External hemorrhoids usually cause patients the most discomfort just by the very fact that they are exposed to more daily stresses, this type of hemroid causes swelling, itching and pain. With external hemroids there are many more symptoms so it is easier to diagnose. A doctor's exam is the best place to start in order to eliminate other possible disorders. These more serious conditions include colon cancer, polyps, rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis which are inflammatory bowel diseases. Other medical problems with the anal region are tears and anal abscesses or infections. In order to get a medical diagnosis, tests need to be conducted to rule out the more serious conditions that can appear similar to hemroids. Your doctor will look at the anal cavity and then conduct a more thorough examination, either a colonoscopy or a sigmoidoscopy. A colonoscopy is when the whole bowel is examined and a sigmoidoscopy is when only the last two feet of the colon is viewed.
A colonoscopy may be unpleasant but it's not a hard procedure. Plus, once you get to 50 years of age, it's recommended you get one anyway. Patients with a family risk of colon cancer should get screened beginning at 40 years old and everyone else generally at fifty. When the colonoscopy is first done, even if everything look good, you will still need another colonoscopy in several years. The day before the colon exam when a heavy laxative is prescribed is the most difficult part of the process. Laxatives are sometimes prescribed to make sure the colon is fully emptied. You will definitely want to stay close to the bathroom so take a relaxing day off work. But other than that bit of unpleasantness the procedure itself is done under sedation so it’s not much of a worry.
