Piles - Harmorrhoids

Piles are round swellings on the inside of the anal canal - the short, muscular tube that connects your rectum (back passage) with your anus - in areas known as the anal cushions.

Although piles develop from inside your anal canal, they can hang down out of your rectum. They are graded as follows.
- First degree piles are swellings on the inside lining of your anal canal. They may bleed but can't be seen from outside the anus.
- Second degree piles are larger and stick out (prolapse) from the anus when you have a bowel movement, but return on their own afterwards.
- Third degree piles are similar, but hang out from your anus and only return inside when pushed back in.
- Fourth degree piles permanently hang down from your anus and you can't push them back inside. They may become extremely swollen and painful if the blood in them clots.
- External piles are swellings that develop from below the anal cushions. They can be more painful than the other types of piles.
Other causes of lumps around the anus can include a sentinel pile, which is the painless skin tag that develops when a crack in the anus (an anal fissure) heals up

Common symptoms of piles include:
- painless bleeding from your anus, which you may notice in the toilet bowl or when you use toilet paper, or from soiled underwear
- a lump on your anus
- a slimy discharge of mucus
- a feeling that your bowels haven't emptied completely
- itchy skin around your anus
- swelling around your anus
- pain and discomfort after a bowel movement if you have external piles

These symptoms may be caused by problems other than piles. You should visit your GP for advice.

Causes of piles

The exact cause of piles isn't known.
One theory is that piles are a result of a weakness of the tissue that connects the anal cushions to the muscle layers underneath. In combination with frequently straining while passing hard bowel movements, this can cause the anal cushions to slide out of their usual place and down the rectum.
You're more likely to develop piles:
- if you eat a low-fibre diet
- if you strain to empty your bowels (for example, if you have constipation)
- as you age because the support structures in your rectum weaken
- if you're pregnant
- if you're born with a weakness in your rectum or have a family history of piles

The information was extracted from www.bupa.co.uk

And why on earth am I writing about piles?

After about 2.5 weeks of fasting during Ramadhan, I noticed something wasn't very right with me. I do occassionally suffer constipation, mild and usually recovers on its own. Unfortunately one day I had 2 to 3 of the symptoms listed above. With the occassional discomfort where the sun don't shine, I had to check it out. I was worried.

Since I knew of piles long time ago, my mental picture of it was extremely different from the reality. I googled photos of it and finally self-diagnosed myself to have it. Disheartened and worried it may be more serious (I had the fourth type and possibly also the external ones), I went to the pharmacy and asked for medication for this, as it was almost the weekend and the most convenient lady-dr is only available on Mon.

Miraculously, by Sun I was cured. Cured in the sense the discomfort was gone and I believe no 'lump' was there anymore....

Thank God.

The cause of it all? My extreme diet change during the Ramadhan month. Not enough fruits and fibre in my diet. My daily lunch intake always has lots of vege n fruits. But during ramadhan.....no lunch, and all that also gone. Param food leaves me with not much option and no one sells sliced pineapple in the evening ;p

There were days where I actually had salad as my sahur after this incident. :)

Now lets aim to eat healthily and piles, be GONE!