embarrassing.... rectal bleeding?

Question

I've noticed that when I go to the bathroom my stools are covered in blood. It doesnt hurt, though. I looked up hemorrhoids, but i dont have any bumps or itching or burning. I know it could be internal, but is there any way to find out without going to the doctor?
What can I do before I make an appt.
What else could cause this?

its not from anal sex, i havent done that since high school!

Answer 1

Bloody stools often indicate an injury or disorder in the digestive tract. Your doctor may use the term "melena" to describe black, tarry, and foul-smelling stools or "hematochezia" to describe red- or maroon-colored stools.

Blood in the stool may come from anywhere along your digestive tract, from mouth to anus. It may be present in such small amounts that you cannot actually see it, but is only detectable by a fecal occult blood test. When there IS enough blood to change the appearance of your stools, the doctor will want to know the exact color to help find the site of bleeding. To make a diagnosis, your doctor may use endoscopy or special x-ray studies.

A black stool usually means that the blood is coming from the upper part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This includes the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. Blood will typically look like tar after it has been exposed to the body's digestive juices. Stomach ulcers caused by ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin are common causes of upper GI bleeding.

Maroon-colored stools or bright red blood usually suggest that the blood is coming from the lower part of the GI tract (large bowel or rectum). Hemorrhoids and diverticulitis (inflammation of an abnormal pouch in the colon) are the most common causes of lower GI bleeding. However, sometimes massive or rapid bleeding in the stomach causes bright red stools.

Consuming black licorice, lead, iron pills, bismuth medicines like Pepto-Bismol, or blueberries can also cause black stools. Beets and tomatoes can sometimes make stools appear reddish. In these cases, your doctor can test the stool with a chemical to rule out the presence of blood.

Brisk bleeding in the esophagus or stomach (such as with peptic ulcer disease), can also cause you to vomit blood.

Common Causes

Upper GI tract (usually black stools):

Bleeding stomach or duodenal ulcer
Gastritis
Esophageal varices
Mallory-Weiss tear (a tear in the esophagus from violent vomiting)
Trauma or foreign body
Bowel ischemia (a lack of proper blood flow to the intestines)
Vascular malformation
Lower GI tract (usually maroon or bright red, bloody stools):

Hemorrhoids
Anal fissures
Diverticular bleeding
Intestinal infection (such as bacterial enterocolitis)
Vascular malformation
Inflammatory bowel disease
Tumor
Colon polyps or colon cancer
Trauma or foreign body
Bowel ischemia (a lack of proper blood flow to the intestines)

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
embarrassing.... rectal bleeding?
I've noticed that when I go to the bathroom my stools are covered in blood. It doesnt hurt, though. I looked up hemorrhoids, but i dont have any bumps or itching or burning. I know it could be internal, but is there any way to find out without going to the doctor?
What can I do before I make...

Answer 3

Rectal bleeding could be caused also by rectal ulcers. Ofcoarse, there are alot of conditions that could cause rectal bleeding, all of which I feel should be evaluated by a doctor. Blood in your stool is not a good thing, so it's better to be safe then sorry. For all you know, it could just be a slight problem that will need medication, but only a doctor can give you the tests you need to determine the cause.

Good luck and listen to your body !

Answer 4

first off, how old are you? That's important. Secondly, is there a history of colon/rectal disease in your family? That's also important. Third, you shouldn't play around with this, you should go see a doctor. You don't have any pain when having a bowel movement, but have significant amounts of blood in your stool? That's a big red flag right there, and you need to go to the doctor and get an exam.

Doctor will also probably refer you to get a colonoscopy, which you should do. Soon.

Don't mess around here, make an appointment tomorrow. You don't want to wait on this, too many red flags in your story to ignore.

Edit: This is why people on yahoo answers are mostly not doctors. It's not hemmorhoids, wiping too hard, or anal fissures. All of those are painful--she's described no pain. There are much more serious things she should be screened for soon which fit her (albeit short and brief and in no way diagnostic) description.

Answer 5

Umm ok, i wouldn't have even bothered asking this question.
Any unexplained rectal bleeding should immediatley be checked out by a doctor, imagine all the time you are wasting on here when you could be at the doc's getting real advice from a person who actually knows what they are talking about.

hope this helps

xx

Answer 6

Change your diet, dude..eat greens, lots of fiber, and drink a LOT of water at least 8-12 glasses a day. You most likely have a anal fissure-a tear on your o-ring resulting from crapping out something hard, or your turd was too big and it ripped. not uncommon, but it comes back because you won't let it heal. You may also have internal hemerhoids, which bust open after straining, or crapping. Take a warm sitz bath, for 30 minutes, eat some ground cinnamon and drink water. It'll still hurt for a bit, but the condition should get better.

Answer 7

Internal hemorrhoids may not be painful. Fissure is usually painful. Considering you are pretty young, colon cancer is a bit remote. The doctor will probably do a digital rectal exam and anoscopy (not a full colonoscopy), an office procedure which would be enough to diagnose the problem.

Answer 8

Just another thought on this....3 years ago I had the same thing...was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis - or more generally Crohns Disease...it is an autoimmune disease. I had 3 years prior to that, been diagnosed (and had a bowel resections b/c of it) with the Crohns. It was emergency surgery.
I do not or have not had painful bowel movements with the colitis, nor have I had abdominal pain. It was just there. Do you suffer from diarrhea? Fast weight loss?....Just go get checked...nothing to be embarrassed about...you will be more embarrassed if you didn't.

Answer 9

You could have what is called a fissure. It is essentially a crack in the thin vascular membrane in your anus. It could cause bleeding when you have a bowel movement. Sometimes there is some burning during your BM as a result from this, but not always. There is no way to tell for sure without a colonoscopy.

Answer 10

There could be may reasons but my advise would be to go to a doctor as sometimes this could be dangerous to your health. I think hemorrhoids can be more internally located so there might not be outward signs. Quit being embarassed. All mammals have an anus.