Over the past 6-7 months, I have been experiencing quite painful BM's. They have only gotten worse and worse during this time, and now I bleed after each BM (this has only started happening in the last few weeks). I have also noticed a protrusion (small and sack like) from my anus that has been there for about 3-4 months i think. I think this is some sort of hemorrhoid. It has gotten to the point now where it takes 5-10 minutes to complete a BM, and I try not to strain. Sometimes I notice a stinging, burning sensation at random times, along with mild urges to itch. I am 18 yrs old. My bowels have now gotten smaller and ribbon-like in appearance. I feel like I need to go to the doctor, but besides that what can i do to help weaken the pain of each BM?
Like the last poster said, time to see the doctor. Not the kind of thing to speculate about. Get in and get it over with. You may need to adjust your eating habits--sounds like you are struggling too much. Write your symptoms down before you go in, these types of visit are the ones we tend to forget details about. A lot of people have these kind of problems--they can be fixed, you probably really don't have anything to worry about but you have to have the doctor confirm it for you.
Like the other posters have said, it is time for you to see a doctor. It is true, a lot of people experience bowel problems and seeking the help of your doctor may seem embarrassing but they have heard it all. In the meantime, you might want to try increasing your fiber intake. Fiber helps to make your stool soft and bulked up so that it is soft coming out and eases the need for you to strain. Straining is bad and can cause hemorrhoids and fissures. You didn't elaborate on exactly what kind of pain you are experiencing, so it would be hard to guess if we could be talking about a fissure or a hemorrhoid. You mentioned you have something protruding from your anus; it could be a hemorrhoid or a skin tag from a fissure. If you have had this for 6-7 months it could just be a skin tag from a fissure that is not healing or a hemorrhoid. Either way, increasing your fiber and fluids should help some but you still need to see a doctor. You need to know exactly what it is you are dealing with and treat it appropriately. I suffered with painful bowel movements for several months myself last year and thought it was a hemorrhoid but after finally going to a colon/rectal doctor I found out what I actually had was an anal fissure. The thing protruding from my bottom that I thought was a hemorrhoid was actually a large skin tag from the fissure trying to heal then reopening over and over again when I had a bowel movement. Please keep in mind, that this might not be what you have and you need to see a doctor to get an appropriate diagnosis. Don't continue to live your life in pain and discomfort. Those of us on this board who have suffered from fissures, hemorrhoids and other rectal disorders know how you feel and can only offer you our thoughts, advice and compassion. Set your embarrassment and fears aside and seek the help of a doctor soon. You don't have to continue living this way. I hope you can feel better soon.
