Does anyone know what this might be? Stressing alot.

Hi Im female 30 mother of one 12 year old. about a year ago I noticed blood on the outside of my stool. I have always had problems with constipation. Did fecal occult and nothing which was odd. went to doc and they did finger exam. He said he thinks it was an internal hemi. But that he wasnt worried because i was 29 at the time. last winter I got sick and had dirreha which resulting in massive rectal bleeding. Which went in and saw another doc who tested my blood for a ray of things all neg. Bleeding went away when direaha did. So problem has been on and off this whole time. Worse with direaha about a table sppon full of blood bright red. blood on surface of stool when constipated spots or streaks only. When I work out and am able to go regularly to the bathroom the problem is gone normally. I was using fiber which helped as well. I was just wanting to know if anyone had this problem or knew anything. Im just scared is all. FYI scheduled reg doc visit on  03-16-10, at which time I will talk to him and see if he still thinks its a hemorroid and nothing to worry about.

I have never heard of a Pill camera I will have to google this. I am worried about costs because I dont have medical insurance.

That sounds very like the pattern of bleeding usually associated with hemmies . . . however, if you are concerned you may want to request a colonoscopy when you have your doctor appointment. That would check out the whole colon and also give you a baseline for future treatment if the bleeding persists. A good rule of thumb is that red blood comes from down low in the GI tract, which is where hemmies lurk.

tisatenn2005 said...
Colon cancer killed my great grandfather and great aunt on my dads side. So of course thats a fear for me.

And then the fact that I have no medical insurance limits what I can do. But as my sister says this has been going on for a year and I dont feel ill at all so its likely nothing serious. But if it is cancer catch it and cure it..

I sympathize with your plight about having no medical insurance. I lived that way for a long time myself.

The fact that you don't feel ill now means nothing. Colon cancer doesn't hurt until it's too late.

It could just be a hemorrhoid or a rectal fissure, so you don't need to panic. But blood in the stool can be a sign of colon cancer too. This page has info about colon cancer symptoms:

http://coloncancer.about.com/od/coloncancerbasics/a/colcansymptoms.htm

A colonoscopy would be a good idea if you haven't had one in awhile. The pill camera is expensive from what I understand. Furthermore, if you have cancerous polyps, a colonoscope can be used to remove them without the need for surgery (be sure to ask the doc to confirm that - some won't do polyp removal and will just refer you to another doc). A pill camera cannot be used to remove polyps.

I had no idea what a colonscopy costs in the USA, but I found this web site:

http://colonoscopycosts.com/

It's outrageous that uninsured patients get charged double (as opposed to insured patients). Sanity would dictate the opposite.

If you wind up needing surgery: if you've got the time and money for an overseas vacation, check out this hospital in Thailand:

http://www.bumrungrad.com/

I had an emergency bowel resection done there in 2005 for around $10,000, everything included. Five-star service.