Blood in stool

[foreveryoung]

Hi all. I'm have not yet been diagonosed but I am going to a GI doctor soon. ANyways, symptoms seems to be getting worse... Yesterday and today there was blood in my stool.. very awkward to say but is this normal of GI problems? My appt. isn't until December 18th wish it was sooner.

 

[Grant]

Hi foreveryoung, yes it is a symptom. But there are offshoot problems associated with IBD like fissures & hemmorhoids which both bleed sometimes a lot.
I hope this helps
Grant

 

[shamrock15]

How much blood are we talking about? Is it just streaks on the TP, or is looking in the toilet and thinking you are watching Shark Week? If it gets heavy, you may want to get to the ER rather than wait too long. Also, if it becomes a regular feature, you may need to go to make sure you are not becoming anemic. If your energy levels become noticeably reduced, you become short of breath, or if it becomes heavy, make sure you get checked out before Dec 18.

 

[foreveryoung]

It is not a ton of blood, just kind of twisted in with the stool. Also on the toilet paper too. I've also noticed that recently I've been very tired. It's scary to not know what's going on inside my own body. :/

 

[Jennifer]

Call the GI office and let them know about the change in symptoms, they may be able to get you in sooner. Ask to be put on the cancellation list in case someone cancels.

Also try seeing your regular doctor so they can order some blood work (checking for anemia) and see if there are any stool tests they could do to check for parasites etc if those haven't been done already. Ask them if they could order an MRI or CT scan, something to take a look at your abdomen before you see the GI. You could also ask them to do a rectal exam to rule out hemorrhoids.

Keep us posted. Hope you get some answers soon. :hug:

 

[foreveryoung]

I called my GI and they are going to see me this afternoon. I'm really scared for this appointment. I mean, I don't like going to doctors anyways but especially for this i'm nervous because I feel like it's going to be awkward!! What should I expect?

 

[UnXmas]

Don't worry. Whilst blood in stool is not "normal" in the sense that it indicates disease of some kind, it is a common symptom amongst those with digestive problems. Crohn's and Colitis can cause blood, but as mentioned above, so can haemorrhoids and other less serious conditions.

Just tell the doctor you've noticed blood in your stool, or that you're "passing blood" - the doctor will know what you mean and won't view it as an awkward subject. It's information that could be very helpful to your doctor when making a diagnosis or deciding what tests you need.

Your doctor will probably ask you to describe the bleeding - is it black or red? how much? how often? is it mixed with the stool? etc.

It's possible that the doctor may want to perform a rectal examination to check for haemorrhoids and other causes of bleeding. This is where you lie on your side and the doctor will insert a finger or a tiny camera on a scope into your rectum. It's not that painful at all - I've had lots of them! - just a bit uncomfortable, but very quick. It may be your doctor doesn't see the need to do this, and if you're not comfortable with him/her, you do not have to consent if you don't want to, though it could really help in diagnosis. You can also ask for a chaperone to be present.

They may also ask you to provide a stool sample so they can test for blood more objectively.

Or it may be that your doctor recommends a colonoscopy or other tests - which likely won't happen on the day, you'll get a later appointment - which can check more thoroughly for Crohn's and other conditions, and which provide a lot of diagnostic information.

They may want to do some blood tests, in particular for iron levels as bleeding can lead to anaemia.

I know you'll feel nervous, but this is all very routine for a gastro. doctor. The important thing is finding the cause of your symptoms as quickly as possible and finding effective treatment. To achieve this, some embarrassment and awkwardness is unavoidable, though you'll probably find that if you need any further appointments, you won't be nearly as nervous about them as you are about the first one.

 

[foreveryoung]

Thank you so much for your insight! My first GI appointment went very smoothly. I also really seem to "click" with this doctor which made me feel so much more comfortable. I do however need to have a colonoscopy done . I am happy that now maybe I will find out what's going on but I am still scared for this procedure... but thankyou everyone for the reply's!!

 

[UnXmas]

I'm glad it went well. Having a good doctor is so important.

Although they don't cover the whole of the digestive tract, and so it may be that you need other tests as well, colonoscopies provide a lot of information and will confirm or rule out many things. You have to set aside one day to do the prep - clearing your bowel with laxatives so it's empty for the procedure. It's not fun, but you'll get through it. You'll also have a limited diet on that day, so please ask if you want ideas about what you can eat or drink that complies with the instructions you'll be given. The colonoscopy itself is easier - sometimes people are knocked out completely, or have a lighter sedative, and you may or may not even remember the test afterwards. It's one of the standard tests for Crohn's and should identify the cause of your bleeding.