Draining a thrombosed hemorrhoid yourself is technically possible but not recommended because there may be serious complications which can result and will require medical attention. Thrombosed hemorrhoid is one of the types of hemorrhoids that affect humans. Generally, hemorrhoids is common that at least a quarter of humans have experienced it during their lifetime.
It is not a death sentence and can be drained by doctors to help manage the pain and relieve the discomfort too. Before knowing of you can drain thrombosed hemorrhoid, it is important that you understand what it is.
WHAT IS A HEMORRHOID
Hemorrhoids occurs when the veins in the rectum and anus become enlarged, this condition is also known as piles and can cause bleeding, pain when sitting down, itching and discomfort. These symptoms may not be seen in some people.
When the symptoms are not showing, the hemorrhoid may be an internal type. The internal hemorrhoids occur in the rectum and look like bumps coming out of the anus, they rupture and bleed when irritated. The bleeding is usually painless but if the rectum starts to fall out due to weakened tissues, there will be pain.
External hemorrhoids occur in the anus, they look like swollen lumps and are very painful. They can also irritate and cause itching in the anus. If attention is not given to them, they can become infected and worsen the condition.
WHAT IS THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID
Thrombosed hemorrhoid can be internal or external, they develop as blood clots inside swollen vessels. These clots can block the vessels and put more pressure in the hemorrhoidal structure. The more pressure is increased, the skin tends to stretch and split causing tears and cracks near the hemorrhoids. This can cause extreme pain and discomfort, the swollen bumps may turn red or purple.
The increased pressure in the hemorrhoidal structure can permanently block the blood flow and the hemorrhoids will have reduced blood supply. This can lead to death of the tissues around the area and pus in the anal area. This condition will lead to medical emergency.
WHAT CAUSES THROMBOSED HEMORRHOIDS
Some risk factors that can cause thrombosed hemorrhoid or other types are:
- Sitting down for a long period of time
- Lifting heavy things
- Straining for a long time during bowel movement
- Pregnancy
- Obesity
- Constipation
CAN THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID BE DRAINED
Thrombosed hemorrhoid can be extremely painful and cause great discomfort. The pain can make it difficult to pass stool, sit down, lie on the back. To reduce the pain and make doing these activities easier again, the hemorrhoids can be drained.
The procedure that involves draining thrombosed hemorrhoid is known as thrombectomy. It is usually done by a doctor and involves making a cut on the blood clot and draining it out. This procedure can help manage the symptoms and prevent further complications from developing.
Draining the thrombosed hemorrhoid is recommended to be done within 24 to 72 hours the symptoms appeared. If done later than that, there can be excruciating pain and complications. The doctor or health personnel first numbs the affected area with local anesthesia to reduce pain. A circumferential cut is made on the skin to remove the clot.
CAN YOU DRAIN THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID BY YOURSELF
It is possible for you to drain a thrombosed hemorrhoid by yourself, you only need to make small cut on the area using a sharp instrument. But, medical personnel warned that you should not drain the hemorrhoid by yourself. One of the reasons for this is that apart from hemorrhoids, other diseases that affect the anus and rectum can also have symptoms like bleeding, itching and irritation. In fact, one of the symptoms of colorectal cancer is bleeding.
Since other diseases have similar symptoms with hemorrhoids, you could make incisions on your skin in a bid to remove clots thereby causing serious health condition. Before a doctor drains a thrombosed hemorrhoid, he or she will first carry our diagnosis to know more about the condition before any treatment. The health personnel will also determine if draining is the best option at the moment. Other alternative treatment options can be considered as well depending on how swollen your hemorrhoids are.
Draining a thrombosed hemorrhoid yourself can cause continuous and severe bleeding. The reason for draining hemorrhoids is to release the pooled blood and being relieve, healthy blood are not released. So, when you drain by yourself, you can cause excess blood loss which can result to unexplainable lack of blood, this can lead to serious health condition.
Another reason why you should not drain thrombosed hemorrhoid by yourself is that you may apply much pressure on the hemorrhoids and cause the blocked vessels to rupture. When they rupture, there will be wounds which may lead to infections and pus-filled tags near the anus. In some cases, you can not completely remove all the clots, this can lead to infections and other health concerns.
CAN YOU POP A THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID
Thrombosed hemorrhoids can be large and outside the anus, you may want to pop the lumps. It is not advised to pop these lumps, you may injure other delicate tissues around your anal area. Also, not all lumps are hemorrhoids, some may be anal cancer or other diseases with same symptoms.
Popping hemorrhoids can be extremely painful, you can also feel severe pain after popping them. Another reason why you are not advised to pop thrombosed hemorrhoid is that after popping, there will be open wounds which are easily infected as the anal areas is prone to bacteria and infections.
HOW CAN I BE RELIEVED OF THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID WITHOUT DRAINING IT
There are some home remedies that can help you manage the symptoms and get relief from the pain and discomfort.
- Use moist wipes after bowel movement. Tissues and toilet paper can be harsh to the anal area and cause irritation to external hemorrhoids.
- Have a sitz bath with warm water. Sitz bath involves soaking your anal area in warm water for few minutes, you can add epsom salt to fasten the relief process.
- Sit on an ice pack. Wrap ice pack with a towel and sit on it for few minutes, this will help reduce inflammation. Do not sit on the ice pack for more than 20 minutes to avoid numbing the anal area.
- Topical creams for external hemorrhoids or medicated suppository for internal hemorrhoids can help reduce the discomfort and pain. You can easily get the creams and suppositories in pharmacies, online stores and supermarkets.
- Do not strain or sit on the toilet for long periods of time to avoid putting more pressure on the hemorrhoids.
MEDICAL WAYS OF TREATING HEMORRHOIDS
It is best to see a doctor to treat thrombosed hemorrhoid or any type as there will be many options that can be used. The doctor will also carry out tests and diagnosis to be sure you have hemorrhoids.
1. Rubber Band Ligation
This is a procedure that involves inserting a rubber band to the base of the hemorrhoid to restrict blood flow. This will cause the hemorrhoids to wrinkle and fall off. Rubber band litigation is used for internal hemorrhoids.
2. Sclerotherapy
This is done by injecting a medicated solution into the hemorrhoid. The solution causes the hemorrhoid to shrivel and fall off.
3. Electrocoagulation
Is a technique that uses electric current to harden the hemorrhoids and cause them to fall off.
4. Laser orIinfrared Coagulation
Is a procedure that involves using light or electromagnetic radiations to make an internal hemorrhoids to dry up, wrinkle and fade away.
In cases where the hemorrhoids are severe or large, advanced treatments can be recommended based on the type and how severe the hemorrhoids are.
1. Hemorrhoidectomy
This involves making incisions and surgically removing external or bulging hemorrhoids. This procedure can cause pain and make the anal area tender as the cuts are made in sensitive area.
2. Hemorrhoidopexy
There are no cuts made on the anal area, instead the hemorrhoid is lifted into a ring of tissues using a suture while a stapler removes the hemorrhoids by cutting off blood flow to the tissue.
3. DG-HAL (Doppler-guided hemorrhoid artery ligation)
This is simply identifying how blood is supplied to the hemorrhoids using an ultrasound. Then, the blood supply is cut off thereby causing the hemorrhoids to wrinkle.
WILL A THROMBOSED HEMORRHOID GO AWAY ON ITS OWN
Some thrombosed hemorrhoid can go away on their own after some weeks without any treatment. The blood clot may cause pain within a day or two, after that it may be reabsorbed by the body and the pain goes down with time. However, you can use home remedies to relieve the pain and manage the symptoms. If the hemorrhoid is severe, you should see a doctor.
CONCLUSION
You can drain thrombosed hemorrhoid by yourself but it is not recommended as there are many reasons to avoid it. Always go to a doctor to drain your hemorrhoids. There are some home remedies that can help you manage the pain and discomfort. Drinking or popping thrombosed hemorrhoid should not be done by you.