Talk to me about piles

[londonbanana]

Hello everyone

I have piles (sorry TMI!!! But you knew what you were getting yourself into with the title)

However I am not sure if my symptoms are normal or in fact related to piles at all.

1. General achey pressure feeling in my bottom
2. Some bleeding when I go to the toilet - maybe once every 6 weeks or so
3. Stabbing pains in my bottom

Does this sound like anyone else's experience of piles? Find it hard to rationalise as I have health anxiety, hence why I'm asking! (I know I should go to the GP if worried - but trying to be less reactive)

Sounds like normal piles symptoms!

What are you using for them?

Sounds like piles but any discomfort and bleeding from your bottom needs a FIT stool sample test and GP appointment.

Thank-you everyone

Won't a FIT test just show there is blood... which you know is there as you have seen it from the piles? I thought they were more useful to detect bleeding you don't know about?

Pop into your local pharmacy to enquire if you’re anxious - this happens! Describe symptoms, how long they’ve gone on for and if on any long term meds. It’s surprisingly common and pharmacies get questions like these a lot. Blood with piles is common but the blood should be bright red and “fresh” ie has happened when straining during a motion. You can get both internal and external piles, so you might need two types of treatment. Do you find it painful to sit down?
Pain, itching and fresh blood is common with piles. Please don’t think anyone will bat an eyelid about this - this can happen for all sorts of reasons. It’s common after childbirth, if you have a sedentary lifestyle, are overweight, but also if you stand or sit for long periods of time or carry heavily. It’s not really a big deal as long as you get the right treatment and the symptoms go away. If you try treatment and it hasn’t worked within a week it’s worth calling GP to rule out other things. Good luck.

Have had piles since teens (unfortunately) - what you describe is utterly normal. I did once mention to GP who didn't want to know & told me to try something from pharmacist (anusol etc - which can be helpful if they are bad)

Are they internal or external?

If external, washing with water/those wet toilet wipes can help quite a lot. I have a bidet tap, but you can also use a squeezy bottle (eg washing up liquid, handsoap etc) and fill with warm water then direct the spray. dry with loo roll or a flannel etc - I find that make a huge difference to my comfort

Try not to get constipated - keep hydrated, try not to have days without eating fibre, and keep active

They do detect blood but it’s a measure of how much blood there is. My husband has just been through this and they found a lot more blood in the FIT test than they’d anticipate for piles (which is why he had the test) so he’s been referred for a colonoscopy on the 2 week pathway.

Thank-you everyone.

I have the same symptoms, did it end up being piles?