My 96 year old mom broke her hip in April. She is still in a SNF getting rehab, but is doing fantastic and hopefully will be coming home in less than a month. She has an external hemorrhoid, increasing in pain from sitting more. The staff has been a bit lax on treating this so I am encouraging them to use more often the hemorrhoid cream. Does anyone have some suggestions that have worked for them or a patient? Need advice on maybe a donut pillow and I even wonder about surgery. I am not crazy about the idea of surgery for her, but I really don't know, maybe it would be the best thing. I saw one Dr with her in Florida and he was no help at all. I do plan on taking her to her own Dr ASAP when she comes home. Thank you and looking forward to getting great advice from this post.
The best bet to keep them at bay is to make sure mom is eating things with lots of fiber, and drinking lots of fluids to keep her regular.
Other than that, I would use the hemorrhoid cream regularly(as would the hospice aides later on) on my husband to keep them at in check.
Good luck.
Ice packs are a nice relief too. Constipation and sitting on the toilet for long periods of time are bad.
Definitely more fiber (Metamucil)
and liquids! to keep stool soft.
PRUNES!! Kiwi.to stay regular. Miralax works for us if no bm for 3 days. Sadly, lack of movement thwarts a body’s functions.
really improved it much, according to my doctor. If you get her on probiotics (check with her MD), it not only makes you regular, it softens stool and eases the problem.
I have the aides have her sit on a portable sitz bath that sits on the toilet bowl ( warm water and epsom salts.) A surgical supply store would have it. Use Preparatin- H on a clean bottom as well. we also use Tucks pads that prove to be soothing. Keep the Tucks pads in the refrigerator. Make sure she is hydrating enough and has enough roughage in her diet.
My Husband had problems with constipation and I was giving him prunes and prune juice and all the other things suggested. ( I was mixing in Mirilax, but later that was a problem as it could not be mixed with his drinks since I was using a thickener and Mirilax would thin out and make the thickener useless)
I did a bit of "research" and found a herbal tea called Smooth Move and that worked. I also found that a lot of the OTC products intended for a "cleanse" had 2 primary ingredients. Pineapple and papaya. I bought a pineapple and a papaya and I put both in a blender and portioned it into 1/2 Cup portions and stuck them in the freezer. He would get a serving every other day as a fruit with a meal or a snack. (that worked for quite a while then had to go the RX Lactulose route.)
PUT up a sign in her room Apply Butt Cream 3 Times A Day. Get the Dr at the Place she's recouping at to sign orders to Apply 3 times a day . Use a donut pillow. My 97 yr old Dad stays in his recliner most the day, even chooses to sleep in it and he's never had a bed sore in 2 yrs because less pressure is on his butt when he is reclining and it keeps his feet raised so no swelling.
Donto let her get an Operation, she is too old.
I'd be very surprised if you found a Dr to say otherwise and if you did find a Dr to say surgery, I'd run the other direction like a Bat Out Of Hell
(After movement , hemorrhoid cream or wipes We would reapply).
If I remember correctly, congested hemorrhoids sometimes need a docs exam and especially if bleeding is involved. Not sure if all medical creams are ok with bleeding. Bleeding is a concern, especially when on blood thinners. A good diet and even stool softeners can help a lot (preventatively).
Hope mom feels better real soon.