Rectal Blood

Dr. Kevin

Today, I noticed a small amount of blood on the tissue following a BM and wiping. It was only apparant on one tissue, not subsequent tissues and was not present on the stool or in the bowl.

The question is - should this matter be of any immediate concern or should I look for any further symptoms in the future.  Obviously my concern is early signs of colorectal cancer.  I suspect that the primary factor that probably influences this situation is the fact that I had a BBQ sandwich last night with "hot" sauce, which did cause a burning sensation upon defacating. So, can eating this type of food cause slight bleeding and therefore not be of any concern; should I stop eating it; or should I follow with a healthcare provider to be sure?

I am a 48 year old male, relatively good health with family history for prostate cancer only.  During my annual physical last summer, my primary care physician has indicated that he will start checking for colorectal blood after age 50.  Obviously, I do not want to overreact or receive unnecessary testing, but want more info regarding issue.

Your guidance will be greatly appreciated...  

Hunter

[Kevin Pho, MD]

The most common cause of rectal bleeding is hemorrhoids or an anal fissure.  Your physician is correct - colorectal cancer screening begins at age 50 with stool blood cards and an endoscopy (either flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy).  If you have a first-degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister) with colorectal cancer, screening begins at age 40.

It would certainly be reasonable to obtain stool cards from your physician.  Other approaches would include an anoscopy to look for hemorrhoids, or discussion of whether a flexible sigmoidoscopy is appropriate at this point.  

It is unlikely that the bleeding is caused by a specific type of food.  

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[Dcd1]

From my experience with a fissure, fistula, hemmorhoids and ulcerated skin back there, plus all I have been told, here is my call, of course, only the doctor can say for sure.

If the blood is bright red, probably a fissure or internal hemmorhoids.

If it is darker in color, I'd see a doctor asap.

If it is bright red, eat lots of fiber and drink lots of water for a few weeks. Stay away from extremely empty fiber foods, like chocolate and red meat.  Take it from experience, you don't want a fissure or hemmorhoids to get worse.  The pain you will suffer later will make you wonder why you didn't do something earlier.  I only wish someone had told me this when I started with mine.

I had to have surgery, so, get this fixed asap. You'll be happy you did.  Not trying to scare you, just trying to save you a lot of pain.  My colorectal surgeon once told me, don't know how true this is, but the anus has more nerves than any other part of the body except the eyes.

Do yourself a favor and take care of it if it is the problems I had, before you feel everyone of those nerves in full force.