Thrombosed Hemorrhoids

A thrombosis means a blood clot so a thrombosed hemorrhoid is when a hemorrhoid contains a blood clot. This means that the flow of blood through the hemorrhoid (whether an internal hemorrhoid or an external hemorrhoid) is being hindered either partially or completely. The thrombosed hemorrhoid will be then swell up and become very painful.

If the flow of blood is completely blocked, this can become a very dangerous condition and even lead to rampant infection of gangrene. However, this is rare as there are many other micro blood vessels throughout the tissue of a hemorrhoid which allow smaller amounts of blood in and out, giving time for the thrombosed hemorrhoid to be treated.

But a severe thrombosed hemorrhoid still needs to be treated a quickly as possible. The pain is usually severe and instantly relieved by your doctor making a small incision in the clot. This will drain the clot, alleviate the pain and the bulging without delay. These hemroids are very hard, with a smooth black or purple surface and they feel like a growth coming from the anus itself. They can occur inside the anal canal as internal hemorrhoids or outside the anus as external hemorrhoids. Thrombosed hemorrhoids can vary in size from as small as a pea to as large as a golf ball.
Once the clot has been removed, the hemorrhoid itself can then be treated using a natural home remedy available online together with some of the other methods listed below for the relief of the pain and discomfort:

• Take several warm baths in a sitting position (known as a sitz bath) daily – this will reduce pain and clean the affected area. Sitting down can often be very uncomfortable (and sometimes impossible) for sufferers of thrombosed hemorrhoids so in this case try squatting in the warm water for 5 minutes.
• Apply ice to the anal opening (or affected area). This will reduce the blood flow to the area and will also numb the thrombosed hemorrhoid. Wrap ice in a cloth to apply.
• While it’s not recommended as an ongoing solution for hemorrhoid pain relief, Ibuprofen is very effective for short term pain relief.
• Use slightly damp toilet paper after a bowel movement or baby wipes to clean the area – these are softer and will cause less irritation.
Once you have suffered from a thrombosed hemorrhoid, you will not want to repeat the experience so the long term plan should be to aim for a regular daily bowel movement that takes less than a minute to perform. That means no sitting on the toilet for long sessions, no reading on the toilet and no holding your breath while having a bowel movement. You need to start a high bulk diet with plenty of fiber with lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, grains and cereals. Add fiber supplements if necessary – plantain and psyllium are good for ensuring soft stools. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water every day and get regular daily exercise.
It is not always easy to make such drastic changes but unfortunately they are absolutely necessary to avoid a recurrence.