Am I a Candidate for a Hemorrhoidectomy?

It started as some itchiness around your anus, but now your hemorrhoids have turned the corner into downright uncomfortable and even painful. 

You’re certainly not alone in this — hemorrhoids affect millions of Americans, but many remain asymptomatic. For the 1 in 20 Americans who do have symptomatic hemorrhoids, treatment becomes a priority, and we want to discuss one of the options here —  a hemorrhoidectomy.

At Fairfax Colon & Rectal Surgery, our extensive team of board-certified colorectal specialists has helped many patients wave goodbye to uncomfortable, painful hemorrhoids, and we feel confident that we can do the same for you.

In the following, we review one of our hemorrhoid solutions — a hemorrhoidectomy — to help guide you in your pursuit of relief.

When hemorrhoids become symptomatic

We touched on the fact that many people have hemorrhoids and are unaware of the condition — one study found that 39% of people who underwent a colonoscopy had hemorrhoids, yet 55% of them had no symptoms.

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that can be found inside your rectum and outside your anus — internal and external hemorrhoids, respectively. 

As a general rule of thumb, internal hemorrhoids aren’t usually painful, but they can lead to anal bleeding. That said, if your hemorrhoid disease advances and the swollen vein prolapses, which means it descends into your rectum and anus and protrudes outside the opening, then they can become quite uncomfortable. Not to mention, prolapsed hemorrhoids can also bleed.

 

External hemorrhoids are more known for causing itchiness and pain, especially if a clot forms. In these cases, you can develop a hard lump outside your anus that can be quite painful given its location.

When a hemorrhoidectomy makes good sense

Now let’s explore whether you’re a candidate for a hemorrhoidectomy, which is a frontline surgical treatment for hemorrhoids. To give you an idea, about 10% of people with symptomatic hemorrhoids benefit from this type of surgery.

During a hemorrhoidectomy, we surgically remove the vein (don’t worry, blood reroutes to healthier vessels). In most cases, we perform a hemorrhoidectomy on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home the same day.

 

In our collective and extensive experience with hemorrhoidectomies, we typically suggest this procedure for people who:

 

• Have prolapsed hemorrhoids
• Haven’t found relief with conservative treatments
• Have problems with anal bleeding
• Have developed thrombosis (a blood clot)

 

While it’s impossible for us to say here whether you’re a candidate without evaluating your hemorrhoids in person, we hope this information provides you with some guidance.

 

The bottom line is that we offer a complete treatment arsenal for hemorrhoids, so whether you can benefit from a hemorrhoidectomy or another treatment, you’re in good hands. 

 

To get one step closer to relief from your hemorrhoids, please click here to set up a consultation at one of our five offices in the Fairfax, Virginia, area.