The FastDay Forum

It's a delicate topic but I really need your advice as I don't know how to deal with it anymore. One thing I know for sure, I won't have them surgically removed, no way.

For 3 months now I have non stop hemorroids. I tried a "traditionnal", natural, homeopathy, nothing works long term. It will calm down for one or two weeks before going stronger with a lot of pain.

My GP told me it could happen when somebody have lost a lot of weight. My bowel movements are quite irregular, about once a week, so it may be part of the problem.

My question is, do you have the same problem and, if you have, how do you deal with it ?

Thanks in advance and I am so sorry to have to talk about this.....

I don't have hemorrhoids, though I did when I was pregnant. They resolved naturally after the pregnancy was over.

But I have found that fasting has slowed down my digestion and made me feel much too plugged up at times. Have you tried taking a teaspoon of psyllium powder every morning? That has helped me a lot. The brand I use is Metamucil sugar free smooth, which is a very fine powder and much easier to take than other brands. If you don't have something similar in France, perhaps you could get the seeds, put them in a blender and powder them yourself. It takes a few days to take effect but once it does, it is extremely helpful.

@Manderley - wish I could help but this is one affliction I've not had (yet!)

But thanks for your honesty - someone else out there probably has this too but daren't ask.

I've had sweat-related rashes and itching in the past which has driven me nearly insane and it was only a chance remark by a friend about an anti-fungal powder that she uses which finally sorted me out and when I thought about how much I'd suffered just for the want of a simple product! So I wish you well and hope you find a solution soon xx

Poor @Manderley, I'm so sorry that you're suffering with haemorrhoids. It's a miserable condition and is definitely not a joke! I think that your constipation is the cause of the problem and you need to sort that out and then you may well find that they disappear on their own.
My doctor told me that there are two main causes of constipation. One is if you have a lazy bowel and then you need some kind of irritant to stimulate the gut. Psyllium powder, as recommended by @peebles, comes into this category and there are other similar powders out there, such as Fybogel. The other is a 'stool softener' such as Movicol. These are the names they go by in England but I don't know what they are called in France, or even if they are available there. I don't think that weight loss has anything to do with it, apart from if you are cutting back to much on the volume of food you eat and are lacking bulk in you digestive system.
In England there are also creams which you can apply to the affected area but I don't know how effective they are. My mother used to swear by something called 'Preparation H' or 'Anusol'. Again, I don't know if these are available in France but they may be available on the internet.
Sorry that I can't be of more help but surely your doctor could come up with more help than simply blaming it on losing weight? If not, perhaps it's time to try another doctor! Good luck and I hope that you are feeling better soon.

Preparation H used to be really good stuff, but they changed the active ingredient a decade ago in the US and it doesn't have the same properties.

The softener is called Colace in the US. They told me to take it before surgery, as I was going to have to take opiates for a week or two and they halt digestion. They didn't seem to do much for me.

@Manderley - wish I could help but this is one affliction I've not had (yet!)

But thanks for your honesty - someone else out there probably has this too but daren't ask.

I've had sweat-related rashes and itching in the past which has driven me nearly insane and it was only a chance remark by a friend about an anti-fungal powder that she uses which finally sorted me out and when I thought about how much I'd suffered just for the want of a simple product! So I wish you well and hope you find a solution soon xx

That sounds like something I could do with, what's it called please?

Thank you all for your answers. It's an embarassing subject but not as much as to have to show your butt to a doctor and if it can help others to talk about something that a lot of people deal with.....

It seems that fasting has slowed down my digestion quite a bit, that's why my doctor told me it was because of the weight loss. He gave me several medicine which usually work, and they do, except that as soon as the problem seems under control and I begin to relax, it comes back.... You can imagine that, after all this time, I was even wondering if I didn't have something else like a cancer and that fear pushed me to talk about it and even was the thing that pushed me to see my GP;

Stress can be a big factor and you all know stress is a big part of my everyday life for the last months so it need to be treated properly.

About Psyllium powder I don't know if we can find it here but I will do some research.

I was wondering if this could work (it seems to be oat bran)

[url]https://www.gerble.fr/mes-produits.php?color=2&cle=128524975326[/url]

I did some research and may find something useful to help (just help, not cure). 2 natural things in fact. Olive oil and apple cider vinegar
For the vinegar[i] - Astringent property of apple cider vinegar helps to shrink the swollen blood vessels and gives relief from the swelling and irritation of both internal and external hemorrhoids -[/i] I take one teaspoon I put in a glass of water and drink it at least twice a day. Also I put some on a cotton ball that I press gently against the area

For the olive oil[i] - Olive oil has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties that are used to treat external hemorrrhoids. It helps to increase the elasticity of blood vessels that in turn helps to reduce the inflammation and shrink the size of swollen blood vessels in the anal canal -[/i] I keep some coton soaked in it against the area all night.You can also "eat" a teaspoon of olive oil but I don't know if I could. I began last night and, believe it or not, there is a real relief, even if I know that it's not a miracle cure...

@Azureblue - the powder is called Daktarin here and the active ingredient is miconazole nitrate - it can be quite difficult to find so I usually buy a couple when I need some. Hope it works for you.

I bought psyllium here in a Bio shop, I don't know about oat bran but linseeds and chia seeds work in the same way.

Other things you could try are a spoon of coconut oil, aloe vera juice or magnesium tablets, drinking keffir is also supposed to help by making the bacteria in your gut more balanced which is supposed to lead to better transit.

@peebles They didn't change the Prepartion H formula (the last I heard anyway) in Canada. I always buy some when visiting there.

Sorry to go off-topic for a moment, but Prep H is great for hydrating and temporarily reducing the appearance of wrinkles and lines on the face. Leave it on for 30 minutes. The effect lasts 48 hours (I use the Creme rather than the ointment, because it's easier to wash off.) Needless to say perhaps, but I keep "dedicated" tubes in my room for this--not to be used in the bathroom!

Manderley, you are getting some very good advice here--particularly about bulking up. The digestive system needs plenty of water to keep moving, too, so don't forget to drink lots. Best of luck to you in solving this problem

I bought psyllium here in a Bio shop, I don't know about oat bran but linseeds and chia seeds work in the same way.

Other things you could try are a spoon of coconut oil, aloe vera juice or magnesium tablets, drinking keffir is also supposed to help by making the bacteria in your gut more balanced which is supposed to lead to better transit.

Oh gosh, linseeds and chia seeds do NOT work in the same way, they have completely opposite effects!
Linseeds are a great laxative, just a teaspoon will do the trick. Chia seeds however will cause constipation, as they absorb water (and moisture in the stomach / gut) and swell to several times their original size.
If you take chia seeds you must drink a LOT of water to stop this happening.

The good old fashioned natural laxative used to be prunes!

Both linseeds and chia seeds bulk up when they meet water and produce a gelatinous substance, both can cause constipation if you don't hydrate properly. Both should be taken in water and 1/2 to 1 tsp is enough to begin with in both cases. Not sure how this makes them opposites??

[carorees]

I have had this problem on and off. For me it is not constipation but too rapid transit that seems to trigger them, so be careful not to go too far the other way! I found that germoloids cream (active ingredient is lignocaine) helped but making a special effort not to sit down too much was important as well. I think the oil is a good idea as when I applied some coconut oil due to running out of the cream it seemed to work even better. I didn't try olive oil.

There are more options than surgery, including injecting them, which your doctor should have mentioned to you. It seems that the banding can be very effective but can be painful if applied to haemorrhoids that are in the wrong place.

I do hope you find some comfort soon, they are extremely painful.

Miconazole nitrate is sold over the counter in the US for both athlete's foot, jock itch, and vaginal yeast infections. The yeast infection version is the same concentration as the tiny tubes meant for the other fungal infections, and is a much better deal, but I have to buy it for the OH's athlete's food, as no way is he going to the counter with the vaginal one.

I occasionally get an itchy rash that does not respond to miconaloze or even to cortisone. My daughter told me to try dandruff shampoo. I used some Head and Shoulders, the next time it struck, and sure enough, it calmed it right down. I believe those shampoos have a coal tar derivative in them. They are cheap so it is worth a try.

Shame @manderley my mom and my husband have both suffered from this. My husband eventually had them surgically removed and was glad he swallowed his pride and had it done. Like you he was too embarrassed and suffered terrible pain for a long time and now a year on he is pain free. Oat bran is definitely good for the digestive tract works for me just tastes revolting and be sure to drink loads of water. My gran a retired midwife of 50 years said this is common amongst women who have given birth and recommends using Epsom salts dissolved in hot water over a child's potty and the when you sit on it the steam helps to shrink them. Personally I would try soaking in a hot bath with the Epsom salts dissolved in it. Not sure how effective it was my mother used this method once I remember but didn't ask how it worked.