Do Hemorrhoids go away on their own and how long does a Hemorrhoid last?

Do hemorrhoids go away on their own and if not how to get rid of hemorrhoids is the first question that comes to the mind of any person suffering from this awful problem. Hemorrhoids are also known as piles generally.

We will talk about what are hemorrhoids, what are the causes of hemorrhoids, what are the types of hemorrhoids, symptoms of this condition and about various home remedies that you can use to alleviate the symptoms of piles.

What are hemorrhoids or piles?

The food that we eat passes out of our body through the lowest part of the alimentary canal. These parts of the gastrointestinal tract through which the faeces passes out have a rich blood supply.

They are supplied by many different veins like the external hemorrhoidal veins and the internal hemorrhoidal veins. Any type of pressure on these hemorrhoidal veins can lead their swelling or bulge. This swelling of the hemorrhoidal veins is called piles or hemorrhoids.

These piles can make a person suffer a lot and feel very uncomfortable. So, we definitely need to learn about all the aspects concerning them like the causes, symptoms, types and treatments of the hemorrhoids including home remedies.

Causes of piles or hemorrhoids:

There are many different causes of hemorrhoids or piles. Let us discuss the most common ones that we encounter in our daily lives.

Constipation:

In people who suffer from constipation for prolonged periods, there is excess pressure exerted on the hemorrhoidal veins, as these constipated people try to push out the feces or stools forcibly. This leads to the bulging of the hemorrhoid veins.

Pregnancy:

The size of the uterus in a pregnant woman enlarges greatly due to the growth of the fetus or baby. This enlarged uterus also puts pressure on the hemorrhoidal veins leading to their swelling. The majority of pregnant women suffer from piles.

Hemorrhoids go away on their own in these women if they have a minor degree of hemorrhoids after the delivery of the baby. But, during pregnancy, they do need to use laxatives to get relief from constipation.

Genetic or hereditary:

Hemorrhoids also tend to run within families. You might have noticed that many times, kids of parents with piles also suffer from piles.

Aging:

Elderly people suffer from piles. People over the age of 50 years are more prone to suffer from hemorrhoids.

Improper dietary habits:

Our diet reflects the health of our digestive tract. If we don’t take proper diet like high fiber diet, it makes the transit of food through the GI tract difficult. This leads to constipation and ultimately piles.

Other factors:

Some other factors can also lead to hemorrhoids like obesity or an overweight body, lifting heavy weight objects and having intercourse through the lower part of alimentary canal.

What are the Symptoms of piles or hemorrhoids?

You all might be wanting to know how long does a hemorrhoid last and do hemorrhoids go away on their own. Let us discuss them after talking about their symptoms.

Bleeding:

Whenever you try to pass stools that are constipated or hard, it exerts pressure on the hemorrhoids. This leads to bleeding from the hemorrhoidal veins or piles. You notice bright red color blood in the stool or over the tissue paper. This suggests that you are suffering from piles.

Pain:

There are two types of hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids are painless and they produce painless bleeding. External hemorrhoids are supplied with nerves in a very rich manner. So, a person having external hemorrhoids suffers from severe pain.

Swelling or lump in the anal region:

As piles or hemorrhoids are the swellings of the hemorrhoidal veins, you will notice small swellings, bulges or lumps in the lowest part of the gastrointestinal tract. External hemorrhoids always present as lumps or swellings outside the body, while the internal hemorrhoids are seen as lumps only when they are severe.

Pruritus:

These piles can also make you itch in the lowest part of the GI tract.

Makes you uncomfortable:

As the hemorrhoids are lumps or swellings in the lower Gsatrointestinal area, you might feel uncomfortable due to them. You can also feel painful if suffering from external hemorrhoids.

What are the types of hemorrhoids or piles?

There are mainly 2 types of hemorrhoids or piles. They are the internal hemorrhoids and the external hemorrhoids.

External hemorrhoids:

They are the bulging or swelling of the external hemorrhoidal veins. These veins are present on the outside of the alimentary tract, just below the skin. So, these external hemorrhoids are visible outside the body. They are also very painful as they are supplied richly with the nerves.

Internal hemorrhoids:

They are the swelling or bulges of the internal hemorrhoidal veins present within the lowest part of the alimentary canal. There are four grades of hemorrhoids ranging from grade 1 to grade 4.

You will see the hemorrhoids outside only if they are grade 3 or grade 4. But, even with the grade 1 and grade 2 hemorrhoids, you will notice bleeding after defecation or after passing stools. So, you can suspect that you have piles based on this.

But, sometimes bleeding after stools can be caused by many other serious ailments in the body including colon cancer, rectal cancer and also by some other condition like a fissure in the opening of the alimentary canal. So, you need to visit your surgeon immediately if you see bleeding after stools.

Your surgeon will examine you and exclude all other harmful causes of bleeding after the stools and he will also suggest you some measures that you can follow to control the symptoms of hemorrhoids.

How long does a hemorrhoid last:

Many of you want to know do hemorrhoids go away on their own. The fact is that hemorrhoids don’t go away on their own. You will need to take proper treatment to get rid of the hemorrhoids or piles. I know you people are really curious to know how long does hemorrhoid last. But, the time duration that hemorrhoid takes to go away depends on many different factors. Some of them are:

Severity or grades of the hemorrhoids:

As we have spoken earlier there are 4 different grades of hemorrhoids based on their severity. Grade 1 or mild cases of hemorrhoids can be cured within a short duration of days if you follow good home remedies, try out some over the counter hemorrhoids creams, etc.

But, if you have developed severe grade of hemorrhoids like grade 4 hemorrhoids, you will need appropriate treatment based on the suggestion of your surgeon. Sometimes you might also need to get hemorrhoidectomy done to alleviate the symptoms of the severe grade of piles.

Treatment of hemorrhoids taken:

Each grade of hemorrhoids needs different treatment approach and regimen. If you properly follow the guidelines mentioned by your doctor, then you might get rid of the hemorrhoids fast.

Treatment of the piles or hemorrhoids:

You first need to visit a surgeon who will ascertain the types of hemorrhoids you have, like they are external hemorrhoids or they are internal hemorrhoids. Then if you have internal hemorrhoids, you doctor will classify hem into grades ranging from 1 to 4.

He will suggest you treatment based on your grade of hemorrhoids, that might include simple local or topical application gels or hemorrhoidectomy surgery if your hemorrhoids are severe. But, for any types of hemorrhoids, external or internal and also for different grades of hemorrhoids, home remedies do help for sure.

Home remedies for piles or hemorrhoids:

THgere are many different home remedies that can help you to control the discomfort caused by hemorrhoids. If your hemorrhoids are small enough and if you properly follow the home remedies for hemorrhoids, your hemorrhoids go away on their own too within a short span of time.

Cold compress:

You all know that cold compress can reduce any type of swelling. Hemorrhoids are also a type of swelling. So, you can reduce this swelling by applying a cold compress over the piles. A cold compress is also known as an ice pack. Just wraps a few ice cubes in a small cloth or a plastic bag and apply it over the piles. But, ensure that you never apply the ice cubes over the hemorrhoids directly as it can be harmful.

Using wet or moist towels:

If you use dry towels or napkins or tissues to wipe after passing stools, it can irritate the hemorrhoids and can aggravate your problem. So, make sure to use only moist towels.

Over the counter piles creams:

There are many over the counter hemorrhoid creams available in the market. They contain ingredients like hydrocortisone ( a drug that helps in reducing swelling) and lignocaine (local anesthetic that helps in reducing the pain caused by hemorrhoids). You can use them for a few days regularly to control your symptoms caused by piles.

Diet:

Diet plays a major role in controlling constipation, which is one of the major reasons for developing hemorrhoids. So, try to take a proper balanced diet rich in fiber. You need to consume a lot of fruits, vegetables, and green leafy vegetables.

You also need to avoid eating refined foods like refined flour, refined grains that lack fiber. Try to include the whole grains in your diet instead of refined grains.

Sitz bath:

Have you heard of sitz bath ever? Well, it is very effective to control the symptoms of hemorrhoids. Whenever you experience discomfort or pain due to piles, try to do Sitz bath.

Just fill a tub with warm water. You can even use your bath tub. Then sit in the warm water with your hemorrhoids exposed to the warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. You can do Sitz bath for about 3 to 4 times a day to get good relief from symptoms of piles like pain, burning and pruritus or itching.

Yoga:

Yoga also helps to regulate your body and makes your digestive system healthy. So, you can try to do yoga regularly to alleviate your symptoms of piles.

Now, I hope you got the answers to your questions like do hemorrhoids go away on their own and how long does hemorrhoid last. We hope to answer more of your health queries in the coming posts.