Embarrasing Pain!

Try sitz baths. You can find instructions on line. Maybe look up what herbs are good for that and throw some in too. Good luck.

I read in Dr. Gotts column of my local newspaper that Vicks works well, I don't have that problem so I have never tried it.

Lots of water (we're talking 32 to 64 ounces a day) and a stool softener helped me. It also helped to get a big cup and drink out of it. Two 32 ounce cups and you know you've had plenty of water for the day.

If you buy the Tucks pads, make sure you get the ones that say "medicated" on them. The regular ones didn't do much for me, but the medicated ones seemed to help.

Also, make sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet! If you don't have to push or strain when you go, it helps a lot. Fiber will help make your stools soft and make it easier to go, putting less pressure on your hemhroids. (no idea how to spell that! LOL).

If you want a quick, natural fix to getting enough fiber, buy flax seed. (The milled flax seed tastes gross, but can be baked into stuff. The regular seeds are just crunchy and don't taste like anything.) You can get milled flax seed at SuperWal-mart, and regular flax seeds at health food stores, usually near the bulk seeds and nuts.

I use the regular seeds. You can take 1 to 3 tablespoons of these seeds daily. Start with 1 Tbs and work your way up.

Try adding them to raspberry yougurt, which already has a "seedy" quality. I like to sprinkle them over my salad after I've added the salad dressing.

You can take flax seed daily until your symptoms go away, or every day forever or until you want to stop using them. They are a totally natural food, nothing bad for you in them. Just don't take more than 3 Tbs per day, or you'll get the runs.

Oh, and I agree with the advice that you should see a doctor if the pain doesn't go away soon.

Buy the wipes with the witch hazel-the help the pain instantly and help to shrink-hold the pad on for a minute or so and it helps SOOOO much!

A hemorrhoid is a bubble in a blood vessel that is trapped outside your body. It needs to be cleaned and gently pushed back inside. Many times they will heal this way. If the blood is trapped outside your body in that bubble too long it becomes a clot and it is more difficult for it to get any better. When I got hemorrhoids with my first baby (now 41) the doctor told me how to care for it. I've followed that advice all these years, through two more pregnancies, and have had no more trouble. Use bathroom wipes to clean thoroughly and then push back inside. A really bad one, like from delivery, may require some witch hazel applied several times.

Go see a Gastroenterologist and have them take a look at it. You may have to go see your Primary Care Physician first to get a referral (depends on your insurance), and ask them if they can reccomend someone. Since a Gastro is a specialist, you may want to call your insurance and make sure they're on your plan (an out of network dr will cost you more out of pocket). Don't be embarrassed to have a Gastro dr look at it. I used to work for a group of them and --trust me-- they've seen a helluva lot worse than a lil ol' hemorrhoid =) And don't think you're the only woman who's had to have one of those little boogers looked at! We had women in ALL the time who'd developed them from childbirth.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Hi! I can completely relate. I got hemorrhoids SO bad with my first pregnancy. They went away right after he was born but came back later. They say once you have them, they're always there...it's just a matter of staying regular and trying to control them. I have found a couple of more natural ways to deal with them - Prep H never did anything for me!

This sounds weird but works...Get a preferably organic potato from the grocery store. Cut a small piece so it can fit right up against your hemorrhoid. It literally extracts the poisons and you will find relief soon! It is also a good idea to apply ice to it (none of this is very comfortable!) or if you have a spray shower head you can detach, try to run cold water over it - especially after each bowel movement.

Lastly, I use Prep H. wipes after every bowel movement - even now (I'm preg. with #3 and deal with these every once in a while at this point). I have found using regular T.P. just irritates them. If none of this works and you feel they are out of control, ask your doctor about a prescription called "procto-foam". This is what I finally had to use during my first preg. b/c my hemorrhoids were so out of control. This foam literally shrunk them almost immediately and didn't hurt, sting, etc.

Hope that helped!!

Tucks work great, just clean after the use of toilet paper, it will burn at first but it will give you relief.

I had them too! Mine eventually went away on their own, but a friend of mine finally had her doctor take care of them. My doctor told me it's very easy to take care of those :-) I'd just ask my Doc :) I used to get embarassed about stuff like that, but I found that he's very receptive to anything I have to ask.

Lots of good suggestions! I'd just add, keep physically active (increases the motility of the bowel to make going easier), drink lots of liquids, & if increasing fiber in diet isn't enough to keep you regular & soft, & if you can't take the taste/texture of flax seed, try flax oil tablets. They're about $8 for 200 at Walmart; you can take up to 6 tablets (1gm each) a day, but I do fine with 2-3 so just try & see how many you need. I've had constipation-predominent irritable bowel syndrome (tmi?) with subsequent hemorrhoids since I had my first baby 14 years ago. The flax oil is a miracle for me! As long as I do the above (exercise, fluids, fiber, & flax oil), my hemorrhoids rarely bother me anymore. But if they continue to give you problems after trying all of the interventions suggested here, do go to your doctor & see if he can help them. They can be very painful if become infected or thrombosed (I was a clinic nurse for 7 years).

witch hazel not only soothes, but shrinks hemorrhoids.

L.,

If I was you and the over the counter stuff isn't working I would see your doctor, or at least call and leave a message for the doctor. Especially if it is bleeding. I don't know how long you have had this but I wouldn't wait much longer. I work in healthcare and if your embarressed about it then when you call in or make and appointment just tell the receptionist that the message or appointment reason is private. That way you don't have to tell the receptionist. Good Luck! Amy H.

The other gals have it right. I would suggest flushable wet wipes near the toilet to keep the area clean, fiber pills and lots of water to keep your bowels moving easily. Fiber helps w/constipation as well as diarrhea. Oh, and patience. It can take a while to heal.

I have found two things helpful for hemmorhoids: One is to drink two cups of Aloe Vera juice daily - it seems to have a healing effect in that area. The other is Collinsonia Root powder, which my chiropractor recommends (in my case, which was the result of two abdominal surgeries, I take 10 capsules twice a day). This is a product put out by Standard Process, Inc., which is only sold in chiropractors offices as far as I know. Your chiropractor should probably recommend the dosage for you - I think my dosage is unusually high due to the severity of my condition. But the herb does help: I have less bleeding and other yukky experiences than before and the situation is gradually improving.

Get yourself some Stone Root tincture (Collinsonia is the botanical name). You should be able to get it an any health food store, or go online and get it. Take one dropperful orally at night and in the morning. Should help within a few days.

One of the best ways to combat that is to really increase both your fluid intake and your fiber intake. This will loosen you stool and make elimination easier. Hemorroids are basically varicose veins around your anus...not a pleasant discussion, but not a pleasant problem either! Anyway, if you have to push hard or have a very hard stool, this aggravates the problem. Sometimes a doctor will prescribe a stool softener if the problem is ongoing, so if the fiber and fluids don't help, you might want to talk to your doc. I wish you the best!

Hi L.,
I, too have struggled with this. I agree with the fluids and fiber but I also have to add that I truly believe that stress makes mine return. Maybe try the medical stuff but also focus on what's going on in your life and try to lower your stress level. Way easier said than done and maybe this isn't a problem for you. Just wanted to let you know my experience.

I had this too, and had to go to the doctor to get these suppositories to help it heal. It was a tear, and not a hemorrhoid. Sometimes they even have to remove them if they won't heal up on their own. My gynecologist referred me to a specialist who does the surgeries. Luckily I didn't need surgery and it went away.

Believe it or not, my hemorrhoids from giving birth were cleared up with chiropractic care. I went in for a different issue but mentioned them, and it was almost immediate relief. He made an adjustment and also gave me some sublingual drops to take for a month or so. It was after a year of struggling with them continuously, so I don't think it was a coincidence.

it may depend on what you eat, any grains or sun chips, corn chips, i get like that when i eat harsh stuff

Try taking a warm bath.... It helped me during and after pregnancy... I have 3 kids and I know what you mean!!

Try Tuck's pads. But, if the pain continues you may consider talking to your healthcare provider about prescriptions options.

oragel or ambessol in gel form(works wonders)

Hey L....I know how you feel- I struggled with this for 6+ months after my daughter was born. I did everything that was recommended- ate more fiber, drank as much water as I possibly could and used the over the counter suppositories. I finally realized that the problem was the pre-natal vitamins I was still taking. Because they have extra iron they help replenishing your body from post-partum bleeding, but then afterwards if you are breastfeeding and not getting a period it can be a problem. Mine only stopped after I stopped taking the vitamin. Then just recently I started taking a multivitamin for women that also has iron (I still haven't gotten my period back and my daughter is 10 months) and I had the problem again....so it surely was what caused it. Just my personal experience....

Once you get them they have a lovely tendency to recur. Drink more water, eat more fiber, and exercise. Those things will help that from happening in the future. As for getting it to go away time is the only unless it is really bad. For relief try prep h or other cream, witchhazel pads and a warm bath.

Take FIBER< FIBER<FIBER every night or daily.......that will eliminate any straining to go #2 and thus the hemm. can heal.
"A & D" ointment is very, very healing, better than Prep.H

Ah Yes- that wonderful thing that happens after you have a baby. I have suffered with them on and off . I have 2 kids. The only advice people would tell me is eat fiber and drink a lot of water so that you are regular. So sure enough I do and I go. Make sure that you go when you have to. Don't be too hurried. Take your time. Just use the pads to help you soothe. Thats really the best thing that I have found. You can also put a soothing pad on your underwear. Hope this helps. I know its annoying.

L., I know what you mean.... There is a steroid foam that works really well, you need an RX for it. Good luck, try purple grape juice to regulate you better and make going easier.
Susie, mom of two boys, 6,5 age 42, married 17 years.

If they are bleeding and very painful it is likely best to see your doctor and get some procto-foam. It is almost immediate relief. I had to do that when mine were at their worst. Then make sure you always drink lots of water (just like they told us to do when we were pregnant), exercise, and make sure you have fiber or laxitive (sp?) foods in your diet to keep you regular. I found the tucks pads worked well if I had a mild flare up but when it got really bad I had to get the procoto-foam. Hope you feel better soon.

The active ingredient in Prep H is hydrocortisone. It's cheaper and works as well or better to just use hydrocortisone ointment.

I was also in the same situation after my third child. I went to a doctor and he prescribed procto-foam. It cured my "roids" really fast and the pain was instantly gone. I also have tried tronalene, i got it at a pharmacy in White Bear Lake, it has the same incredients in it as the procto-foam. I had tried prep H, tucks all that stuff and none of it was strong enough. Hope this helps!!!

Buy some vitamin E capsules and break one open and apply the oil to effected area. Works wonders and is all natural!

The joys of becoming a mom. I am with the tucks pads, but what I did was put a maxi pad down and then put a few tucks pads right on top so they actually stay kinda in place for a while, and then just change them kinda frequently. It feels cool (liek cold)so it helps with the pain aspect and seems to help heal faster.
Good luck!
J.

I am a surgical RN. This is so not embarassing...It is very normal an happens to many women. If you are tough go to your physician and he may be able to do something with this right in the clinic. If not it is a very simple out patient procedure. Don't suffer with this, call your doc.
Teri H.