Dr Fergal McNamara

And when he was diagnosed, he was diagnosed quickly, but, unfortunately, he was metastatic at that point.

Now, again...

I don't mean to scaremonger, but a story like that.

But you need to get it checked.

If there's bleeding, you need to get it checked.

And once you're on the path, once your doctor knows it's hemorrhoids, you develop a plan, you go from there, and that's fine.

Pain while going to the toilet, and again...

That can be associated with fissures as well, which are small little tears in the back passage.

So often they'll coexist because they can be caused by constipation too.

Fissures are kind of acutely painful, very painful when going to the toilet and associated with bleeding.

Hemorrhoids less so.

Hemorrhoids is more of a constant ache.

That's kind of typically what we get.

But the other symptoms would be an itch.

Sometimes you can get an itch there from a little discharge that irritates the skin around the back passage.

Prolapse, obviously, where you can literally feel them coming out the back passage.

Any of those symptoms, I think, is perfectly reasonable to come and see a doctor.

So I suppose the things that are good for your health, so exercise, high-fibre diet, drinking lots of water.

Fibre is excellent because a high-fibre diet with good fluid intake is going to bulk out the stools.

You're not straining, so you're able to go to the toilet at a similar time every day.