Internal Hemroids ( Hemorrhoids )

Internal Hemroids ( Hemorrhoids ) Definition, causes, how they develop and why.

Internal hemroids, a form of hemroids, are the most frequent version of this very common health problem.

Definition of internal hemroids:  Hemroids are defined as anal veins that enlarge from constant internal abdominal pressure.  Intenral hemroids is when this ballooning occurs internally in your back passage.

Causes of internal hemroids:  This pressure is created by various conditions, the most common of which are constipation, an excess of heavy lifting, or pregnancy.

Other conditions that can contribute to or cause internal hemroids are diarrhea, constant coughing or sneezing, vomiting, prolonged sitting, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, a low-fiber diet, cirrhosis of the liver, anal or rectal infection, or Crohn's disease.

How do internal hemroids develop and why? 

The vast majority of hemroids start in the mucus lining of the anal canal, which is the very definition of internal hemroid.

The reason why internal hemroids start here, is because the mucus tissue lining the anal canal is much thinner and more delicate than exterior skin, and so is far more likely to have veins bulge out from it.

In addition, the interior of the anal canal is put under much more constant pressure than the exterior of the anus, so conditions are all too frequently perfect for internal hemroids to arise.

Internal Hemroid Symptoms

Internal hemroids frequently have no symptoms what-so-ever.

The second most common symptom of internal hemroids is a feeling of fullness or pressure in the anal canal itself.

They are rarely painful because there are not many sensitive nerves inside the anal canal itself, so pain is not a common symtpom of internal hemroids.

Difficulty completing bowel movements, rectal itching, or a soft lump or swelling felt at the anal opening are other potential symptoms of internal hemroids.

Bleeding is another internal hemroids symptom and at the first sign of bleeding you should immediately see a doctor to pinpoint the exact cause, as other, more serious conditions also bleed as a symptom.

Internal Bleeding Hemroids

Usually the first symptom that people are aware that they might have internal hemroids is when an internal hemroid gets damaged and bleeds. Hemorrhoidal blood is bright red and can show up on toilet paper, on stools, in a toilet bowl, or in particularly profuse bleeding, as a bright red spot on underwear.

Home Remedies for Internal Bleeding Hemroids

However, once a doctor has determined that internal hemroids are the cause of your bleeding, there are several home remedies that you can use to try and treat internal bleeding hemroids before it progresses to the point of needing one of the available surgeries to treat you successfully.

If the internal hemroids are bleeding, there are several home remedies that are available to help with the problem. The first is warm sitz baths taken two to three times per day for 20 minutes at a time. When taking sitz baths for internal hemroids, do not add anything to the water whatsoever, and make it as hot as you can comfortably stand. This can start helping with inflammation that can worsen bleeding and can allow the hemroids the time they need to rest and start to heal.

Furthermore, never strain on the toilet, and do not sit for too long. Sitting and straining to produce a bowel movement only puts more strain on the internal hemroids and causes the internal hemroids to bleed more freely. Getting a small footstool to place your feet on while sitting on the toilet helps to reduce the strain caused by sitting, as does getting a small, hemroids doughnut shaped pillow to sit on while in other areas of the house.

Using ice packs to help with bleeding internal hemroids can also be beneficial, but always remember to wrap the ice pack well in a towel before placing anywhere near bare skin.

Taking ibuprofen by mouth reduces inflammation and bleeding caused by internal hemroids, but there are no other non-prescription over the counter medications used for internal hemroids, but some are sold online.

If you haven't already, make sure to avoid heavy lifting for at least a week to allow internal hemroid bleeding to really get a chance to heal well.

Internal hemroids - Treatment and Cure

Treating any kind of internal hemroid on a long-term, get rid of em basis starts with a diet and lifestyle change.

Most internal hemroids are caused either primarily or secondarily by a sedentary lifestyle and a low-fiber diet.

Internal Hemroids and Diet for Treatment and Cure

Therefore, to successfully and permanently treat internal hemroids, you must start getting at least twenty to thirty grams of fiber in your diet per day, and your doctor or pharmacist may recommend even more while internal hemroids are a current problem.

Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans are the best way to start adding the normal amount of fiber into your diet. Introduce new foods slowly, adding one every few days, to avoid the bloating, nausea, and other gastrointestinal problems that come to everyone with diet changes.

You know how you're not supposed to abruptly change a pet's food from one brand to another? The same thing applies to you and your food, so please don't try to give yourself shock therapy. You'll only wind up having a bad gut reaction (pun most definitely intended) to the very foods you need to add for a healthy, happy, and hemroid free lifestyle.

If you need a lot more fiber than it is possible to eat naturally on a temporary basis, there are several over the counter fiber supplements that are available on the market today.

Most are made with either powdered psyllium husks or powdered flax seeds, come in a variety of forms so you can pick the one that is best for you and are quite suitable to use when internal hemroids are present.

You can get these supplements in powder form, where you add a teaspoonful to a glass of water and drink it down with a glass of clear water after it, or you can opt for a wafer or a tablet format. Again, don't hesitate to ask your local pharmacist about your internal hemroids and what is the best product available to you locally. Pharmacist consultation at any local drugstore is a free service, and too much medical advice today is far from free, so take advantage of it when and where you can.

You also need to get at least eight full glasses of water each and every day for the successful treatment of internal hemroids. The biggest culprit behind internal hemroids is constipation, and whether or not there are other contributing conditions, you may as well not add this miserable and preventable condition to the list.

Drinking enough water in addition to getting enough fiber will prevent constipation, make bowel movements more regular, and eliminate most if not all of the straining and pain you might be associating with elimination at this time - such a diet should help to heal and cure your internal hemroids.

Internal Hemroids and Exercise for Treatment and Cure

Excessive sitting is never good for internal hemroids, whether that was the original cause of the problem or not. Do make a point of getting up and taking a brisk walk around whenever possible if you sit for long periods of time.

Our species did not evolve to sit behind desks, we evolved to roam large areas of land. Blood makes its way back to the heart against gravity by a complicated system of valves and pressure points that rely on walking and body movement for the energy to push our blood all the way back up.

Insufficient activity not only allows blood to pool in the veins of the anal canal to create internal hemroids, it also allows blood to sit in veins without moving much, possibly leading to blood clots and thrombosis inside of hemroids and elsewhere in the body.

This problem can range from making a hemroid a miserable knot of pain to possibly introducing a life threatening blood clot into your circulatory system, so do make the time to walk for at least twenty minutes at a time, three times per week, and to get up and walk around a bit after every two hours of sitting, whether it's behind a desk or on a road trip.

Internal Hemroids Clothing for Treatment and Cure

Also, change to cotton underwear and loose clothing while internal hemroids are an ongoing problem.

While you may love your tailored wardrobe and form fitting underwear, while you are dealing with internal hemroids they do not love you. Tight or constricting clothing and underwear can make your internal hemroids steadily worse through irritation, so don't wear them.

Internal Hemroids Herbs for Treatment and Cure

There are a variety of herbs and supplements out there that are thought to treat internal hemroids. Bioflavonoids, found in high concentration in citrus fruits, blackberries, cherries, and green tea are thought to be beneficial for hemroids, as is chamomile tea, a mild herbal tisane available at most grocery stores. Both of these remedies are safe enough to self-administer.

Other internally taken herbs for internal hemroids include butcher's broom, horse chestnut, and calendula, but these should be taken under the care and supervision of a trained herbalist as they are quite real medications that can interact badly with several prescriptions or other medical conditions.

When to see a hemroids doctor for your internal hemroids

If none of the above treatments works, or if at any point your internal hemroids get worse, you need to see a doctor to discuss other forms of medical treatment.

While internal hemroids are a common and usually easily cured medical problem, if left untreated they can worsen to the point of gangrene or systemic infection, both of which are potentially fatal.  So, if the above methods don't start to solve the problem within two weeks, or if an internal hemroid prolapses, which means it starts to protrude from your anal canal out into the open air, you need to start by seeing your general physician who can make recommendations for treatment from there.

In addition, feel free to see your general physician before then if the symptoms of milder internal hemroids are just making your life too miserable to function. However, should your internal hemroids require a surgical procedure, you and your doctor should team up to find the best and safest treatment method for you.

You will probably see a proctologist and/or a colorectal surgeon - the main hemroids doctors - before all is said and done, but your general practitioner should be the doctor you have known and communicated with for years, so use him or her to make sure all parties are communicating well about you and your specific health condition (internal hemroids).

Internal hemroids surgery

When you and your doctor have determined that a surgical procedure is going to be necessary for your internal hemroids, you have several options.

Those methods include rubber band ligation, which involves placing a strong latex band around an internal hemroid to cut off the blood flow, injection sclerotherapy which uses a chemical injection for the same purpose, infrared coagulation, a procedure that uses infrared light directed at the internal hemroid to clot and seal the hemorrhoidal veins, laser coagulation, which instead uses a mild electric current to trigger a body reaction that closes down the hemorrhoidal vein and causes it to shrink, and last but not least, a full hemorrhoidectomy, which involves a surgeon, a scalpel or a laser, and actually cutting the internal hemroids out.

Which one of these methods is the best for you and your internal hemroids is unique to each and every individual, but no matter what method you choose, you should give yourself at least a week off from anything resembling heavy physical activity.

Taking ibuprofen for a few days before and after the surgery can help with inflammation, pain, and bleeding.

Do talk to your family to make sure that everyone is clear on what you will and will not be able to do after the surgery is done, and do keep up the lifestyle changes you have made, as those changes will not only ensure that internal hemroids do not come back, but will also stave off a host of other, more serious problems, such as cholesterol and high blood pressure, that regularly haunt those with sedentary lifestyles and poor diets.

Here's to your long, hemroid free future!

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

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