Severe Hemorrhoids Pain, Bleeding, and Treatment Guide (April 2018)

What Causes Severe Hemorrhoids pain and bleeding? There has been plenty of research done on hemorrhoids and the conclusion as to what causes this chronic condition is left to many different factors. 

From mild to severe hemorrhoids, the cause typically sources from constipation, or rather anything that puts additional pressure, strain, and stress on this part of your body.

What Causes Severe Hemorrhoids?

The most common causes of severe hemorrhoids include:

1. constipation
2. age
3. lack of fiber in your diet
4. poor toilet habits
5. pregnancy
6. medications

Constipation is a major reason why you may have severe hemorrhoids, and of course, there are plenty of factors at work behind your chronic constipation. 

It could be a severe lack of fiber in your diet, dehydration, stress, lack of exercise, or sitting or standing for long periods of time, or it could be an accumulation of all of these things. 

Pregnancy is another reason why some younger women suffer from severe hemorrhoids. 

All of these attribute to the pressure that could restrict proper blood flow to these critical veins, causing them to swell and inflame.

Age is another sneaky factor behind severe hemorrhoids.  As you know, aging bodies begin to decline in their functionality, a price we pay for being human. 

Some things don’t work as well as they did in our peak youth, and our rectal area is one of them.  Experts hypothesize that specific tissues weaken as we grow older. This could be the reason why so many older people suffer from hemorrhoids. 

The severity of hemorrhoids is also relative to age, and if you are older and experiencing hemorrhoids, you could be at a higher risk of having severe hemorrhoids. 

Symptoms of Severe Hemorrhoids 

The worst symptoms of severe hemorrhoids include:

1. swelling
2. bleeding
3. blood loss
4. blood clots
5. prolapses
6. intense pain
7. infection
8. itching

Severe hemorrhoids can bring about equally severe symptoms. There are two different types of hemorrhoids, one internal and the other external. 

Having severe internal hemorrhoids typically means that you are experiencing its extreme form, a prolapsed or prolonged hemorrhoid. 

This prolapsed hemorrhoid can bring on symptoms like severe itching and pain.

External hemorrhoids can also be severe, and this usually is in the form of thrombosed hemorrhoids, a name for the formation of blood clots inside of an external hemorrhoid. 

Blood clots are incredibly painful, and this can engorge the size of your already uncomfortable external hemorrhoids.  You may feel sudden and extreme pain and have trouble sitting or standing comfortably. 

Going to the bathroom with these severe external hemorrhoids can make what was once a simple task all the more difficult and painful. 

Severe Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

Pregnant women are more susceptible to hemorrhoids, and as the pregnancy continues to the later trimesters, hemorrhoids can become severe. 

This is because of the added pressure of the expanding uterus to the rectal area. 

The abnormal amount of stress on the hemorrhoids can force them to become inflamed and create the symptoms of pain, itching, difficulty using the bathroom, and discomfort.

Hemorrhoids can also become severe after delivery of the baby. 

Labor and delivery put an enormous amount of stress on the mother’s body, and this includes the cluster of veins that transport blood vessels to the lower rectum. 

Pregnancy can also cause bouts of constipation, another force behind hemorrhoid formation.

Will Severe Hemorrhoids Go Away?

If your hemorrhoids are considered severe, chances are you might need medical intervention from your doctor to get them to go away. 

Most hemorrhoid doctors are either a proctologist or a gastroenterologist. 

While you can treat your severe hemorrhoids at home to achieve temporary relief, there are surgical options available to you that your doctor can further expound upon.

Hemorrhoid flare-ups are known to subside even without treatment within a few days. 

Severe hemorrhoids, however, could persist. 

Home Remedies for Severe Hemorrhoids

At-home remedies are available to relieve symptoms.

My favorite at home remedies for severe hemorrhoids are:

1. Hemorrhoid Supplements or Pills (Try our #1 hemorrhoid supplement called HemRid, it works great).
2. Fiber Supplements (Try our #1 fiber gummy supplement for hemorrhoids) 
3. Hemorrhoid Wipes (Here are our top hemorrhoid wipes)
4. Hemorrhoid Suppositories (For the best hemorrhoid suppositories)
5. Hemorrhoid Ice Pack 
6. Hemorrhoid Creams (Check out our top pick for hemorrhoid cream)
7. Hemorrhoid Cushions (Here is a guide to buying the best hemorrhoid cushion)

Sitz baths are recommended to alleviate pain and reduce swelling, and creams and wipes are available as an over the counter method for hemorrhoid relief as well. 

How to Stop Severe Hemorrhoids 

There are many surgical solutions to severe hemorrhoids. 

One of the most common surgeries for severe internal hemorrhoids is rubber band ligation, in which a band is placed around the base of the hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply. The hemorrhoid then dies from lack of blood flow.

Hemorrhoidectomy, a standard surgery for persistent and severe hemorrhoids, requires anesthesia to remove the entire hemorrhoid. 

While this is the most dramatic approach to solving hemorrhoid problems, it is also one of the most effective. 

Newer forms of hemorrhoidectomy involve the stapling of the supporting tissues to prevent internal hemorrhoids from prolapsing.

There are also other methods like the use of laser therapy for internal hemorrhoids or chemical agents that can be injected into an external hemorrhoid to encourage shrinkage. 

Hemorrhoids are an all too common problem, but there are many different options including these surgical methods that can help prevent flare-ups of external and internal hemorrhoids.

The best factor you can implement in stopping hemorrhoids is through a fibrous diet, exercise, and plenty of water. 

By living this healthy lifestyle, your colon will be regular, and you can avoid constipation, a condition that is a driving force behind hemorrhoid flare-ups. 

While severe hemorrhoids may require surgical intervention, a change in diet and lifestyle can be of immense relief and aid in the prevention of hemorrhoids.

What to do for Severe Hemorrhoid Pain

When you have severe hemorrhoid pain, over the counter options don't seem to cut it.

For immediate relief, sitz baths are one of the most recommended and useful options to treat hemorrhoids and relieve pain. 

This warm bath submerges the rectal area that consists of the painful external hemorrhoids and can reduce inflammation and offer relief. 

You can use a sitz bath multiple times throughout the day, soaking for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. 

Use a hemorrhoid cushion to help with the pain when sitting on hard surfaces, and lubricate your external hemorrhoids to prevent friction and pain with creams that have soothing, anti-inflammatory ingredients. 

If your pain is so severe that it is hindering your lifestyle, make an appointment with your doctor about other treatment options.

How to Treat Severe Hemorrhoids

If you are suffering from severe hemorrhoids, there are surgical options you can seek as a method of treatment. 

With severe hemorrhoids come equally severe symptoms: pain, itching, burning, prolapsed hemorrhoids, or thrombosed hemorrhoids. 

Your doctor will likely try non-operative procedures first, like sclerotherapy or rubber band ligation.  These methods are not as aggressive as others and still are used to treat severe hemorrhoids. 

There are surgical treatments, like a hemorrhoidectomy, which completely removes hemorrhoids, but is only a last resort way to treat severe hemorrhoids.  

There is a high chance that your doctor will also recommend a change of diet to help treat your severe hemorrhoids. 

A diet full of fiber aids in the prevention of constipation, and in turn, offsets hemorrhoid flare-ups. 

Even the addition of fiber supplements is an excellent way to treat severe hemorrhoids.

How to Cure Severe Hemorrhoids 

Unfortunately, there is no outright “cure” for severe hemorrhoids, just different ways to treat them. 

Everyone has hemorrhoids, a term used to describe the cushion of blood vessels beneath the skin around the anus and also located beneath the mucous membrane in the lowest part of the rectum.

A cure for severe hemorrhoids is not so much a cure, but methods of prevention. 

A fibrous diet to help keep your colon regular, plenty of water to move and soften stools, exercise to promote healthy bowel movements, are all factors that play essential roles in preventing hemorrhoids from becoming inflamed.

Here are 4 ways to relieve severe hemorrhoids:

1. Fibrous diet
2. Stool softeners
3. Exercise
4. Drinking plenty of water

We hope you enjoyed this post about severe hemorrhoids. If you found it useful please share with your friends and family!