Hemorrhoids Specialist

What are hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are dilated and irritated veins within your rectum or anus. You may have either external hemorrhoids, which develop beneath the skin surrounding your anus, or internal hemorrhoids, which occur inside the lining of your anus and rectum. 

External hemorrhoids can sometimes protrude through your anal entrance. If blood collects in an external hemorrhoid and creates a clot, it can form a hard knot called a thrombosed hemorrhoid. 

What are the symptoms of hemorrhoids?

Some of the most common hemorrhoid symptoms can include:

• Blood in your stool or on toilet tissue
• Pain during bowel movements
• Itchiness around your anus
• Leaking stool
• Swelling around your anus
  
  

Not all hemorrhoids cause symptoms. It's also possible to mistake other problems, like fissures, abscesses, or colorectal cancer, for hemorrhoids, so it's important to see the team at Arkansas Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center for a diagnosis and care if you have any of these symptoms. 

What causes hemorrhoids?

Often, hemorrhoids are connected to long term constipation or diarrhea. Anything that puts excessive pressure on your abdomen can contribute to hemorrhoids, including pregnancy, obesity, and weight lifting. 

Oftentimes, you can prevent new hemorrhoids in the future by making some changes in the way you eat and live. 

How do you treat hemorrhoids?

The Arkansas Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center team starts with a diagnosis. This generally includes a visual exam, a digital rectal exam, and possibly a close-up exam using an anoscope or sigmoidoscope. 

After your specialist determines the type of hemorrhoid and excludes other causative factors, they recommend a customized treatment plan. Often, treatment includes changes like a high-fiber diet, warm tub baths, and topical creams at home. 

You may also need a treatment called banding, also known as rubber band ligation. In this simple procedure, your specialist places a tiny band around the hemorrhoid. That cuts its blood supply and forces it to wither and die over time.

If you have severe hemorrhoids, you may need surgical removal, in which your specialist excises heavily dilated and stretched-out veins that protrude from the anus. 

Hemorrhoids are very treatable, so why wait to get the help you need? Call Arkansas Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center or use the online scheduler for help today.