Around three-quarters of adults get hemorrhoids during their lifetime. While they’re uncomfortable and embarrassing to deal with, at Lone Star Gastroenterology (affiliated with Boston Scientific), board-certified gastroenterologist Rajesh Mehta, MD, and his team can treat them using the latest techniques. To find out more about hemorrhoids and how you can treat them, call the office in Austin, Texas today.
If the veins in your anus and rectum swell and expand, you can develop a condition called hemorrhoids. You can think of them like varicose veins that often appear on your legs. Without treatment, they can become itchy, irritated, or downright painful.
If you have hemorrhoids, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or hesitant to seek help. The condition is highly common and is a consequence of your natural anatomy. Since you stand upright, your blood tends to flow downward.
You’re at a higher risk for hemorrhoids if you’re pregnant, constipated, overweight, or straining too hard when you go to the bathroom. These factors put extra pressure on the muscles in your rectum and can inhibit blood flow.
The symptoms from your hemorrhoids depend on which of the three types you have. They are:
Internal hemorrhoids develop on the inside of your rectum and usually don’t cause discomfort. However, you might see blood in your stool or on your toilet paper if you have them.
External hemorrhoids appear around your anus on the outside. They can cause pain, bleeding, or itching in the area.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids develop from external hemorrhoids. If the blood inside an external hemorrhoid pools and clots, it can turn into a hard, severely painful lump near your anus called a thrombosed hemorrhoid.
Treatment for hemorrhoids will depend on the location of your swollen veins and your symptoms. Lone Star Gastroenterology offers several treatments for treating hemorrhoids.
For mild hemorrhoids, your physician might suggest simple home care measures like eating more fiber or soaking in a sitz bath. They also might prescribe medications and ointments to relieve the inflammation.
Lone Star Gastroenterology also offers in-office hemorrhoid removal with hemorrhoid surgery, including:
The rubber band ligation is used to treat internal hemorrhoids. During the pain-free hemorrhoid removal procedure, your provider places a rubber band around your hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply. Within a few days, the hemorrhoid shrivels up and falls off. This technique requires three ligations at two weeks intervals.
For larger hemorrhoids, your Lone Star Gastroenterology provider may need to surgically remove them. This procedure is conducted under anesthesia to keep it pain-free.
If you need treatment for painful or persistently uncomfortable hemorrhoids, call Lone Star Gastroenterology today.