Hemorrhoids or piles are enlarged vascular tissue that is developed either inside the lower part of your rectum or near the anus. While a thrombosed hemorrhoid is a hemorrhoid that is filled with a blood clot. Thrombosed hemorrhoids aren’t dangerous, but they can be quite painful. They can even make your daily activities uncomfortable such as sitting, walking, etc. Almost everyone, especially women suffer from hemorrhoids at one point in life. However, hemorrhoid does not cause any kind of problem unless they are swollen. Swollen hemorrhoids can cause pain, bleeding, itchiness, and irritation that make bowel movements uncomfortable. People who sit for long hours, who are significantly overweight, who lift heavy things, who do excessive exercises, and who are pregnant are likely to be affected by hemorrhoids.
One can leave mild hemorrhoids without treatment as they usually go away on their own within 2 to 3 weeks. However, leaving large severe hemorrhoids without treatment can cause severe complications. They might even be a sign of anal or colon cancer. So, you must consult a doctor if you have big severe hemorrhoids. Thrombectomy is the procedure that is most effective for thrombosed hemorrhoid treatment.
Symptoms of thrombosed hemorrhoids
The following are the symptoms of thrombosed hemorrhoids. They include:
- Swollen lumps near the anus
- Itching near the anus
- Bleeding during bowel movements
- Pain during walking and sitting that makes the bowel movements uncomfortable
Sometimes, thrombosed hemorrhoids can also become infected which leads to abscesses. This abscess can add symptoms such as fever.
Causes of thrombosed hemorrhoids
Thrombosed hemorrhoids are not related to a person’s health but may be related to the diet of an individual. It is mainly caused when one puts more pressure on their anal passage. The following can be the reason to cause thrombosed hemorrhoids:
- Making unnecessary force during bowel movements
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Pregnant
- Sitting for long periods
- Giving birth
- Not having bowel movements regularly
Prevention for thrombosed hemorrhoids
As prevention is better than cure, here are some of the things that you can follow to prevent thrombosed hemorrhoids. They are as follows:
- You must drink plenty of water
- You must stop sitting for long periods
- You must not lift heavy things
- You must not do excessive exercise
- You must not hold bowel movements
- You must not make unnecessary force during stool passing
- Make sure you eat enough foods that are high in fiber
- If necessary, try losing some weight
How to diagnose thrombosed hemorrhoids?
You must consult a doctor as soon as you bleed during bowel movements or feel itchiness and pain near your anus. The doctor may perform a visual examination of external hemorrhoids. However, in the case of internal hemorrhoids, the doctor may use an anoscope, sigmoidoscope, or proctoscope to perform a visual inspection.
Treatment for thrombosed hemorrhoids
Thrombectomy:
The doctor used to treat thrombosed hemorrhoids with a procedure called thrombectomy. Thrombectomy is a small procedure where the surgeon uses a surgical instrument to make a small cut to the hemorrhoids. This results in draining the blood from the hemorrhoids.
The doctor will give you anesthesia before they carry out the procedure. This numbs the area so that you do not feel discomfort and pain during the procedure.
Thrombectomy is most effective if the surgeon performs the procedure within a few days after a blood clot develops in the hemorrhoids.
Other treatments may be helpful when thrombectomy is not effective. There are various surgical options available for treating thrombosed hemorrhoids. These include the followings:
- Hemorrhoidectomy: The surgeon performs this procedure to remove hemorrhoid that include the clot and blood vessels. This procedure is effective in treating severe cases of thrombosed hemorrhoids.
- Rubber band ligation: In this procedure, the surgeon will put an elastic rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoids. This will cut the blood flow which makes the hemorrhoids shrink over a couple of weeks.
- Stapled hemorrhoidopexy: In this procedure, the surgeon will remove only a half portion of the hemorrhoids. While the remaining half portion is lifted toward the anal canal and stapled with the stapled tool.
All these surgical procedures are performed when you are under general anesthesia. This will make you feel no pain and uncomfortable during the surgical procedure. Be sure to follow the aftercare advice from the doctor so that you can heal faster.
How long does a thrombosed hemorrhoid take to recover?
Thrombosed hemorrhoids usually take 7 to 10 days to recover after receiving treatment. While regular hemorrhoids shrink within 1 week. However, the lump might take at least a few weeks to completely go down.
You can continue your daily activities right away but, you should avoid doing intense exercise and other activities that involve physical efforts while healing.
What complications can thrombosed hemorrhoids cause?
Since thrombosed hemorrhoids aren’t dangerous, they usually do not cause any kind of complication. However, they can be quite painful and uncomfortable during bowel movements when they become swollen.
