1st post and just found this forum.. I had both internal and external piles which wouldnt go away on their own. One of them basically inflated like a balloon when I was sitting on the toilet. I had the surgery about about 3 months ago. was quite painful after wards but nothing major. once it settled down i had maybe a month of no discomfort at all. in the last 10 days or so i have had another flare up which I think is just external. they do swell a little bit when i sit on the toilet but nothing as bad as before. is this normal because any other time I have had piles it has just been quite hard lumps which are very painful to sit on. i have been using laxatives to make straining less of an issue. and also a over the counter cream with zinc and lidocaine. for my job I have to sit for hours on end but have been trying to walk about every hour or so. i am worried the latest ones are not going to go away and my treatment has effectively failed. anyone got any experience or tips for this? thanks