Hemorrhoid issues

[Guest JDog83]

Question,

I have a small hemmoroid that i can't seem to shake. I have been using cream, and i dont even have any dicomfort, but it is still there. Are hemmoroids dq for flying or are they ok. I've heard they are dq and am worried that something as minute as this might get me?

Thanks

[Guest Bushmaster]

I have had those in 1998... I was in flight school and 3 other guys had the same problem, the reason was the food being served and not drinking enough water/juice etc. Other guys went under surgery :D one even had laser surgery... I used cream too and it didn't help much... Then one doctor told me to massage it with hot water... a bit controversial huh? I used to massage it everyday with water as warm as I could stand, in a month it was gone and never came back... Good luck man...

[Guest JDog83]

Flight Doc,

Just a quick question. I was wondering if hemmoroid are a big deal on the FC I. I had one for the first time 3 weeks ago, and it has shrunk, but there is still a small flap of skin leftover. My question is, will hemmoroid DQ an FC I. Are there waivers available, and is surgery an option.

Thanks

Also: I think i speak for all of us on this one, you are a God send.

[Guest Bushmaster]

:D

[Guest Flight Doc]

If you have a residual skin tag and that's all, no problem. If you have hemorrhoids that are obvious and would be called abnormal on an exam, you can have them removed surgically, by banding or other means, and once healed do not need waiver.

Most everyone has hemorrhoids to some extent, "There's no such thing as a perfect a---h---."

[Guest skyknight11]

I was diagnosed with internal Hemorrhoids (which do not bleed and are not painful) a few weeks ago and unfortunately it has coincided with my decision to pursue OTS for a non-technical slot. My doctor prescribed some anti inflammatory ointment and change in diet. I have read that this condition will result in disqualification. Should I wait until the symptoms subside or look into surgery? I really don't want to be permanently DQed. I am meeting a recruiter soon and was wondering how this will affect the medical pre-screening and if I do get an appointment with MEPS, how would the waiver work? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Guest Tertle]

:moon: :moon:

How do you have internal hems and still use ointment.......

[pawnman]

:moon: :moon:

How do you have internal hems and still use ointment.......

Very carefully.

[Guest Liger]

i read that fighter pilots oftentimes get hemorroids, along with permanent hearing loss and neck/back pain... is this very prevalent?

[Herk Driver]

Should I wait until the symptoms subside or look into surgery?

Wait until the symptoms subside. See what happens. Personally, I would not recommend surgery as a first option. If you have to get the surgery, that's a different story.

[Guest P27:17]

I was diagnosed with internal Hemorrhoids (which do not bleed and are not painful) a few weeks ago and unfortunately it has coincided with my decision to pursue OTS for a non-technical slot. My doctor prescribed some anti inflammatory ointment and change in diet. I have read that this condition will result in disqualification. Should I wait until the symptoms subside or look into surgery? I really don't want to be permanently DQed. I am meeting a recruiter soon and was wondering how this will affect the medical pre-screening and if I do get an appointment with MEPS, how would the waiver work? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I guess my first question would be why you went to the doc to have him "look up your throat" in the first place...if there wasn't and bleeding or pain?

If you are really asymptomatic I woudn't worry about it...if you need some intervention get'er done now!

You can always be an asstronaut and then we'll call them assteroids...

Sorry...couldn't resist...

[futurepilot22]

Doc,

I have been appointed to USAFA and plan on starting at the end of June. I have been qualified by DoDMERB, so there are no issues there. The trouble is that I have developed a hemorrhoid since the DoDMERB exam that just will not go away. Cadets are examined for pilot qualifications during their third year at the Academy, and I am worried that I might be DQ. I found this under the regulations: A7.20.3. Hemorrhoids which cause marked symptoms or internal hemorrhoids which hemorrhage or protrude intermittently or constantly until surgically corrected. I believe that I have a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid. It is small and does not cause me any pain, but it is internal and it does protrude, so will they disqualify me? From what I understand this type of hemorrhoid can only be corrected surgically. Should I go see a civilian doctor before I go to USAFA or wait until I am a cadet and go to a military doctor? Would a military doctor ever consider removing a hemorrhoid that does not cause any problems? Since it does not bother me, I was considering not seeing a physician and just trying to get a waiver. When the flight doc discovers the hem on the exam will he DQ me or tell me to have it corrected and come back for another exam? I am not sure how military medical stuff works.

Also: I have poor medical coverage, so if I see a civilian doc I will probably be paying out of pocket; but I will have full medical coverage as a cadet.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Edited April 4, 2013 by futurepilot22

[jcj]

(I'm not a military doc but I'm a civilian pilot and general surgeon - we do hemorrhoids - and a former navy corpsman & did navy aero med back in the day long ago)

Internal hemorrhoids are an exaggeration of normal anatomy that exists to provide a "cushion" for stool as it makes it's way out. If what you have is painless and it is a hemorrhoid, it is probably internal (external hemorrhoids are usually painful and are less common).

The first concern i have is making sure that it's really a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid. That's not an uncommon thing to have - but a common error made with problems back there is someone erroneously diagnosing something as a hemorrhoid when it's actually something else - because a good careful exam wasn't done so a good accurate diagnosis wasn't made. So for that reason the best advice really is to go see a doc. Usually a well trained family medicine doc or general surgeon can get this figured out in an office visit.

Assuming it's a prolapsed internal hemorrhoid, unless it's huge and is what we call a grade IV hemorrhoid (meaning it's unable to be reduced - pushed back up inside) surgery's unlikely to be recommended until a whole bunch of other things have been tried first and haven't worked out. In fact we really don't do much hemorrhoid surgery any more because the non-surgical treatment of hemorrhoids (medical treatment with suppositories & fiber supplements, banding, thermal) is really good and usually works out well. Even if you did have to have surgery, the recovery & prognosis is usually excellent & I can't think of why it would interfere with a military career - including aeromedical qualification - once you're healed up.

The timing issue might be more complex with you being scheduled to start @ USAFA this summer. I'd defer to the military docs & medical folks on the board, but I'd suggest your best bet might be to go ahead and get it seen about now - you'll really want to be done with it if possible before BCT and if you get it seen about now that's probably how it'll work out. I think you'll find the near-universal advice on the board is to be completely honest with the military medical system about any civilian medical issues/treatment you've had, & frankly in the big picture of things hemorrhoids & hemorrhoid treatment just won't be that big of a deal once you're past it.

If the pilot qualification examination is in your third year at USAFA this problem will be resolved one way or the other long before you get to that point.

To your other question, we've trained several military surgeons from all branches in the university program where I practice - they have the same training & same professional requirements as civilian surgeons, and practice by the same professional standard unless there are restrictions because of being deployed in a combat zone or austere location where facilities aren't available. If you have a prolapsed hemorrhoid that is unresponsive to non-surgical treatment, that's an indication for surgery whether you're a civilian or in the military. I just don't know how it would affect your situation if you showed up for BCT with an undiagnosed and untreated problem. But if it's what it's what you think it is, unless it's huge, there's some non-surgical treatment that will likely shrink it down really well before you go if you get it seen about right away. You're unlikely to be the first person that this has ever happened to, just get it taken care of & it'll work out OK.

good luck.

[futurepilot22]

Thanks for the info.

My hem is already shriveled and small so it will not interfere with basic. I believe that there is a medical exam during in-processing to insure that there is nothing that will interfere with training. You don't think that they would send me home for a hem that does not bother me do you?

[LookieRookie]

Thanks for the info.

My hem is already shriveled and small so it will not interfere with basic. I believe that there is a medical exam during in-processing to insure that there is nothing that will interfere with training. You don't think that they would send me home for a hem that does not bother me do you?

No they won't. I never had my hole looked at by a doc when I was a cadet.

The surgical squadron there will fix it for you if you want though.

[Bob Dunn]

Hello Everyone,

I am a retired general/trauma surgeon.  From 2011-2015 I was the director of Wound Care an Hyperbaric Medicine at the Nix Hospital in San Antonio.  There is a supplement/Medical Food effective in the prevention and treatment of varicose veins and hemorrhoids, without surgery.  Diosmin is a flavonoid taken from the pulp of oranges.   1,000 - 1,200 mg per day will do the trick.  If the hemorrhoids are large and painful then1,800 mg/day for 14-21 days is advised.  Vasculera is FDA approved for these diagnoses but requires an Rx in 30+ states and 600 mg tablets cost $3.00 each.  OTC Diosmin can be purchased without an Rx for $0.10 to $0.40 per pill.

See.:   

https://www.vasculera.com/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32399811/

I hope you find this helpful.

 

Robert Dunn, MD, Austin, TX

 

PS: Diosmin has an anti-diabetic effect ans may lower your blood sugar a little bit.  This may be of concedrn if you have a tendency toward hypoglycemia.