You may have reached a point where good diet, a healthy lifestyle and natural remedies just don’t help with your hemorrhoids any longer – if they have ever helped at all.

In my own case, hemorrhoids are clearly a hereditary problem.  My grandfather had piles, my dad had piles (until undergoing a hemorrhoidectomy (see below), my uncles have them – and so do I! 
Granted, piles are an affliction that a great number of the population deal with at some point but some of us are just a little more likely to be prone to them.  Unfortunately, this might mean that we have to resort to hemorrhoid surgery.  This article is intended to give you some information about the different hemorrhoid surgical options.

Hemorrhoid banding

This is often the first (minor) surgical option for piles sufferers.  In fact it isn’t always considered to be hemorrhoid surgery – you may hear of it referred to as a piles treatment as it can be performed without anesthetic.  Banding works by cutting of the blood supply to the hemorrhoid.  Using a special tool, the surgeon will tie a rubber band tightly around hemorrhoid.  In 1 – 2 weeks the hemorrhoid should, in theory, drop off without any further treatment.  Typically this treatment is considered to be suitable for treating 2nd or 3rd degree piles and has been reported as having an 80% success rate.

In my dad’s case this was the first hemorrhoid treatment that he was offered by his surgeon.  He underwent the procedure but it failed to have any effect.  Note:  It is worth pointing out that he had very (very) bad piles and so more extreme surgery was the only option for him.

It has also been recommended to me.  I am currently trying a variety of different lifestyle changes (mostly diet and exercise related) but my father’s experience (see more below) has convinced me to opt for the THD treatment (also see below) if I decide that surgery is the only option.

Sclerotherapy (injections)

This procedure consists of injecting special chemicals into the hemorrhoid.  The idea is that it permanently scars the vein to reduce blood flow and shrink the hemorrhoid.  The injection is made above the dentate line which means that it is less painful.

However, it has been reported that results may only last 12 months and that it is unsuitable for more serious hemorrhoids.

It was the second treatment that my dad tried.  In his case, it was a complete failure.  However, his experience wasn’t especially painful – it just didn’t work!

Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy (or stapling)

This is a hemorrhoid surgery option that is a slightly less severe version of a full hemorrhoidectomy.  Instead of excising the hemorrhoid, the surgeon uses a special type of stapling gun to staple the pile to the anal canal.  This pulls the hemorrhoid further up into the anus and cuts off its blood supply.  If your doctor recommends a complete hemorrhoidectomy it may be worth asking about stapling – if only because our readers report that it is considerably less painful!

Hemorrhoidectomy

This is often the last resort for many sufferers of serious hemorrhoids.  You will be placed under general (or sometimes spinal) anesthetic and the hemorrhoid will be “tied off” to restrict blood flow.  The surgeon will then cut through the hemorrhoid to remove it entirely.

This is the final surgical treatment for hemorrhoids that my dad tried.  In his case the the hemorrhoidectomy was a complete success.  Over fifteen years later he is still completely cured.  He also seems to be able to drink alcohol, do very little exercise and eat what he likes.   I’m not saying you should do the same thing:  just that it seems to be an effective hemorrhoid treatment is my father’s case!

However. . .it is extremely painful.  Although it is performed under general anesthetic, the recovery time can take between 2 and 6 weeks.   My dad found that it took about 3 weeks – and any kind of bowel movement was agonising.  He has told me that he would never undergo the same procedure again and that if he had know about it in the first place he never would have tried it.  But it seems like he won’t have to!

THD hemorrhoid treatment

This is new hemorrhoid treatment that has some major benefits over all of the above.  It works by tying off the arterial blood flow to the hemorrhoids and has a very high success rate.  It is also relatively painless with a fast recovery time – normally within 24 hours.  You can find out more information here. THD is highly recommended by our readers as a successful treatment for piles!