Hemorrhoids or Colon Cancer?
I have had blood in my stool for about 3 months now and am very worried as it is on and off. Sometimes I would have blood and sometmes I wouldnt. I googled information and have found that the top four symptoms for colon cancer was.
1. blood in stool
2. pain in stomach – Nope take daily stools almost everyday
3. Different bowl movements – all have been about the same (maybe had watery stool about once or twice in a year)
4. weight loss – actually gained weight
I have not had any of those 4 but the first one(Blood in stool). I am very worried as the blood (when i wipe) is Red or Bright Red.
Is there a good chance that I have hemorrhoids instead of colon cancer. My age is 26
Filed under: Hemorrhoid Symptoms
Agree with "JB"
Hemorrhoids are far more likely to cause BRRB – bright red rectal bleeding
Also, you are probably young.
Sure would help to know your age.
That information is so important in questions about cancers.
If you are under age 30, the chances are extremely small that this could be a colon carcinoma.
Whoops – I see you did state your age.
At age 26, hemorrhoids are far and away more likely.
This is more than likely hemorrhoids or tiny rectal tears which occur with the passage of hard, dry stools from constipation. You can go to WebMd.com and type in hemorrhoids and read up on the treatment recommendations there. You can then type in constipation and read the dietary recommendations that you need to do to prevent future episodes of this in addition to dramatically increasing your daily water intake.
Bright red blood means it has oxygen in it, ie it is "fresh" blood, so it is a consequence of either hemorrhoids or fissures (look it up), the only blood in your stool that would be caused by cancer would be either black-looking or completely "occult" (detectable only by a stool-test).
You probably should not be using Google to self-diagnose (or you should be reading the results more thoroughly!), I am quite sure there are no legitimate sources out there suggesting that bright red blood in the stool is a sign of cancer!
You don’t eat enough fiber, and you probably don’t drink enough water or get enough exercise…
sounds like either hemorrhoids or anal fissures (cracks in the anus). The bright red blood means it’s very fresh, so it’s not from the upper colon. It’s most likely from the rectum. But you should talk to your doctor about this just in case.
He/she will probably reccommend a colonoscopy just to be sure that it’s not colon cancer. I’ve had a colonoscopy, I believe I was 20 at the time, and it’s not fun, but it’s very important for making sure your colon is healthy if you’re having weird intestinal symptoms. I was afraid I had colon cancer too, b/c I had severe abdominal pain and alternated between constipation and diarrhea.
The prep is hard (you have to totaly empty your colon and eat a liquid diet without anything red, orange, or purple), but the procedure is really easy, most people fall asleep. I did. I have vague memories of feeling the scope go in and seeing something pink on the TV screen and everything’s blank after that. IMHO, the worst part is drinking the laxative solution, it tastes really foul. Other people think the worst part is constantly running to the bathroom for at least six hours during the prep.