# Bright red blood in stool



## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Hi. In Finland IBS is tabu. Nobody can talk about it, even doctors know too bit about IBS so this is my only chance.First thing, sorry, my English is not very good. I am 21-years-old Finnish guy and I have had IBS many years but I got a diagnosis until recently. I have been on blood tests, all results are good. I also wanted to Fecal occult blood test and I did it in three days (three samples). I heard result about couple weeks ago and all of them were negative (no fecal blood in stool).Yesterday I saw bright red blood in my stool. Stool was brown and "normally", but there were a couple of drops of blood in the head of stool. I know, probably anal fissures, but can I be sure? My age is only 21 and my family has not colorectal cancer. If my colon leakage of blood, after all, it appeared in fecal occult blood test, right? I guess my stool was hard but I´m not sure anymore... I´m so worried even though common sense says that does not concern. The human subconscious is a stupid thing, it doesn´t leave me alone. Last night I have also diarrhea, but I think that it does not relate to blood because I ate very bad yesterday so it could be diarrhea that´s why. I don´t want go to Doc because he only said that anal fissure ant that´s it. I don´t feeling that there should be fissure, of course the could be.In Finland we have statistic according to a 1655 people each year are a visible blood in stools and 11% of them have colorectal cancer.And my situation: How many percent chance of cancer?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

At 21 essentially no one has colon cancer unless you have about half of you family getting it before age 40. Except for families with a colon polyp disease it is extremely rare to get colon cancer before age 50. Small amounts of bright red blood like a drop or two are typically a hemmorrhoid or sometimes a fissure. I'd see if it clears up with whatever ointment you can buy without prescription.


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Thank you so much. I have read this site almost half year and I hoped that you Kathleen M. answer. I think you know lot of IBS. My family has not colorectal cancer, my mom has IBS and my dad has some symptomps too.Do you think that I can forget whole thing and stop looking my stools?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A quick check is OK. If it does not go away on its own or with an over the counter creme it may need a prescription creme or other treatment. Usually with just a drop or two it heals up well by itself. If it does not then you should get it checked. Or if there is a lot of blood.


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Even though the entry of blood does not stop, it does not automatically mean cancer, right?My stomach has been messed up all day and I noticed blood one time. One drop bright red blood and one drop of mucus. Yesterday two drops blood in the stools. I was mostly worried about when I did not felt the fissure, in general I feel if I had a fissure. Cold water in shower helps to find fissures.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Internal hemorrhoids bleed, too. It isn't either a fissure or cancer. Sometimes you don't know you have those until either the bleed (or itch) or your doctor sees them when looking up in there for some reason.Blood does not automatically mean cancer. Most of the time it does not. It might if you are over 50 and the blood is not bright but getting brown and mixed in with the stool.


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

You mean that cancer-induced blood can not be seen with the naked eye? It is so well mixed with the faeces?I didn´t see blood anymore and my stool is pretty normal (okay, ibs-normal). I think that always there is some red in the stools, tomato or something else. I drive myself crazy if I had always check so accurately every single stool.How infallible fecal occult blood test is? I did three samples in three days. Negative. And blood mixed with stools if there is blood in the stool?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

I think you can let the worry of colon cancer go if your test was negative. Please... try to relax. All the bestBQ


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Yeah, I´ll try. In any case, I certainly saw real blood, but apparently it is not a serious matter when the tests were negative so there is not occult blood.Thank you so much, I have stress because of IBS, but who would not?


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Damn. I had to go to doctor because I only worried about bloody stool.Because blood was bright red (probably nothing serious, I know) what you think could I go to colonoscopy or "only" sigmoidoscopy? Is it terrible? I´m so afraid... I will meet doc tomorrow.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Hard to know. Depends on all your symptoms, medical history, age, and philosophy of the doctor.Not sure how your medical system is structured. In the US a lot of doctors do way more tests than needed because they fear malpractice lawsuits or they only make more money if they do more tests.For IBS most of the studies show less testing is better as over-testing people makes the IBS a lot worse then it would be if you didn't do every single test you could think of.The younger you are and the more typical of IBS your symptoms are the less likely they are to do test after test after test.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Hey FinnHere is an excellent list of 10 Questions to bring with you to your Dr Appointment:http://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/questions-about-ibsJust print that off and bring it with you if you want.Hope you have a good appointment. Keep us posted.BQ


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Hi there.I will go to Doc in two hours. I just remembered that in Saturday I ate tacos with red taco sauce, maybe it was not blood, just red sauce. Maybe I have or had fissure, who knows. I do not really afraid anymore, my girlfriend is pregnant so I have more important things in my life =)So let see what doctor will say. Maybe he wants to do sigmoidospocy or maybe not. I will tell you in evening (in Finland clock is just now 15:16).


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

Doc made me anoscopy and I have some little haemorrhoida (I don´t know is this right word...)He told that I really am too young for cancer if I have not family history of cancer. PS: Anoscopy is not comfortable...


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Glad it wasn't anything serious.


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## Finnish guy (Oct 28, 2009)

I often have undigestive tomato skin in my stools. Sometimes it is bright red, sometimes dark red. Why tomato skin looks like a blood? This get me crazy because I always think what it was blood? If this is blood, not tomato skin, my fecal occult blood test would been positive, right?


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