Good Herbal Health

Not all things that are painful or irritating in the ass could be hemorrhoids. It might be lighter or worse. That’s why when you experience even the slightest pain, it is best to have it diagnosed by a doctor. This will immediately help you know what it really is and prevent it from getting worse. Here are some things that you should observe and prepare before going to the doctor.

Pus or Mucus:

Sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, parasite infection or abscess or bowel inflammation causes a watery or bloody discharge is pus. Pus is not usually associated with hemorrhoids.

If you are experiencing pus or mucus, tell your doctor:
• Mucus discharge type. Is it watery or bloody?
• The pus present in your stool.
• Do you have diarrhea that contains mucus?
• Where the discharge originated from? Is it just outside of the anal canal, etc?
• Do you experience pain, aching or tenderness during discharge?

Swelling:

Swelling is a common symptom of hemorrhoid. But swelling is also a symptom of infections. Here are some things that you could describe about swelling to your doctor.

• Is there pain, discharge, bleeding or pain accompanying the swelling?
• Does the swelling increase more everyday or it pretty much constant?
• Does bowel movement affect the severity of swelling?

Pain:
The anus and surrounding area is very susceptible to pain because it has lots of nerve endings. People seek the medical attention because of the painful flare-ups of external hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids can cause pain when they become prolapsed making them stuck outside of the anal opening.

Sometimes hemorrhoids can not give the person any pain because the rectum does not have any pain nerves. The pain will be transferred or experienced in the bladder, sciatic nerve, lower back, or the sex organ.

However not all pains in that area may not be caused by hemorrhoids. The sharp pain may just be caused by a tear or anal fissure in the anal canal. Bacterial infections in abscesses and fistulas may cause tenderness and aching around the anus. You might also be experiencing pain from syphilis or irritation from foreign objects.

To help the doctor figure out if it’s really hemorrhoids this is how you should describe the pain:
• Is the pain sharp, dull, aching, etc.
• Pain’s location
• When did you notice the pain
• Does the pain happen all the time or during bowel movements?

Bowel habit changes:

Emotional stress, diet changes, trauma and tension may cause chronic or alternating constipation or diarrhea. When things do get back to normal the bowel function may also return to normal. Beware though; it may also be from gastrointestinal diseases or a tumor.

Here are the things you should talk about bowel movement habits with your doctor:
• Do you have alternating or chronic diarrhea or constipation?
• Does gas only pass when you crap and not stool?
• Do you fail to get the stool out when you have the feeling of wanting to crap?
• How frequent do you crap? Do you seem to have observed that is more or less than the usual?

Itching:

Hemorrhoids, allergies to certain foods, dry skin, stress, diabetes and skin diseases causes’ chronic itching called puritus ani. Here are the things you should describe with your doctor about the itching problems.

• When did the itching start?
• Does the itching just come and goes or is it pretty much constant?
• Does it occur after eating certain foods?
• Do you take prescribed antibiotics?
• Does the itching become worse at night?
• Are you suffering form trauma, tension or emotional stress?

Bleeding:
If you notice bleeding in your stool you should see your doctor immediately. Bleeding can be an indication of a much more serious problem. It could be colorectal cancer or ulcer.

The blood’s color also indicates where the bleeding comes from. Dark blood comes from the colon while bright red usually comes from the anal canal.

Here are the things you should describe when you are bleeding:
• Blood’s color; is it dark or red
• How much do you bleed?
• Is there pus or mucus
• Is there blood present or mixed in your stool, toilet bowl, toilet paper or underwear
• Does the bleeding occur during, before or after you crapped?
Change of the stool’s characteristics or shape:

This is not a matter that a normal person would likely observe. I mean who observes their stool? How can he or she know if it did change? A healthy stool should be well-formed and colored brown or yellow. If the color or shape changes it might be a symptom of cancer or other kind of disease. Cancer or intestinal bleeding can be indicated by black-tar stool. Hepatitis or gall stones are indicated by pale stools. 

Here are some details that you should describe to your doctor about your stool:
• The stool’s shape – does it look like a pencil now?
• Is there blood or mucus?
• Is it too black that it looks like tar?
• Is fatigue or cramps present?
• When the change was first noticed?

Protrusions and bulges:

Prolapsed internal hemorrhoids in the anal canal causes bulges. The blood clot of the external hemorrhoids on the anal opening causes the hard bulge outside. Prolapsed wall of the anal canal, cancer, or polyps can also cause other types of bulges. Here are the certain things that you should consider when going to the doctor about your bulges.

• When was the first time you noticed the bulge?
• Where is the bulge located?
• Is there blood, discharge or pain present in the bulge?
• Does the size of the bulge change from day to day?