Hemorrhoids, who else suffers?
 

Okay I have searched and nobody ever mentions hemorrhoids. So I will go first. Mine are internal. Missed riding in Prescott last year because of a flare up. 🤬

Why am I telling a bunch of strangers this? If you are passionate about riding I hope you never suffer from them. Keeps one from riding.

Mid June this year it happened again. Decided to see a real DR and put this behind for good. Doc said you need a colorectal surgeon. Surgeon does a banding on two 'rhoids. After 16 days 100% relief! Jumped on my bike and took a 30 minute easy ride- green & blue trails. Might have come back to that too soon.

Anyway, at my 6 wk follow up I told the doc things had gotten better then got worse. He banded two more. This time no relief. 😢

Fortunately, mine aren't bleeding or anything like that. Feels like an insect bite. It's hard for me drive my car 30 minutes to work. Been taking ibuprofen & trying sitz bath 2-3 times a day.

Reaching out to my fellow riders looking for advice. Last thing I want is surgery for them. Heard it is nothing but horrendous pain for months.

Thanks for letting me vent. 🙏

IMO you should get your medical advice from medical professionals.:foo:

I had a hunch when I saw the thread title it'd be a first post member. This member's advice is to continue working with your doctor.

indeed
 

I will definitely continue consulting with professionals. considering options other than banding though if anyone has experience. also wonder if a different seat would be helpful? any suggestions or solidarity would be greatly appreciated while i'm suffering off the saddle. 🙏

Surgery is The Answer. Worked for me.

🙏
 

10 Wheels Thanks so much for responding. If you don't mind sharing, how long ago did you have surgery and what kind was it? It's clear i need to do more than banding, but these days there are lots of new, less invasive operations possible like Protocan & Kshara Sutra (Ayurvedic) that i've been hearing about on RhoidRage Community. I'll keep researching that, but they're not available everywhere and I want to be rid of them once and for all. Knowing yours worked well and you triumphantly returned to riding would definitely make that option my top choice.

A good friend of mine almost gave up cycling because of the discomfort caused by hemorrhoids. Surgery did the trick, same as with 10 Wheels. She says the recovery was awful. I still recall how much pain she was in after the surgery.
She’s great now, tho.

Cut inside and outside ones. Three days to Heal.
Have not worn Under Wear for 13 years since. No need for them

First... TMI.

Drink lots of water and high fiber.

Yes, my wife has them and I suffer from her complaining.

I guess mine weren't that bad. After one "flared" I could still ride. Tho uncomfortably. But not really pain. Saw the Dr of course. Thrombosis he said. He recommended "cutting it out". Came in a couple of days later and he did that right there. Took 3 days off the bike and was fine.

There're more hemorrhoids in there but.. They're not bothering me for the most part. Itching and burning sometimes. Google hemorrhoids if you want advice.

avoid aggressive wiping. baby type wipes
plenty water
​​​never push.
enjoy

This is bike forums!!! We are medical professionals. When I start getting medical all my co-workers at the shop are like wow so professional.

I have thankfully not had 'roids but probably gentle treatment of that area and keeping it nice and clean with mild soaps (Dr. Bronners is my choice 100% of the time for many uses) and potentially a different saddle could help. I say it often and will not stop saying it but you might in addition to actual medical professionals also set up an appointment with your local fitter when you can. They might have some knowledge on that subject but more importantly can get you a better position on the bike and figure out the ideal saddle width and things like that which could help. Though of course always see the medical professionals first and lots of luck!

one advice, go vegan and your problems will disappear for ever. you should also consider using a bidet instead of toilet paper.

Best topical cream I've found is Calmoseptine ointment or a generic from Walgreens, their moisture barrier ointment. It'll be in the adult diaper aisle rather than with the usual hemorrhoid creams.

I discovered the stuff as a caregiver for elderly patients and, later, for my grandparents and mom. It's used to prevent bedsores and pressure sores with fragile older skin. But it's also a terrific hemorrhoid cream.

The reason it works so well is also why it's rarely stocked next to other hemorrhoid ointments: it uses zinc oxide, which is really difficult to clean out of underwear or chamois/pads on cycling shorts. Takes a little scrubbing with a sponge and straight application of Tide, Gain or Dawn detergent.

Most hemorrhoid ointments use glycerin as a base, which is water soluble and much easier to clean up... and far less effective.

It's 20% zinc oxide, with a small amount of menthol, aloe vera, mineral oil, paraffin, the usual stuff. It relieves pain without burning, and the astringents reduce swelling.

It's worth the little extra cleanup hassle for the more effective relief.

Besides that, ditto the advice to get professional medical care.

Regarding diet, that's entirely personal and individual. No way I could do a vegan diet if I wanted to avoid hemorrhoids. I cannot digest legumes even with digestive enzymes. Tried it for a year in 2018, following recommended dietary programs, and it was miserable, constant bloating, gas, on the toilet all day, and not getting nearly adequate nutrition. My docs -- primary, ortho, endocrinologist and immunologist --were fussing at me for lab work that was out of whack, dangerously low thyroid hormones, vitamin D, iron, hemoglobin, high indicators for chronic inflammation, premature osteopenia, etc. I tried to supplement with legume and other vegan protein powder mixes. Nothing was helping. My metabolism cannot get adequate nutrition from a vegan diet. Some people can, but research indicates people vary in genetic predisposition to diets.

I switched to a primarily carnivore diet for protein, and some carbs for hard workout sessions. I cut way back on most fruits and vegetables, other than for flavor and color. Suits my digestion and metabolism. Turns out I didn't need nearly the amount of fiber and empty filler that some dietary advice insists on. Being on the toilet half a dozen times a day crapping out excess fiber and indigestible residue is not the solution to hemorrhoids. With my current diet my elimination is regular and predictable, once a day in the morning after breakfast and coffee. Far fewer problems with hemorrhoids. The only trick with a primarily carnivore diet is to be sure to drink plenty of fluids and, once we've established a regular elimination schedule, stick with it. Delaying a few hours results in excess water being reclaimed in the colon, which can cause constipation and straining to eliminate.

Occasionally I'll vary my diet and consume more junk carbs like bread and buns with sandwiches and burgers, more fruits and veggies just for variety. But it often causes more digestion problems.

But that's me. With a little experimenting and keeping notes you'll find a diet that works best for you.

Rage thehammerdog veganbikes thank you!
jay4usc I have a full on japanese toilet setup and it helps a lot! going vegan would be super tough, but i appreciate the advice. i'll probably do surgery before that, then as a last resort over giving up riding.
GlennR sorry to hear your wife suffers too. hope she can resolve it too and you both feel and live better. 🙏

UCantTouchThis really appreciate you (and others here who contributed) speaking up on behalf of me and ~ 50% of adults who experience the symptoms by the age of fifty (#1 trending health issue on Google, per Zeitgeist). Hemorrhoids are common, but discussing them isn't. Experts agree the biggest threats to people suffering from piles are embarrassment and silence.

I suffered alone in complete denial & embarrassment for far too long, and if I had only allowed myself to be vulnerable, maybe I could have started the conversation that would of helped myself and others immeasurably! It completely derailed my biking, and scarred my psyche - my confidence and sense of self-worth hit an all time low. i'd become reluctant to go anywhere longer than I could hope to get back to the privacy of my own bathroom when needed. Before i made my first post, i was a lurker here, and hopefully the great advice shared here can help others.

Got 'em but they bother me very little, for which I am very grateful. At one point 30+ years ago, I had a very painful external 'roid, and my doc - a licensed medical pro - recommended witch hazel for shrinking it. That worked.

Just to think, these are the "roids" no one wants, yet are legal.

Everyone one that I know/knew with hemorrhoid issues seemed to have an abnormally elevated stress level or were on edge all the time.

Metamucil/water....the less you strain the less you provoke them. Good fiber is ABSOLUTE

Chocolate lax. Dessert & rhoid saver.

lol, def not the roids most other's might associate with cycling, but far more common.

kidding aside, elevated stress has so many detrimental effects to our health, i've recognized this correlation in myself too :troll:

yay!
 

That's so good to hear! So did it completely solve it where no symptoms ever returned? Surgery, recovery and all the pain you hear associated with it are so frightening, a 1st hand testimonial of it being ohhh so worth it is invaluable

Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

i would say maybe some kind of wax , id start by wiping with baby wipes and palmers shea butter , or coconut oil , i know when i get irritation i just clean with soap and moisturize with shea butter , or coconut oil , out side of professional medical surgery id maybe get some condoms and put some gauze inside to firm it up and cover it with triple action or silver gel or what ever you think with sooth that stuff and stick it up your butt LOLOL like a manpon ,hahaha sory , but i think it might be a way to sooth them if they are that bad , also maybe a squirt device filled with hydrogen peroxide to clean it out good , might hurt tho , good luck :)

you could ask a rasta man they always have a plant or herb for aliments , not just the smoking kind :)