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I'm 27 years old and am a fairly healthy guy. I've had hemorrhoids on and off for about seven years. I got my first thrombosed hemorrhoid this year. I got IRC (infrared coagulation) twice, and I still have problems. Doctors just say eat high fiber and drink lots of water, but it doesn't seem to help. I fast (go long periods without eating at all) as a result. Now, I fast fairly regularly and have lost 35 pounds in the last three months. Now I have "thrombosed hemorrhoid No. 2," and I'm just exhausted, both physically and mentally at the intense pain I feel every day. The few things that work for me are: --Over-the-counter Preparation H suppositories (usually too painful to insert though) --Lidocaine (seems to numb a little bit) --Not eating (gives the whole mess down there time to figure out what it wants to do and heal) I learned the hard way that sleeping pills and oxycontin are no good. Taking narcotics for pain is a terrible idea, and please don't do it. It will 100% cause constipation, which in turn will cause more pain, which sucks. So, in short, don't be afraid to fast, and don't take narcotics for the pain. It will hurt you so much more, and you will hate yourself for sabotaging yourself in the healing process.

Go buy Desitin or the store brand containing 40% zinc oxide! Last night, I used some, and although the hemorrhoids are not gone, they are reduced significantly. I slept through the night for the first time in a long time. I also had the first normal bowel movement in a long time this morning. Woo hoo -- no bleedint! I was just about at the end of my rope. My doctor said surgery was necessary, but I am in a huge initiative at work and cannot take time off now. Surgery may still be necessary, but at the very least I feel the zinc oxide will get me through the summer. Yes, it is a bit of a mess, but no more than the other creams. I put the cream on a cotton swab and inserted it that way. It is a little cumbersome but well worth the effort.

I am a 35-year-old female and have had hemorrhoids since my third child. I have fourth-degree hemorrhoids. I have used Prep H, diaper cream, petroleum jelly, fiber diet, fasting, drinking water, narcotics, ibuprophen, Tylenol, hot baths, Witch Hazel or Tucks … you name it. I have had a hemorrhoidectomy and the lining of my rectum "tacked up,” and I still have them. Nothing takes them away. There is nothing that makes them bearable. I lose up to a week of productivity every time I get them, which is about four times a year. There are some things that provide temporary relief (as in 15 minutes or less). The hot baths work every time. If you can find a way to stay in the hot (and I mean so hot you cannot put your toes in the water) baths the whole week, you're set! Narcotics, if accompanied with a strong dose of ibuprophen, seem to help get you functioning, but it can cause constipation, so only eat enough so that your stomach doesn't eat itself. Also, you must use some kind of lubricant or you will want to take your own life! Surgery is very painful afterward but worth it if it promises even the most remote chance of success.

I have had hemorrhoids for many years, especially after having kids. I have found a few things that have helped me and want to share. I am also going to try the zinc oxide someone recommended. I went to a doctor for a very bad internal hemorrhoid I had. I got it from having a very hard bowel movement. I was trying really hard to push the stool out, and all of a sudden it came out and tore me inside. I never had such pain. I tried so hard to get it to go away, tried everything. It was a nightmare just knowing I was going to have to have a bowel movement in the morning. So, like I said, I went to a doctor, and he accused me of having anal sex, threw a prescription at me and said if it doesn't go away will do surgery. I was so humiliated; I cried all the way home. So then went to an alternative doctor and he told me to take a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil before I eat. Drink lots of water, and also take flax seed oil tablets. I had those internal hemorrhoids for a year before going to the alternative doctor. It took a week, after I seen him that it started getting better. The oil helps the stool slide out easier. One other thing I do is use a hot rag. I keep getting it hotter and hotter on the hemorrhoid, and then I use tucks cream. That really helps. I don't know how much the tucks helps, but the hot compress really does. I am going to try the Desitin though. Does anyone know what else zinc oxide comes in?

I suffered from hemorrhoids so badly that the doctors wanted me to have surgery. I wanted to exhaust all options prior to having surgery. I tried preparation H, creams, wipes, every uncomfortable hemorrhoid treatment, to no avail. I came across a dietary supplement called Hem-eez, under natural treatments, and decided to give it a try. Once I received my product, I immediately started taking it. Within a week, my hemorrhoid had almost completely shrunken down, and all of the discomfort was gone. The company's web site explained how the product gets to the underlying cause of hemorrhoids, a breakdown in the vessel walls. I recommend Hem-eez to anyone who has hemorrhoids.