[pitdaddy]

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

Why am I telling a bunch of strangers this? If you are passionate about riding I hope no one ever has to suffer from them. Keeps one from riding.

Mid May this year it happened again. Decided to see a real doctor and put this behind for good. Doc said you need a colorectal surgeon. Surgeon does a quick 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 done that to soon.

Anyway, at my 6 week follow up I told the doctor things had gotten better then worse. He banded two more. This time I haven't found relief.

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

Reaching out to my fellow 50'ish 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 rant.

 

[Fuse6F]

Okay so this is a sensitive issue. Get three opinions before doing anything serious!

Then... Im going to say look on the bright side, it could be worse. The young 22 year old girl next door was just given the gift of a colostomy bag. Sad but true.

 

[wayold]

I first got internal 'roids when I was 53. Got so bad I couldn't even walk more than a few feet, never mind riding. It wouldn't go away on its own, but eventually a colorectal surgeon successfully treated it with "sclerosing injections". Sounds gross and unpleasant, but it let things heal and I was back to normal after a couple of months.

In addition to the the injections the surgeon recommended fiber supplements in my diet. I eat a few Metamucil wafers (I call 'em crap crackers) every day. When I've tried cutting out the supplements I've had recurrences of the 'roids (though mercifully brief) that passed a week or two after restarting, so I'll probably be eating them for the rest of my life.

Anyway, I'd recommend the Metamucil crap crackers for anyone suffering from internal 'roids. If that doesn't help after a few weeks then some sort of intervention with a colorectal surgeon may be necessary.

 

[pitdaddy]

I am thankful to have a wonderful life- good job, nice home, clothes on my back, food in the kitchen, etc.. Most likely my problem was caused by bad eating habits for 20+ years. My diet has changed. I try to eat 5 fruits and vegetables daily. Five years ago I was told to take 2 doses of Benefiber daily. That was my last colonoscopy. Of course one has to drink lots of water for fiber to do it's job. The doctor said I would be having trouble in the future from internal hemorrhoids. The future is now.

Thank you Fuse6F and Wayold.

Something I wonder about is how much straining I do when pedaling hard sections of trails. Will I be able to find a baseline?

Meanwhile, I will be getting on a 737 next week for a 3 hour flight. That should be fun!

Should any of you be to shy to post in a public forum you are welcome to private message me your story.

Thank you again! Hit those trails for me!

 

[bapski]

are you able to reduce it? (push it back in). ive had mine since my mid 20's i believe and im 47 now. ive had success reducing it after every #2 and hopefully it stays to work. haven't had a colonoscopy yet but in 3 years ill probably have a surgical intervention.

 

[Narrowback]

Yeah, I had a severe case of them about 6 years ago. They gradually got worse. I tried Prep H, and had a prescription for stronger suppositories. I went to a proctologist and had electrical stimulation treatments every week. Nothing seemed to help. They had gotten to the point where they were bleeding and shooting pain up the back of my leg. In my job I had to do presentations fairly often and it got out of control with having to excuse myself at times. I finally had surgery and changed my diet. Like you said, lots of fiber, lots of water, lots of fruit and veggies. So far so good. I've lost 20-25 lbs, get a lot more exercise and feel sooooo much better.

 

[pitdaddy]

Mine are not prolapsed (they don't come out). Thanks for sharing. Hope you have many more years of riding!

 

[SADDLE TRAMP]

Not having any problems for many years. Can't say what I have done has made the difference or not, but here goes.

1. Eat or take a fiber supplement to promote a smooth movement.

2. Get your business done just before taking your shower/bath.

3. Use one of those adjustable shower heads that are attached to an extension hose, set to a steady stream at a controlled pressure, and flush out where the sun don't shine.

 

[pitdaddy]

Not having any problems for many years. Can't say what I have done has made the difference or not, but here goes.

1. Eat or take a fiber supplement to promote a smooth movement.

2. Get your business done just before taking your shower/bath.

3. Use one of those adjustable shower heads that are attached to an extension hose, set to a steady stream at a controlled pressure, and flush out where the sun don't shine.

#1 and #3 are very important. Also, drinking lots of water so the fiber can do it's job.

What I have learned (and am putting into practice):
First, and foremost the body needs fiber. Lots of fiber. Combine this with lots of water. The fiber cannot do it's job without lots of water. The fiber aids our bodily functions.

Second, keep things clean.

Yesterday my doctor stressed the fiber and water over anything else. Said it doesn't matter what else I do that high fiber is the key.

Thank you again to all who chimed in.

 

[Jake January]

Longer fasting regimens will help will hemorrhoids and many other ailments.
Fasting allows the body to heal itself.
This is not very popular in 'for profit' western medicine, which more about butchery and dispensing expensive and dangerous drugs/radiation.
There is no 'profit' in teaching people to know that our own body is the most important healer of all.

Book to read on the subject; John W. Armstrong, 'Water of Life'. (free on the internet)

 

[Narrowback]

Mine are not prolapsed (they don't come out). Thanks for sharing. Hope you have many more years of riding!

You too!

 

[Snowfall06]

Cured!

I had painful hemorrhoids for about two years, and I tried everything from changing my diet to laxatives and although it helped they never completely went away. But as it turns out, my hemorrhoids were a symptom of an omega-3 deficiency! Not enough omega-3 causes inflammation. From what I've read, it takes anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to see the effects. I've been taking 4 grams of omega 3 for about a month and my hemorrhoids are completely gone!! Please look into it. I had to post this because I'm just so grateful that I've finally found the solution. I'm finally back to normal!! I had to do a little experimenting went I first started supplementing. You're supposed to shoot for a 1 to 1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. I get more then 4 grams of omega six from what I eat every day, based on my calculations, but when I took 5 grams of omega-3, my gums were bleeding a little when brushing my teeth in the morning, so I cut back to 4 grams and that's what my body likes I guess. I don't think I'll supplement this high a dose for very long though. Maybe I'll cut back to two grams after my first bottle runs out. Anyway, I hope this helps!

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

Why am I telling a bunch of strangers this? If you are passionate about riding I hope no one ever has to suffer from them. Keeps one from riding.

Mid May this year it happened again. Decided to see a real doctor and put this behind for good. Doc said you need a colorectal surgeon. Surgeon does a quick 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 done that to soon.

Anyway, at my 6 week follow up I told the doctor things had gotten better then worse. He banded two more. This time I haven't found relief.

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

Reaching out to my fellow 50'ish 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 rant.

 

[telemike]

Simple advice.

Got a hose in your shower? Sit on the edge of the tub after wiping and hang your butt out over the tub. Use the hose shower and a sacrificial hand to wash the damn roids well. Dry, prep H. Do this whenever the roids start to get sensitive and it will help like nothing else.

A little of the "stuff" stays on the roids after wiping and it is very alkaline. It will constantly irritate the roids if you don't wash them and grease them up.

Ok, enough of that topic!

 

[Nurse Ben]

My wife giggles when I tell her about some of the subjects discussed on this forum, she honestly thinks old men are crazy

 

[paramount3]

I wonder if Americans suffer more than the French or the Japanese?

 

[Nurse Ben]

There's probably genetic component as well as a lifestyle affect ... uh, wait, are you talking about our health or politics?

I wonder if Americans suffer more than the French or the Japanese?

 

[paramount3]

Not political. Some other cultures aren't as dependent on toilet paper as we are in the US.

 

[Nurse Ben]

Not political. Some other cultures aren't as dependent on toilet paper as we are in the US.

Umm, maybe, but in the countries with flushing toilets, toilet paper is the standard. In public bathrooms, newspaper and magazine paper is not uncommon (Spain, France, Italy), only a few places use a bidet and your hand.

I've lived abroad in developing countries, folks like toilet paper once they be one accustomed to it.

That said, hemorrhoids don't come from wiping with paper.

Think genetics, lifestyle (smoking, obesity, sedentary), and number one: chronic constipation leading to straining.

Don't confuse having an irritated butt hole with having hemorrhoids, they're not the same.

 

[Cachora]

I suffered with H for years. Internal with piles, but constantly bleeding. It's not overstating to say that dealing with that for years makes one consider, ya know, ending it all. I worked with doctors, including an H specialist with little/no improvement. Ultimately, I went on a careful quest to evaluate my diet. Mostly, I systematically eliminated various foods from my diet and evaluated the results.

For me, most important is to not eat tomatoes or tomato-based products. Tomato-based hot sauces are really hard on me, but I'm fine with green chile salsas. Other spicy foods are out for me also. Like I will suffer if I eat spicy Thai food, but I'm fine with no spice or even mild Thai. Recently, Popeyes gave me a spicy chicken sandwich instead of the classic that I ordered and that caused a flare-up. For pasta I'm fine with pesto and alfredo sauces.

I also had to eliminate coffee from my diet. Even one cup will cause bleeding. I haven't really sussed out teas or caffeinated soft drinks, but I didn't drink that stuff previously, and I don't now. I really only drink water and beer.

The other food I have to avoid is citrus. I'm fine with lime squeezed onto my fish tacos or lemon in a recipe, but eating a grapefruit half or drinking orange juice or eating an orange creates problems for me. I eat a lot of colored bell pepper (substitute that for tomato on sandwiches and home-made pizza with pesto) to get food-based vitamin C.

That's about it. I avoided alcohol and chocolate for awhile, but nowadays I eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate almost every evening with no issues, and I drink beer daily.

Prior to replying here I googled H and diet (not that I haven't done that many times previously) and read the first few hits and for me the popular advice is completely off the mark. I do eat an oatmeal breakfast every day and take a tablespoon of psylium husk after breakfast, and I do eat a decent amount of fresh greens and whole grains, but really, all I need to do is avoid tomatoes, coffee, and citrus, and I'm good.

 

[SoreBum]

I suffer with hemorrhoids too which led me to give up bike riding a few years ago. My New Year's resolution was to get back in shape so I got a gym membership and personal trainer. Day one at the gym the very first thing the trainer does is put me on a stationary bike! I was too embarrassed to say anything and managed to work through a painful ride. Next he had me sit on one of those big bouncy ball things and had me bouncing around the room in agony! After that I was pretty much in a state of shock from the horrific experience. When the workout was finally over I couldn't wait to get out of there and that's when the unthinkable happened, walking to my car I slipped on ice and my already sore rear landed on the pavement! I cancelled my gym membership the very next day.