Hemorrhoids Treatment in Downers Grove, IL

Hemorrhoids are itchy, swollen veins in the anal canal. Though the condition can be painful and frustrating, it’s usually treatable and not serious.

At Digestive Health Services, our board-certified gastroenterologists have over 60 years of combined experience treating patients suffering from hemorrhoids in Downers Grove, IL. They will take the time to provide you with a comprehensive diagnosis to help determine the best treatment option for you. For more information, contact our office at 630-434-9312 and schedule an appointment today!

What Causes Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids can be caused by many things. Common causes include:

• Straining during bowel movements
• Obesity
• Lifting heavy weights or objects
• Anal sex
• Genetics – weaker veins and hemorrhoids can run in families
• Sitting for extended periods of time
• Standing for extended periods of time
• Weakening of the tissue surrounding the anus that occurs with age
• Pregnancy or childbirth

Symptoms of Hemorrhoids

According to Cleveland Clinic many people with hemorrhoids don’t know they have them because they don’t experience any, but common symptoms are:

• Bleeding during bowel movements
• Anal itching or irritation
• Swelling, pain or discomfort around the anus
• Protrusions or painful lumps in the anal region

Treatment of Hemorrhoids

The majority of hemorrhoids can be treated with minimally invasive non-surgical procedures. Our physicians offer a full range of state of the art treatment options for hemorrhoids.

• Non-surgical treatments – relatively painless with little or no time away from work.
• Ligation or the rubber banding treatment – once our physicians confirm that the source of bleeding is a hemorrhoid and not a more serious problem, a rubber band is placed over the hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply.
• Infrared photocoagulation – a non-surgical office procedure which uses infrared light to cause scar tissue which cuts off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid. This is usually effective at the very earliest stages of an internal bleeding. Unfortunately too many hemorrhoid treatment centers that are not staffed by colon and rectal specialists use this repeatedly as the only form of treatment. This treatment is used on less than 10% of our patients as it is not the most effective treatment procedure.
• Surgical treatments – when non-surgical options fail the following surgical options will be used to treat hemorrhoids.
• Hemorrhoidectomy is surgically removing the hemorrhoids.
• Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH) is an outpatient procedure during which protruding tissue is lifted and replaced in its original position.
• Transanal Hemorrhoidal Dearterialization (THD) is an outpatient procedure that uses ultrasound guidance to cut off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid.

Is there a link between Hemorrhoids and Cancer?

There is NO relationship between hemorrhoids and cancer. However, the symptoms of hemorrhoids and cancer are very similar. That is why it is extremely important to have the symptoms investigated by a physician who is trained in colon, rectal and digestive diseases.