Blood in Stools Health Feed

Piles are the tortuous veins which bulge out in the anal canal. There are so many factors responsible for this engorgement of the anal veins. The most common cause is chronic constipation. In such condition patients have to strain for defecation which puts pressure on the veins leading to congestion & engorgement.

When these veins get ruptured by passing hard stools or due to straining it initiates characteristic painless bleeding. Bleeding may be in the form of fresh blood drops or spurts of fresh blood. At this stage bleeding is the only symptom that patients complain of. This is known as 1st degree hemorrhoid. When these congested rectal veins increase in size, the pile mass may protrude out during defecation. After passing stool, the pile mass reduces by itself and sometimes patients have to reduce the pile mass manually. This stage is labeled as 2nd degree piles. When these pile masses further increase in size they may protrude out during walking or sitting etc this is known as third degree piles.

Types of piles-

Piles also known as hemorrhoids are dilated, engorged veins carrying blood in the anal canal. In simpler words, these are dilated blood veins that are located near the areas of anus. Piles are mainly of two types in nature namely

1. Internal hemorrhoids and

2. External hemorrhoids.

The internal ones are more common in occurrence in the human body than the external ones. Most often, these appear around two centimeters above the opening in the anal canal. As the name suggests, the external piles occurs on the outside area of anus. Whereas the internal piles are present inside the anal canal. Here are different stages of internal piles.

1. In First stage patient complains of painless bleeding during defecation.
2. In 2nd stage- There is painless bleeding along with mass protruding out per rectum during defecation which gets reduced by itself or manual reduction is necessary.
3. In 3rd stage; pile mass could not be reduced back or if reduced by force; these come out even on coughing, walking or sitting.
4. Some classify piles differently as when manual reduction is required; it is the 3rd stage while when pile mass is not reducible; it is the 4th stage of internal piles.

Symptoms of piles-

Following are the symptoms commonly seen in patients of Piles:.

1. Blood drops with the passage of stool. Blood spurts may also be noticed while passing stools.
2. Moreover, there are instances when there is unbearable itchiness around the anus specialty in ext. piles.
3. A soft mass or lump may be noticed coming out through anus during passing stools which is reduced spontaneously & if it is large in size then it may be manually inserted back in the anus.
4. Acute cases when the pile masses get infected or inflamed there may be symptoms of acute pain

Treatment of piles without surgery!!!

Yes; It is possible to treat piles without having to undergo the knife of doctor. Ayurveda is well known for treatment of piles without surgery.

A. In the first stage of piles, Kshar Karma therapy (application some kshar or medicine on the pile mass that cause shrinking of the mass) is performed which leads to arrest of the bleeding & regression of the pile mass. No surgery is required.

B. In the second & third stage of piles, the pile mass is ligated by the Ksharsutra as an opd procedure. After ligation pile mass shed off in some days. Usually hospitalization or bed rest is not required & patients can go home after the treatment. It is not advisable to ignore the problem as it will only aggravate with time. Earlier is always better to treat pile. Even at first stage; it is very important to see the doctor because the blood loss during passing stools may lead to anemia. .

Home remedies for Piles

1. Piles are the resultant of putting too much strain while defecation or sitting too long for defecation. So these should be avoided.

2. Avoid fast foods, spicy and too much oily foods.

3. Increase consumption of fibrous foods like green leafy vegetables, fruits and salads;

4. Increase intake of fluids and butter milk etc.

5. You should exercise regularly.

6. If the pile mass protrude out during defecation these should be reduced and it is better to keep them inside.

PILES

Piles are also known as Hemorrhoids. These are normal cushions of the anal opening. When they swell they are called as piles. Piles contain supportive tissue, blood vessels, muscle and elastic fibers. Piles occur due to increased intra-abdominal pressure such as due to constipation, lifting heavy weights, etc. Piles can be graded on a scale from I to IV:

● GRADE I: These are small, invisible inflammations inside the lining of anus having painless bleeding or itching with no prolapse.

● GRADE II: These are larger than grade I, but they may protrude out while passing the stool and retract back into the body upon completion of bowel movement.

● GRADE III: These appear outside the anus and one can feel them hanging from the rectum.it does not retract of its own but they can be easily re-inserted.

● GRADE IV: Grade IV piles can not be pushed back. It needs treatment. They are huge and remain hanging outside the anus.

Symptoms of Piles

In some of the cases, the signs of piles are not very serious and normally resolve within a few days on their own. An individual suffering from Piles can experience one or more of the following:

● A lump can be felt around the anus and it may contain blood.

● After passing stool, patient still feels that the rectum is full.

● The area around the anus is itchy and red.

● There may be mild to moderate pain while passing a stool.

● If the piles are severe, one will experience excessive anal bleeding.

Causes of Piles

Piles are caused by an increase in pressure in the lower rectum. This may occur:

● When one passes a stool less than 3 bowels in a week, that leads to chronic constipation.

● When one passes a loose stool for around 4 weeks, that leads to chronic diarrhoea.

● If a person is lifting heavy weights during exercise or any other work.

● It can happen at the time of pregnancy.

● It can also happen when one is forced to pass a stool.

● It can also happen as a consequence of cancer in the lower part of large bowel.

Treatment of Piles

A doctor can usually diagnose piles after going through a physical examination or even a digital rectal examination. In most cases, it resolves on its own. However, some treatments are there which lessen the itchiness. Some of the popular ones are listed below:

● The initial recommendation by a doctor is to change one’s lifestyle, this can cure piles in grade I and II easily and effectively.

● A change in diet can also help easy bowel movement.

● Losing body weight may help reduce the incidence of piles.

● Regular exercise may lead to passing of the stools easily.

● Doctors may prescribe some laxatives that will help pass the stool easily without extra force.

● If it does not get treated with any medication, then surgery is sometimes the only option.

Surgery

No surgery is required for Grade I. For Grade II piles can be treated with LASER. Grade III and IV piles can be treated with Conventional methods like excision of haemorrhoides, LASER haemorrhoidopexy, DGHAL or Stapler Haemorrhoidopexy. Bleeding piles does require treatment because bleeding may cause anaemia and further complications which may sometimes be life threatening.