Hemorrhoidal hell

[cjbeach]

I am in hell, seriously. I can't walk, sit, stand, anything anymore. I've had them this entire pg it seems but suddenly Friday the pain increased like 10x so since Fri it's been a non-stop ride of sitz bath, warm tub soaks, Prep H, Tucks and a topical anesthetic. OMG. I swear... I really do have a pretty high pain tolerance but this HORRIBLE.
I'm seeing my MW tomorrow and I can't wait. I just CANNOT imagine the rectal pressure of pushing out this baby with hemorrhoids this bad (if they don't subside).
I'm also really curious to see if I've started to dilate already. When I sit on the toilet to urinate I know if I tried I could engage him, I feel it.
Now this is pg #3 for me. Pg #1 was cake but my water broke at 36 weeks and delivered early. Pg #2 I had some previa which resolved, then pubic seperation which made life fun, then the hemorrhoids. Oh and I started dilating at about 32 weeks and delivered at 36 weeks (with Pit though because my MW took pity for me for walking around 4-5 cm for like 4 weeks). Now this baby we hope to birth at home IF I can make it to 36 weeks (the earliest my MW will deliver at home).
Man this is the pg from hell all of a sudden!!!
I don't know whether to quick try to find a local OB if this baby tries to come before 36 weeks or what to do. (And you know how pg hormones and preggo brain can kinda cloud rationale thoughts....)

ETA-- I'll only be 32 weeks this Tuesday.

Any advice for any of the above?
TIA!

Kathy

[MelW]

No advice, just lots of bit s. I hope you can keep this baby cooking long enough for a homebirth- 32 weeks is still so early!!

[MamaFern]

raw potato..

ive heard that a slice of raw potato ( about the width and 1.2 length of your pinky finger) inserted up there (yeah yer bum) really helps. my doula said she had really bad hemorrhoids after she birthed her son and this worked amazingly well.. ive never had a problem with them, so i dont know from first hand experience, but i trust her completely! you just poop it out on your next BM.. probably at night is the best time to do it.. its worth a try!

[RainCoastMama]

Also want to give you

I agree with Fern - I've heard that works amazingly well.

And, of course, water, water, water, fibre, water, water, fibre. And stool softener, sold in drugstores like Ducolax. I do get PG hems and while they aren't as bad as yours, definately uncomfortable with BMs.

[Kerrie]

I was soooo uncomfortable at the end of my Pg with them. I found that grated potato on a tucks pad or 4 w/ either prep h or hydrocortozone (sp?) cream did help a little as well as some tylenol. I had nights that I didn't get sleep I was so uncomfortable and in pain. Also, I found that eating grape nuts helped keep me regular and my BMs soft. I feel for you. Good luck! s

[2tolove]

Nettles!!!! Tea/tincture etc... It worked GREAt for preventing mine for getting bad & My 2 sisters maintain them after there babes were born! Also I third the potato!!! Good Luck Mamma That is no fun at all!!!

[cjbeach]

Thanks Mommas!!
I had my MW appt today and I've tried everything but the potato so far.. LOL. I'll give that a go tonight. I also read somewhere on the MDC forums about Tucks with Afrin sprayed on it. I don't know what helped, or maybe it was a combination of everything but they have subsided a little today. And she did say he is looooooooooowwwww. So since I have two 36 weekers at home now I'm just hoping to make it to then (4 weeks!!!) if we go longer, hooray, but I just want to take it a day at a time right now.

[folkymom]

Mine are not nearly as bad as yours sound, but I found that taking a vitamin B6 supplement helped considerably (and rather quickly), and on bad days I also use a sitz bath of a strong infusion of witch hazel leaves, plantain, comfrey, and white oak bark, which within one day (two sittings) had me feeling almost back to normal! (In case you want to try it, I used one ounce of each herb in 8 cups of boiling water, let it sit overnight, then strained. This can be re-used multiple times in your sitz bath. I keep it in the fridge until I need it, with a little note on the jar not to drink it - it's not iced tea! lol!)

edited to add: sit in the herbal sitz twice a day for 10-15 minutes if you can. You should start feeling better after the second sitting.
I also wanted to say that otc medications like Preparation H have mercury and harmful anesthetics that shouldn't be used while pregnant.

[KKmama]

Not in your DDC, but I saw the topic... I have experience with an anal fissure, and the "taking care of yourself" part is similar for 'rhoids. (Actually, you might want to make sure you *don't* have a fissure... you can have "sentinel tags" associated with fissures that look like 'rhoids to all but the most knowledgeable drs.)

Anyway... You're going to have to wean yourself from the Prep H and the topical anaesthetic (I speak from experience, sadly). The Prep H has hydrocortizone in it, IIRC, which can thin your skin over time and make the 'rhoids worse. Also, the anaesthetic is okay for occasion use, but prolonged use can lead to a sensitization of the area that will make the pain much worse.

Important... you need to be able to "poop effortlessly" to get the pressure off your butt. You should go to the toilet, sit down, and the poop should practically fall out of your butt--no pushing. The way you achieve this is by drinking a *lot* of water and increasing your fiber. I found psyllium to be the best solution (softest/gentlest when coming out). I'm a vegan and get tons of fiber, but adding 2 Tbsp of pysllium a day (in plenty of water) helped a LOT. (Other people do well with up to 4 Tbsp.) When you poop, use a peri-bottle to rinse the area, and blot (no wiping) with baby wipes or Tucks--believe it or not, toilet paper is far too irritating for you right now.

The sitz baths helped me a lot, too. I made them so hot I practically couldn't stand it. You can get perineal muscles spasms which cause the intense pain... the hot water helps tremendously to relax these muscles.

My mil believes in a compress of wheat germ oil/flax oil/cod liver oil for 'rhoids. I've used diaper cream (with cod liver oil). . I think the vitamin A, D, E whatever in all this stuff helps to soothe and heal.

Good luck!