i am 21 and going through my first case of hemorrhoids. i am totally confused from all my internet research mostly because of all the things they say causes a hemorrhoid, i havent done or had any of them….i.e. no heavy lifting, pregnancy, no constipation etc. i am really bummed about this because for me it is really painful! it started hurting the most on sunday so this morning (monday) i did a saltz bath twice. then i worked from 3 in the afternoon until 11 and im not kidding, but by the end of the night….starting around 8 i was waddling around my work because it was so awful. i did one more saltz bath when i got home and took a vicodin for the pain so i feel okay now….but im worried about work tomorrow because i will be at work for 8 and a half hours! i obviously cant do a saltz bath so id like to know 1) what i can do for the pain
2) how long will this horrid pain last
3) is this really normal? cause according to my reading, everybody has this…it just doesnt seem right

I’ll start off by saying I am only 23. A couple of weeks ago I came down with a pretty bad cold. I went to the doctor and he put me on some antibiotics that didn’t help, all my symptoms stayed the same. It hurt to eat anything besides soup so my bowl movements became very runny, like diarrhea. One day after a BM i noticed blood on my toilet paper, I didn’t think too much about it but the next day when I had a BM it felt like I was passing glass, so after a little internet research I figured I had a hemorrhoid.

The next day was a little uncomfortable but after having another BM that night, I was in a lot of pain. It was hard for me to go to sleep because of the pain, however when I woke up the next day, I seemed to be better. Worried about the night before I decided to bend over in the mirror and take a look myself. I have a large pink lump about the size of a kidney bean where my anus once was! I was very concerned and I have been edge about it ever since! I am too embarrassed to tell any friends for family even though I have tried, I just can’t spit it out. I have been drinking a lot of water and taking a lot of fiber just hoping this will clear up and go away on its own! Whenever I pass a BM it is still painful and bleeds. This has only been about a 5 days total and the pain is manageable I’m just concerned that if I do not take action it might get worse worse, or not clear up at all.

I’d really rather just wait it out if that is an option, I don’t know why I find this too embarrassing to talk over with anyone, but even the thought of going to the doctor at this point is mortifying and I can only bear to do it if it is necessary!

To recap, I believe I have an external hemorrhoid, will it go away on its own or MUST I seek medical attention? Thanks for any help!