Are my painful new friends hemorrhoids?

March 15, 2007 11:25 AM

Embarrassing medical question, re: hemorrhoids, are they or aren't they? Gross description within.

There's already a lot of good advice about hemorrhoids on AskMeFi. What I have looks and sounds a lot like how hemorrhoids are described therein and elsewhere, however mine aren't on my anus, but lower, on my thighs. I'm almost certain these are inflamed veins, but I can't be sure. Only very slightly concerned it could some long-dormant STD or something else horrible.

Hemorrhoid treatments seem to work, if only briefly. They come and go, but often. I'm an out-of-shape large fat guy and there is a lot of friction that happens in that same spot, not to mention that I sit far more than I should. I'm broke and short on time, so I want to avoid an exploratory visit to the doctor if these turn out to be only hemorrhoids. My question, emphasized for those who skim text: Can hemorrhoids (or inflamed veins) crop up in places other than one's anus? My Google-fu fails so I thought I'd tap the MeFites. Thanks in advance.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (8 comments total)

Varicose veins?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:30 AM on March 15, 2007

Varicose veins and hemmorhoids are essentially the same thing - stretched out veins where the blood pools. That's what this sounds like. I don't know of any STD or similarly horrible thing that fits the description you give.
posted by selfmedicating at 11:33 AM on March 15, 2007

Ok...as a sort of former fellow out-of-shape large fat guy who took a nosedive off the wagon, I can tell you that you probably have a boil. I'll bet it's hard and lumpy and on the verge of painful (if it's not already painful).
Hemorrhoid treatments do help in the short term. Whatever you do, don't squeeze. I had a situation where I kept squeezing one, and it swelled to near baseball size. It was very hot and painful and had to get antibiotics and have a doctor stick a large pointy needle way too close to my genitals.

If this isn't what you have, sorry for the verbosity.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 11:46 AM on March 15, 2007

It could be a cyst, especially if it repeats the swelling phase in the exact same locations. I've been uh, known to encounter one of these now and again in the exact location you describe. I'm in shape and rather young and as ridiculous as this sounds they tend to crop up when I'm stressed more than anything... I received general antibiotics for them once but decided it wasn't really worth it after it became a recurring episode...
posted by prostyle at 11:48 AM on March 15, 2007

Duh..forgot to add some things to take care of them:

If you wear briefs, ditch them and switch to boxer briefs.
Don't rewear your pants. Wash in between wearings.
To make it more comfortable, use medical tape and tape some gauze to it - it will reduce friction. It will also catch the slime when it possibly drains.
I used to use a skin cleanser w/ salycilic acid to clean it regularly. This would help shrink it.

Washing your pants is the most important, imo. You don't want to keep reinfecting the spot.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 11:51 AM on March 15, 2007

Pilonidal Cyst for more technical information on this possibility.
posted by prostyle at 11:55 AM on March 15, 2007

Boils. take that prostyle! ;)

Actually, I once developed a Pilonidal Cyst after a particularly traumatic experience involving my tailbone and a car.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 12:11 PM on March 15, 2007

maybe?
posted by hmca at 6:08 PM on March 15, 2007