Haemorrhoids & Piles

What are Haemorrhoids/Piles?

Piles (haemorrhoids) are enlarged blood vessels that you can get inside or around your anus. They are usually small, round, discoloured lumps. You might be able to feel them on your anus or hanging down from your anal canal. Your anal canal is the short, muscular tube with blood vessels that connects your rectum (back passage) with your anus.

Anyone can get piles, but they are more common as you get older. They are also more common if you often get constipated, or find you are spending long periods of time in the toilet, straining to open your bowels. Piles are also common during and after pregnancy. They may develop due to changes in your hormones and the higher pressure in your tummy (abdomen) when you’re pregnant. They usually get better once your baby is born.

There are two main types of piles, internal and external. Internal piles start inside your anal canal, but they might hang down and come out your anus. They’re graded according to whether they come out, and if so, how far they come out – this is a general classification and the symptoms can vary between individuals. External piles are swellings that develop further down your anal canal, closer to your anus. They can be really painful, especially if they have a blood clot in them. It is possible to have both internal and external piles at the same time,

What causes Haemorrhoids/Piles?

Piles develop when the veins in your anal canal become swollen, which may happen for a number of reasons, such as:

●     If you strain when you go to the toilet, for example if you have constipation or long-lasting diarrhoea

●     Getting older – your anal canal weakens with age, which makes piles more likely

●     Having a persistent cough

●     Lifting heavy objects

A popular question is whether you are more likely to get piles around the time of your period. There’s currently no evidence to support this, so there is no reason to think that you’ll get piles during your period.

Piles are also common during pregnancy. They may develop due to changes in your hormones and the higher pressure in your tummy (abdomen) when you’re pregnant. They usually get better after you give birth. Some people wonder if there’s a link between stress and piles, but there’s no evidence to suggest that stress causes piles. Having piles and having symptoms, though, can be potentially stressful for some people.

How Can I Treat Haemorrhoids/Piles?

Most of the time haemorrhoids are self limiting and go on their own. However, if your symptoms last longer than 7 days then it is important to seek treatment. Cloud Pharmacy offers a range of medicines and ointments that are available via our online doctor, upon approval your items will be sent out in discreet packaging. If you have a history of haemorrhoids  then it is advised that you keep stock of treatment, to ensure fast and effective relief.

As well as taking medications to treat the piles, it is also important to consider lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of the piles recurring. If you are overweight then it is advised that you take 30-40 minutes of exercise a day and lose weight. Increasing intake of fibre and water should also benefit you and reduce the chance of recurring piles and reduce consumption of alcohol and caffeine.

If lifestyle changes as well as the medication have not cleared your piles up, then the other options are surgical removal. This does not happy all that regularly, but you should certainly contact your doctor as soon as possible if the piles have not cleared up.