Ughh piles

[sallysinna]

Sorry for the gross topic. If bum chat isn’t your thing move along now.

I’ve had them for years. Since I was in my early twenties and I’m now 40. Mostly they don’t cause much discomfort or itching but they did bleed quite a lot at one point. Had a colonoscopy about 5 years ago and they were noted but no further action taken.

Over the weekend I caught a d&v bug from my dc and had really bad diarrhoea and the pain and prolapse from them has been insane. I think the strain on the area has literally pushed everything out and it’s like a literal bunch of grapes. Very sore and unsightly. When things like this have happened in the past they have eventually reduced and gone back in but this time it seems to be taking longer and the whole area feels swollen and sensitive. I’ve got some prescription cream and over the counter suppositories but I wondered if this sounds normal?

I have skin tags in the area from the times they’ve come out and gone back in again, apparently it stretches the skin and that can’t be undone.

I’ve considered seeing about getting them banded or removed but I don’t think I can face it and generally they don’t cause me too many issues but this fresh hell is something else! Tips or support please?

I’ve had occasional bouts of piles, usually just a couple of small ones but very painful. They seem to be brought on by warmer weather. I’ve found that taking anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen and using cream/suppositories with steroids helps as does increasing exercise such as going for a run - not sure why, the only thing I can think of is that maybe it helps with the circulation 🤷‍♀️

Yeah I find running helps with the pain, I also assumed it helps with the circulation. Yoga also helps. Nothing helps the pain like a long salt bath, though. Wish I lived near the sea! My water bill has been enormous this year as I’ve had hideous piles since December.

I've had mine banded 4 times on the NHS over the last 4 years. My biggest issue is they bleed badly and I've spent much of that period anaemic. The last time I had them done was a mix of banding and injections about 2 months ago. It was painless, and they have been brilliant since then until last week. I've had a dodgy stomach, multiple toilet visits, and they are back bleeding again today.
The consultants I've spoken to have, in general, been brilliant, although there was one I really wouldn't want to go back to who gaslit me over the amount of pain I was experiencing.
We've talked about surgery as an option, but I've been advised that it's one of the worst surgeries for pain and recovery, and so have tried to avoid it.

There are some things you can do to help OP.

If the piles are protruding from inside, I would recommend coating them in whatever cream product you are using and gently pushing them back in. Once they are protruding it's very difficult to get them to reduce because the blood flow is restricted.

You can get prescription creams which are a little more effective. The suppositories are also good.

Don't sit on the toilet for more than about 5 minutes, and make sure your poo is really soft. Miralax is good for that if you have hard stools, and you can take it as often as you need to. If there is ever a hint of constipation I go straight for that along with diet change.

Ibuprofin helps, you can talk to your doctor about exceeding the dose on the bottle. Hot baths, heating pads, are also good.

Hope you find relief.

I had them during and after every pregnancy. Varicose veins run in my family (both sides) so there’s no way to avoid them. I had them banded once but they recurred in subsequent pregnancies.

What helps me is:

• lean BMI - carrying extra weight puts more pressure on veins in the area, my piles only flared up when I was pregnant (= heavier than usual)
• making sure that I eat at least 30g of fibre a day, usually more
• going gluten-free
• regular exercise, it won’t magically make varicose veins go away but it improves circulation
• supplements with diosmin and calcium dobesilate (the latter is an over-the-counter medication)

Really appreciate the tips and solidarity. Thankfully the pain and swelling has reduced now. I can’t tell if they are internal or external. What I have found is that when I have a bad stomach it seems to push a hell of a lot more outside. That’s when the area becomes very swollen and painful. Also looks terrible.

However even when things are good there are still things visible on the outside. I can’t tell if these are piles too or just skin tags. But it definitely seems that the worst of it goes ‘back up’ when the bowel situation has calmed. And suppositories and cream seem to help with it too.

If I were bleeding heavily or in constant pain I would probably be more inclined to consider surgery but day to day they don’t cause me too much trouble, it’s just the look of the area that bothers me. But then again nobody really sees my bottom!

I had surgery as I was bleeding a lot and was anemic even with taking prescription iron. The first trip to the toilet wasn’t exactly fun but I can’t say it was that bad. I recovered quickly and I really didn’t find it painful. If I get them again I’d have surgery if possible. Life is too short to be dealing with being uncomfortable or in pain all the time.
Im in a friendship group where we would discuss something like this. It’s so common. I wouldn’t bring it up at a dinner party but I might of mentioned if we were chatting about something relevant.

I have no shame so I am happy to talk about it, and lots of people have said to me that they suffer too but have never told anyone. There are probably so many people suffering in silence. I think most pregnant women seem to suffer at some point.

My BMI is 24 but I'm trying to get it down to about 20 to see if that helps.

The banding isn't the same as surgery, the consultant literally snapped a couple of elastic bands (I think) around them, and they shrivel and drop off. Honestly, I felt nothing then or after. All the problems stopped that day. I would really recommend you look into that, no more cream, bleeding, irritation - just normal!

Low carb/keto diets are notorious for causing constipation and consequently piles.

I had mine banded once, and it was ok, a sort of dull ache for a couple of days which was helped by paracetamol and ibuprofen. I’d recommend that treatment.

were yours internal or external haemorrhoids? I read that this procedure is only suitable for internal ones and only up to grade 3. This seems like a useful summary: https://fascrs.org/patients/diseases-and-conditions/a-z/hemorrhoids-expanded-version

I suffer with them . They aren't painful as such, and don't bleed much, but can be uncomfortable and extremely itchy.
Mine aren't post birth or anything.
I don't find pile cream / suppositories help really.

That's interesting. I had my surgery (haemorrhoidectomy and removal of an anal skin tag) in 1984. I was on a high protein/low carb diet in 1978, and loosely continued it afterwards, so kept my carbs relatively low. Maybe it was my diet that caused all my problems.

Both my hairdresser and my window cleaner/handyman are happy to talk to me about their piles. My hairdresser had botox treatment on hers at one point. It's good that everyone can talk about them now, rather than suffering in silence and being embarrassed.

Or get Def Leppard to do it.

This is my experience as well. There’s currently no cure for varicose veins but they are symptoms free with lifestyle factors: diet high in fibre and no unnecessary pressure on the area.

Yeah I agree. I’ve always been suspicious of diets that exclude beans and legumes - they are my staple gut food. I try and incorporate them every day. This current protein obsession is all well and good but only if you’re still getting enough fibre.

it’s not easy eating 30g of fibre a day though if you want to avoid supplements or upf breakfasts. I find I have to plan my meals - I can’t just whip up a sandwich at lunchtime. I usually end up making a chopped salad or a bean or lentil soup. Do you guys have any favourite high fibre lunches?

I disagree, I think the target is not difficult to reach. People tend to focus too much on insoluble fibre and assume they have to eat bran all day long, while soluble fibre is everywhere, including coffee.

Nuts and seeds are high in fibre, avocados, soybeans, seaweed and lots of textured leaves like cabbages or cavolo nero. I eat the same boring breakfast every day which is over 15g of fibre so that’s half of the 30 covered in one meal.

Maybe you eat a lot more than me? I’m only 5’1 and eat a whole food diet. I have overnight oats with tahini, dates, chia seeds and nuts for breakfast and a coffee (5g fibre), usually a chopped salad or bean soup for lunch, and dhals, fish and veg, bean stews etc for dinner. That usually gets me 25g fibre. I add nuts and seeds to most things.

I think it was eating nuts and seeds that kicked mine off 😊- they seemed to scour out my insides!

It’s quite possible.
My breakfast is similar, I also eat overnight oats (25g rolled oats, 20g chia seeds, 5g each of hemp, sunflower and flax seeds, dried mulberries (10g), 75g of kefir and a banana is, depending on the size of the banana, anything between 14-15.5 grams of fibre.) It’s only 400-430 kcal so kind of a normal breakfast.

Hmm yeah that's pretty similar to mine although i usually have berries instead of the banana and not as many seeds. Maybe my calculations are off. I haven't weighed them, just used spoons and cups, but will tot it up tonight. I have all those in the cupboard so might give it a whirl.

@CandleARBRA
It's such a depressing problem as there's no real cure, the surgery is very painful and not necessarily effective long term plus you risk incontinence etc.

Thats not true for everyone though. I don’t know the stats but my surgery wasn’t painful really. It was uncomfortable but less uncomfortable than not having it done. I’ve not had any recurrence.
I don’t know the actual risks of incontinence but I don’t think so many people would opt for surgery if it was a significant risk.

I think mine had got to grade 3, they were protruding and I was having to push them back in. But when the haemorrhoids were gone a large polyp was hiding above them, so it could have been that too. All gone now and haven't returned after 2 years.