Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatment ~ An Overview

(aka bleeding hemroids treatment)

Introduction to Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatment

Bright red bleeding is often one of the first hemorrhoid symptoms anyone notices, especially when it comes to internal hemorrhoids that normally don't cause much pain, if any.

External hemorrhoids, on the other hand, usually start causing a great deal of discomfort the instant they start up and these hemroids can bleed as well.

This bright red blood can scare you the first time you see it on a stool, on toilet paper, in your underwear or particularly in your toilet bowl. Hemorrhoids rarely bleed so much that they're dangerous, but blood dilutes in water rather well. Two tablespoons of blood in toilet water can look like most of the blood in the body! Don't let this worry you too much.

Rectal bleeding can be from a variety of different health issues, ranging from mild ones like hemorrhoids to serious conditions such as colon cancer. If you don't already know why you're suffering from rectal bleeding, make a doctor's appointment to find out.

Causes of Bleeding Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids bleed easily due to the material they're made of and the conditions they endure.

External hemorrhoids have some very thin skin covering them, and internal hemorrhoids are made of mucus membrane. Both kinds of tissue do not react well to trauma even under normal circumstances. When swollen with blood, as hemorrhoids are by their nature, they react even less well. Any excessive pressure, twisting, roughness or trauma can cause bleeding.

Do Bleeding Hemorrhoids Require Treatment?

Hemorrhoid bleeding is something to avoid if you can.

First off, it tends to really muck up your day by causing both health anxiety and social anxiety. Is there something really wrong? Could you be in serious health trouble? Is it going to bleed through your clothes?

Second, chronic hemorrhoid bleeding can contribute to eventual hemorrhoid thrombosis, a miserable hemorrhoid condition to be avoided if at all possible. Thrombosed hemorrhoids often require surgical intervention. Even if they don't, they bring on a whole new world of pain, discomfort, burning and itching.

Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatment

Treatment for bleeding hemorrhoids is usually easy, though it may take a while to fully heal.

When you're trying to get bleeding hemorrhoids to heal, remember to go easy on them at all times. Even if they don't hurt at the moment, they can rip open again under almost any irritation.

The first step is to correct and prevent constipation.

Hard stools scraping past tender hemorrhoids is a bad bleed waiting to happen, after all.

Include lots of high-fiber food in your diet such as bran, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Drink enough water for your weight every day to keep all that fiber from turning into intestinal cement. The idea here is soft, bulky stools. The fiber acts as a sponge and the water keeps the sponge soft.

In addition, never ignore the urge to have a bowel movement. Keeping it in too long can cause impaction and constipation as surely as a poor diet can.

Don't sit or strain on the toilet for long.

If a bowel movement hasn't happened in about five minutes, get up and walk around. Either you'll have to go again or you'll be able to get on with your day.

However, sitting and/or straining puts an immense amount of blood pressure on hemorrhoids. If they're prone to bleeding, this sort of abdominal pressure is a surefire trigger.

Sitz baths either in the bathtub or in a special sitzbath that fits over the toilet can help too.

In order to take a sitz bath, draw a few inches of water as hot as you can stand, and sit in it for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. You can take these up to four times per day.

For general aching and misery, add Epsom salts to the sitz bath. If there is a prolapsed or external hemorrhoid that's bleeding, you can also add oatmeal powder to the bath for general soothing ability.

If you can stand the idea, wrap an icepack in a towel and sit on it for about ten minutes after the bath. The alternation of heat and cold really helps with the inflammation and the cool can help stop bleeding.

Other bleeding hemorrhoids treatments include:

Before administering any medication or after a bowel movement, use soft moistened toilet paper to clean the area as well as possible. You can use either warm water on plain, unscented toilet paper or use a medicated tissue. Witch hazel or aloe vera moistened tissues are particularly soothing.

Use an over-the-counter cream on external hemorrhoid bleeding.

The best creams for short term use have hydrocortisone in them. However, if you use hydrocortisone creams for too long, then the tissue starts getting thinner which makes hemorrhoids more likely.

Creams containing vasoconstrictors such as ephedrine, epinephrine, or phenylephrine are also good for bleeding hemorrhoid treatment. Use these creams only if you don't suffer from cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, urinary problems or aren't taking anti-depressant medication. Vasoconstrictors interact badly with these health issues and medications.

Over the counter creams that contain a lubricant such as cocoa butter can help protect hemorrhoids. Most hemorrhoid creams will contain some kind of moisturizer and lubricant, so check around to find the best one for you. In addition, a hemorrhoid cream that contains calamine lotion can help stop external bleeding pretty fast.

Internal and External Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatments

Over the counter creams don't work on internal hemorrhoid bleeding. Oral medications such as ibuprofen or oral herbal remedies do. Ibuprofen works by reducing both inflammation and pain, while herbal remedies act on various internal causes.

Don't eat or drink things that will make the hemorrhoids worse, including spicy food, nuts, alcohol or anything with caffeine in it. Spicy food can irritate the intestinal tract. Nuts may not be completely digested and scrape sharp edges along your hemorrhoids. Alcohol and caffeine both steal water from the body, which doesn't do constipation problems any good. However, the odd cup likely wont upset things too much.

Be gentle with your hemorrhoids. Don't wear tight or constricting clothing that may cause more trauma. Wear moisture-wicking cotton underwear and loose clothing instead. Don't scratch or scrub at your hemorrhoids no matter how much they itch. Check your laundry detergents and bath soaps for sensitivity by trying a hypoallergenic variety for a few days. If the problem gets better, you know what's irritating your tissues.

Surgical Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatments

Bleeding hemorrhoids treatment can usually be done at home. In fact, it's best done at home.

All good medicine is founded on the "least invasive" philosophy. In other words, the less traumatic the solution, the better.

However, if bleeding hemorrhoids don't start to get better within a week, you may have to look at other options.

Internal hemorrhoids can be treated with a variety of methods, many of which aren't as invasive as full surgery. Infrared coagulation, injection sclerotherapy and banding all offer ways to make an internal hemorrhoid stop bleeding pretty fast.

However, they're not risk or pain free, so discuss your preferences, health conditions and life circumstances with your doctor before undergoing any of them.

External hemorrhoids usually require a full hemorrhoidectomy to surgically cure.

Like any surgical procedure, the risks are pretty weighty.

The surgery wouldn't be approved at all if it weren't relatively safe, but the potential risks can permanently affect your life.

They include permanent fecal incontinence, anal sphincter damage, deep scarring and infection.

You really want to make sure your external hemorrhoid is severe enough to justify these risks before signing off on the surgery.

Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatment in Conclusion

Bleeding from hemorrhoids is one of the most common hemorrhoid symptoms out there.

The vast majority of bleeding hemorrhoids can be successfully treated at home.

In addition, all bleeding hemorrhoids can only be prevented at home.

Take responsibility for your hemorrhoids by getting all the information you can. By applying this information, your hemorrhoids should vanish and your quality of life improve.

Bleeding Hemorrhoids Treatment References

Cocchiara, J.L. Hemorrhoids, a practical approach to an aggravating problem. Postgrad Med 1991;89(1):149-152.

Hodes B. Hemorrhoidal Products. in: Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, 11th ed. American Pharmaceutical Association; Washington, D.C. 1996;261-271

Sause R.B. Self-treatment of hemorrhoids. US Pharm 1995;20(6)32-40.

Meade V. Dealing with hemorrhoids. Am Pharm 1992;NS32(3):64-5

Research and main write by Loni L. Ice, editing and additional writing by D. S. Urquhart.

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