Did the surgery give you relief I am literally ****ting bricks

no and yes he will , but only for a week or two unless you need surgery .

Phew - - - Dr changed his mind after taking a second look and opted a recommendation for 'rubber band surgery". Of course I said yes. Guess time will tell, very uncomfortable but I'll make it.

Istanbul_Tea writes"-I started having these spasms back there... I called them Butt Flinchers. Gawd, they were MUCH worse than my pain one day post-op."
Agreed, I have these regularly. Dr prescribed 'Xylocaine' .Takes a few minutes and relaxes the spasms.

Both Dr's preached Fiber, Fiber, Fiber. Dr Friday said it wasn't due to bike riding. But still take it easy and take hot 'sits' bath's.

Take care -----

Dang, I sure did forget, Saso- sit in an Epsom salt bath- in warm water. I was told that it would also help, and it did. You can add that to the to-do list of stuff I sent over to you.

Koffee

Things have eased up a lot, I just get a little tingling (want to scratch) in the bum. I am using Preph sheriproct and protoson( steriod based antobiotic). I am riding a few more days and see how it goes before I go to the doctor. Lubing up with prep h was the best idea though.

Thanks Kof

going to revive this thread and ask:

riding while going though an episode okay or a really bad idea?

Riding will not cause hemorroids, but will certainly aggravate them. To deal with the problem do two things - avoid internal and external irritation.

Internal irritation is normally caused by eating roughage (popcorn, nuts, etc.). Deal with this by using a stool softener after each meal. Metamucil is a dandy one because it is made of psyllium seeds that not only provide bulk but also leach fat from your system.

External irritation is normally caused by excess scrubbing after bowel movements. Deal with this by shaving the external areas and doing less scrubbing.

Between these fixes, you'll be able to ride pain-free.

Sounds like you're lactose intolerant. Try taking acidophilous and see if it helps! It did for me.

Must be the season - second time I've written this in a week...

Okay, so here's the deal.

Exercise in general is good at keeping you regular. But, there are a few things related to cycling that can cause issues.

First, you probably should push big gears (hard effort, slow cadence) while you're having an outbreak. Second, if the hemorrhoids are prolapsed (ie protruding), you will want to reduce them so they don't rub too much. You can do this by gently pushing them back inside while they're lubed.
Finally, getting dehydrated is really bad for the condition. You want lots of water during your ride.

Fruit is very good. Whole grains are very good - they have lots of soluble fiber in them *but* you have to take in enough water when you have them. If you eat a high fiber cereal, the milk doesn't have enough liquid, and you can make things worse. I hae a glass of water right when I get up, a big bowl of high-fiber cereal, then another glass of water.

Note that there is also a delayed effect. If you strain too much, it will cause you problems a few days later.

Some people find relief with steroid-based cremes. I think there's an over-the-counter version that has hydrocortisone, and there are also prescription cremes (cutivate is a good one). These are good but long-term use of steroids has some issues.

Stool softeners (dulcolax) can also make you more comfortable.

There's lots of good info on the various treatments online. Some are simple, some are more... invasive. Note that most narcotics cause constipation, which is a bit of an issue if you need them for the pain.

Finally, you might end up with a fissure, which is really really painful. A good treatment that works for many people is 0.2% nitroglycerin, which relaxes the muscles and allows you to heal. Some people get headaches during.

Depends upon how you use the saddle...

Well, I'm going through my first episode and I'm not changing my commuting habits a bit.

To keep my bike shorts clean, I have been raiding my wife's box of...uh...you know...

EEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUOWWWW!

I found that cycling was more comfortable than walking when I had some minor hemmaroids. The hard saddle pushed my butt cheeks apart, relieving some pressure. Softer saddles would be bad news. They went away of their own accord but Im careful not to push or strain too hard.

I do, but mine are connected to my endometriosis, and there ain't no way I'm going off my bike for 7-10 days a month! Just be careful. Ever post on a horse? If so, those techniques help some.

dunno if this has been mentioned but you can use vaseline...

I'm a vet of a fissure and roids, I had surgery for a fissure after about two years of pain, pain so bad it made me want to vomit, I've been great since the surgery.
As for roids and or fissure, the best thing I've read here is fiber, fiber, fiber.....take metamucil, and eat prunes, no strain, no pain. Nothing like a two flush, no wipe dump to keep things in order.
Prunes are some kind of natural stool softner and work wonders, I eat a handful every day.
I have also found that riding helps, not the fact that you are sitting on a tiny hard seat, but the fact that I am active, being active helps with being regular, being regular keeps you from staining.

I've been kind of thinking about doing something like that. I don't have hemroids, but I've been dealing with a boil all week. It's right on the crease where the leg meets the bun. No, it could happen an inch above or below the line. It had to go right on the fold so every time I move my leg I'll know it's there. Anyways I'm figuring it'll burst this weekend and I'll have to come up with some way of dealing with the spooge. Maybe those things with the wings would work.

i've decided to just keep riding, but cutting down just a little. take a day off when i might not normally.

In addition to everything else you have had suggested, make sure you are getting enough water evenly throughout the day, especially if you start eating more fiber of any kind.

And as a sidebar, what happened to the folks that guinea pigged Preparation A through G?

This is such a long thread I didn't have time to read it all so excuse if this is repetitive.

I used to get em real bad. REAL BLOODY BAD. So did my brother. Once we figured out the fiber thing, generic Metamucil, not a problem since. I never miss a daily dose. Cycling has never been a problem. And Prep H is worthless!

Watch out for the scented ones. Sometimes they are disguised as "odor absorbent" on the package. If you burst with perfumes you-know-where, it's going to be hell.

i've just been using a knockoff drugstore brand it's actually been rather good to me.. so individual results may vary i suppose

My gut reaction to this was "no". Then I read the thread and found that a lot of cyclists seem to have experienced them. Is it the result of cycling after all? Or it is just so common that "everybody" gets them and they will invariably snag some cyclists?

The only people I've ever known to get them were people who put on some extra weight and kept it around for a while, myself included. I wasn't cycling at the time, nor could I have even imagined cycling with "the piles". Unless I had speakers on the bike in which I could play a horror movie soundtrack with a bunch of shrieking violins. Kudos for your tenacity.

My doctor told me that sometimes it's just genetic. My dad had them when he was in his 20's along with varicose veins, and he was very athletic in that tall, skinny, swimmer/runner sort of way. His short, curvy sister who never had children got them, too. My brother and I have them, and it started young for us, too. Thanks to my dad, we've always focused on fiber in our diets, so I don't think it's that. I don't think western-style seating helps much, either.

I also am surprised at how many people on this forum are sharing their experiences. It's not really a subject for polite chitchat, is it? Maybe that's why seems a lot of cyclists experience them. I think more people than commonly believed have them. They just don't bring it up.