Just hemorrhoids or possibly more serious?

[ehas]

I've always had a problem with constipation, since birth. Two years ago I went through a constipation period that lasted for days, followed by painful and bloody stools. The doctor diagnosed it as an anal fissure, and after weeks of horror it healed and all was fine.

About a month ago, I went through a similar episode of constipation, bleeding, and rectal pain. I assumed it was another fissure, but after reading about hemorrhoids I felt that it was something of the sort. The bleeding stopped but the painful passing of stool remained, and then it decreased with time. But it never went away completely. It's been about a month now and I still feel pain whenever I pass hard/rough/dry stool. I also sometimes feel a bit of anal/rectal itching after bowel movement, which reaffirmed my opinion of the presence of hemorrhoids.

I don't see anything strange, and I can't feel any lumps, so I assume the condition is internal -- but I read that internal hemorrhoids don't normally cause pain.

I don't know if there's a need to visit my doctor. I'm very embarrassed about the whole butt check deal. And frankly I have yet to find anything other than hemorrhoids that fits my symptoms.

Opinions, advice, etc.?

[ehas]

That's what I've been doing, and I feel fine -- even without Prep H and KY. But you provided great tips that I'll definitely use whenever I get constipated again. And yes, I eat poorly (low fiber, high protein) and exercise on weekends only -- I'm working on improving those!

Thanks so much for your input :)

[ggreg]

Well, since you had a fissure before, it is indeed likely you have another one, which since the other one went away, so too will this one.  But you could also very well have hemorrhoids on top of that.  Those hems come from straining from constipation, which swells up blood vessel tissue, which will sometimes bleed and itch.

Hemorrhoids, like fissures, go away in time, it's not particularly serious, lots of people have them.  To ease the passing of stool, which is what irritates those swellings, apply plain KY jelly on there after you shower, on a daily basis, until things improve.  You can also put Preparation H on them, and it will reduce their size and thus help with the stinging and itching, but just do that maybe twice a week for no more than two weeks, before you put on the KY.

Could be you have had lifelong constipation on account of a mechanical thing, like narrowing in places of your bowel or possibly you're missing a digestive enzyme, who knows.  Could also be you're allergic to, say, milk or something.  Anyhow, the three main things to do if you have a tendency with constipation is:  drink extra water, exercise regularly, and eat enough fiber foods (oat cereal, wheat toast, salads).  Also, you could try consuming "probiotics" fairly regularly, in the form of Acidophilus milk or Activia yogurt, they help break down waste.

If for some reason this problem doesn't go away in a couple months, like it has before, then the reason you should see a doctor is to prevent a worsening of any fissure or infection, perhaps.  Sure, it's crazy having a doc look there, but they cover you up on the exam table, a nurse can be present if you like.  The idea is you don't want it to really get out of control, like an ever-widening fissure that's all infected and making your life intolerable.  So, just try the easy stuff first until it goes away, and if not, balance your misery index to your embarassment index, and then go to the doc.