Bright red blood & diareha, slight burning

[JB__0]

  I have noticed about 4 times in six months after extreme stress or taking recreational drugs (three times in six months) small amounts of bright red blood on tissue paper. Otherwise my bowel movement is fairly normal with occaisional sloppy stool, but every day at around the same time. I have stopped drugs and the problem has gone away. I also noticed the same problem after eating extremely spicy foods. Is this likely to be symptoms of Colon Cancer or more likely hemmoroids (hemorrhoids) or similar. My diet lacks a little in fibre and fruit, but i eat a lot of vegetables and rice, meat,chicken and fish.
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Dear JB,
Blood on the tissue paper can occur due to many reasons. The most common causes are rectal/anal problems such as hemorrhoids or anal tears. Other conditions like polyps and colon cancers can also present with visible blood although often the presentation is a tiny amount of blood that is not visible to the eye but can be detected by stool tests.
The best way to determine the cause of the bleeding would be a stool test for blood (guaiac) with a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a procedure involving the insertion of a pencil-like flexible fiber-optic instrument into the rectum.  If any suspicious lesions are seen they can be biopsied. Biopsies are painless and help the doctors in making a precise diagnosis by examining tissue under the microscope.  
If microscopic blood is present in the stool, you should have a colonoscopy instead of a flexible sigmoidoscopy.  Colonoscopy uses a longer instrument that allows the visualization of the entire colon.  
Although your diet appears to be balanced, you should make an effort to increase the amount of fiber that you eat.
This information is presented for educational purposes only.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-sg
*keywords: bleeding, hemarrhoids
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