Bleeding and variable stools

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Rickyhom
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Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:46 am
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by Rickyhom on Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:08 pm

Bleeding and variable stools

i have had blood on the toilet tissue or sometimes in the toilet bowl for many years. I am now in my late 60's Itt is not there all the time. I am never constipated. In fact I have a loose unformed, sometimes explosive stool most of the time which I believe is due to the tap water where I live because when I go away from home it is more than often "normal".

I have only once done the "poo" stick test because the one time I did it they found stool in my stool and I realised on phoning that they were unable to differentiate between fresh and old blood and the blood after my stool is bright red and fresh. I do not want to be forced into and invasive colonoscopy when I know the reason is more than likely the piles I first got after having children. The stick test I did was a few years ago. Can they now differentiate between fresh and older blood from a possible tumour?

The latest bout of bleeding came after doing sit ups in an aerobics class when I could actually feel the haemorrhoid as if I was rolling over it as I did the sit up!! In the past I have had my haemorrhoids injected and frozen neither which made any real difference.

I also wonder if I have a fissure as it can sting sometimes after a stool.

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Dr Claire Mansfield
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by Dr Claire Mansfield on Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:25 pm

Re: Bleeding and variable stools

Hi. Have you been back to speak to your GP recently about this issue? I agree that no patient should feel 'forced' to have medical treatment, however it might be important to have a conversation with your GP about your difficulties, and their suggestions for investigation/treatment. If you don't want to have a particular form of investigation you could talk to your GP about this and then you can talk about the possible significance of this and whether there are other options. If you feel that you won't be heard or will be forced into something you're not happy with then perhaps you could consider speaking to another GP, or taking somebody with you to the appointment that you trust to support you.
Dr Claire Mansfield
Chartered Counselling Psychologist - CPsychol, PsychD, MA, BSc

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... sfield.php

Rickyhom
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:46 am
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by Rickyhom on Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:40 am

Re: Bleeding and variable stools

I have to admit that I rarely go near a doctor. It would have to be for something very urgent and important if I did. I am a natural health practitioner myself and avoid drug medication like the plague unless it would be vital to my health. e.g. I have Type 2 diabetes which I have controlled on a low carb/low GI diet and exercise for many years but have an HbA1C test at least yearly as I do accept that I will have to go on Metformin eventually - it is inherited diabetes not from bad eating or overweight. I apparently have HBP (or rather white coat syndrome) for which I take an Ayurvedic herbal preparation called Ivy's Mukta Vati and I have never known this herbal preparation not to work with anyone I have suggested it to. As I said I have had the bowels problem for about 35 years and am still around with loads of energy!! Thank you for your advice anyway. I really just wished to know the answer to the question I posed.

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Dr Neil Galletly
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by Dr Neil Galletly on Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:59 pm

Re: Bleeding and variable stools

If the pattern of your bleeding has been unchanged for many years then in all likelihood it is due to your haemorrhoids. However the danger is that bleeding - and loose unformed stool - are also potential signs of bowel cancer (which starts to get more common when we reach our 60s), so it is really important to look for any changes to your normal pattern. As Claire says, colonoscopy isn't the only way to investigate the colon and look for problems.

To answer your specific question, the stool tests that look for blood (faecal occult blood and the newer FIT test that will be introduced over the next few years) cannot differentiate blood from a possible tumour from blood from haemorrhoids. There are stool tests that can look for bowel cancer DNA (Cologuard) but these are not available on the NHS and so you would have to pay for them privately

Hope this helps!

Neil Galletly
Dr Neil Galletly
Consultant Gastroenterologist - MA MBBS FRCP

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... lletly.php

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