New procedure promises less pain, quicker recovery
By Bill Hudgins
Special to Land Line
If you’re over 30 and have been driving awhile, chances are you ease into that air-ride seat carefully because you have hemorrhoids. You’re in good company – more than half of us will have them.
The good news is there are several ways to spell relief, including a new procedure called PPH that promises less pain and quicker recovery than traditional surgery.
Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in and around the anus and lower rectum. External hemorrhoids are near the anus and feel like hard, sensitive lumps. They don’t bleed unless the blood vessels rupture. Internal hemorrhoids occur inside and beneath the lining of the anus. They may bleed, protrude during bowel movements and may not retract.
Symptoms include:
- Anal itching and/or pain;
- Sensitive lump(s) around the anus;
- Bleeding or protrusion during bowel movements.
There’s no single known cause, but a number of factors may contribute to and aggravate them:
- Age;
- Chronic constipation or diarrhea;
- Pregnancy;
- Heredity;
- Overuse of laxatives or enemas;
- Straining during bowel movements;
- Staying on the toilet for a long time;
- Long periods of sitting.
Treatment depends on severity. Warm soaks and more fiber in your diet to ease bowel movements can relieve mild symptoms. In more severe cases, a rubber band may be placed around a protruding hemorrhoid to shut off its blood supply, causing it to shrivel up – but you should not attempt this on your own, seek a physician’s assistance. In severe cases, surgery – a hemorrhoidectomy – may be required.
The new PPH technique – “Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids” – is done on protruding internal hemorrhoids that don’t go back up into the rectum, said Dr. Mark Zebley, a surgeon in Philadelphia who has performed PPH for about three years. PPH involves repositioning the hemorrhoids back up inside the anus.
“By pulling them back up where they are supposed to be, the blood vessels unkink and the swelling goes away, so the symptoms disappear,” Zebley said.
PPH is done where there are few nerve endings, so there is much less pain than with traditional surgery. The procedure takes about 20 minutes, usually under mild sedation.
Zebley said most people have hemorrhoids to some degree. To minimize their occurrence, people should maintain regular bowel movements and avoid straining. Also, avoid overusing laxatives, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and get some exercise.
Visit the Web sites pphinfo.com and fascrs.org for more information about PPH and hemorrhoids.
Bill Hudgins may be reached at billhudgins@earthlink.net.
Beware of home remedies for excess acid
By Land Line staff
Following the publication of a letter to the editor about acid reflux problems, Land Line began receiving readers’ suggestions about home remedies to treat the condition.
One common suggestion has been to mix baking soda with water for a homemade antacid. Others suggest drinking milk to reduce acid.
Land Line staff checked out the suggestions. A variety of university medical researchers and other health organizations warn against using baking soda or milk as a remedy for excess acid. Here are some of the comments we found:
- “Solid food and milk are not recommended as antacids. While they may decrease pain briefly, they actually stimulate the secretion of acid … Do not use household baking soda to neutralize acid in the stomach.”
– University of Maryland Medical Center; - “Do not take baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It tends to make you hold fluid and swell.”
– University of Michigan Health System; - “The sodium content of baking soda is not healthy, particularly for people with heart problems, high blood pressure or kidney disease.”
– The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders; - Regarding baking soda vs. antacids, “The baking soda will neutralize more acid … (But) It turns out that the antacids are best because you would not want to completely neutralize your stomach acid. … If a person ingested too much baking soda, they could actually be in danger of changing the pH of their stomach and blood dramatically. … For example, we would not be able to digest our food properly if our stomach was not at an acidic pH.
– Indiana University Chemistry Department; - “Although these liquids (baking soda in water and milk) create temporary relief … eventually they aggravate the situation by adding gas and fluid to your stomach, increasing pressure and causing more acid reflux. Further, adding more sodium to your diet may increase your blood pressure and add stress to your heart, and excessive bicarbonate ingestion can alter the acid-base balance in your body.
– Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; - Some people who have problems with excess stomach acid or ulcer-type symptoms actually have a stomach virus. The bug, Helicobacter pylori, can be eliminated with a specific type of antibiotic.
– University of Kansas Medical Center.
Pink eye isn’t just for kids
One eye has been tearing, oozing, itching and burning all day. Now you’re tooling down the road and the eyelid begins to swell. You’re shocked when you look in your side mirror and your whole eye is reddish pink. Soon, it may be matted shut.
Most people think of “pink eye” as a children’s eye infection, but adults are frequent sufferers, too. Pink eye is the common name for conjunctivitis and refers to all forms of an inflammation of the clear membrane that covers the white part of your eye. It also affects the lining of your eyelids.
Every day, truckers are touching phones, doorknobs, clipboards and pens, so it’s easy for you to contract the virus or bacteria that may cause it. Drivers who are contact lens wearers are particularly susceptible, too, because of long periods of wear.
Pink eye, of course, is highly contagious and can easily spread to the other eye. Will it go away on its own?
“Not typically,” said Dr. Melissa Cable, a Missouri-based ophthalmologist who specializes in ocular disease.
Cable said treatment depends on what kind of “pink eye” you have – bacterial, allergic or viral. To find out what you have, you’ll need an exam from an ophthalmologist.
Antibiotic eye drops will alleviate bacterial conjunctivitis, whereas antihistamine pills or eye drops will help control allergic conjunctivitis symptoms. Viral conjunctivitis doesn’t respond to medications. While it typically clears up on its own, it can take up to two weeks for your eye to return to normal.
Cable said truckers also need to know about chemical conjunctivitis. If your eye has been exposed to an irritating chemical, she advises rinsing your eye with cool running water for 15 minutes and getting to a health professional for a checkup. Depending on the exposure, that might mean the nearest hospital emergency room.
Usually, conjunctivitis is a minor eye infection, but sometimes it can be a more serious condition. If you develop symptoms, see a health professional. One way to help avoid spreading – or contracting – bacterial and viral pink eye is to wash your hands often.
Dr. Melissa Cable is on the staff at Discover Vision Centers, which is among the largest vision care providers in the country.
