In this article I will be introducing to you the 8 most common piles symptoms that people experience before lapsing into discomfort and pain. The objective of this article is to give you the fuel and the facts you will need to skip the ‘discomfort and pain’ part and revert back to your normal, busy lifestyle before these symptoms develop into anything more debilitating.

Also in this article I will share with you two true accounts of people suffering with piles symptoms – one in a mild case of hemorrhoids, and the other in a severe case of hemorrhoids.

From these accounts you’ll be clearer on what your current circumstance is, and have an even clearer idea on what the next best course of action is for you today.

One of those accounts is personal, my own experience. As I have been trained in health and work every day with people suffering from many different conditions, I had the awareness to take action early when I began noticing the symptoms of piles.

From this you’ll learn how best to react to hemorrhoids by catching it early – I also share with you tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way.

Our second account isn’t as pleasant as the first, but you’ll learn about the mistakes you must avoid and hopefully realise how severe your own condition can become.

A friend of mine works in the IT department of a large corporate business. His fight with hemorrhoids was longer, more severe and immeasureably more painful than my own. This was for two reasons, he didn’t take action on his condition and he neglected his diet/fitness – he said this himself, and it’s true!

You’ll definitely learn some important lessons from his ‘mistakes’. I hope you’ll be able to relate to his trauma, and so, overcome your personal fears to take action.

Finally, I think with these two stories you have a start and a finish on the scale of hemorrhoids – mild to severe. Having the two boundaries makes it easier for you to pinpoint whereabouts you currently are. I wish you the best of luck and hope you gain something from this article.

Okay, first up is my story. I remember it like yesterday; I rushed to the toilet at work after experiencing a sudden, intense urge to itch….

In the short term, I had experienced constipation the day before and struggled to use the toilet for 24 hours – I thought it was just something I had eaten.

In the long term, I had been sitting down a lot at work recently up until that point. I’d also been doing lot overtime and my private life wasn’t going so well. I had been VERY inactive and I wasn’t in the mood to exercise in my free time. If anything, I was in the mood to eat – not good.

… At work I was experiencing what I was perhaps destined for, the symptoms of piles. Still suffering with constipation, I sat on the toilet in silence for a time. With the increased pressure of ‘pushing’ I began to experience a little pain in and around my anal area.

And then my worst fears were realised, I was bleeding into the toilet. It was then I knew that I was suffering with piles.

You should know that anal bleeding is often the first symptom that alerts you to something being wrong. While constipation and itching are often experienced first, they are very minor and often misconstrued as being much lesser problems.

I stayed at work for the rest of the day, too embarrassed to answer the predictable, “why are you going home?” (When I lie I go bright red so that was out of the equation…)

Instinctively, I knew I had to drastically change my lifestyle there and then. And while I couldn’t change my job, I could change what I did at home.

I went to see my doctor, just to ensure that it was indeed hemorrhoids. The symptoms I was experiencing all pointed confidently towards hemorrhoids, but I have always known that when it comes to health it’s best to get the second opinion of a professional, no matter what you think.

I highly recommend you take this point of view too – you could have an anal fissure, or an abscess. Read my article on bleeding hemorrhoids for more.

My doctor confirmed that I had hemorrhoids and prescribed me Tucks® Hemorrhoidal Ointment (formally Anusol®). She said that while my hemorrhoids weren’t severe, this strong cream would be able to cure my hemorrhoids quickly. Now, while I encourage you to see your doctor for a diagnosis, I don’t generally encourage pharmaceutical products for anything but short term relief. See why in my story about hemorrhoid creams.

I value my health highly, probably the result of working with people every day who aren’t so fortunate with their own health. This rather ironic turnout gave me an unexpected motivation to cure my hemorrhoids and do whatever was best for my health – I was kicking myself for being so inactive and, I’ll admit, lazy. But as they say, you don’t know how much you appreciate things until they are taken away from you. I was going to get my health back – no question about it.

I won’t go into detail here, but after spending the next 6 months reading about piles treatments it became clear that without a good diet as a strong foundation for your body, no amount of cream or pills would cure you.

Again and again it was diet that separated the recurring sufferers from the cured. See my recommendation at the end of this article to see what I used to cure myself.

We’ll be getting onto the list of piles symptoms in just a moment but first, I have another great story for you. The person in this account is a friend of mine, Ted Baxter (not his real name for privacy).

I’ve written about Ted in more than one article on Pilesfree.com and there’s a reason for that. We can all learn a lot from Ted’s mistakes, as he has confessed. The unfortunate truth is that people delay taking action because of fear. Ted and I hope that by sharing his experiences you will take action today, and not regret inaction.

Whereas my symptoms took place over a few days at most, Ted’s symptoms were recurring again and again for over 10 years – sometimes for a few days and sometimes for weeks.

Throughout Ted’s bout with hemorrhoids he must have tried every cream, suppository, pill and eventually surgery – they worked only short-term at best. The big problem was, he was neglecting his diet out of laziness and ignorance.

Without the fuel; his body was just too weak. Today, he religiously lives by his diet and uses the same diet regime as me which you read about in my recommendation at the end of this article.

So, you’d be forgiven for assuming that he would have experienced many more symptoms than me because he experienced them for so much longer. Well, in truth there are only 8 piles symptoms. The difference between our experiences with the symptoms lies in how severe they are.

Early on, Ted remembers that he suffered from constipation – he thought nothing of it. However, over what must have been the next few weeks – eating more junk food and getting no exercise – he began to experience more discomfort and more piles symptoms.

He began to suffer with a sharp burning sensation that he became particularly aware of at night, when his mind wasn’t racing with other thoughts. He visited his doctor and was diagnosed with hemorrhoids.

Pharmaceutical products worked in the short term but symptoms kept on returning. He began to experience painful rectal bleeding, progressively getting worse, and swellings in the form of lumps on the anus.

Ted wasn’t overly bothered by hemorrhoids, as long as he could still get on with his work. Visits to his doctor ended promptly, and only in the occasional heights of discomfort would he visit the pharmacy for a treatment. This cycle of recurring symptoms was Ted’s life for 12 years, he didn’t complain so no one thought to be overly concerned…

However, it was when he experienced the thrombosed external hemorrhoid that this condition of his took pole position in his life – click the following link to read about Ted’s experience with the thrombosed external hemorrhoid.

Ted began to experience profuse bleeding whenever he used the toilet, and would even have blood loss while working. Ted had reached his wits end and it was time to revisit his doctor…


The surgery he was recommended, a hemorrhoidectomy, is the most severe form of surgery you can have for hemorrhoids – it’s the only surgery which requires a general anaesthetic. If you would like to see how the surgery affected his life (and still does) read about it in my article on hemorrhoid surgery.

This story is one that I tell everyone I meet who is  suffering with hemorrhoids. I have both experienced hemorrhoids and studied it, and so along with the stories of other people, particularly this case of Ted’s, I feel comfortable giving advice to others in need.

But people’s attention levels, especially today, are low – very low. And so I share one simple tip – focus on your diet and fitness. There is a time and place for human developed strategies to treat hemorrhoids – creams, tablets, surgery etc. But they are only short term solutions in light of diet and fitness. Neglect your diet and fitness, and nothing will work for you. Develop a lifestyle that prioritises diet and fitness and as long as your condition is mild, you won’t even need creams, tablets and surgery.

And it’s that simple really. But it’s not easy. We all have habits and nowhere are they harder to break than with our diet – I should know this, I have had my fair share of ‘comfort foods’ in the past!

I have spoken to Ted about this and he concedes, if he was to suffer with piles for the first time again he would drastically change his diet (and add a little exercise too!) But he is very philosophical about it, and feels it’s been a powerful lesson he can apply to other areas of his life.

Next, I’ll list for you the top 8 piles symptoms and then give you my recommendation for what to do next:

1.    Itching throughout the anal area

Itchiness is most often sporadic and quite intense. We all suffer with itchiness at one time or another, but if it’s more intense and doesn’t subside with rubbing then you may be experiencing the early warning signs of hemorrhoids. If you currently have a very inactive lifestyle and/or little exercise, visit your doctor immediately for a diagnosis.

2.    Burning throughout the anal area.

Burning is another sporadic symptom but it’s not a common sensation to have. Again, if it doesn’t subside with rubbing you should follow it up with your doctor to get diagnosed.

3.    Pain throughout the anal area

If you suffer with pain in and around the anal area for more than 10 minutes you should first do some exercises and ideally go for a long 20 minute walk. If the pain persists see your doctor for a diagnosis.

4.    Anal discharge of blood

Internal piles are generally painless as there are no receptors for pain. However, external piles are often painful through skin irritation. This is quite often the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’ as they say. Blood loss always seems to be the first symptom but in reality it’s more likely to be constipation or itchiness.

5.    Anal discharge of mucus

Again, internal piles are generally painless, external piles are often painful. Mucus can sometimes be the result but it’s no more severe than bleeding. While not as common as blood loss it should be seen to none the less.

6.    Constipation

This is quite often the first symptom for piles. Unfortunately, it’s a condition that can be brought on by any number of things – most often diet. It’s fairly common so people overlook these initial signs.

7.    An urge to use the toilet

This is in line with constipation. You may feel the urge to ‘go’ and not be able to. If this persists for more than 24 hours it’s important that you see your doctor.

8.    Swelling around the anus

This is the most severe symptom and really is the last point you can ‘catch’ piles before it deteriorates anymore. Feeling uncomfortable, many people will see their doctor at this point. But unfortunately, through embarrassment, fear and ignorance many more don’t do anything at all.

If you have swelling around the anus and you do not wish to see your doctor, take this last opportunity to drastically change your diet and begin doing exercise. Daily walks around where you live are a good idea if you don’t have ‘physical’ hobbies. When I was suffering I would go on a walk in the afternoon down a trail near where I live and listen to an audiobook.
You know what? I still make time for this today when I haven’t any other plans. Not only is it healthy, it’s enjoyable and an opportunity to learn.

 

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