Hemroids at 21, no insurance, and completely lost.

LaGooch · Newbie Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

Hi, I'm a 21 year old female and I'm not exactly sure if I have an external hemroid or not. I don't have insurance and am very afraid of having to have a surgical procedure. I've searched around for some direct answers but most sites seem to have the most general information. Basically, I'm looking for some sort of hemroid-guru to be a dear and advise me on this...maybe help out a few young people experiencing something as embarassing as I am with some direct answers to some direct questions.

1. Are external hemroids a life-threatening condition?
A few sites have said that a thrombosed external hemroid could lead to a serious blood clot that could be very dangerous. Problem is...I can't tell whether it's thrombosed or not. It's a very small lump, about the size of a grape and it's hardened. There is no blood present in my stool or toilet or on my undergarments or toilet paper.

2. Will external hemroids, treated with store bought creams/ointments, go away permanently?
I ask this because I am vain. And I have a boyfriend whom I love dearly, and I have to admit...a big ol' lump on my booty is not attractive. The symptoms aren't too troublesome...they are irritating. But most of all I want my booty to look and feel normal again.

3. If the answer to question 2 is a negative, what exactly would we be talking about? A permanent little grape by my starfish? Or would it occasionally act up? Like...acne?

4. What are some symptoms to look out for that will definately require medical attention immediately?

5. Besides fiber and plenty of excercise, what other things can I do to prevent another embarrassing incident like this?

Let me just take the space here to thank everyone and anyone that contributes to this. I am scared to death (despite my cheery tone). But, if you don't have humor, what have you got?

Thank you,
Hemroidia LaGooch

Be · Newbie Joined: 01 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

First off, I'm not a doctor. It's probably gone away by now; if it hasn't, it's been over a week, and you should see one ASAP. A visit to a walk in clinic and some meds are the most common way to handle it, and way cheaper than ignoring it till it flares up bad enough for surgery.

I'm going to answer the questions a little out of order, but in a way that'll hopefully be easy to follow.
- This will probably happen again someday, especially if you get pregnant (it's easy to get them in the third trimester). They're very common, and generally not superdangerous. Odds are that anyone over 40 has had one. Most people don't admit to it, but there's a reason why every single grocery store seems to have Preparation H. Most people won't have them too often (it's unpleasant enough that eating enough fiber seems way easier later).
- If it's not too bad, it'll tend to go away in 3/4 days without much treatment. I'm not convinced that the over the counter treatments do much more than protect it, so it can get better on its own... but the body's pretty good at fixing things by itself.
- If it's not bleeding, you're starting off well. If you have a pair of mirrors (or a boyfriend, or a doctor) you should make sure the bulge is a healthy color (pinkish flesh is ok, bruised colors aren't). - If you're really getting into self diagnosis, try gently pressing it, and see if it can be pushed back into the anus. The ones that can't be pressed back in are fairly rare, and are the most likely to need surgery. - Be aware, there are other things which people will call hemorrhoids, but aren't. This is one of the reasons people suggest going to the doc, especially if it's still going on days later.

- To prevent it in the future, a high fiber diet is an easy, good idea. Drinking enough water is an especially easy way to help keep your stool soft, much like healthy oils (a little fish oil, olive oil, ect). Most of these things can also have other nice perks of course. A little extra fiber and water is an easy way to keep pounds off. Most important, bring a magazine to the bathroom, every day, and just take your time. Straining and grunting are warning signs.

Reasonable excercise isn't a bad idea, but super-serious weightlifting can actually bring it on (next time you see a guy lift a thousand pounds with his legs, try not to laugh).

Here's a more in depth conversation, which included a helpful med student.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsugdarEpftV9JATcMx_c1IjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070802203406AAshgqC

Hemroids at 21, no insurance, and completely lost.

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