Our body is made up of a series of arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood to various parts of the body, while veins bring blood back to the heart. Veins in the rectum and anus are sometimes filled with blood to become enlarged and swollen. As a result, hemorrhoids arise. Hemorrhoids or hemorrhoids may be painful and can cause bleeding if they burst. Understand the cause of hemorrhoids and try to treat the bleeding yourself at home. If bleeding and other symptoms persist, know it's time to visit your doctor for the necessary medical care.
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Method 1 of 3: Treating Bleeding Hemorrhoids at Home
Step 1. Soak in warm water or sitz bath
To relieve irritation, pain, and shrink veins, soak hemorrhoids for 15-20 minutes 3 times a day in warm, not hot, water. If you don't want to soak your whole body, try a sitz bath using a plastic tub over your toilet seat. You can submerge your lower body up to your hips in a sitting position. Bathing like this can reduce irritation, rectal muscle tension, and itching.
- You can also add cup of sea salt to the soaking water and sit in the tub for 30 minutes at a time. Salt has antibacterial properties and is used to aid wound healing and ward off infection.
- You can also add witch hazel, which is known to soothe and cool hemorrhoids. You can add it at least once a day and soak in it for 15-20 minutes.
Step 2. Apply a cold compress to the hemorrhoids
Place the ice pack in the freezer until it freezes. Do not apply the ice pack directly to the hemorrhoid. Wrap the compress in a clean towel before gently applying it to the hemorrhoid. Do not compress hemorrhoids with an ice pack for too long, because it can damage the surrounding skin tissue. Compress the hemorrhoids for only a few minutes, stop until your skin temperature returns to room temperature, then compress again.
A cold compress will help relieve pain and swelling by reducing the inflammation. This method will also constrict the blood vessels, thereby stopping the bleeding
Step 3. Apply a topical cream
Try a topical cream containing phenylephrine to constrict blood vessels so that bleeding can be stopped. You can also apply cream to relieve pain, irritation, and itching (which can trigger bleeding). However, remember that this will not stop the bleeding from occurring. Soothing creams include hydrocortisone, aloe vera, witch hazel (herbal plant extract), and vitamin E.
If you are taking hydrocortisone, apply it in the morning and evening, but don't use it for more than a week. Too much hydrocortisone entering your body can cause a hypothalamic/pituitary hormone imbalance
Step 4. Use soft toilet paper and don't scratch
Rough toilet paper can scratch and/or irritate the skin further. To soothe pain and relieve irritation, use toilet paper that is damp or medicated. You can also use wet wipes that contain witch hazel, hydrocortisone, aloe vera, or vitamin E. Don't rub the toilet paper too hard, as this can irritate the hemorrhoids and make the bleeding worse. Pat or gently press the tissue against the area.
Scratching will only make the bleeding and irritation worse, making your hemorrhoids worse. This can also lead to infection
Step 5. Take supplements to relieve bleeding
Many of these supplements can be difficult to find in drug stores, so try to order them online and at herbal medicine stores. Always consult your doctor before using any supplements, especially if you are also taking other medications. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor first, as most of these supplements have not been tested for safety for pregnant or lactating women. These supplements or folk remedies include:
- Fargelin extract: take this traditional Chinese medicine 3 or 4 times a day to strengthen the veins, so that hemorrhoid bleeding will be reduced.
- Oral flavonoids: these ingredients have been shown to reduce bleeding, pain, itching, and recurrence. Flavonoids can strengthen blood vessels thereby reducing leakage of peripheral blood vessels (capillaries).
- Calcium dobesylate or doxium tablets: take this medication for two weeks as directed on the package. This drug is known to reduce leakage of peripheral blood vessels (capillaries), prevent blood clots, and improve blood viscosity. All of them can reduce the swelling of the tissue that causes hemorrhoids.
Step 6. Reduce the pressure on the hemorrhoid
This can prevent or soothe hemorrhoids. Eat fiber-rich foods to soften stools and reduce constipation. Try to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, or take supplements (25 grams for women, and 38 grams for men daily). You should also avoid sitting for too long, which can increase the pressure on your hemorrhoidal veins, causing bleeding. Exercise and take walks to relieve the stress.
Use a donut-shaped pillow when sitting to help reduce pressure on your body in that area. To use it, sit in the middle of the pillow, placing the anus right in the gap. However, these pads may actually increase the pressure on that area, so stop using them if your symptoms get worse, or the hemorrhoid bleeding doesn't subside or comes back
Method 2 of 3: Medical Treatment
Step 1. Get a hemorrhoidectomy to treat internal or external hemorrhoids
This method is commonly used to treat external hemorrhoids. The surgeon will remove the hemorrhoid using a variety of tools such as scissors, a scalpel, or a ligature (a device that conducts an electric current to seal bleeding hemorrhoids). You will be sedated with local anesthetic as well as general or spinal anesthesia.
- Hemorrhoidectomy is the most effective and perfect way to treat heavy or recurring hemorrhoids. This procedure may be painful, but medications, sitting baths, and/or ointments can be prescribed or used.
- Compared with hemorrhoidectomy, stapler hemorrhoid surgery has been associated with a greater risk of rectal relapse or prolapse.
Step 2. Perform rubber band ligation for internal hemorrhoids
The doctor will insert a probe through the anoscope (a plastic instrument that is inserted into the anus to view the rectum). This tool will place a rubber band at the base of the hemorrhoid. This tool will cut off blood circulation and close the hemorrhoid.
You may feel uncomfortable during this procedure. Relieve by sitting in the bath, soaking in warm water, and/or applying a topical ointment
Step 3. Get injection (sclerotherapy) for internal hemorrhoids
The doctor will use a plastic device that is inserted into the anus to examine the rectum (anascope). The doctor will use it to inject a needle containing a chemical solution such as 5% phenol in oil, vegetable oil, quinine, and urea hydrochloride, or a hypertonic saline solution into the base of the hemorrhoid. This chemical solution will reduce hemorrhoids.
Sclerotherapy is considered less effective than rubber band ligation
Step 4. Get laser or radio wave (infrared coagulation) treatment for internal hemorrhoids
The doctor will use an infrared laser or radiofrequency waves to clot the vein near the hemorrhoid. If this infrared method is used, the probe will be placed near the base of the hemorrhoid for 1 to 1/5 of a second, depending on the intensity and wavelength of the infrared device. An infrared probe is placed on the hemorrhoid tissue, and will cause it to clot and evaporate.
Infrared treatment has a greater risk of recurrence than rubber band ligation
Step 5. Undergo cryotherapy for internal hemorrhoids
The doctor will use a cable capable of transmitting cold temperatures to the base of the hemorrhoid. This will cause the hemorrhoid tissue to be destroyed. However, this method is not often used, because hemorrhoids will usually recur.
Step 6. Carry out hemorrhoid surgery using a stapler
The surgeon will use an instrument to join the internal hemorrhoid that has fallen out or has prolapsed back into the anal canal. This will cut off blood flow to the hemorrhoid, so the tissue will eventually die and stop bleeding.
The recovery period is usually faster and less painful than hemorrhoidectomy
Method 3 of 3: Understanding and Checking for Hemorrhoids
Step 1. Understand the causes of hemorrhoids
Chronic constipation, straining, and sitting too long on the toilet are causes associated with hemorrhoids. All of which can increase pressure and block venous blood flow. Pregnancy is another condition that can increase the pressure on these veins, especially during childbirth during straining which can trigger hemorrhoids.
- Hemorrhoids are more common as you get older and are common among people who are overweight.
- Hemorrhoids can occur on the inside of the rectum (internal) or on the outside of the anus (external). Internal hemorrhoids are painless, while external hemorrhoids are painful. However, both can cause bleeding if they burst.
Step 2. Recognize the symptoms of hemorrhoids
If you have internal hemorrhoids, the symptoms may be difficult to identify, and they may not be painful. However, if you have external hemorrhoids, some of the symptoms that will occur include:
- Painless bleeding during bowel movements. The blood that comes out will not be too much, and the color is bright red.
- Itching or irritation in the anus.
- Pain or discomfort.
- Swelling around the anus.
- A painful or painful lump near the anus.
- Accidental discharge of feces.
Step 3. Check if you have hemorrhoids
Watch for lumps or masses protruding from your anus with your back to the mirror. These bumps will vary in color from your skin tone to dark red. You may feel pain if the lump is pressed. Watch for any blood remaining on the surface of the toilet paper after you have a bowel movement and clean it. Hemorrhoid blood is usually bright red rather than dark red (which may indicate the bleeding is in your digestive tract).
Seeing internal hemorrhoids at home without the right equipment is difficult. Make an appointment with the doctor. You will be asked to provide a complete medical history, to check for other possible bleeding, such as colon cancer and polyps, because masses in both disorders can also bleed
Step 4. Know when to see a doctor
If your pain or symptoms persist after a week of treating him at home, you should immediately see a doctor for a check-up. Bleeding can be a sign of serious illness, especially if you are at risk for other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer. You should also get yourself checked if your blood is dark red or your stools are dark red. This indicates that bleeding is occurring deep in your intestines due to a mass.
Try to estimate how much blood you are bleeding. If you feel weak/anxious, look pale, your feet and hands are cold, your heart rate is fast, and you are confused, accompanied by bleeding, you should see a doctor immediately. You should also be checked if the bleeding is profuse
Step 5. Understand what a doctor's examination can tell
Your doctor will determine if you have hemorrhoids by examining the outside of your anus and performing a digital rectal exam. The doctor will insert a lubricated index finger to feel the lump in your rectal wall and check for blood there. If you suspect you have internal hemorrhoids, your doctor may insert an anoscope (plastic device) through your anus into your rectum. This device will help your doctor check for veins that are swollen, dilated, or have internal bleeding.
- The doctor may also perform a guaiac test, by smearing a stool sample on a piece of paper. This test is done to detect the presence of blood cells in the stool, which can indicate several conditions including hemorrhoids, colon cancer, and polyps.
- If you are having a guaiac test, you should not eat red meat, radishes, yellow melon, or raw broccoli 3 days in advance, as they can all give false positives.
