Believe it or not, everyone has had a normal hemorrhoidal tissue in their rectum and anus. It’s only when your hemorrhoidal veins enlarge and become varicose veins that they’re considered abnormal or diseased.

There are three types of hemorrhoids – internal, external, and mixed hemorrhoids that consist of both internal and external. External hemorrhoids are those that occur outside the anal verge and affect bowel cleansing after one’s bowel movement, causing skin irritation and itching. A thrombosed external hemorrhoid is usually very painful due to rupture of one’s varicose veins, which causes blood clots and is often accompanied with swelling and irritation. These external hemorrhoids are typically treated with either an incision or removal of the clot, or with an external hemorrhoidectomy performed under local anesthesia.

Internal hemorrhoids are graded from I to IV based on the degree of prolapse. Grade I hemorrhoids bulge with defecation; grade II lesions also bulge with defecation, but then recede spontaneously. Grade III hemorrhoids require digital replacement after prolapsing, while grade IV hemorrhoids cannot be replaced once prolapsed. There are many treatment options for internal hemorrhoids that vary based on the severity of each case.

Your colon’s main function is to help your body eliminate waste, toxins and more from your blood, intestines and lymphatic system. Without your colon’s healthy function in your body, you can become seriously ill. A colonoscopy is among the most common types of exams performed on the colon. This is an invasive exam that allows a medical practitioner to view the inside of your colon through the use of a special scope. The procedure is most commonly recommended by a medical practitioner when a patient complains of symptoms such as bloody stools or blood in the toilet bowel, pain during bowel movements, abdominal pain when not having a bowel movement or any other abnormal or unexplained changes in bowel function. A family history of certain conditions may warranty the regular use of colonoscopy procedures as an early diagnostic step.

The procedure involves probing a long tube through the anus and into the colon. A light and camera are mounted to the end of this tube to provide the medical practitioner with the ability to visibly examine the colon. The procedure is most commonly performed on a patient under conscious sedation. In order to enjoy the best diagnostic results from your colonoscopy, you do need to have a clean colon. The colon is most commonly cleaned through the patient’s use of an enema and fasting.

Through the use of a colonoscopy, a medical practitioner can more accurately diagnose a number of colon and gastrointestinal conditions. These include colorectal polyps, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis and more. In certain instances, a medical practitioner may be able to take a biopsy of suspicious areas found during the colonoscopy, and some polyps or suspicious areas can be removed during this procedure. Polyps are abnormal growths and some may be cancerous in nature. Because of this, they are most commonly removed and biopsied when found during a colonoscopy. Early diagnosis of many of these colon and gastrointestinal conditions can provide a patient with the best outcome possible. Because of this, you should schedule a colonoscopy procedure immediately upon receiving the recommendation from your doctor.