A couple weeks ago I started experiencing a little anal bleeding. Since I’m not over 50, I haven’t started getting regular colonoscopies. I have no family history of colon cancer, so I wasn’t overly worried, but I know all about the potential dangers of ignoring symptoms, so I set up an appointment with my doctor and got the dreaded exam. I strongly recommend that anyone with anal pain, bleeding, itching or swelling around the anal region get examined by a doctor. The reason an exam is essential is to rule out other colorectal diseases like colon cancer, these diseases are a lot more serious than colon cancer but have the same initial symptoms as hemroids. The colonoscopy wasn’t too bad. Prepping for it was unpleasant and it’s not something to look forward to, but it’s a necessary evil. Ever since people have started getting regular colonoscopies, survival rates from colon cancer have increased. Early diagnosing is the key to catching and treating health problems early and this translates into a better long term survival rate.
Once I was diagnosed with hemorrhoids like most other people, my next stop to learn how to get rid of hemorrhoids. I was lucky, my hemorrhoids are internal hemorrhoids and they were caught early before they had a chance to get worse. On the grading scale, my hemorrhoids doctor says mine are only a Grade I on a scale that goes up to IV. People with Grade IV hemorrhoids will have a lot more pain and discomfort; surgery may be their only option to get rid of their symptoms. Fortunately for me, since mine were caught early, my doctor says I can most likely avoid complications by making some dietary changes. I love my junk food, but my doctor says that by adding more fiber into my diet, I can limit my symptoms and may be able to reduce my hemorrhoids to the point they won’t cause me any more problems.
Thankfully I didn’t wait to visit a doctor. By not ignoring my symptoms I’m making changing today to make sure my hemorrhoids don’t get worse.
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