Hemroid Duration

:shock: i've been having a very embarrassing problem. I believe it is a hemroid but i'm wondering why it takes so long to heal, and if there is anything I can buy over the counter to heal it. Anyhow, 3 and a half years ago I gave birth to my first child. But, strangly, I had no problem until the beginning of this year. For about 4 months it constantly felt like I had a splinter or something just inside my (uuhhh...). Anyhow, I was actually pretty convinced something sharp had crept in my pants and even tried to examine it myself. Of course I found nothing, but I had that sharp pain right at the tip for a good four months. Well, now it's beginning to bleed, maybe every third time I go to the bathroom. And, it's actually getting kind of painful, it almost feels like bowl movements are getting caught up in whatever it is that is causing me pain. I'm also getting kind of worried that going to the bathroom will rip the whole thing open. Anyhow, it doesn't bleed a whole lot, most times it's just a few streaks on the tissue, but it is scarying me. I have been taking preperation h, but it doesn't seem to do much to heal it. Also, there is nothing I can think of that would have caused the hemroid in the first place. It just sort of showed up on its own. Is this a typical hemroid, or something else? And, do hemroids last this long?