Piles - I have never known pain like it

[BettyButterknife]

Am pregnant with my second child (due on Thursday), didn't have piles BEFORE childbirth last time but this time I'm really suffering.

I've been using the steroid suppositories and cream since Wednesday on the advice of pharmacist and GP, but I'm in so much pain and don't know how much more I can take. Every time I put in a suppository it makes me cry with pain, and I keep having to push them back up which is also excrutiating. I've been numbing the area with a frozen pantyliner, and also using suppositories from the freezer so they're nice and cold.

Is there anything else I can do? Everyone keeps telling me it's the weight of the baby causing them, but that's not going to change until I give birth, and, dear lord, I'm absolutely terrified about what state they'll be in after the birth if they're this bad before. Can the midwife hold them in while I'm pushing?? I really don't need this added stress at this stage in the game

Please help!

O honey I have been exactly where you are I would stop the suppositories if they are causing you that much pain and ask for something like movical to keep your bowel moving. Make sure the cream you have has a local anaesthetic in it. Sitting in the bath kind of leaning to one side gave me some relief but of courese you can't stay there all day. Get one of those round cushions with a hole in the middle (or a swim ring) and lie on your side if you can not on your back.

I'm sorry to say that mine got worse post-birth depsite only pushing for less than 5 minutes so you need to be prepared. The movicol (or similar) is an absolute must. Keep some wet wipes in the fridge and use those to wipe the area. Shower after every bowel movement and get as much cream on there as possible. The cream took about 5 days to really work for me, in the meantime I was advised to take regular pain relief as I wasn't breast-feeding, check with your GP about that obviously.

Just a thought, using the suppositories from the freezer probably isn't a good idea as they'll be hard. I would probably use them slightly warm so they're a bit squishy if you continue to use them at all.

Hang in there, post-birth they will get better and with the steroid cream you should start to feel some improvement in the next day or so.

I know your pain sister, I just had a bad case.

The thing that I found worked was cutting a packet of hand tissues in half so they're lttle squares, soaking them in witchhazel and freezing them in a container.

Once frozen wrap in more clean dry tissue to protect your tender parts from cold burn and pop one up against the sore parts.
(you can buy witchhazel in the pharmacutical dept of supermarket or any chemist)

It took days of several applications a day but it shrank them back and eased the pain.

I hope this helps x

Poor you- I'm also due Thursday and getting pretty pissed off.

Wrap ice cubes in a piece of kitchen roll and clench as close to your anus as you can bear. Allow them to melt gradually and then 'resite' the piles. They hurt a lot more when protruding.

You might find they are sore for a few days post-delivery but should relieve pretty quickly afterwards.

Good luck

Thank you everyone, I seem to have made a breakthrough today with the meds (it's only taken 5 days!) and the damn things aren't causing me pain every second of every day today. TMI perhaps, but they stay in when I push them back up now, which I think makes all the difference.

Still terrified of what condition they'll be in post-labour, but at least I can walk at the moment!

Ouch, and a great big witch hazel ice-pack to all my fellow sufferers