Hi folks, so I’ve had rectal bleeding for several months accompanied by somewhat of a burning sensation and dull pain in the anus after pooping that can linger the rest of the day. In March, I started running a lot to get in good shape and to decrease my cholesterol. I’m a fairly well trained athlete and competed in cross country and track at the college level. In high school I had hemorrhoids and as a result they did a sigmoidoscopy, which found juvenile polyps and an anal fissure. I am now 37 and have had recurring periods of this intermittent bleeding. I’ve started a regimen of benefiber and the bleeding subsided for about a week and I’ll admit that I stopped using it for a few days and almost immediately the bloody stools resumed. Sometimes the blood lines the stool like red veins, other times the blood drips like a nose bleed into the toilet bowl, while other times I’ve had a feeling of bloated ness and have the urge to poop, but when I do nothing comes out except for gas followed by blood. Really concerned and not sure what to make of this. Any folks experienced this before and if so what did it turn out to be?
Rectal bleeding for several months & ... - Colon Cancer Conn...
Rectal bleeding for several months & terrified
Hi Digar, I am not a GP but with experience in my 65 yrs I suggest you need urgent need to go to hospital or doc get tablets for an infection, and other tests done alsox
Thank you! I will be getting a colonoscopy soon.
Hi Digar, you must be so worried, your condition need to have further investigation, i know my husband had blood loss from his anus, he was told he had anal fissure, so they gave him an Operation to alter things for him, he was back home the same Day, obviously resting, he was back to work after 1 week, he did have a history of piles, pain soreness bleeding. I wish you the very best attention and care.
Hi Maureen, thank you for sharing. This is very encouraging to hear. I hope that’s all it is for me too. Looking forward to my colonoscopy for peace of mind.
May I ask if he had a colonoscopy to confirm this result?
Agree 100%, get it looked at. I bled for the one and only time in February 2020 - so much I took a photo, when I showed it to the doctor she asked why I didnt go to the emergency department. Subsequent stool tests revealed blood in my stools 100% invisible to me. In early March - luckily (and I do consider it lucky) my GP whilst testing my dignity by inserting her finger up my anus felt what she referred to as a flap of skin - she then kept referring to me as a brave man, I knew at this point that I was indeed brave and had it not been for the UK NHS having an awareness campaign, with it being a sole visible occasion I may have ignored it. I never got to a colonoscopy, I met with the diagnostic consultant on 17th March, who repeated the dignity test and advised it looked nasty. He took a biopsy and I was sat in front of the Colorectal Consultant just 2 Weeks later receiving bad news - just 3 weeks later I was in an operating theatre under going an Abdominal Perineal Resection - I now have a Stoma for life but its saved my life so I don't care. There is no stigma and 95% of people who I come across regular do not even notice the outline under my shirt. I dread to think what would have happened had I not plucked up the courage to go to the doctor and at the time I thought it was really weird taking photo's of the bloodied toilet tissue - but it saved me having to explain it without making it sound exaggerated. There is absolutely no excuse for not seeking professional help if you value your future.
Hello digar, thank you for posting and sorry to hear about what you are going through. Were you diagnosed with Juvenile polyposis syndrome officially? Have you had a colonscopy before?
Just wanted to update everyone, I had a colonoscopy today and all was well, no polyps or anything. I feel very blessed, but at the same time the doctor didn’t offer any explanation to explain my bleeding and bloody stools. This certainly is going to require further investigation to get to the root of the cause. Nevertheless, it is a huge relief that colon cancer has been ruled out. Through my research, I’m wondering if it’s possibly a phenomena that many competitive runners experience where there is an ischemia of the colon where it becomes dehydrated and oxygen starved during endurance exertions like long distance running. Perhaps this is the underlying cause or should I investigate other avenues to find the root cause of the bleeding?
You may have had fissures. The medical community claims that they are very painful when passing a stool, but that is not always the case. If you were experiencing discomfort after the bowel movement then it could very well have been a fissure...Hemorrhoids are not the only thing that cause discomfort. It may have healed by the time you had your colonoscopy. Just be thankful that nothing was found. All the best....
Just to reiterate, So I had a normal colonoscopy and no polyps, but I continue to bleed and have constipation. Anyone know what this could be? The doc didn’t mention I had hemorrhoids or anal fissure, but would he be able to see these in a colonoscopy anyway? Still worried with no peace of mind yet until I get to the bottom of the cause of this bleeding and constipation.
Hi Digar. I have had very similar symptoms to you for about 3-4 months now. The blood along length of stool, drops of blood like a nosebleed, and bloated with wind and blood but not going..
My doctor did a finger examination and didn't find anything, then referred me for a colonoscopy because I've also lost weight. I had the colonoscopy about 6 weeks ago and it came back clear.
I called the doctor about a week after (spoke to a different doctor) and she said it must be piles and since the colonoscopy came back clear I should just be reassured and not worry. However from what I've been reading about piles it seems I have too much blood for it to be that. I've taken some pics and I'm going to call the doctor again tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes!
Hi Purple, thank you for sharing this! Our cases seem to be nearly identical and I hope we can get some definitive answers soon because this is not normal. I’ll be anxiously awaiting what you find out from your appt tomorrow. I have a follow up second opinion appt on October 1st with a differ t doc, so I’ll let you know how that goes as well. I’m hoping it may just be chronic fissures for which I’m thinking stool softeners and a high fiber diet, staying well hydrated and getting plenty of quality sleep should clear this up. Fingers crossed for both of us. Good luck tomorrow and hopefully this is nothing too serious.
Hi Digar, sorry for the delayed reply.
So I had a phone call with a doctor on Tuesday and described all my symptoms to her. She then consulted with another doctor and called me back, and they also agreed that the bleeding I described could be piles.
I had been noting down my stool types (from the Bristol stool chart) and some of them had been more on the constipated end, so the doctors thought the bleeding could be caused by hard stools aggravating piles as they pass. So they've proscribed me laxatives which I have to take until all my stools are soft, to see if that stops the bleeding etc. They said to contact them in 3 - 4 weeks if I still have symptoms.
At that point they might refer me to a surgeon who would use a proctoscope to examine my rectum. Apparently during a colonoscopy they sometimes focus on the bowel itself rather than the rectum (which seems pretty stupid to me - why not check everything while you're there?!)
As for my gastric symptoms (bloating and sometimes cramps in the morning) she said I could buy Buscopan over the counter to try and ease that (which is an IBS medicine).
So essentially it seems they think it's a combination of things that aren't too serious. I hope they're right but I'm still worried! Hope your appointment goes well today. Let me know what your second doc says!
Hi Purple,
My doc said basically the same exact thing. He thinks it’s piles or a fissure and has put me on a strict fiber diet regimen, stool softener, and a laxative cream. If this doesn’t alleviate the problem, then he may perform another colonoscopy to be sure the other doc didn’t miss anything. The doc also wants me to work on getting my poops to be once daily instead of every other day as they currently are. In reviewing my my most recent colonoscopy, he said the doc forgot to take a picture of the rectum, which would have found the piles or fissure if there was one. Overall, he’s not worried and believes this will be remedied with a high fiber diet. So I’m hoping he’s right. Let’s keep each other posted on our progress. Have a great weekend!
Hi Digar,
How's it all going for you? Is the high fiber diet helping? My symptoms still haven't gone away so I've got a referral to a colorectal surgeon to investigate more. Hope you're having better luck!
Hi purple,
Symptoms are somewhat better and not as severe but I’m still having a little bit of blood when I wipe and/or a small amount in the stool itself. There is a bit of a dull pain too that never seems to go away that is likely hemorrhoids or an anal fissure. Although I’ve improved and no longer bleeding as much or as severe as I was this summer, if this doesn’t completely go away soon I will definitely go see the doc. Let me know how your appointment goes with the colorectal surgeon. Are you still bleeding? Has it subsided at least a little with a high fiber diet? When is your appointment? I hope everything goes well! Please keep me posted!
Hi Purple, any news? I hope your symptoms have gone away by now. Unfortunately I’m still dealing with some bleeding when I wipe, but not as bad as it was a few months ago. Please let me know how you’re doing as our cases are nearly identical.
Hi Purple, I’m still having a bit of blood on the stool itself and a tad when I wipe. It’s not nearly as bad as it was back then, but still troubling. Any updates on you? How did your appointment go with the colorectal surgeon? I hope all is well!
How did your colonoscopy go ?
Hi Digar, sorry for the slow reply. Glad to hear that your symptoms are a bit better... So when I saw the colorectal surgeon they said I should have a sigmoidoscopy as it looked a bit inflamed in there - I had that just before christmas and they found that I have colitis! (probably ulcerative colitis, still waiting for biopsies to come back to confirm). So, obviously that's not ideal but at the same time I'm releived to have a diagnosis. I've been taking medication for it for about 10 days now any my symptoms are way less - hardly any blood at all 
I wonder if it would be worth you asking for a proctoscopy (just a tiny scope that they do at a mornal appointment) or a sigmoidoscopy (goes about 1/3 of the way in and doesn't require all the prep like a colonoscopy!) just to be sure that you don't also have some kind of inflammation? Given that my first colonoscopy also came back clear and they only found this months later!
Obviously it could be something different given that the dietary changes have helped you a bit anyway - I hope so.
All the best!
Hi Purple, thank you for this info. Following your guidance at the direction of my gastroenterologist I will be getting a sigmoidoscopy soon. It’s interesting that they took biopsies from you this time but not from your colonoscopy. Was all clear with the biopsies?
Oh that's great that you're able to get a Sigmoidoscopy.
Yeah I agree it's strange that not much investigation was done at my initial colonoscopy..
I've got an appointment to discuss my biopsy results on Saturday so I'll let you know what they say.
Hi Purple, thanks for the update! I’m praying all goes well with your biopsy results. Please let me know and God bless you!
Hi Purple, any updates?
Any updates?
Hi I've just had a colonoscopy after similar symptoms and they've provisionally diagnosed colitis. I was wondering after 8 months or so how you are getting on and what medication did they prescribe and are you still on it. Thanks.
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