How Long Will I Have Hemorrhoids?

Those of us who have experienced “hemorrhoids” or “piles” can immediately recall the pain that these conditions give to the human body. Due to genetic and other reasons, almost half of the population in the world will suffer from hemorrhoids at least one time in their life.

The majority of these people will probably reside in countries where the diet is very poor. The people may be rich and prosperous, but their diets may not include the basic nutrients required. Many people in the poorer countries may have never experienced (and never will) the pain of hemorrhoids. In many cases, hemorrhoids can be equated with rich food and rich drinks.

What are hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are swelled up and inflamed veins in the rectal canal or around the anus. Depending on where they develop, we have several types of hemorrhoids such as internal hemorrhoids, external hemorrhoids and external thrombosed hemorrhoids.

Internal hemorrhoids develop inside the rectal canal and usually cannot be seen from outside. External hemorrhoids are also common and can be found outside the anus as small marble sized flat or round bulges. These veins get inflamed as we push and strain to pass our stools. The more we strain, the more the veins bulge and the bigger the hemorrhoid.

How long do they last?

Hemorrhoids usually go away within a few weeks if we take care to remove the conditions in which they thrive. If we do not change our lifestyle or if the hemorrhoid was caused by reasons beyond our control (such as heredity, pregnancy, etc), then there is nothing much we can do about it and it may bother us all our life.

Fortunately, most of the time, hemorrhoids can be made to disappear with simple lifestyle changes such as improving the diet, drinking lots of water and adding an exercise regimen to the mix.

The majority of hemorrhoids are developed because of unhealthy conditions in the intestines or rectum. Thick, bulk-less, sticky stools may prevent the ease of bowel movements and may cause toxicity in the small intestine, the large intestine or the rectal canal. At any time, when pushing out this sticky glue, we exert pressure on the veins around the anus, hemorrhoids can develop.

Sitz baths, herbal remedies, gentle care of the anus and surrounding are before and after a bowel movement along with lots of exercise can slowly make the hemorrhoid disappear in a week or two.

Pregnant women also find themselves facing the painful dilemma of hemorrhoids. For them, home remedies may help soothe the pain and itching of hemorrhoids, but they may find that in nine months, their problem may disappear anyway.

Hemorrhoids caused by prescription medicines or antibiotics may also go away when the underlying health condition is relieved or removed. People also find that as they age, they get more constipation and hemorrhoids. In this case, there is a limit to the lifestyle changes, increased activity, etc. So these people may need to see a doctor and face surgery if nothing else helps.

If the hemorrhoids still exist after following these lifestyle changes, it is time to see a doctor.