The FULL Story of How Grounding Healed My 8-Year Hemorrhoid (Warning: GRAPHIC)
By Sarah Mitchell
The toilet looked like a crime scene.
Every single morning for 8 years.
I'd flush away the evidence and pretend everything was fine.
8 years of white-knuckling the bathroom counter, jaw clenched so tight my teeth hurt, praying my son wouldn't hear me crying through the door.
I was a receptionist at Riverside Family Health who processes hemorrhoid prescriptions all day...
While sitting on my own bleeding hemorrhoid that felt like someone shoved broken glass up my rear.
But last month, it completely disappeared.
When I showed Dr. Martinez, she pulled up my chart three times. "Sarah, chronic hemorrhoids don't just vanish."
But the evidence was right there. Or rather, wasn't there anymore.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. It all started on the happiest day of my life.
The Baby Boy and the Red Cushion of Shame
January 2016. 22 hours of labor. One beautiful baby boy.
And one grape-sized hemorrhoid that would torture me for the next 8 years.
You want to know what hell really looks like?
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Toilet paper that feels like you're wiping with sandpaper and broken glass
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Standing at your desk because sitting feels like a hot knife up your rectum
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Giving up EVER wearing white underwear because you WILL bleed through
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Canceling plans because you can't face another day of pretending you're fine
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Buying the "gentle" toilet paper in bulk and pretending it's for "sensitive skin"
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Becoming an expert at the "hemorrhoid lean" - not putting full weight on one side
I Had Access to Every Treatment (And Tried Them All)
Working at a medical clinic should have been my advantage. Employee discounts. Hallway consultations. First dibs on new treatments.
Even so, over 8 years I tried:
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$340 in prescription creams (with discount)
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$1,200 in specialist visits (thank God for insurance)
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$90 in witch hazel (bought by the case)
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$180 on those donut cushions that scream "HEMORRHOID SUFFERER"
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$250 in fiber supplements that made me bloated AND bleeding
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3 different suppositories that were awful to use and did absolutely nothing
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Sitz baths that provided 10 minutes of relief for 8 hours of agony
Nothing. Worked. My persistent companion stuck around like a bad smell.
I became that patient. The one who knows more about hemorrhoids than most first-year residents. The one who can recite every treatment option and exactly why it failed.
"Some people just have them forever," Dr. Martinez finally told me last year. "We can do surgery, but the recovery is..."
She didn't finish. She didn't have to. I process those surgery claims. I see the complications. The 6-week recovery where you still have to use the bathroom through a surgical site.
No thanks.
The Conversation That Saved My Behind (Literally)
Three months ago I was working a late shift with Lisa from radiology.
I was doing my usual stand-sit-stand dance at my desk, trying to find a position that didn't make me want to scream.
"Still?" Lisa asked, watching me struggle.
"Every single day."
"You know what finally fixed my sciatica? That grounding mat Mark got me for Christmas. I was skeptical at first, but..." she shrugged. "Three weeks sleeping on it. No more sciatica. No more hot flashes. Even that rash on my elbow cleared up."
"Uh huh."
"I'm serious. Something about reducing inflammation by connecting to earth's electrons or whatever. There's actually studies—"
"Lisa, I've tried everything."
She pulled up something on her phone. "Look, they say it's all about inflammation. Your hemorrhoids, my sciatica, even random rashes - it's all the same thing."
I stared at her screen, pretending to care. But that word stuck with me: inflammation.
Working here, you hear ‘inflammation’ 100 times a day. It's the hidden cause behind half our appointments.
But here's what nobody explains: chronic inflammation doesn't always feel like inflammation. It doesn't have to feel hot or swollen like when you sprain your ankle.
It can feel like:
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Being tired even after 8 hours of sleep
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That afternoon crash that makes you need coffee or a nap
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Random aches you blame on "getting older"
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Brain fog that makes you reread emails three times
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Bloating that never quite goes away
I see it on our patient intake forms every single day. They come in for one thing but mention five other "minor" issues. All inflammation symptoms. They just don't know it.
Most people walking around think feeling crappy is normal. That needing caffeine to function is just adult life. That mysterious joint pain at 35 is "just aging."
It's not. It's inflammation.
And according to Lisa, sleeping on a grounded mat somehow fixed hers.
So I caved.
That night I ordered a Down to Ground Mattress Cover from my desk. If it helped me sleep, it was worth it. Less than one specialist copay anyway.
Week Three: The Shower That Made Me Cry
It arrived at my door fast and just took a couple minutes to throw it on the bed, plug it in, and remake the bedding.
First two weeks: Better sleep, more energy. Nice.
Then came that Tuesday morning shower.
8 years of careful washing around Mount Vesuvius back there. 8 years of knowing exactly what to avoid.
But my hand found... nothing.
Smooth skin.
I checked again. And again. Nearly slipped checking a fourth time.
I sat on the shower floor and sobbed so hard my husband thought someone died.
"It's gone," I kept saying. "It's completely GONE."
"Sarah, This Doesn't Make Medical Sense"
I booked myself into Dr. Martinez's first opening. Told reception it was "urgent."
She examined me three times. Pulled up my chart. Examined me again.
"I don't understand," she kept saying. "I've been documenting this for 8 years. Chronic hemorrhoids don't just... disappear."
"It was the grounding mat," I said.
She gave me The Look. The one I see doctors give patients who mention essential oils or energy healing.
But then she stopped. Sat back. Put on her thinking face.
"Hemorrhoids are inflamed blood vessels. Grounding has peer-reviewed studies on reducing inflammation markers. But I've never seen..."
She pulled up PubMed right there. Started reading studies out loud.
"Sarah, can I document this? With photos from your previous visits?"
Document… my disappearing hemorrhoid?
"Have you noticed anything else?" she asked, typing notes.
I started listing off all the random benefits I could think of.
The list surprised even me:
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No more 3pm Red Bull requirement
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Joint pain gone (didn't even realize I had it until it wasn't there)
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That weird rash on my ankle: cleared
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Energy to actually play with my son instead of collapsing on the couch
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Out like a light when my head hits the pillow instead of tossing and turning
"Inflammation," she muttered. "It's all inflammation."
The Part Where I Risk My Professional Reputation
12 years at Riverside Family Health. I'm the face patients trust. The one who remembers their medical history and their kids' names.
I do NOT peddle nonsense.
But after what happened to me? I bought grounding mats for my entire family. My mother. My sister. Kept the guest room one when my husband stole mine.
Down to Ground Mattress Cover. It plugs into your regular outlet and goes under your fitted sheet. You sleep on it. That's all it takes.
It’s easier than any supplement, medication or cream and actually addresses the ROOT CAUSE.
In three weeks, it did what 8 years and thousands of dollars couldn't.
They guarantee proper grounding or full refund. But trust me - after your first pain-free bowel movement in years, you'll guard that mat with your life.
I bought one for my mom (her arthritis seems way better), my sister, and also keep one in the guest room.
Last week, Dr. Chen stopped me in the hall. "You look different. Good different. What changed?"
"Just sleeping better," I told her.
"No, it's something else..." she squinted at me.
I told her my story. Now she's ordering a mattress cover too.
A Message to My Fellow Sufferers
I see you. The ones who whisper symptoms across my desk.
Who know exactly which way to shift your weight to avoid that stabbing pain.
Who've memorized every public bathroom within a 5-mile radius. I see you because I WAS you.
Trust me, they’re a LOT more common than you think because people don’t usually bring them up in conversation at the dinner table.
But maybe it's not hemorrhoids. Maybe it's:
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IBS you plan every meal around
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Joint pain you're "too young" for
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Psoriasis you hide under long sleeves
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Exhaustion no amount of sleep fixes
I code these appointments every day. They're all inflammation.
And inflammation is fixable.
I wasted 8 years and thousands of dollars treating the symptom.
Three weeks treating the cause changed everything.
If you’re still living with a symptom no one can fix, this might be the thing that does.
P.S. - Dr. Martinez has added "ask about grounding" to her inflammation protocol. She calls me "Patient Zero." Three other doctors here have bought mats after seeing my chart. When medical professionals invest their own money, you know it's real.
P.P.S. - To my coworkers reading this: Yes, that's why I had the standing desk. No, we don't need to discuss it at lunch. But when Karen from billing asks why her arthritis is suddenly better, send her my way.
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UPDATE: After I posted this in a hemorrhoid forum, 47 people ordered. The company sent me an email saying they only keep 500 in stock because of the quality control on the grounding verification. I'd hate for you to be stuck waiting months like I waited 8 years. If you’re interested I highly recommend you grab a mattress cover for yourself today!
