I’m a new mom (it’s 6 months now)

[Lelegirl]

hi there , I really need advice

I was constipated since the time of pregnancy I think it was due to the iron tablets. I gave birth 6 months ago and I’m still constipated. Every time I poop I feel like my anus is tearing a wound. So recently starting of Jan 2025 I saw blood in my poop . It appeared to me few times and today I think I saw a clot like blood. And my poop was bright red. Also sometimes my poop comes out solid and when it drops into water it just becomes into sand like. I checked with CHATGPT and it told me it’s just hemmoroids or a tear. I’m so worried about my condition.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi Lelegirl,

Thanks for posting with us. Congratulations on the new baby❤️👏👏👍🎊. I hope everything is going well in that area.

I do hate you’re having to deal with these other symptoms. First off, whenever there’s blood in the stool you need a definitive answer. There could be all kinds of reasons for what you’re experiencing. I concur with CHATGPT, but could also be a polyp or something else like an ulcer. It could be a lot of things. At one point I was low on iron and it ended up being an ulcer in my stomach. You need to narrow down the options so you can target the cause and deal with it. Get on a healthy path ASAP👍.

We need you well and focusing on the baby👍❤️💪. We do wish you the best. Get it checked out so you can move on in a healthy way.

Also, please let us know what you find out. That’s information that can be helpful to others on this site as well.

Regards ❤️,

Tom

[Lelegirl in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thanks Tom . But I don’t think I’m low in iron it’s just something they give all pregnant women here . I stopped taking the iron tablets but yet was constipated. I feel discomfort on my left side below my rib idk what that means too

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Lelegirl]

I mentioned iron because in my case iron level was one of the metrics being watched every 2 weeks during my clinical trial. I was bleeding from somewhere. Nothing physically noticeable in the stool. We did a colonoscopy and an endoscopy and found the nasty ulcer at the opening to my duodenum (first way out of the stomach). It’s always something to get checked out👍.

[Lelegirl in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Was it cancer ?????

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Lelegirl]

Oh yeah. I was stage 4 in 2012. I did genetic testing first thing, then did 2+ years of chemo & radiation which didn’t work. Then in 2014 a clinical trial was looking me at Duke. It was the results of my genetic testing that got me in. It was a trial with an immunotherapy drug Opdivo. It was a game changer and the reason I’m still here today.

The immunotherapy ignites my immune system system to attack the cancer. But a side effect is my immune system could also attack a healthy organ. It ended up attacking my duodenum and caused it to stricture. Then the ulcer developed there as well. So, I had to come off the trial and fix that situation with a gastrojejuostomy (stomach bypass). I’m living with a new norm now, but we did get rid of the tumor and so far I’ve been NED (No Evidence of Disease) for 7 years.👍

[Lelegirl in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

What were your symptoms ??

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Lelegirl]

I was the king of missed signs.

First was it hurt to eat a big meal. I started eating smaller meals more often. Problem solved.

I had a small lump on my right lower abdomen. Had it for years. It became tender/ hurt. The CT scan showed it was the tumor.

I had some ribbon stools, but didn’t think much about it.

Knowing what I know now, I should have gotten a colonoscopy in 1996 when my cousin passed away. I would have been 34😳.

[Lelegirl]

hi there . I just want to put it here that I went to the doctor and she checked my behind. She asked me to take a stool sample. And it came out as nothing wrong. There seemed to be a little bacteria found but no bleeding from the intestines. So she diagnosed me with anal fissure she mentioned that when she checked my anus she saw that I have an anal fissure. She gave me a few medicines one of them being laxative for 2 weeks, and hemmoraoids cream ( cause I told her sometime I feel like a grape like thing ) .. so I gotta check my progress for 2 weeks and if there is still some bleeding I need to go do a rectal exam…

My bleeding is so on and off like from Jan 1st till today I saw lil blood only for 4 days. And yes I feel like my anus opens a wound when I push the stool out … I hope this is only the case for me . I’ll update u guys soon

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Lelegirl]

Hey Lelegirl, are you doing ok?