How to Manage and Treat Bleeding Piles: A Comprehensive Guide

What are the symptoms of bleeding piles?

Many symptoms of piles and bleeding piles are the same. Symptoms of bleeding piles may also include the following:

• Change in the type and color of stool (blood in stool)
• Change in bowel habits
• Loss of body weight 
• Pain in the anus 
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Nausea and vomiting

(Read more -Home remedies for piles)

Why do bleeding piles occur?

Passing too hard stools or straining more than usual while passing stools can damage the upper layer of the piles and cause bleeding. This problem can occur in both internal and external piles. When thrombosed hemorrhoids become overfilled, in some cases they burst, which can also result in bleeding.

(Read more -Hemorrhoids Symptoms in Women​)

If you have hemorrhoids during examination and they are itchy and painful, the first thing to do is to gently clean the area and reduce the swelling.

Take a sitz bath:
In this process, the anal area is immersed in a few inches of lukewarm water. A little Epsom salt can also be added to the water for more relief. 

Do not use hard things:
Toilet paper can be hard which can damage the external hemorrhoids. Instead, you can use a moist towelette. Choose such towelettes that have not been added fragrance or any other irritant. 

Apply cold compress:
Take a piece of ice and wrap a towel around it and sit on it. Doing this reduces swelling and other problems caused by hemorrhoids. Do not use this technique for more than 20 minutes at a time. 

Do not strain too much:
Do not strain too much while defecating and do not sit on the toilet for a long time. Doing this increases the pressure in hemorrhoids. 

Use OTC products:
You can apply some creams available from medical stores on external hemorrhoids. Apart from this, some suppository medicines can also be used for bleeding hemorrhoids, these medicines are placed directly in the anus. After that, try to keep the stool soft to maintain the functioning of your digestive system and to prevent bleeding hemorrhoids from getting worse.

Drink enough water:
Keep drinking enough water throughout the day to replenish water loss in the body and to prevent constipation etc.

Eat fiber-rich foods:
Gradually increase the amount of foods high in fiber in your diet, such as whole grains, vegetables and fresh fruits etc. Eating such foods eliminates the problem of constipation and stool starts coming on time. 

Take stool softening medicines:
If you have constipation, you can use some stool softeners available in medical stores to get relief from this condition. 

Use fiber supplements:
If you feel that you need more fiber to pass stool properly, you can also take some types of fiber supplements like methylcellulose and psyllium etc. Fiber supplements are also available online these days. 

Do physical activity:
Getting regular, reasonable physical activity every day can help reduce constipation.

Use Miralax (Polyethylene glycol):
This product is generally safe and can be taken daily. It draws water into the digestive system to soften stools. If you still have blood in your stool or are experiencing extreme discomfort from bleeding piles after trying home remedies, you should seek medical help.

(Read more - Turmeric (Haldi) for piles)

How are bleeding piles treated?
Bleeding piles are usually a sign of some kind of damage to the upper layer of the hemorrhoid. This condition may heal on its own over time, although some home remedies can also be adopted to reduce its symptoms.

However, if it is not known where the bleeding is coming from or the bleeding piles do not get cured for a week, then in such a situation one should go to the doctor. There are also many serious diseases, whose symptoms are very similar to bleeding piles, these include cancer and inflammatory bowel disease etc. Therefore, it is very important to find out the condition by getting a thorough examination from a doctor.

(Read more - Rectal bleeding)

Medical treatment
If home remedies do not provide adequate relief, then some types of surgical procedures may have to be taken. Most types of surgical procedures are done in the hospital itself and do not require general anesthesia. These procedures may include the following procedures:

Rubber band ligation:
In this procedure, a small rubber band is put at the base of the internal bleeding piles. With the help of this band, the bleeding stops and eventually the piles dry up and fall off.

Sclerotherapy:
In this procedure, a solution made of medicines is injected into the hemorrhoids. Like rubber band ligation therapy, the hemorrhoids dry up and fall off. 

(Read more - Top Acupressure Points to Relieve Piles Naturally)

Bipolar, laser or infrared coagulation:
With the help of this procedure, the blood supply to the internal hemorrhoids is stopped. After this, the hemorrhoids gradually dry up and fall off.

Electrocoagulation:
In this procedure, the hemorrhoids are dried up with the help of electrical current and finally they fall off. If the size of the bleeding hemorrhoids has increased significantly or the condition has become extremely serious, then the doctor can do more advanced treatment, such as extensive surgery etc. If you have prolapsed hemorrhoids (hemorrhoids moving forward), then the doctor may also recommend such treatment. This condition occurs when the hemorrhoids come out of the anus. The doctor chooses the right treatment for you according to the type and severity of your bleeding piles. There are some treatment procedures during which the patient is given anesthesia or numbing medicine and in some cases the patient may have to stay in the hospital overnight.

Hemorrhoidectomy:
With the help of this procedure, enlarged internal piles and internal complicated piles are removed. 

Hemorrhoidopexy:
In this procedure, the surgeon (doctor doing the surgery) puts the bleeding piles that have come out inside with the help of surgical staples. With the help of this procedure, the blood supply to the piles is also stopped, due to which the piles start getting smaller.

Doppler Guided Hemorrhoid Artery Ligation (DG-HAL):
In this procedure, ultrasound is used to check the blood flow in bleeding piles. By stopping the blood supply in bleeding piles, the size of the piles starts decreasing. However, in cases of severe bleeding piles, the chances of piles developing again after this procedure also increase significantly.

(Read more -Can hemorrhoids cause cancer?)

What are the complications of bleeding piles?

When there is any kind of damage to the piles, it starts bleeding. Usually, the condition of bleeding and other problems in piles is cured with the help of home remedies. But if you are still feeling its symptoms even after a week of starting home remedies, then you should seek help from a doctor.

(Read more - Piles Injection Therapy)

Bleeding piles, also known as hemorrhoids, is a condition in which there is swelling and pain in the rectum or anus, accompanied by bleeding. This condition occurs when the veins (blood vessels) of the hemorrhoids become swollen and bleed. Symptoms of bleeding piles may include bleeding during bowel movements, itching and burning in the anus, and sometimes pain. The condition is often caused by constipation, sitting for long periods of time, or lifting heavy objects. Treatment may include a high-fiber diet, drinking plenty of water, and specific medications for hemorrhoids. In severe cases, medical treatment or surgery may be required. Proper care and treatment provides relief in most cases.