Hemorrhoids and bowel movements
If the hemorrhoids prolapse only with a bowel movement, replacement of the hemorrhoid can be done manually by lubricating your finger with petrolatum gel and using it to push the vein or veins back inside the anal sphincter.
If you are squeamish about using your finger inside the rectum without a covering, you can use a disposable glove or finger cot coated with the petrolatum gel.
While it is slightly painful to push the veins back in, the relief is almost instantaneous and lasts until the next bowel movement. If the veins stay out all of the time or they come back out even without a bowel movement, then you must see your physician about further treatment.
Is high fiber diet enough or are there any other ways to keep the stool soft?
Once the rectal veins have been stretched out and hemorrhoids created, they are very difficult to get rid of completely. They tend to recur with less and straining than it took to produce them initially.
If chronic constipation has a role in creating or maintaining the hemorrhoids, then diet to avoid constipation is essential in treating them. See our article for further discussion on treatment and avoidance of constipation.
If you have a job involving sitting for long periods of time, make sure you get up and walk around for a short time at least every 45-60 minutes. If your job involves heavy lifting, practice breathing in and out slowly while lifting. This prevents you from holding your breath and causing a rise in intraabdominal pressure when you lift.
If a chronic cough is part of your cause, do your best to get your lung disease in the best shape possible. Also practice Kegel exercises that emphasize the rectal sphincter rather than the perivaginal muscles. This will help protect the hemorrhoids from prolapsing during a cough.
If pregnancy is the main etiology of the hemorrhoids, there is not much you can do beyond avoiding constipation, until the pregnancy ends. Almost always they go away then. When rectoceles are associated with hemorrhoids, surgical repair often (but not always) results in resolution of the dilated veins.
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