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Why you should have that bloody stool checked urgently

Health

“I ruptured my butt (sic),” gasped a pregnant Neema. “I was straining to push it out in the toilet and felt a sharp pain as I finally relieved myself.”

I was genuinely worried for a friend. She was petrified beyond her hairs. She was in her second trimester and had been told to report to hospital immediately in case of any bloody vaginal discharge.  The case was a little bit different though, she bleeding from the back. Regardless, she still felt strongly that this was an emergency situation that could interfere with the baby’s growth. So I helped in rushing her to the clinic.

Thankfully, the diagnosis revealed “no major problem with the baby.”

Neema was bleeding from a haemorrhoid. Yes. A haemorrhoid. I recalled that some years back, a friend reported similar symptoms but felt uncomfortable getting himself checked. You have probably suffered from haemorrhoids but have always thought about it as a ‘ruptured anus.’

“A haemorrhoid is a ruptured vein (or tuft of veins) around the anal area and sphincters. Many who suffer from haemorrhoids don’t drink enough water accompanied with the food they eat. They suffer constipation and apply pressure to relieve themselves in the toilet.

The pressure provokes pooling of blood which hangs out and grows as the patient continues to apply pressure while in the toilet,” explains Dr Richard Muraga, a resident practitioner at Kenyatta National Hospital.

When a haemorrhoid patient suffers from constipation, toilet time becomes a dreaded necessity of everyday life, says Dr Muraga. He adds that one can manage and comfortably live with haemorrhoids. However, every time the patient forgets eating right and drinking enough water, the resultant dry stool exacerbates the haemorrhoids. “The pain can range from tingly to excruciating,” says Dr Muraga. “In extreme cases, the haemorrhoids may need surgical removal (haemorrhoidectomy) if severe bleeding is reported,” he adds.

Apart from pain and discomfort when passing stool, haemorrhoids are never fatal. But who needs that frequency of pain? The longer a haemorrhoid grows, the more the pain and the higher the risk. Doctors can curtail the development of a haemorrhoid, thereby curtailing its effects by tying it up to cut off blood supply – the haemorrhoid tissue eventually dies and sheds off, leaving a painless scar. In other cases, surgical excision of the haemorrhoid may be recommended. But all in all, prevention is better than cure. According to Dr Muraga, eating a good proportion of roughage and drinking eight glasses of water a day will could be all you need to avoid haemorrhoids.

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