16/04/2026
"I told you not to bring your phone into the restroom!" I watched the mother mutter in frustration...
"Dad does the same thing! Why is he only talking about me..." The father next to him winked,
constantly signaling the child to stop talking back...
I felt like the mother's tirade would soon turn...
A college student had recently been experiencing a**l pain and bleeding after bowel movements. Her parents were extremely worried and rushed her to my clinic.
After a thorough investigation, I learned that the student had an irregular sleep schedule and an unhealthy diet. Furthermore, every time she went to the restroom, she was on her phone, often staying in for half an hour, leaving her feet numb upon exiting.
"Classmate, please lie on your side on the bed next to you!"
As soon as I took off my pants, a purple-blue nodule the size of a glass marble, swollen and threatening to burst through the skin, bared its teeth at me arrogantly at the door. Beneath it, a faint crack mixed with a hint of vermilion blood.
I gathered my Qi into my Dantian, humming softly.
Slowly channeling my Qi into my right index finger,
I applied a teaspoon of jelly with my backhand,
and then, with the force of my finger,
opened my classmate's buttocks.
I carefully slid in to test the tightness of her a**s.
In a flash,
my index finger entered,
following a reverse rotation, then a forward rotation.
My practice, gained over a decade, allowed me to gauge the condition of the entire a**l ca**l and lower re**al mucosa.
Before my classmate could even utter a single sound,
I withdrew.
A glance back,
and the nurse beside me understood.
She immediately handed over two wet wipes and completed the digital re**al examination.
"This classmate has an acute thrombosed hemorrhoidal attack with a**l laceration."
"What should I do?"
"Because it's a thrombotic condition and the pain is severe, I would recommend surgical intervention, which would resolve the problem more quickly." Before I could even take off my gloves, I instinctively stepped back slightly.
"The latest surgical equipment is very advanced now. It's not like the old days where you'd scream in pain and need to rest for a long time after the operation."
I took out the health education sheet and began to explain.
"Then could Dr. Chen please arrange it as soon as possible?" my father said, grabbing my mother.
"Also, if you don't improve your bowel habits, you'll likely suffer a recurrence after surgery!"
I took out the consent form again and looked at my helpless classmate.
📱🚽 Are you also in the habit of checking your phone while on the toilet?
A recent Harvard study found that doing so increases your risk of hemorrhoids by nearly 50%! The reason isn't straining during bowel movements, but "sitting for too long." Prolonged toilet sitting can compress the re**al veins, leading to swelling, bleeding, and pain.
🩺[Doctor Q&A | Phone Scrubbing and Hemorrhoids]
Q1: Why does phone scrubbing increase the risk of hemorrhoids?
A1: A 2024 Harvard Medical School study indicated that people who use their phone while on the toilet have a 46% higher risk of developing hemorrhoids than non-users. This isn't due to straining during bowel movements, but rather to prolonged sitting on the toilet, which puts pressure on the re**al veins and causes swelling, bleeding, and pain.
Q2: What constitutes "sitting too long"?
A2: Research shows that 37% of phone users sit for more than five minutes at a time, compared to only 7% of non-users. It's recommended to limit toilet visits to less than five minutes and avoid "waiting while browsing."
Q3: Besides not bringing your phone to the toilet, what other preventative measures are there?
A3: Regular exercise, consuming high-fiber foods, and maintaining regular bowel habits are all important ways to reduce the risk of hemorrhoids. If you experience recurring bleeding or pain, seek medical attention promptly to avoid delaying treatment.
👉 Reminder: Avoiding your phone in the toilet and shortening your toilet visits are key to effectively reducing your risk of hemorrhoids. Healthy living starts with small changes in your habits!
Source: Harvard Medical School, 2025 Hemorrhoid Risk Study
**l Health Invasive Hemorrhoids
Phone **l Fissure Bowel Syndrome
**al Surgery Dr. Chen Zhiyi Show Less
