Hemorrhoids, large bowel movements. Any tips?
 

Hi folks,

I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I've had hemorrhoids in the past due to bad habits (straining, possibly low fibre diet, sitting all day, genetics, whatever). Had banding treatment in June to get rid of internal hemorrhoids (easy peasy) and am looking forward to doing better going forward.

I'm drinking lots of water every day, standing/moving more, fruits and veggies, taking 1 tbsp of oat bran/wheat bran every day as recommended by the specialist, even doing sitz baths every other day).

One issue I've been having is that I can go say a month with zero issues and regular daily bowel movements, to a day where my poop is just larger than normal (but still log-shaped so easy to pass) and my ass feels sore and there's a tiny bit of blood when I wipe. I'm literally having a bowel movement every day, so it's not like I'm constipated...I just can't control when one day all of a sudden results in more straining than usual (but still relatively easy to pass) due to the poop being larger.

It's happened a few times over periods where I've had no issues so it is frustrating. WTF can I do differently to get back to "normal"?

For you normal folks out there (and for me prior to all of this), the occasional large shit shouldn't result in blood, however little, right? Am I just more prone to getting this now and should accept it for the rest of my life? Frustrates me that my threshold for having blood appear seems low...

I would certainly bring this up with your doctor or specialist. Could be underlying issues. As for the fiber issue, have you tried meta mucil? I have crohns disease and I had issues getting fiber through foods and my specialist recommended meta mucil. I swear by that stuff now. Also, you mentioned moving more which is great but how much? Try going for a walk every day.

hm... just have to be clear it's blood in the stool or blood from the hemorrhoids.

hemorrhoids can have options of getting the blood vessel 'tied'. I refused to do that because once it's tied, it can / will just pop up anywhere the blood vessel is.

Stool with blood should be asap red flag as my uncle was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Honestly, there are no go to answer.
Asian parents will always say less spicy, no fried food BS. There are SOME justification to that but does that mean vegans won't get hemorrhoids? NO. Our bodies are all different.

Continue with your diet, do make a conscious choice and fibre high foods. Lastly, for pooping... advice given to me.. was to just not push and don't be in a rush.

For the record, I've had a few follow ups since my hemorrhoid banding treatment and they always tell me everything looks great. That's because whatever issues I had in between visits had already cleared up.

I'm less concerned about more serious underlying issues given I've had a few follow-ups, No symptoms of more serious issues, and the specialist also isn't concerned about more serious issues. Just annoying when I'm good for 25 days then one day my poop is larger and I have to manage it for the next few days....

I have a standing desk at home so I'm not sitting on my ass all day when working. I do go for walks/jogs every day, if not every other day.

Sorry to hear. Must've been some warning signs right? My specialist said major change in bowel movements, charred/tarry stool (black).

I have to go with my odds since I have no family history. But I will probably try to do periodic screenings when I'm at the minimum required age (45 or 50 I believe)

You should advocate for getting a colonoscopy. That's the only way you will know for sure whether there's something else at work that's causing your issues.

Colon cancer is more prevalent in younger people these days. The guidelines say over 50, but really, anyone over 35 should be getting one every 10 years, or every 5 if there's a family history.

I have another follow up in a week so I'll definitely ask the specialist about it. I have in the past and he said they won't do it unless you have a family history or if there's a reason to be suspicious. The confirmed hemorrhoids (he looked up my rear with a scope) and banding treatment seems to have fixed things so they probably won't recommend but we'll see.

I just can't help if my occasional shits are larger and rubs my anal area the wrong way (literally) lol....maybe I'll try metamucil. For now my fibre intake is already pretty good and I'm afraid adding even more will just make me gassy.

those of you who've never had hemorrhoids or issues down there....you guys have had occasional large shits right? No blood? Soreness? I don't remember what "normal" is anymore lol

flax seed, metamucil, high fibre... there are a list of things... honestly, please stick with ONE or TWO items for at least 2-3 weeks BEFORE you try something else. Key is to isolate what is really working for you.

Our bodies requires time to adapt and just cause it happened for a week, doesn't mean it'll be a magic pill. *freaking asian parents...

As to colonoscopy; I did it when i was in my 30s. Colon and gastro same day.
tip 1) don't get sedated; because you want to actively pass gas so you don't feel so bloated once you're done. It does make the wait time (before you get released to go home) much easier and faster. NO one wants to sit for 45 minutes trying to pass gas from your intestines and there's a hot girl also beside you and you're trying to let it rip.
2) the gag reflex is real (for gastro)

You might want to ask your doc if you have an anal fissure, which is a tear caused by your huge shits/excessive pushing. Same symptoms as hemmrrhoids. Blood when wiping, etc.