blood in stool

[worried27now]

im 27.  ive had constipation problems for  1 and 1/2 years.  first doctor put me on fiber drink, it helped some.  when it got bad again i went to another doctor and he said it was my thyroid. 3 months later its stable and still having problems; hoping this is the cause of some weight loss.  my biggest scare is seeing blood in my stool.  its very light and very little but ive looked through it (with gloves) and find a hint of red in stool.  also slight pain in front lobes of hip. i also have abdominal pains, back pains and bloating.  my dad has ibs, his dad had ibs and a cousin of mine also does.  i go to the specialists tomorrow but just looking for a bit of hope on here.

[worried27now]

my weight has held around there for a couple of weeks.  that test was the first one id had that showed stable since my dose was doubled.  lol, yeah, bout to take the tablets in a couple of hours.  i got lime green flavored powder "stuff".  i hate that flavor anyways though im not sure if there is a good one.

[boron]

If your thyroid is 'stable', you're not loosing weight from thyroid hyperactivity. Anyway, I guess you're in the middle of your colon prep...

[worried27now]

no im not overweight. 5'6 was up to 150, now 136.  im hypo.  last check a couple weeks ago show i was at a normal lvl.  go back in feb to make sure its the same and not getting too much.

[boron]

What was your thyroid diagnosis? Was there an increased or decreased thyroxine? Increased thyroxine could lead to some weight loss due to increased metabolism.

Have you lost weight from being overweight?  

[worried27now]

the same doctor i seen fri is doing the test,  i take it from his comment on fri that there isnt any blood in stool, just the the juice was causing the pigment.  ill metion my weight loss.  i was thinking though my family doctor takes my weight each time i saw him.  ive lost 15 lbs in 4 months,  of course knowing him he'll just say it is the synthroid finally working. the stress prob hasnt helped either.  as far as the weak spells he said it was prob being in this condition for prolonged time.

[boron]

Weight loss may be from malabsorption, which may be caused from intestinal inflammation. During colonoscopy, the GI will take some samples of colonic and small intestinal mucosa to find eventual disease.

It would be fine, if the doctor who will do colonoscopy would know for results of stool blood test. Did you already got them? Even if stool test will be positive, it is not necessary that GI will be able to find a source of bleeding (because of possible small lesion or not bleeding at the time of investigation). This is just for info. You should mention weight loss to GI and also, if you had any epidodes of diarrhea or pale stool.  

[worried27now]

colonoscopy is tuesday.  not really seeing any red anymore in stool.  the pains arent that strong but the only thing worrying me now is the weight loss and occasional tired spells.  guess we'll see tues.  sometimes stools are flattened bad, other times not really.

[boron]

If the stool test will show blood, and if colonoscopy will show IBD, then it is quite possible that your under rib pain comes from inflammed colon.

Small intestine connects to large intestine in the lower right part of abdomen (this is the most often site affected by Crohn's disease). From there, colon go upwards, then horizontaly below the rib cage and then down on the left side. Inflammed horisontal part could cause pains, you noticed. This is pure speculation, it could be clearly seen on colonoscopy, though.

[worried27now]

ok, that puts me back to ease some.  thank you so much boron.  your information and replies have meant the world to me.  prob post again later (lol).

[boron]

Hm, when you'll see your doctor next time, ask him if he should examine you for enlarged liver and/or spleen.

Under rib pains can come from gallbladder, pleura, stomach...but noone will investigate you in this direction, if it doesn't become more obvious or related to eating, breathing, moving...

[worried27now]

right and left ribs, at bottoms.just a pain evey now and then. not even really that strong.

[boron]

Right or left or in the middle? Connected with eating? Like a colic (pain starts, persists and leaves)?

[worried27now]

went to doctor with stool, did test and asked if i eat beets or licorce (sp?), told him i drink v8 alot, he said to stop and see if the red went away so i hope that is a good sign.  i mentioned to him one of the pains i had was underneath the rib cages at the very bottoms of them, but that i hadnt felt that recently.  last night at work they were a little achy again.  what could that be?

[boron]

Yes, inflammation can cause pain and blood. It happens in IBD - inflammatory bowel disease. I'm not saying it is IBD, but 'concentrated' lower right abdominal pain is quite characteristic for Crohn's disease (this is one type of IBD).

Colonoscopy.

[worried27now]

last night at work i went twice in one day for the first time (prob from the double dose of citricil lately).  but this stool came out and the blood was a lot more visible.  where it is broke i could see its all the way through (but i already knew that before).  i forgot to mention there is one concentrated spot of pain sometimes in lower right abdomen.  could it still be the infammation?

[boron]

Take a sample of the stool, and put it into a clean bottle, and take it with you, when you go to the doctor. The blood in the stool will be the first test, doctor will want to make (you can give a sample when you'll be there). Mention to him: weight loss and eventual mucus, diarrhea, and especially - how long ago you noticed the blood in the stool.

It may be intestinal inflammation, and regarding your age, it's unlikely you have a cancer.

Don't be pleased with diagnosis of IBS - this is made, when absolutely nothing organic can be found. You should insist to find an origin of bleeding -  colonoscopy will be needed - arrange it soon.