Rectal bleeding for several months & terrified

[digar]

Hi everyone, 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. Anyone experienced this before and if so what did it turn out to be?

[westbury18]

I think the best thing you can do is see a doctor and have a proper rectal exam. Consistent bleeding, as you describe, needs to be checked out. It could just be internal hemorrhoids, but could be something more serious.

[ArchB]

Is the blood bright red or a maroon-brown color?

Bright red is the lower GI, maroon is upper GI.

Normally this is usually hemorrhoids, but having had a sigmoidoscopy (which is the lower GI) and juvenile polyps (which could be a precursor to something worse).

Does cancer run in your family? If so, that is another red flag. Do autoimmune diseases run in your family? Autoimmune diseases may cause perforation and gastrointestinal bleeding (reference: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... ).

I suspect that from what you say about using Benefiber, the issue is that you have large and/or hard stools along with constipation. Without the Benefiber you are probably straining, and with a history of anal fissure, the stool may be aggravating (as well as causing) another anal fissure.

I will tell you, the most prudent advice to you, is to see a doctor.

Some people (like me) suffer from a fear of doctors. Mine is a full blown phobia. I can tolerate these visits because they are for BP and heart/lung check for my ADHD medication. I recently stopped my annual bloodwork because it aggravated my PTSD from when I was abused in the healthcare system.

Things like colonoscopy or prostate exam; NEVER going to happen (for me). That being said, I have to assume there is some reason that you are avoiding a doctor's visit, hence posting here.

If it were me, I would resume the Benefiber, maybe add a laxative (intermittently), watch my diet; cut out red meats (leads to hard, large stools), nuts/popcorn/etc. (may cause cuts that bleed in the GI tract), dairy (causes constipation), and other foods causing similar problems that may lead to GI bleeds.

If there is no more bleeding, you probably have nothing to worry about, but should still see a doctor to be sure.

Hope this helps.

[1950s in reply to ArchB]

Bleeding from the rectum NEEDS a visit to your Doctor. Fresh red blood as you described will likely be haemorrhoids. Increase of fibre and fluids will help, but see your Dr. A simple five min exam with your pants down a little embarrassing maybe will set your mind at rest and help you to get the right treatment. There are creams and suppositories that will give you relief from the burning and and dis comfort this condition brings. But see the doctor make an appointment today.

[digar in reply to 1950s]

I ended up getting a colonoscopy and no polyps or tumors found. The doctor offered no explanation for my bleeding and now I’m not sure what the root cause could be. I suspect it could be an anal fissure or internal hemorrhoids, but wouldn’t he have seen these in the colonoscopy and made note of it to me? Instead he simply said I have a “beautiful colon” with no polyps.

[ArchB in reply to digar]

digar,

happy that all is well with you and you were able to endure the procedure. I truly admire that you made a smart decision and went through with it. If you read my response to 1950s, you will know why...

[1950s in reply to digar]

I would guess that you have haemorrhoids. You doctor not overly helpful, Trytalking to your Pharmacist.there are many good over the counter preparations. Keep hydrated and watch your fibre intake.Best wishes my friend but if thesituation gets worse try a different doctor. In the U.K. our healthier ice is Greatworth issues like this

[HonuHonu in reply to digar]

It’s great that nothing worrisome was found but disturbing that your doctor showed no desire to pursue the cause. Get a second opinion.

[ArchB in reply to 1950s]

1950s,

Would you tell a woman who has been sexually assaulted to get over it? Mental trauma can cause more harm than anything physical in some people.

Bleeding from the rectum does NOT need a doc visit, although it is highly recommended.

The ONLY thing that any of us NEED to do in life is die at least once. Doctors use the words "NEED TO" to coerce patients into things they do not want to do, as if they are being directed by some greater power and they have o choice but to do it to the patient.

(Reference: poseidon01.ssrn.com/deliver... )

"Furthermore, the staff claim to be merely agents of the medical system, which is intent on providing good health care to patients. This medical system imposes procedures and standards which the staff are merely following in this particular instance. That is, what the staff do derives from external coercion—"We have to do it this way"— rather than from personal choices which they would be free to revise in order to accommodate the patient."

I do recommend this to digar. Unfortunately too many men (such as myself) have been abused by the profession of medicine under the guise of healthcare (such as myself), opt out of healthcare and avoid it all together.

For us, the guaranteed mental trauma of such procedures far outweighs the POTENTIAL risks of having something wrong with us.

[SteveR12 in reply to ArchB]

I Would also suggest, possibly more than anything else about food, but you ensure you are drinking enough, that has been my problem my whole life which has caused my haemorrhoids.

[c-mac]

Sounds like an internal hemorrhoid, but a pretty bad one? They happen when you sit too much, so you can get a little foldable extension that allows you to work at your desk standing up. Do the fiber thing too -- forgot the name of it, but there's a high-fiber cereal you can have every morning. But if the blood isn't just a little smudge on your toilet paper, it's actually dripping, then that's a fair bit, and you should get it checked out soon. Also, feeling like you need to go probably means you have some sort of damage or blockage in your rectum, which could just be the internal hemorrhoid, but you need to get that checked. They can give you a suppository that will fix it fairly soon.

[digar in reply to c-mac]

It’s now May 2024 and I’ve had a total of two colonoscopies and one sigmoidoscopy since 2020 and they have found the following: hypertrophic anal papillae(basically a benign fibrous polyp that many gi doctors regard as a skin tag), internal hemorrhoids and one external friable hemorrhoid, small divericula in the sigmoid colon, and benign neoplasia or hyperplasia (can’t remember which one). So fortunately no colon cancer or malignant polyps or tumors. However, this shows there is still a lot going on in that area and it’s not healthy. The recommendation is to get a hemorrhoidectomy for the hemorrhoid and a transanal lesion excision for the skin tag. Both of these sound brutal in terms of pain and recovery and I’m wondering if leaving them alone would be ok because of some of the horror stories and long recoveries I’ve heard about these procedures. Any thoughts on this?

[xsevenx in reply to digar]

Sorry about your situation. I had TAMIS a couple of years ago. (Trans Anal Minimally Invasive Surgery. ) It was to remove a polyp with some pre cancerous changes. It was done as a day case under general anaesthetic. I had no post op pain , just a bit of spotting when I opened my bowels for a few days. It was repeated the following year, again a straight forward procedure, and then I was given the all clear. Hope this helps.

[digar in reply to xsevenx]

Thank you! Sounds like you had a great surgeon. Are you able to recommend your surgeon to me?

[xsevenx]

He has recently relocated from UK to New Zealand.