Fact Or Fiction: Hemorrhoid Edition
Hemorrhoids may not be something you like to spend much time thinking about. But if you have hemorrhoids, it is important to think and learn about them so you can better employ tactics to manage them or even get rid of them completely. To boost your hemorrhoid knowledge, play "fact or fiction!" Read the statements below, and see if you can guess whether they are fact or fiction before you read the answer that follows.
Surgery is the only solution for hemorrhoids.
FICTION
Many patients with mild hemorrhoids can manage their pain with dietary changes and topical agents. When the hemorrhoids become serious enough to cause ongoing pain that interferes with your lifestyle, your doctor likely will recommend a hemorrhoidectomy, which is a procedure to remove the hemorrhoids. But hemorrhoid surgery is just one type of hemorrhoidectomy. There are also hemorrhoid removal procedures that involve using lasers or rubber bands to get rid of these swollen veins. These less invasive options are often safer than surgery and come with a shorter recovery time.
Hemorrhoids will go away on their own, in time.
FICTION
This idea can be dangerous. It prompts some patients to avoid getting a hemorrhoidectomy because they think all they need to do is wait it out a little longer. But once those veins are swollen, they won't permanently go back down to their normal size without help. You might be able to stay comfortable with sitz baths and hemorrhoid creams, but those remedies just reduce the symptoms of hemorrhoids temporarily; they don't make the hemorrhoids go away. The only way to actually get rid of hemorrhoids is via one of the various hemorrhoidectomy procedures your surgeon recommends.
Hemorrhoids can come back after surgery.
FACT
Unfortunately, this one is true. It's not so much that the hemorrhoids that were removed via surgery (or any other type of hemorrhoidectomy) come back, but that new ones can form at any time. This is why, after a hemorrhoidectomy, your doctor will recommend continuing with a high-fiber diet. The higher fiber intake keeps your stool softer, so you're less likely to strain while defecating. This reduces your risk of developing more hemorrhoids.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of hemorrhoids and the procedures to remove them. If you're being bothered by hemorrhoids, schedule a consultation with your doctor. They can tell you which hemorrhoidectomy procedure is best for your unique needs.
For more information about hemorrhoidectomy procedures, talk to your doctor today.
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