cambria

I posted several days ago asking when hemorrhoids require removal. Now I have a new question. I posted a similar (but NOT exactly the same so please don't delete this) post on the STDs message board but got no replies. I think I probably should have started out by asking here first.

To recap, last weekend, I had a bowel movement and could feel what I have always believed to be hemorrhoids (from my pregnancy and diagnosed by my ob/gyn) swelling up. I'd also been having some itching down there for about a week and a half, so I decided I'd better check it out. They looked very swollen and purple/gray, typical ballon-like appearance. It was icky, to say the least. Anyway, so I applied my Preparation H cream for a couple days and they stopped bothering me.

I checked myself out down there again today, and they have shrunk considerably and almost look like anal warts would. And what makes me nervous about is that I DO have HPV but with no external warts (unless these are). Like I said, my doctor looked at the hemorrhoids when I got them during my pregnancy. I never checked myself out down there after I had my baby so I don't know what they looked like at that point. But I knew I still had them because I would feel them swell up after a BM.

So basically what I'm wondering is can hemorrhoids look like that when they shrink down? I find it odd that they would resemble warts like that, but I also have never heard of anal warts swelling THAT largely with BMs and being purple/gray in color like that. But now they look shrunken and shriveled and not-so-purple. I'm not sure if that's just because the massive swelling has gone down? I've had the other typical hemorrhoid symptoms like pretty intense itching and slight burning, but from what I've read that can also be indicative of warts.

Any help would be appreciated!