# Blood in stool due to alchohol?



## st2813

I know this sounds like I'm not being serious but I am! I am an occasional drinker and when I drink I used to like to drink Jack Daniels and coke. A few years ago I noticed I would find a few drops of blood in the toilet when I would have bowel movements for a few days after drinking Jack Daniels. Of course that told me that I shouldn't drink Jack Daniels and I get that. I typically drink Wednesday's at golf league and on the weekends that I don't have my kids (every other). I haven't had the problem in quite a while (because I stay away from Jack Daniels). This past weekend I went on a fishing trip and did have a couple of Jack Daniels and coke with the crew Friday night at our lodging. Starting Sunday and continuing until today I have been seeing bright red blood drops in the toilet and on the toilet paper. On top of the Jack Daniels we also had a couple meals with very hot and very spicy food (I don't know if that contributes or not). This has happened probably 6 or 8 times in the last three years since I noticed it and I am relatively certain that it only happens if I drink Jack Daniels. There have been many other nights where I drink and do not have this reaction those nights could and have involved beer and wine, and also Vodka drinks. To me it seems that whiskey is the culprit. I don't know how that could be or what it might be indicative of as far as conditions are concerned. I am a 40 year old male father of three small children. I had high blood pressure and have had gout since I was around 23 so I suffer from arthritic type conditions in many of my joints. I also have had ankle surgery three times (same problem, deformed bone in joint, now fused). I had an appendectomy at about age 13. I currently take Lotrel 5-40 MG once a day, and a water pill (hydrochlorothizide 25mgx1) for BP, I also take 300mg of allopurinol daily for Gout, and a 100mg tablet of bupropion daily. I was recently surplussed from my job (possible pending unemployment) which has been causing incredible stress. I just wondered if anyone could help me possibly understand if this might be IBS or what other condition it could possibly be. Any input would be great, thanks.


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## Hester

Hi - I am just giving you my opinion and am not qualified to offer medical advice. 1) before your job is gone, you need to get a GI exam to rule out something more serious. I believe you should have an upper and lower GI. (Don't sweat it, here in the US they give Versed which helps with any discomfort.)These exams would help rule out cancer or bleeding ulcers. If you have ulcers somewhere, alcohol is a big no no. Alcohol thins the blood and is an irritant to the gut walls. 2) Bright red blood usually comes from the colon or rectum and could just be hemorroids but not always. However, if your stools are streaked with blood or you have black or tar-like stools, this could be something more serious and again you need a GI exam. 3) Gout can be caused by exessive drinking. I would suggest you stop for a while and give your body a rest for about 2 or 3 months and see if your symptoms improve. Consume more water and organic foods/produce to allow your body and gut to heal. I personally know how hard it is to not drink when under stress. That being said, I hope you get an exam before you are out of insurance. Bleeding can be nothing or it can be very serious. There is just no way to tell even with your detailed health information. I personally have a monster hemorriod that when I drink or eat spicy food or get constipated they bleed bright red blood. So, it is nothing important but that is not always the case. Hope this information was helpful. BTW - I can feel the hemorroids and sometimes they itch or feel like something is caught in my rectum. If you have this feeling too, perhaps you can breathe a sigh of relief to know it is more likely a hemorriod. But only a doctor can confirm this.


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## Kathleen M.

Alcohol, typically, is more of an upper GI bleed issue which would be black and tarry looking, not bright blood.I'm not sure if it can irritate hemorrhoids, but if it in anyway alters your stool consistency that can certainly do it. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. Usually if it is a one off thing that doesn't recur it doesn't need a lot of testing, but if it become regular that really does need to be checked out completely.IBS does not directly cause any bleeding of any kind. However, changes to stool consistency can irritate stuff in the anus (like a hemorrhoid or a fissure) that will bleed.


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## st2813

Wow, thanks for the great information. I really just can't understand why the one type of alchohol? Since it started happening a few years ago there have been a few times where I haven't drank for weeks and a couple times for months. Again never happens with other than Jack Daniels. Maybe an ingredient in that I am sensitive to or that makes blood thinne than in other types. No thick black stools or blood in the stool just dripping blood and a little burning or itching sensation along with it that I honestly associated with the hot food (spicy) having an effect on the thin walls and so forth. I imagine that could be a fisure or hemmoroid that is irritated by the food or liquor?


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## Hester

I cannot drink Jack at all - makes me burn from head to toe.


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## st2813

One other piece of information that might be helpful or meaningful. Whenever this does happen the "area" is very sensitive to the touch of toilet paper, there is an itchy or burning type feeling (I attributed to spicy food), and washing with soap in the shower definitely stings the area. I'm guessing that last point about soap indicates the soap is getting to some type of a sensitive area. I wonder if that would also lead toward hemmoroid or fissure??


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## Kathleen M.

That points to some sort of irritation of the area down there. Hemorrhoids are very prone to that itching and/or burning sort of thing.


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