A lot of people with hemorrhoids discover them on their own. They either feel the lump of an external hemorrhoid or a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid protruding from the anus after bowel movements. Alternatively, they might find drops of blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl. Severe anal pain, itching and discomfort may be felt, but these symptoms can also be due to other medical conditions apart from hemorrhoids.

Since the most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are extremely nonspecific in nature, such as pain, itching, rectal bleeding or prolapse, a thorough examination has to be done to rule out anal fissures, fistulae, perianal skin diseases, infections, cancer or digestive diseases. If you find yourself bleeding from the rectum or notice traces of blood in your stool, make sure to visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis. Before identifying the condition as hemorrhoids, it’s important to exclude the above mentioned medical conditions that mimic hemorrhoid-like symptoms.

Besides obtaining a thorough history of your diet, family predisposition, constipation, diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain, itching, changes in appetite or bowel habits, heavy lifting or prolonged sitting, your doctor will conduct a careful physical examination in order to confirm the diagnosis. He/she will examine the anus and rectum to check for swollen blood vessels that are indicative of hemorrhoids or any other abnormalities. If necessary, scrapings of the anus will be taken to diagnose infections, skin diseases or cancers. A more thorough examination of the rectum may be done to check for internal hemorrhoids using an anoscope, a hollow, three inch long lit tube. Sometimes an indirect anoscopy is done using a special mirror to see the anus and the effect straining has on it.

Whether or not hemorrhoids are found, if you’ve been bleeding, your doctor will need to examine the colon above the rectum to rule out polyps, colon cancer and colitis. Examination of the rectum and lower colon is done using a flexible sigmoidoscopy, while the entire colon is checked with a colonoscopy. Both sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are diagnostic procedures that also use lit, flexible tubes which are inserted through the rectum. If a diagnosis of hemorrhoids is confirmed, do check out the ‘H Miracle System’ for a natural, safe and 96.4% cure for any kind of hemorrhoid.

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