Hemorrhoids - help!

[ILovePie]

I didn't have hemorrhoids with DS until after he was born, and then they weren't horrible - they went away on their own as I healed from birth.

I have a huge one right now that hurts when I sit. I'm so afraid of what it's going to be like after delivery!

What can I do to make it feel better/make it go away.

Help!

[countrygirl28]

Ouch! Hemorrhoids suck. I have one that is currently resolving, but a week ago it was painful and no fun, so I totally understand what you are going through. When everything was really inflamed and tender ice worked best to help reduce the inflammation and to numb everything up. I just put an ice cube in a small ziploc bag and tried to keep it on the area for about 10 minutes or so. I've also found that sitz baths work really well. You can get one at a drug store. I fill it with hot water and sit in it for about 20 minutes, a couple of times a day. I also broke down and bought some Preparation H, which I think helps a good bit. I put it on in the morning and at night. I know it sounds gross, but it helps to keep everything moisturized, which helps it to feel better.

I'm also trying to stay off my feet as much as possible and I've started taking colase to soften my stools, so that bowel movements don't aggravate the situation even more. HTH!

[taralv]

Ouch! I sympathize - they are awful. Last time I struggled for weeks post-partum, and as a result I have had recurring issues with them. Anyway, I found a product from Earth Mama Angel Baby - I think it's called "bottom balm" (?) - but it really worked great. I kept it in the refrigerator and used it as needed. It really helped to take the swelling down and heal much quicker than any Preparation H or Tucks products. But, I can't find it locally, so I have to order it online. But I think it's worth it.

Tara

[Dirkey]

Originally Posted by taralv

I found a product from Earth Mama Angel Baby - I think it's called "bottom balm" (?) - but it really worked great. I kept it in the refrigerator and used it as needed. It really helped to take the swelling down and heal much quicker than any Preparation H or Tucks products. But, I can't find it locally, so I have to order it online.

Tara

they sell this brand and product at our Baby's r us so you could try there.

[momasana]

Oh man, hemorrhoids are the worst thing ever.

I soak cotton balls in witch hazel and keep them in a baggie in the fridge. The cold witch hazel really feels nice, especially after you "go".

[summersmama]

keep some witchhazel in the bathroom, and soak some t.p. for wiping after # 2. never dry wipe! be gentle and dab. after a week or so that really helped me. sorry if tmi...

[lillymonster]

ddcc- the title caught my attention because I struggled with this from medication making me constipated.

Ice works, but if it's thrombosed (a clot formed under the skin) you have 2 choices, let it resolve on it's own or have it removed. I had one before and let it resolve and it took about 2 weeks, 4 days for the pain to go away, and the rest for it to dissolve. I had one burst and had to go the ER and then had to have one removed with surgery because it was starting to bleed and they were afraid it would burst, when can cause a lot of bleeding that won't stop. The only time I get them is while pregnant! You'll need to catch it within 3 days, or else they won't bother with surgery by then (recover is painful, but less painful than the actual hemorrhoid if you get it before the 3 days, if that makes sense) They can do the surgery while pregnant - I had it done a few weeks ago, they just can't use certain pain medication or anesthesia.

Otherwise, ice packs, use colace (or magnesium supplements) to keep the stool soft to not make it worse. Use baby wipes instead of toilet paper. Doctor also recommended putting tucks or witch hazel pads in the fridge or freezer, and using like 6 pads at a time and keeping them there all day, changing every few hours.

I also used Earth Mama Angel Baby because it was on clearance at our local store, but apparently it didn't help because I ended up in the ER a few days later I was given a prescription cream though, so mine might have been beyond the ability of the Angel baby stuff.

[hotharmony]

I do several things to help with mine.

1. witchhazel
2. LOTS and LOTS of water
3. I moituize them and push them back in

[BaMo]

Bumping this back up...I now have them for the first time! So worried that I won't get rid of them before I give birth. I'm afraid that labor will make it worse. How long do hemorrhoids last?

[lotusma]

i discovered my first one just after this birth. no idea how long they typically last, but wiping and/or dabbing w/ baby wipes and moisturizing/tucking it back in w/ a&d diaper ointment seems to work well.

[taralv]

If I understood it correctly, once you have them, they don't really ever go away. They do heal up and you may not notice them, but they will come back if they are exasperated in any way. I was pretty upset to read this after my last L/D, when I had them SO bad, but really I only have to deal with them under extreme circumstances (like all of the pressure that this pregnancy is exerting right now, sigh). But all of the pp's have had good suggestions about using witch hazel, keeping the area clean and even (gulp) pushing them back in - which horrified me when I firts read about it. Just not really a fun condition to deal with.

Tara

[happythistle]

Witch Hazel has been my best friend! Ice and warm baths too. Mine is going down, not quickly but it's going. they really are a pain in the arse!

[BaMo]

Please forgive this dumb question ~ but how exactly do you push it back inside of your anus? Gentle pushing? How much do you need to push? Will it stay back once it has been pushed back?

[CraftyMcGluestick]

DDCC from September.

In the course of my delivery, I developed three MASSIVE hemorrhoids that were so painful, I could barely pay attention to my 2.5 inch tear. No kidding.

My doctor told me one of his nurses swore by soaking a cloth or gauze or whatever in glycerin and leaving it on them for a few minutes. He correctly noted that it would burn like fire for just a minute or so, but that I would see rapid shrinkage of them and I did!

You can get plain glycerin just about anywhere; I got mine from Walgreen's, or rather my mom picked it up for me while I was still in the hospital. I had some sterile paper towel-like things in my hospital room that I used to soak with it.

Also, as others suggested, witch hazel Tucks (or generic imitation of them) pads are great for use after a bowel movement. Also, you may be using an OTC stool softener after your delivery anyway, so that is helpful to begin use now if your hemorrhoids are so large that you are having pain when you try to go anyway.

Finally, I think hydrocortisone can be applied directly to the hemorrhoids, but you may want to consider risk/benefit of this if you have not had baby yet.

Good luck! Hope the 'rrhoids and the pain subside very soon!

[hotharmony]

Originally Posted by BaMo

Please forgive this dumb question ~ but how exactly do you push it back inside of your anus? Gentle pushing? How much do you need to push? Will it stay back once it has been pushed back?

Not a dumb question at all
1. Clean hands with not to long of nails
2. use a little oil of your choice I use almond oil to moisturize after showers so that's what I use and get the whole area lubed up
3. I usually use my index finger or thumb and then just gentle pressure on the ones that are sticking out until then are back in. You'll know if they are back in sort of past the sphincter area around the outside of your anus. Its where they are supposed to be.

[ILovePie]

I started keeping a bottle of witch hazel on the back of the toilet, and I used cloth diaper wipes with a little witch hazel to wipe after a bowel movement. Then i used some hemorrhoid cream I bought and pushed them in after applying that...

My hemorrhoid shrank a lot before L&D, and is now not bothersome (my bottom is just a little itchy at almost 12 days postpartum, so it's mostly healed).

Probably helped that I only pushed for about 3 minutes!! I pushed for 3 hours with DS1 and got the hemorrhoids that way!