Are these typical symptoms of Haemerrhoids?
Posted , 4 users are following.
So I've had a big scare recently - I've always had what I suspected to be IBS - given me a range of constipation and diarrhea and makes me go to the toilet a lot.
I noticed blood in my stools over the last month, slowly increasing until it was happening with every bowel movement. The doctors thought it was IBD or crohn's and have blood tested me but the results gave no indication of that.
However, when sitting the other day, i felt very uncomfortable and took a picture of my bum. When i relaxed it, i could see 2 purple lumps at the top of the opening - im guessing these are haemorrhoids.
I would find that the blood in the stool would be little specks/streaks of red that would look much brighter when wiped against tissue.
Because of my potential IBS - my bowel movements start hard then get much looser - the bleeding normally always comes towards the end of a BM - is this typical of haemorrhoids?
this is the bit thats scaring me - at the end of my bowel movements, i'll occasionally do a fart which will produce a lot more blood in a little bloody pooey mucusy sort of discharge - are haemerroids capable of causing this?
Now I don't strain loads and im not normally constipated but I do have lots of loose stools and do spend a lot of time on the toilet which I know can also cause them.
0 likes, 8 replies
thomas79405 Joel53242
Posted
santosh81097 Joel53242
Posted
thomas79405 santosh81097
Posted
paul75665 Joel53242
Posted
You need to differentiate between whether the blood is in your stool, or the blood is on your stool, and the colour of the blood is important too. Blood on you stool that looks like streaks / spots is more than likely haemorrhoids, blood in your stool could still be haemorrhoids, or could be something else. If blood is bright red then that usually indicates bleeding low down your digestive tract and likely causes can be haemorrhoids or polyps, if the blood is darker it usually means bleeding higher up your digestive tract, which will need prompt further investigation.
I was diagnosed with IBS and haemorrhoids, my bowel movements are much like yours, start solid and firm and then go loose. Problem with me is that I usually have a 3 to 4 day break between bowel movements, I used to get quite paranoid about this thinking it was too long, and would sit on the loo trying to force a bowel movement, but this would just lead to more bleeding, so now I wait until I get the urge and I hardly ever bleed now, if I do bleed it's usually from wiping, not the bowel movement itself.
Joel53242 paul75665
Posted
the bleeding when in minimal amounts is just little streaks on the stool - so that would make sense. However, its at these loose stools that I have a 'fart' that produces some loose stool with a fair bit of blood (this bit is harder to tell if its on the outside or not as theres just a lot more) - as if the hemmerhoid has been irritated by the bowel movement - Ive been really careful not to strain so I think the only thing that could be bringing on the regular bleeding is my regular loose bowel movements from potential IBS
paul75665 Joel53242
Posted
I've passed wind before that has produced blood, I actually put a discussion about it on this website, and the general feedback was that passing wind can cause bleeding too. You've got to think of a haemorrhoids as an open wound, the big difference is that when we cut our finger for example, the wound is subject to open air which encourages the healing process to be quicker. Haemorrhoids, especially internal ones that I have, are located in an area of the body that isn't subjected to much air flow, hence the healing time will be longer. Also with a cut finger we will usually dress it so as to not let it be subject to friction when we use it, this stops the cut from opening up again. However, if you are having frequent bowel movements, the friction from your stools against the problem haemorrhoid(s) will cause the wound to open up easier.
Blood is like milk, a little can go a long way due to its high opacity, so even though it may look a lot, it's probably nothing in relation to how much blood you actually have in you. I've been that bad that I've had blood dripping from my backside at points, and got really freaked out by it. But looking back I can be sure that it wasn't actually that much. If you're worried, then a simple blood test for Anemia will give you the answers you need.
If you haven't already had one, then a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy should be considered, just on the basis that you bleed, as I said before, bleeding can be caused by other things, for example a fissure or polyps, so it is always better to rule out other possible causes.
Hope that helps.
Joel53242 paul75665
Posted
Thank you for your extremely informative response Paul! Also, thank you for sharing your experiences, they are very comforting for an anxious wreck like myself!!
I had a blood test which the doctors were not concerned about at all - very slight signs of inflammation in blood test and stool sample - Im guessing they would have checked for Anemia too.
I'm booked in to speak to a GI specialist in 2 months - i'd like to avoid a colonoscopy if I can (due to anxiety reasons) - but if they think I should have it, i'll have to bite my tongue and go for it.
Again, thanks for taking the time to reply!
paul75665 Joel53242
Posted
One of my diagnosis is Anxiety, and I've managed to get through 2 colonoscopies in the past 3 years. There not all that bad to be honest, people are more than willing to share horror stories of them, people are less likely to mention good experiences. The worst part is the bowel prep by far, the actual colonoscopy itself is a breeze in comparison, especially with sedative and pain relief.
The need to know that there wasn't anything more serious going on down there was greater for me than not going through with the colonoscopies, and I strongly suggest you have one if it is recommended, remember the bleeding can be caused by polyps and not to worry you anymore, but these can turn cancerous, and they have to be removed and tested to be 100% sure. I had 3 removed during my first colonoscopy and they were benign (non cancerous). I tell you the wait from being told I had them, to getting results through was agony, I was scared out of my wits, and when they came back clear I was so relieved. There were none found during my last colonoscopy.
Inflammation in stool and blood could indicate an IBD, I had inflammation in my stool but not my blood, and doctors suspected IBD, so they gave me a colonoscopy, but actually my colon, rectum and terminal ileum were very healthy (minus the haemorrhoids of course), again this was such a relief.
I don't like colonoscopies at all, but the pros of having one done certainly outweigh the cons.