Am in PILES hell.... can anyone recommend anything??

[hkz]

Have suffered from piles on and off since the birth of DD1 20 months ago. I am now 39+4 with DC2 and have the worst piles ever.
I have tried tea tree oil, vaseline, sudocream, perperation H and Anusol... all to little effect.
I can't sleep as it is agony sitting and impossible to find a comfy position that doesn't put pressure on the piles without squashing my tummy!
The midwife has just given me more anusol and basically said they will get worse before they get better as I am about to give birth, which I guess is true. But now the thought of giving birth with piles that hurt so much is filling me with dread...
Anyone got any other remedies that work?
Do they ever go away?

Oh dear, it sounds awful! I'm sure some wise MNers will have good advice for you, but in the meantime how about trying a home remedy: apply grated raw potato to your bottom. I know it sounds daft, but I've heard that it can be extremely effective. I'm planning to try it f I get piles this time round.

The answer to 'do they ever go away' is that there is an operation that you can have which does sort them out (my Dad had it)

Sympathies. Is the anusol u use a cream or the suppositories? Creams never work for me, only the suppositories. Sitting in a warm bath can also help shrink them.

Thanks for the advice and the sympathy... I am feeling very sorry for myself! Have been using anusol cream and rand the midwife earlier, who suggested the suppositories, which have helped a bit. God...pregnancy is so undignified!

Sitting in a warm bath is bliss, have just had my second bath of the day, but got out as my skin was starting to fall off! Could stay in there all day...

Someone just recommended Proctocream to me, and the midwife okayed it... so will give that a go.

Hi
you have my sympathies. This has been a recurring problem for me. I wash after going to the toilet, by simply pouring warm water over the area (with a little salt added) to avoid wiping (ouch). This hasn't resulted in eliminating them completely with any kind of speed (that seems to take ages) but does stop the pain/inflammation. The books recommend a "Sitz" bath, which you should look up-it's bicarb of soda in water [or something]. I had a gynae op a number of years ago and the surgeon told me never to use anything on the genitals and surrounding area apart from light salt water though. I have tried all the things on the market and nothing works as well as regular washing in this way (you now know a scary amount of personal stuff about me!!)

Germoloides suppositories are the best ever, Im a bit of an expert in the pile department. Need t check if you can use them when pg.

I had miserable piles 2 weeks before dd was born. Tried anusol, which turned out to be rubbish. Then my dear, dh bought me both germaloids and preparation h to try. Forget which one worked, but it did. So much so, that I was comfortable the final week before she was born. Certainly not a permanent fix, but worked miracles for my comfort.

I also bought some gel pads you're supposed to freeze & use against your fanjo - used these to ease childbirth damage, but thought at the time that I wished I'd bought them just a couple of weeks earlier to use. Think i got them brought Boots.

Oh poor you! I had the worst haemorrhoids in the history of the free world after having DS (four hours of trying to push a stuck baby out will do that to you...) - they were the size of large grapes. (Shudder.) I was advised to get vitamin E capsules and bite them open or prick them open with a pin, and smear gobs of the oil on my haemorrhoids, to help reabsorb the blood in them. And also to get gauze pads and soak them in cold witch hazel (keep in fridge, feels nice on sore bottom) and tuck them in to cover the piles. Your underwear will keep the gauze pad in place. It really, really helped. I found Anusol useless.
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone....feeling slightly better now I know I am not alone! Spent much of the day getting in and out of the bath and a mixture of anusol suppositories and proctogel seem to be helping...
Anyway I am off to stock up my freezer with gel pads, and witch hazel soaked gauze in preparation for the fall out from giving birth again! As well as getting a range of suppositories at the ready! If I didn't laugh I'd cry...ow ow ow

don't forget the vitamin E - it really did the trick for me!!!!
Good luck and a lovely birth for you!!

Just off to do a final boots run, so will add vitamin E to my stock of piles prevention materials! feeling a lot better today! Yay!

I used germaloids when pregnant..oh I feel for you. i had piles in all of my pregnancies.

Piles update: Things are getting better down there:
Proctocream and anulsol suppositories seems to have done the trick
Lots of baths with tea tree oil also helped
And drinking fybrogel everyday...

I know they'll be back though...

Thank you for all your suggestions...I now have a very fully stocked emergency piles cupboard!

Oh you poor thing, I totally sympathise I had a pile the size of a plum just before I had ds.

What worked really well was kneeling in a hot bath for 2 minutes with bum in, rise up and hold ice cube on pile for as long as possible, kneel down into hot again for a minute, repeat ice again. Do this for as long as you can, minimum about 10 times. It really does shrink.

Hope this helps x

I don't know if this is ok in pregnancy- need to check- but it worked like magic when I had them before. Cypress essential oil- couple of drops in a warm shallow bath.

HKZ hope you're feeling better and that one of these suggestions has worked for you! If not and you are desperate, you could try getting some Proctosedyl from your GP - it's a hydrocortisone but I believe that limited use is ok in pregnancy, but some GP's may be stickier than others. I had HORRENDOUS grape-like piles during pregnancy and after the birth - they actually hurt more than my stitches on my 2nd degree tear! After a couple days of using Proctosedyl I was amazed to find that they went right back down as I was fearing the worst.