"Upon glimpsing the source of my agony, she immediately called a surgeon with a monthslong waitlist who agreed to take me that afternoon on her lunch break. "Does it feel like glass?" the surgeon asked, her face peering into my nether regions. The parchment paper underneath me crinkled as I shifted my weight on the table. I felt like one of the turkey meatballs I had made for dinner."
"A thrombosed hemorrhoid is rarer. My doctor gave me the pleasant description, "it's like a balloon filled with cement." It's a hardened blood clot rather than your run-of-the-mill swollen vein. For two days, the throbbing was so painful it took my breath away and made my teeth chatter. Sleep was impossible. Alone, I peeked at my backside in the mirror. It baffled me how something no wider than a dime could be so aggravating."
I experienced severe throbbing in my rear for 48 hours before making a doctor's appointment. The doctor immediately arranged same-day surgical care. The surgeon examined me and asked, "Does it feel like glass?" The diagnosis was a thrombosed hemorrhoid. Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels near the rectum or anus caused by pressure from pregnancy, straining, prolonged sitting, lifting, obesity, or combinations. Hemorrhoids affect roughly 20–50% of people and can resolve or recur depending on fiber intake and lifestyle. A thrombosed hemorrhoid is a hardened blood clot that causes intense pain and may require urgent treatment. I felt intense pain and shame about sharing the condition.
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