Summer is a proctologic risk factor mainly for two reasons:
- Heat. Since we sweat more, we lose more fluids that we do not always replace adequately. For this reason, stools tend to become compacted.
- With the displacements and trips we change our schedule habits and our diet. We eat less fiber, we eat more abundant, spicy and spicy foods, and we increase the consumption of alcoholic beverages,
All this can be the cause of external hemorrhoidal thrombosis.
External hemorrhoidal thrombosis
External hemorrhoidal thrombosis appears within a few hours. It begins with discomfort, a stinging sensation or heaviness in the anal region, almost always after a defecatory effort.
The next day the patient wakes up with a lump, which can be from one centimeter to outrageous proportions.
The pain felt is variable, depending on the size of the hemorrhoid, but constant.
If we look at it with the help of a mirror, we will see a lesion the size of a chickpea, usually purplish in color due to the blood clot that lives inside it.
At this point, the thrombus has to be reabsorbed by the organism. To do so, it is necessary to:
- Follow a diet rich in fruit and fiber, and drink plenty of water. Do not overdo it with fruit since it is not necessary to reach diarrhea.
- Take an anti-inflammatory, if you do not have a history of ulcers. This helps to overcome the feeling of pressure and local inflammation, in addition to favoring the dissolution of the clot.
- Take a venotonic. These are drugs that promote venous return, and improve venous blood circulation back to the heart.
- Chapter ointments: there is no one ointment that is better or worse than another. Some are more neutral and others have menthol, which generates a refreshing effect. Almost all of them have corticoid in their formula which acts as an anti-inflammatory. It should be made clear that these will not dissolve the clot inside the thrombosed vein nor will they shorten the convalescence period. It is our own thrombolysis and healing mechanisms that do this. In any case, they produce symptomatic relief since almost all of them have some topical local anesthesia.
- Relative rest. Humans are the only mammals that suffer from hemorrhoids because we are on our feet. The fact of remaining lying down for a while improves the hydrostatic pressure in the area, favoring the deflation of the area.
If all this fails, and the clinical evolution is not good, the next step would be to visit a specialist in Proctology or, failing that, a surgeon.