Bleeding when defecating

I am 20y/o,female.for the past two weeks, i have been defecating with large amt of bright red blood. I am planning to see a doctor but i am afraid of the diagnostic tests. Colonoscopy sounds terrifying to me. Is it painful? Will it take long recovery period? Is it too invasive?

[lizziecee]

Hi Jess - I have had many colonoscopies over the 40 yrs I have had Crohn's and in my experience I have not felt a thing as my gastro gives me "twilight" anaesthesia. From the time he puts the needle in my hand until I wake up with a cup of tea, I don't remember a thing, and there are no after painful side effects.  After the colonoscopy I am taken to a recovery room with about 10 beds in it, with 3/4 nurses to monitor recovery from the anaesthesia.  My hospital insists that someone has to come to the endoscopy suite to take me home - you are not allowed to drive for 24 hrs, nor have any alcohol.

There is really nothing to be afraid of, except fear itself. I am incredibly grateful for coloscopies, and endoscopies (the latter of the small intestine), as when I was diagnosed in 1970 the only way to get suspicious tissue was from a laparotomy surgery. This entailed a surgical cut from my navel right down to my pubic area. This is major surgery, which thankfully is not done now, if the gastro can get up the colon to the terminal ileum - the portion of the intestines that connects the colon with the small intestine.

Of course, there may be other reasons than Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis for the blood in your stool - haemorrhoids, polyps etc. and only by getting any suspicious tissue for a biopsy by a pathologist experienced in inflammatory bowel diseases can your gastro go forward and get a definitive diagnosis, and hence appropriate treatment.,

Take care,
Liz.

[chris998]

Dear JessTucn
You should just go and see the doctor.  It could just be bleeding hemeroids. A lot of hemeroids are inside so you may not know you have them.  Good luck