Q: I am a 30 years old female who is suffering from piles and rectal prolapse. I have piles but don’t have constipation or blood spotting problems. Also the soft small lump, which I find in my anus opening goes inside soon after defecation. It actually stays outside all the rest of the time. I sometimes get pain over there not during bowel movements but at all other times. I also found that the lump grows in size when I eat an extra large piece of chicken and I always experience pain when the lump grows in size. I had a c-section five years back.

A:From your description you seem to have prolapsing piles, not prolapse of the rectum. Piles are swollen veins in the rectum. When they become very large they may come out of the anus and stay out. These piles are prolapsing piles. They need surgery. In some patients the whole rectum (that's the last ten to twenty centimeters of the terminal digestive tract) may itself come out. This is prolapse of the rectum. This also needs surgery, but of a different type. If your doctor says you have both prolapsing piles and a rectal prolapse, think of taking a second opinion.