Would like some opinion if this is blood or food

[TomStang]

Hello all,

I'm 36(m) 200 lbs 6ft. I've lately been more aware of my stool visits along with what comes out. For the last 10+ years, my visits to the bathroom was every other 2-4 days. Never thought of it much until I was educated recently that its uncommon for that. For the last year, I've dealt with bad constipation from change in my diet, self care, water intake and work environment (sitting at desk 14+ hours a day approximately 2 years) with no exercise. I have recently improved in my health, I visit the bathroom everyday for the last 8 weeks.

Lately I've notice pink spots that is in my stool. I've reached out to my doctor, they wanted me to wait it out and see if it changes. They also advised me a colonospy isn't recommended until the age of 40. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding images to compare and wanted to see if this group can shed some light on it. At first, I thought it excess food but I'm getting same pink spots days later. Its been showing it for the last 4 visits.

[LinC1]

Hi

Could it be something you’d eaten (things like tomato skin, red pepper skin among others don’t break down totally and can appear and freak you out - certainly did me!)

Ask doctor for a qFIT - it’s non-invasive (you just take a sample), results are very quick and it’s very sensitive at detecting microscopic amounts of human blood in poo. It’s a great, easy 1st check - I was told if it’s negative, chances of bowel cancer are very low - mine was negative and a subsequent Colonoscopy (I went private for it as ‘belt + braces’ ) confirmed all was well and it was likely a haemorrhoid and abdo pain due to me changing my diet to include lots more veg/fibre/etc.

Anyways, see your Dr - ask for qFIT as 1st stop. Don’t sit and stress - no matter what happens, it’s way better to know ASAP and get on with tackling it!

Best wishes to you!

[TomStang in reply to LinC1]

Thank you for the response. I took your recommendation and requested for the qFIT test.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi TomStang,

Thanks for posting on Colon Cancer Connected. Very good advice from LinC1. This should give you and your doctor a path and some direction and not having to rely totally on speculation.

Another good piece of information would be if there is any hereditary Medical issues in your family. That would be good information for your doctor to know as well. Lead to some further tests that can be beneficial.

Please let us know what you find out from the FIT test. And also plans to move forward as a result of that test. We do wish you the best and getting good answers to what's going on.

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.

[TomStang in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you for the tip. I do plan to update the post once I get an update.