Re: blood in stool

Posted By HFHSM.D.-rf on July 08, 1998 at 23:12:53:

In Reply to: blood in stool posted by Shelly on July 08, 1998 at 01:08:55:






Hi!  I'm 26 years old and female.  For the last year or so I've
had times when I've had constipation or diahrrea, but it comes
and goes.  I had diahrrea today several times with some abdominal
pain ( the stomach bug has been hanging around in our family
too, so it might just be that)  Anyway, tonight I noticed blood
in my stool.  It is the first time I've ever noticed it.  It
doesn't seem like it's from a hemorroid.  Should I call my doctor
about this?  Will he want to do tests?  I've been doing some
reading and it seems like colon cancer is pretty rare in people
my age?  To be honest, I'm hesitant to put myself through some of
those tests I've read about!  Are they painful?  I'm also trying
to get pregnant.  One more thing--For the last 2 days I have been
using Slim Fast for breakfast and lunch.  Could this have
anything to do with the blood in the stool?
                                              Thanks
_____
Dear Shelly,
The constipation alternating with diarrhea suggests that you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  I tend to agree with you that you may have a recently acquired infectious diarrhea.  The blood that you saw may be a) the result of colonic inflammation related to the infection or b) a manifestaion of rectal problems related to rthe diarrhea e.g. hemarrhoids or fissure.  I would wait several days and see if the diarrhea and bleeding subside.  If there are no further symptoms, you probably do not need any additional tests.  If the diarrhea or bleeding persists, then you should have stool cultures and a flexible sigmoidoscopy (insertion of a short telescope into the rectum).  In trained hands this tests takes only as few minutes and is not associated with any discomfort except for mild cramps.
With tregard to the cause of your symptoms, I would not blame this problem on the Slim Fast.
TRhis information is presented for educational purposes only.  always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: diarrhea, blood in stool
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