.
Unfortunately, they can't perform the fistula surgery I need, but they do handle hemorrhoid ligations, though I'm not sure what the cost is. He actually advised me against getting the surgery done under local anesthesia like Dr. Filati does for $833, because it’s so critical that you're totally relaxed so the procedure is done right; otherwise, you're just looking at a repeat performance. You really need general anesthesia. I’d love to go that route, but as things stand, nope—back to Gojevic I go.
Anyway, my experience at the Sun clinic was great. I highly recommend the professor; he truly has "golden hands."

Alright, so I guess I’m in good hands then...😁
My situation wasn't exactly a disaster movie or anything—the exam itself wasn't painful, just pretty uncomfortable. He shoved a finger in there and did a little maneuvering for maybe 7 or 8 seconds, but I managed to hang in there..

Hey there, so I'm actually dealing with this tonight and man, it is intense... you can have as much bleeding as you want, and the pain and stinging is just absolutely killer 🙄

But things have finally calmed down a bit. I guess some magnesium donations, honey mixed with warm water, yogurt, and a little fish really helped me out...

Anyway, since my sister ended up with this once in the last year, I figured I’d share a few "strategic" tips to help you navigate it...

1. Once you realize you've got an inflammation flare-up, you should probably do everything in your power to avoid having to run to the bathroom for a day or two... (though please don't just hold it in, because that totally wrecks your chemistry), but rather try to avoid anything that triggers the urge; you know, overeating, bad coffee (like those cheap diner espressos or the low-grade grocery store brands like Folgers or Maxwell House), hot chocolate, or even subpar bananas. Honestly, I think mixing good honey with some warm water is probably the best way to soothe things.

2. Just wait for the inflammation to settle down a little, you know, until that constant urge to go subsides. Maybe take a couple of days off work or just stay home and relax—doing stuff at home is probably the best medicine, I guess.

3. Once the pain stops, the swelling goes down, and you feel like you have your strength back in your rectum, then you can go ahead and indulge in all those things from point number one; maybe head to a cafe for some hot chocolate, grab a few mediocre coffees, or eat some bananas to get things moving in your stomach... After that, you can hit the restroom, hold it for just a second, and everything will finally pass through you. Everything! 🙂 I mean, it's not really about chemicals, but more about the waste that helps break them down...

Then you'll have a few days left for recovery. Stick to liquid foods and look for other solutions. Basically, just forget about eating too much bacon, dried sausages, or jerky—that stuff kills you, and bad hamburgers or anything grilled is a huge no-go until you're fully healed.

FOOD during therapy
Yogurt, fish, honey, probiotics, and basically anything else that's easy to swallow... and that's pretty much it. And obviously, try to keep the bread to an absolute minimum. Enjoy! 😉

Riječanka2 said:7. Apply it a few times a day—especially after using the bathroom and at night—around the area and deep into the canal (as far as you can reach) with Hemopropin ointment (it’s propolis-based).

I just had surgery recently, so I get what you're talking about, except my recovery is dragging on... was out on disability for two months, finally back at work for a month, and just when I thought I was over the hump, the bleeding started again.

Why?

Because I let my guard down and pigged out on cashews one day.😵 😵

Great.

Ended up back at the doctor's unexpectedly because the pain and bleeding during every bowel movement were unbearable.
No, pain teaches you lessons.
Now I'm logging everything I eat and every trip to the bathroom.

He told me to use Hemopropin, but only two days after my last injection (they used Aetoxysclerol).

What does that ointment actually do for anyone? Please.🙂