Is this bloody mucus in my stool? I’m panicking

[BananaRama9900]

I have had abdominal pain and bloating off and on for a while now. The pain flared up last week and I looked at my poop and happened to notice this darkish orange mucus. I’m only 23 and I’m really really scared that this is something serious. Does this look like blood? Please help

[Carl33150]

hi I'm French I use Google translate. How long have you had blood?

[Beebeehappy]

I am no expert but it looks very dark..possibly blood/mucus. Have you been to the Dr's? They should offer you a FIT test to check for blood. You can buy FIT tests online too just to check yourself?

I noticed intermittent red blood in my stools over a period of 8 months.. a fit test came back positive, referred for a colonscopy which found a large benign polyp in sigmoid colon.

Always best to get checked out!!!

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi BananaRama9900,

Thanks for posting with up. I hate to hear you're having to deal with this but you've gotten a really good piece of advice from Beebeehappy. You should go get a FIT test so you can get a definitive answer as to whether there is blood in the stool or not. You can do this on your own or you can do this through your doctor. If you have other questions or symptoms you want to cover, then definitely go to your doctor for this. You did state that you have some abdominal pain and that would be a good piece of information for your doctor to know.

Yes, you are young and that's a good thing. But I'm proud of you that you are not ignoring symptoms that you are having. You should always be diagnosed according to your symptoms and not your age. Never accept a diagnosis that says something couldn't be happening just because you are too young for that type of thing. I always focus on the symptoms and I see you're doing that.

Also know that what you're experiencing can be caused by a lot of different things.If there is blood in the stool then you will need a good answer for what is causing that. Often, a colonoscopy is the way to go for that if it's not easily determined physically.

I'm glad to see you are looking for answers. I wish you the best in finding out what's going on. I would definitely do a FIT test and then move from there.

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.