Thanks for the response Dugu.
I do have a desk job, but it doesn’t require me to sit for long periods of time, and since I drink lots of water (32oz+) a day, it forces me to frequent the restroom. I don’t have a nasty habit of sitting long periods of time on WC. However, due to hormonal issues, I usually suffer from constipation around premenstrual, despite the fact that I eat plenty of fiber everyday, and therefore strain from time to time (before I educated myself about hemorrhoids – which is fairly recent). Also, I have had anal sex in the past, but not frequent and not recently (and this will definitely come to an end now).
I am doing everything I can as far as “prevention” is concerned. I have increased my fiber intake even though I already eat plenty of fibrous food. I no longer strain myself on the toilet, and have educated myself on all related preventions as far as this is concerned. Now I have to admit that since I am such a clean freak, that if I am not home, I do tend to over wipe my anus area as much as it takes to clean that area, and sometimes that means that it might be a little harsh. Also, I do notice that most wipes that have fragrance in them are not good for that area, so I have since changed to feminine hygiene wipes – but ever since my episode, I have been super gentle, and basically just lightly wipe it with moist wipes once. At home I don’t have that problem, because I just rinse that area with soap and water.
I’ll take your advice on doing a complete physical exam, since I haven’t had one yet. I do know that my blood pressure is on the higher side (130/80), but every time I ask the doctors or nurses, they all say that it’s normal. As for vitamins – really doubt it, since I eat really healthy, and try to eat a variety of healthy food, along with additional supplements that I take almost every day.
For some reason, I still don’t know if I trust the doctor who said it’s an “external hemorrhoid”, since it was just a visual exam with no additional exams done, but this morning when I checked, it has shrunk, and it does kinda appear to be on the side (even though it seemed as if it was coming though my anus) – it’s still slightly bumpy, and seems as if there’s some skin tags – yikes, I really just want this to disappear.