Do I have haemorrhoids or is the hardness around my anus normal?

[jphillips2580]

I'm paranoid I have an external hemorrhoids, but I could be just incorrectly diagnosing myself. Over the last few months, I notice sometimes when I have a bowel movement there is a hardness on my anus right on the lining on one side (only apparent when I wipe I can feel it; other times it's not like this). Since this hardness goes away shortly after I wipe, and I can't feel any hardness which stays afterwards, I'm unsure if this is normal. I have no pain, bleeding, fecal leakage, or itching. I've also read that external hemorrhoids don't go away, you can't just push them away or back inside.

For the past year and a bit I've been sitting for most of the day taking very occasional breaks (toilet, lunch, dinner, that's about it) and have noticed sometimes my *** area goes a bit numb for sitting too long. My diet, I've realised hasn't included that much fibre, now I'm eating more fibre. I used to do a lot of weightlifting and sitting on the toilet for long periods, too (not so much over the last year). I've been lying down a lot when I can, and trying not to sit for too long over the last few days. Like I said, I notice sometimes when I have a bowel movement the hardness is there, other times it's not. I'm very confused, do I have anything to worry about?

I think I'm freaking myself out, and my GP will probably find no swelling, as I can't feel any swelling. Yes, I tried to do a bit of a self-examination, but found no lumps that are hard and always there inside my anus. Only when I have a bowel movement. It's a bit like there's something blocking me wiping properly but it's easy to push down and wipe properly. That's the best way I can describe it. Do I have the early stages of an external hemorrhoids developing or am I just being a paranoiac? I'm only 29.