I'm really worried about anal bleeding

[Justnusername]

I'm 19F, 170cm and 50kg with no history of cancer in my family. I've had anal bleeding for years, at least 5 years and it would come and go. I'd say it first started when I was diagnosed with low iron anemia, i was given iron supplements that gave me very hard dark stools.

I have a bad diet, my diet lacks fiber and water, so I get often constipated. I have talked to my mom about the anal bleeding that came back recently, with a feeling of a small soft lump at the entry of my anus (I had it for years too but it seems just more persistent)

She talked about it to my doctor and she said it was probably piles, and refused to get me to have a colonoscopy (which I guess was due to my age ?).

I was badly constipated recently (around a week ago) and had bright red blood after the bowel movement, I added fiber and water to my diet and it's less bloody but there's still blood whenever I strain or pass solid stools.

I have health anxiety so please tell me of this sounds serious.

[Justnusername]

Forgot to precise, passing stools is a little painful. And my anus would be a little itchy for a short while after. I always rinse with a water hand spray and my hand

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi Justnusername,

Thank you for posting in Colon Cancer Connected. I hate to hear you are having to deal with these issues. You are right to have this checked out by a doctor. There could be all kinds of things contributing to this. Blood in the stool is a symptom you would want good answers for. Even though it's been an on-going thing, it still requires good answers. And now that you are experiencing the "lump ... seems just more persistent" is a change that needs answers. Besides being sometimes constipated, you didn't mention abdominal pain which is good.

At 19, you are young and you have that going for you overall, but it's not a reason to not get good answers for symptoms. Is is possible to go get a 2nd opinion from a different doctor office? The key is getting screenings when appropriate and early. Although the percentage is smaller for people age 45 and under, it is getting more prevalent a need in younger people. History and symptoms should drive what's necessary. Not age. In some of my cancer groups, I see kids 13-23 be diagnosed with advanced stage disease where there were relatively no symptoms.

I would want to get it checked out and have good answers even if it's just for peace of mind. Catching things early is key to addressing and getting on a path to wellness. There are many tests that can be administered. You don't need a FIT test because you already know you have blood in your stool. The colonoscopy would go a long way to getting answers to see if anything else is contributing to the symptoms you are seeing and it would rule out any other things that could be going on. If something else is going on, you'd be catching it early. There is also a thing called a Galleri test which is a blood test that can find cancer DNA in the blood of 50+ different cancer types. It's usually a test for those at high risk of cancer diagnosis.

Overall, I would continue to seek answers. I would say it needs some more testing to determine if it's serious or not. Many things could be going on here. I don't want to speculate. That's between you and your doctor. But I do wish you the very best in finding out some good answers, getting them sorted out and on a path getting well.

Please do let us know what you find out. You are not alone in what you are experiencing and any information may be helpful to others.

Thank You,

~Tom, GCCA Survivor - Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.

Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.

[Justnusername in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you so much for taking time to read about my issue and replying! I really appreciate it. I might collect money to see another doctor and maybe get a colonoscopy done myself and see if everything is alright for my peace of mind.This being said I'm kind of scared ? Not to sound like a coward but is a colonoscopy painful ? And do you have to be awake during the process ?

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Justnusername]

I am a colon cancer survivor with a family history of it, so I get an annual colonoscopy, ct scan and blood work. That's ,my annual surveillance so if something does reoccur with me, they will catch it early.

I remember my first one and I actually had the option of being awake or taking anesthesia. I tried being awake and that lasted all of 5 seconds and I took the Propofol anesthesia👍😁. It is the most relaxing feeling when you start to go under. I does not hurt. I actually look forward to that. That's kind of sad to say, but absolutely no pain.

My last procedure lasted about 15 minutes. The kind of rough part is the 'prep' you have to do. You just have to plan properly and it will be ok. It's actually not that bad. Just stay at home and know you'll be using the bathroom a lot and then it calms down.

You have to be 'cleaned out' very well so the procedure can be successful. It's a camera so they want to have a good view. There's a schedule of when to stop eating, taking the prep the night before, drinking lots of fluids, and hitting the bathroom a lot. And then need to go calms down. Go to sleep. The day of the procedure you repeat the process again and need to have it complete several hours before your procedure is to begin. At that point you're just passing fluids through your body and you can tell you're 'cleaned out' and ready. It's can leave you fatigued. Right after ... have a nice meal.

My colonoscopy 2-cents: Do the prep right. I add lime Gatorade to the mix for flavor (nothing red). You'll be put on a schedule of when to take stuff. I always move the timeline up 1 1/2 hours so I'm done with the prep work way before I need to go to bed and way before I have to head out to the procedure facility. That way I'm not constantly thinking about finding a bathroom in a hurry👍😲.

All the best in getting your answers🧡. Just getting a second opinion from another doctor may be a good way to go for you.

Tom

[Justnusername in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Again thank you very much! I hope you'd stay strong and healthy for the rest of your life! Thank you for sharing your experience, i'll definitely take notes!

[Justnusername in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Here to update ! I checked with another doctor and it turned out to be piles (external hemorrhoids) and an anal fissure. She too, is against getting a colonoscopy. I'm still worried about the occasional bleeding now and then but she said it's because of my diet which is very lacking in fiber.

I guess I will just try and have a better diet, looks like the colonoscopy will have to wait until I'm a bit older

(English is not my first language, I hope I'm understandable 😭)

[Moon_maiden]

Hi

Do you get period issues as well? Gynae conditions can sometimes cause rectal bleeding and constipation.

If you do it’s really worth mentioning to GP. Write down all symptoms over a month or so.

Don’t give up trying to get an answer to put your mind at rest. 🤞 for you

[Justnusername in reply to Moon_maiden]

Thank you for replying !

I do get period issues! But I kind of refuse to see a genyco 😕. I have a very heavy period and it's pretty irregular, sometimes comes in late sometimes early. Would it mean it's something dangerous ?

[Moon_maiden in reply to Justnusername]

Hi

It would be a good idea to discuss this all with your GP. I spent years ignoring period pain, irregular periods, used to get bowel issues on period, turned out I had Endometriosis. There are various conditions that can happen but aren’t dangerous.

Have a look at the Endo uk site, there’s info there. There’s a healthunlocked forum as well.

It’s really important to get a diagnosis rather than worry about what could be wrong, especially as you’re young.

[Justnusername in reply to Moon_maiden]

Thank you very much! I'll definitely talk about it to my doctor as soon as I get the chance to!

[Moon_maiden in reply to Justnusername]

Let us know how you get on 🙂

Write down all your symptoms, I find filling in the econsult best, you can add all the info and it’s in writing so Dr can’t say you never mentioned it.

[Justnusername in reply to Moon_maiden]

Here to update ! I checked with another doctor and it turned out to be piles (external hemorrhoids) and an anal fissure. She too, is against getting a colonoscopy. I'm still worried about the occasional bleeding now and then but she said it's because of my diet which is very lacking in fiber.

I guess I will just try and have a better diet, looks like the colonoscopy will have to wait until I'm a bit older

As for the genyco, I couldn't book an appointment for now but I an ecography and my uterus is healthy

(English is not my first language, I hope I'm understandable 😭)

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Justnusername]

Hi Justnusername,

#1 ... your English is great and very understandable.👏👏🧡 Thank you for using it so I don't have to cut-n-paste into interpreter software😁.

ok, you've gotten some good actionable information. I assume you're on a treatment path to deal with that. No family history.

Do that treatment and perhaps change your diet for awhile to see if the bleeding completely goes away 'due to diet." Lack of fiber. That's something you control and definitely do. If symptoms continue, you can reference that and what you've doing and that may lead you to further testing to get solutions.

All the best and thanks for the update👍🤟.

Tom

[Justnusername in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you! I'm glad I'm not making you suffer through language barrier 😅The doctor prescribed fiber and said to stay away for iron supplements. I will follow her and i hope it all gets better, sadly the pile found is already chronic, it will need surgery to be completely removed but it's not obligatory or urgent. I was told to not worry for occasional bleeding especially after a har bowel movement.

[Moon_maiden in reply to Justnusername]

That’s great you went back to check. You should be able to get the piles sorted fairly quickly. I hope you don’t get any more bleeding 🙂

Good to keep notes though even if just once a week to monitor. You must be relieved. Don’t let age be a thing if you ever do have a scan or colonoscopy. They can do CT Colonoscopies as well, less invasive.

Please don’t apologise for your writing, tour English is going to be far better than I’d be with your native language. 🙂 I’d be using Google translate and would be much worse.

[Justnusername in reply to Moon_maiden]

Thank you ! I actually never knew they did CT colonoscopies too, I'll definitely insist on it if I don't feel relieved over time. For now, i will follow the given instructions.

Again, thank you for going into the trouble and following my journey 😅