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Original poster

Can anything be urgently done about a pile?

244 replies

GoldenCagedBird · 14/01/2023 14:48

I’ve felt a lump around my anus earlier in the week, and woke up with severe pain today. It was coming from the area so I felt it and it was now grape sized. DH looked, it’s a pile. Blue in colour and external- so can’t be pushed back in.

DH went out and got me Anusol and the pharmacist advised me to take paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain. Granted, I’ve only had two doses of each and only applied Anusol at 9ish this morning- but the pain is steadily getting worse.

The pain is a solid 8/10. I have an 7 month old and can only feed her laying down as it’s severely uncomfortable to sit up with her. I can’t walk without crying, let alone be on the floor playing with her.

I have heard about piles before, never had one- and just didn’t realise it can be this severe.

Is there a private option to get it drained if this level of pain continues? I can’t believe such a tiny thing is stopping me from doing day to day tasks :(

OP posts:
HerReputationMadeItDifficultToProceed · 14/01/2023 18:24

Another one who had one after I gave birth the first time. Hydrocortisone and rest. It'll be much better within the week.

Yellowcakestand · 14/01/2023 18:26

I get them very occasionally and have found that applying coconut oil works wonders!! Warm some solid oil in the microwave and apply with cotton wool. I've done this on 2 occasions now at night and the next day it's taken the pain out of it. I couldn't believe it.

Lilliflip · 14/01/2023 18:30

YukoandHiro · 14/01/2023 15:43

Ask GP for a steroid cream called Scheriproct. In the meantime anti inflammatory painkillers and Anusol from the chemist

Yes to scheriproct, will need to be a prescription. Prep H or something else with a numbing agent will help. I feel for you, piles are torturous.

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General health
Gingernuttie · 14/01/2023 18:31

I had one of these feckers after childbirth. A lot of the help ideas for general piles are not so good for the external ones, and if you Google external piles you just get internal ones that have prolapsed. Not the same at all!

It sounds like a blood clot has formed (thrombosed) in which case your choices are either gp, who should cut clot out and I imagine that's pretty instant relief, or wait it out for your body to break down and reabsorb the clot. In the meantime definitely ice, ice, ice! Movicol to keep poo soft. Do not take hot baths, but warm is okay if you want to. Germoloids cream is way better than anusol (it contains lidocaine so actually does something about the pain). Warning: it took mine about 8 days to start getting less sore so I suppose that's how long my body took to break it down.

If it hasn't yet thrombosed, get it iced, use germoloids, as above. You want to prevent a clot forming if you can, so try to encourage blood flow. Take the pressure off it as much as you can, either lying down or on all fours/yoga ball. Also try massaging it! Hurts at first but I found it actually relieved the pain after a few seconds.

It will go away in the end, stay strong! If in the future you ever get a hint of it coming back, ice the fecker quick!

Original poster
GoldenCagedBird · 14/01/2023 18:36

Gingernuttie · 14/01/2023 18:31

I had one of these feckers after childbirth. A lot of the help ideas for general piles are not so good for the external ones, and if you Google external piles you just get internal ones that have prolapsed. Not the same at all!

It sounds like a blood clot has formed (thrombosed) in which case your choices are either gp, who should cut clot out and I imagine that's pretty instant relief, or wait it out for your body to break down and reabsorb the clot. In the meantime definitely ice, ice, ice! Movicol to keep poo soft. Do not take hot baths, but warm is okay if you want to. Germoloids cream is way better than anusol (it contains lidocaine so actually does something about the pain). Warning: it took mine about 8 days to start getting less sore so I suppose that's how long my body took to break it down.

If it hasn't yet thrombosed, get it iced, use germoloids, as above. You want to prevent a clot forming if you can, so try to encourage blood flow. Take the pressure off it as much as you can, either lying down or on all fours/yoga ball. Also try massaging it! Hurts at first but I found it actually relieved the pain after a few seconds.

It will go away in the end, stay strong! If in the future you ever get a hint of it coming back, ice the fecker quick!

Thanks so much for your post

it has definitely thrombosed

ice isn’t helping and it is getting bigger :( I have temperature now too.

OP posts:
Irisheyesareshining · 14/01/2023 18:50

Just asked my surgeon husband and he said a sugar paste, thought he was joking but googled it and apparently it draws the water out . Good luck it sounds very painful!

Babyroobs · 14/01/2023 19:02

GoldenCagedBird · 14/01/2023 15:42

I can’t look after my baby and do this though for days :( my baby only naps for 2 x 40-60 minutes slots a day so I can’t rest and ice.

Thankfully it’s the weekend so dh is about but I can’t be like this on Monday.

As I’ve said I’m happy to go private - can it be lanced, removed?

Show quote history

Surgery on hemorrhoid's can be excruciating - the recovery is probably longer than just letting it settle by itself. you have my sympathy I have had a number of attacks of this over the year ( they started after childbirth), and the extreme pain has usually settled after about five days and then I could go months/ years without another attack. I found Proctosyl gel ( prescribed by Gp ) to be the most helpful and warm baths. I think they can be banded which I guess is probably less painful than a hemorrhoidectomy. See your GP asap.

Alarae · 14/01/2023 19:03

I had one after giving birth to my DD and it was really painful until it popped by itself- as others said it really was an instant relief.

You have my sympathy as it was a few days of painkillers to take the edge off before it went on it's own.

Babyroobs · 14/01/2023 19:04

Gingernuttie · 14/01/2023 18:31

I had one of these feckers after childbirth. A lot of the help ideas for general piles are not so good for the external ones, and if you Google external piles you just get internal ones that have prolapsed. Not the same at all!

It sounds like a blood clot has formed (thrombosed) in which case your choices are either gp, who should cut clot out and I imagine that's pretty instant relief, or wait it out for your body to break down and reabsorb the clot. In the meantime definitely ice, ice, ice! Movicol to keep poo soft. Do not take hot baths, but warm is okay if you want to. Germoloids cream is way better than anusol (it contains lidocaine so actually does something about the pain). Warning: it took mine about 8 days to start getting less sore so I suppose that's how long my body took to break it down.

If it hasn't yet thrombosed, get it iced, use germoloids, as above. You want to prevent a clot forming if you can, so try to encourage blood flow. Take the pressure off it as much as you can, either lying down or on all fours/yoga ball. Also try massaging it! Hurts at first but I found it actually relieved the pain after a few seconds.

It will go away in the end, stay strong! If in the future you ever get a hint of it coming back, ice the fecker quick!

I have gone to GP / out of hours GP and been referred to surgical day unit at local hospital and honestly no doctors has ever agreed to cut it out the clot there and then even when I've ben in absolute agony.

Comeback25 · 14/01/2023 19:06

Agree with the above, Germaloids and ice is ace. It will go down eventually you poor thing.

Margarita45 · 14/01/2023 19:07

Did you get the anusol over the counter or in prescription? For me the over the counter doesn’t work, but anytime I’ve been prescribed the stronger dose it’s worked pretty quickly!!

twoandcooplease · 14/01/2023 19:08

3luckystars · 14/01/2023 14:55

That needs to be cut away by a doctor, it’s thrombosed. I’m so sorry!!! Ouch.

Really? Oh whoops
I got a haemorrhoid (pile 🤢) when ds was 1mo. He's now 15mo and I haven't had it seen to. It's never gone away with anusol ....

DRS1970 · 14/01/2023 19:13

You have described a thrombosed hemorrhoid, you need to see your GP.

Mischance · 14/01/2023 19:16

If it is blue then it is thrombosed - the only treatment is to cut it open and extract the clot. They use local anaesthetic so it does not hurt - and it is such a blessed relief afterwards!

maryd84 · 14/01/2023 19:16

Definitely try to get a scheriproct prescription from your gp. It worked very well for me to shrink the piles. I had big piles after giving birth. Also a warm bath helps a bit to ease the pain and discomfort.

Namechangethisonetime · 14/01/2023 19:19

I had a pile when I was pregnant that went thrombosed VERY quickly- the pain is severe. I was googling day surgery procedures etc to prepare myself for it having to be removed!

Rest, haemorrhoid cream, and basically not moving for almost 12 hours, (I was in too much pain to move much anyway!) and it somewhat corrected itself. It seems most are self-limiting. After a few days, maybe a week, of alternating creams it disappeared (I think!)
Stop panicking, see how you are in 24hrs.

Original poster
GoldenCagedBird · 14/01/2023 19:25

Namechangethisonetime · 14/01/2023 19:19

I had a pile when I was pregnant that went thrombosed VERY quickly- the pain is severe. I was googling day surgery procedures etc to prepare myself for it having to be removed!

Rest, haemorrhoid cream, and basically not moving for almost 12 hours, (I was in too much pain to move much anyway!) and it somewhat corrected itself. It seems most are self-limiting. After a few days, maybe a week, of alternating creams it disappeared (I think!)
Stop panicking, see how you are in 24hrs.

I’m not panicking- I’m in severe pain and I’m struggling to even turn over in bed and breastfeed my baby without tears streaming. I can feel it pulsing like a sweaty blue arse bollock.

I do understand what you are saying- but it might correct itself, or I might need to battle and get seen in person by my GP which is impossible these days, to be told to keep trying Anusol. I just wanted to explore if a private doctor could snip it out on Monday morning for £300.

OP posts:
catfunk · 14/01/2023 19:42

scheriproct was the only thing that worked for me, GP Winced when she saw it (after I took an hour to waddle there)
Mine was around the size of a plum and I didn't need surgery (although I was begging for it) as the ointment did the job in a couple of days, although it's left quite unsightly skin tags now.
Whatever you do don't be tempted to try coedine as it bungs you up which is NOT what you need rn.

SunshineIndoors123 · 14/01/2023 19:51

I had a really painful one post partum. I used anusol and germaloids (germaloids marginally better) but in the end needed steroid ointment off the GP for it. A few applications and it went, never bothered me since, so I'd ask for some of that.

SuperFly123 · 14/01/2023 19:53

Another vote for scheriproct here, and warm baths are soothing (not too hot). Was horrified when I got them during pregnancy (no one warned me!) but they did settle. Bloody horrible things

OntarioBagnet · 14/01/2023 20:01

This reminds me of the AmateurArse doctor thread from years ago, iirc she removed her own external pile!

OntarioBagnet · 14/01/2023 20:04

Found the thread, she put an elastic band round it and it dropped off!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/344037-i-ve-performed-surgery-on-my-own-bottom

AngelDelightUK · 14/01/2023 20:04

Have you got an “urgent care centre” near you? I’d be inclined to go there and get it looked at with the rate it’s growing

Mehmeh22 · 14/01/2023 20:10

YukoandHiro · 14/01/2023 15:43

Ask GP for a steroid cream called Scheriproct. In the meantime anti inflammatory painkillers and Anusol from the chemist

I completely second this. Had thrombosed piles when pregnant and it was literally the most agonising pain ever. You can't sit, sleep, think without pain. Steriod cream is the best way. Germitoid and anusol is a drop in the ocean in comparison

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 14/01/2023 20:13

I had one so big I worried I was growing a bollock. Very painful. Germaloid suppositories sort it. Fingers crossed for you.