Few years back, I stayed ill for most of the time. For a moment or two, I had toothache and sometime, my eyesight was poor. At the same time, I was experiencing some difficulty while sitting. Later, I felt a round like hard lump swelling external to my anus. I was panic-stricken. Thinking it being a development of cancer cells, I cried. My tears did not stop from spilling and I thought that I was going to die soon.
I was on my motorbike and it was really uncomfortable to move every inch forward. Though I was accelerating the speed and going back home until I thought to consult a doctor. My helmet helped me hid my tears sparkling on my cheeks. Gathering lot of guts, I went to a hospital nearby and took an appointment with a doctor. Soon my name was summoned and I daringly entered the doctor’s room. I started to explain in a weeping manner on what I was going through. My tremble description compelled the doctor to examine my anus. He diagnosed me having piles. I was relieved as it was not a cancer. The doctor referred me to a surgeon for the surgery.
The surgery is obviously very painful but Dr. Manish Shrestha, the surgeon at Midat Hospital advised me to undergo surgery. I could not make a decision and hared the overall diagnosis to my parents. Hearing my problem and the doctor’s advice, my parents talked with our neighbors. Raju Shakya, one of our neighbors, suggested my father not to let me have a surgery but to go for an ayurvedic treatment and convinced him that the treatment was far effective than the surgery. Upon believing his son’s experience, I, under my father’s direction, bought ayurvedic ointment and tablets. Thankfully, I recovered soon; I was saved from being a subject of surgery. But it still occurs quite often.
The recurrence of piles is dependent on an individual’s eating habit. Chronic constipation is the principal cause of piles to recur and whenever my body lacks water inside it, piles recur. ‘Piles may occur due to many causes; anal intercourse, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, regular heavy weight lifting, obesity, pregnancy and straining when passing a stool being the main ones’, says Dr. Shrestha. He adds, ‘when pressures increase in the lower rectum, anal blood vessels stretches resulting to swelling and bulging and the veins are inflamed.’
Statistical reports prove that around 50% Americans suffer from haemorrhoids before they turns 50 where every year, 1 million new cases of haemorrhoids are reported, among these, around 20% cases undergo surgeries.
The symptoms for piles vary according to the cases that are reported. An individual suffering from piles may experience a hard lump around the anus and whenever, it is pressed purposely or accidentally, it gives pain. Other symptoms of piles are itchiness in the anal area, pain during defecating, redness and soreness in the anus area.
Medically, piles are known as haemorrhoids, where a condition occurs when blood vessels connecting to rectum and anus are swollen. In this condition, the haemorrhoidal veins located at lowest part of the anus and rectum are swollen making the vein walls thin, stretched and irritated by bowel movements. Either internal and external haemorrhoids or piles are described by medical science. Internal haemorrhoids are lie inside and anus and external haemorrhoids lie within the anus and rectum.
As prevention is better than cure, there are many preventive measures recommended by medical doctors. It is suggested not to strain while defecating, prevent constipation and diarrhea by eating diet rich in fiber or water. Taking fiber supplements and working out are other preferable steps to avoid piles. It is also advisable not to lift heavy weights and is suggested to lose weight.