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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 2/19/2007 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Guys im a 22 y.o. male in need of some opinions.

First off, i had no clue where to put this, so i figured to go with my most pressing issue.  Since about last summer i have been having problems when it comes to defecation.  It seems that i have an anal fissure or something, as often it is hard to go with a lot of pressure, but when i do, on occassion i feel a tearing, burning pain in my rectum, and a small amount of blood appears.  This was worst a few months ago where it would actually stay bright red after a couple of wipes.  I know the redder the blood is, the closer it is to the rectum.  Also the  past few days, i have been experiencing burning in the base of my penis when i defecate.  Also as of late (a few days) i have felt kind of worn down and a bit woozy, but i do not know if this is all in my head or not.  I have known to be pretty stressed out and tend to be a little bit of a hypochondriac, especially lately.  Just to let u know, my family has a history of gastrointestinal problems (my brother actually died last year from complications from Crohn's Disease), but i got a colonoscopy after displaying some signs, and everything came back negative.  But please let me know if you think it is best to see a doctor right away, or at least give me some possible diagnoses.

Get back to me

Posted 2/19/2007 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
Also i was wondering if after a long time of having a fissure, if ur blood could be contaminated from the stool passing past it.

And it seems that my anus does get inflamed on occassion, which may be why it is so hard to do sometimes.
Posted 2/19/2007 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
Nobody can diagnose you on an internet message board. The mostly likely reason for your GI symptoms is hemorrhoids, and they are very common. A hemorrhoid is basically just an enlarged blood vessel in the rectum - sometimes they protrude and cause itching and burning pain; many times they don't and remain internal. Since you report GI problems in your family, you really should see a doctor about your symptoms. From your post name, I conclude you are attending a university, and many schools have on-campus medical clinics that are free to students.
Posted 2/19/2007 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hi PSU, I would visit your doctor if I were you. It is advisable to see your doctor about any rectal bleeding. The fact that the blood is bright red shows that it is superficial so it is probably a fissure or haemarroid. You can get treatment for chronic fissures in the form of creams or if really bad, injections. I think you should ask your doctor to take a look to put your mind at rest as something isn't right. The fact that your colonoscopy came back negative is a good sign so your problem is related mainly to your anus. I have suffered from anal fissures in the past and they are not pleasant. I was given GTN cream for it to heal it and had to use this for 6 weeks. I hope your doctor can help you with this problem. Take care
Posted 2/19/2007 7:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys thanx a lot about ur concern, i will look into further treatment options =o)
Posted 2/19/2007 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
Also, several other guys have posted on here (been a long time ago), that they had pains or even burning in their penises and testacles while having bowel problems (especially during an actual movement). We haven't been able to figure out what the connection is, but at least rest assured that it's not just you. None of them had anything worse than IBS (which is pretty bad on its own, but Crohn's is always worse).
Posted 2/20/2007 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi PSUGuy,
Welcome to HealingWell! :-)
I agree with the others... given your family history, you should make an appointment with your doc. It does, however, sound like you may have a fissure. Have you tried adding fiber to your diet and maybe even a stool softener to make it easier on your anus to pass a BM?
Posted 2/20/2007 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
i have tried those things, and they went away for a while, but recently it came back again. I guess it was not completely healed. I will try that again, and hopefully that will help.
Posted 2/20/2007 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
Maybe you could try keeping it moist at all times to prevent more cracking and tearing. Even if all you have is vaseline...
Posted 2/20/2007 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
i've been trying to use preparation h
Posted 2/20/2007 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hope the prep-H is helping with your symptoms PSUGuy. It's better to use that product than vaseline, as vaseline is not a water-soluble product and can end up trapping bacteria where you least need it. And don't forget to see a doctor! :-)
Posted 2/20/2007 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
Ya, I'll tell you something, my crohns started out in/on my anus which were thought to be hemmies but turned out to be perianal crohns skin tags (which is why prep H never helped) and with your family history I'd be getting another scoping done and ask for a referal to a colon and rectom specialist, they're knowledgable about the anus as well...my crohns started out in the anus then moved internally to my rectom, colon and small intestine. I have IBS as well, but the biggest difference between IBD and IBS is there is no inflammation with IBS or bleeding unless there's a hemmie involved.

:)
Posted 2/20/2007 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
As usual, thanks for the info, pb4! Do skin tags mirror fissures? Is there a way for PSUGuy to tell the difference between the 2?

Thanks again! :-)
Posted 2/20/2007 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think i have Crohn's, because i have not experienced any diarrhea, nor lost any great deal amount of weight.  Plus most of the abdominal discomfort is in my stomach, so that's why i suspect it mainly me stressing out.  Also the soreness is pretty much all over my body now.  And when i got blood work done several months back, it did not detect any non-normal levels.

Still, i'm going to the doctor to get checked out tomorrow, as well as hoping to get some more blood tests done.

Posted 2/20/2007 10:54 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck! Please keep us posted on how your appointment goes...
Posted 2/21/2007 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
SO i checked my blood pressure tonight, and it's def high (150/95) on several attempts. =o(

Like 30 points higher than this time last year
Posted 2/21/2007 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi PSUguy- Let me first say how sorry I am for your loss. How sad and scary for you too. I wanted to wish you luck. Please try not to get too anxious (you mentioned that you could be sort of a hypochondriac- I'm not a hypochondriac, but I sometimes get very anxious about my symptoms.) Keep a positive frame of mind and keep your head up high. Please post again. I'll be thinking of you.
Posted 2/22/2007 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys just as an update, i went to the doctor today, and he checked it out, and said that he only saw hemmies. So the good news is it's probably due to my stress. The bad news is i'm at like 155/95 on my blood pressure, and my pulse at ~100ish, so i am going to start taking anti-depressents and perhaps counseling.

And he's going to get the charts for my colonoscopy, just to make sure.
Posted 2/22/2007 10:05 AM (GMT 0)
Glad you went to the doctors and got checked out. Did he give you some treatment for the hemmies? I take anti depressants myself, have done for the last 6 months. Stress is not good for bowels!!!!
Posted 2/22/2007 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
Nah, he just checked them out and i guess he assumes ill take prep h.

But yeah, i'll start with the anti-depressants in a few days. I'm going to miss consuming alcohol, 'cause alas i just got out of college and am still up at Penn State with a lot of friends. Does anybody know whats the maximum amount of drinks, if i do go out while on them, i can consume without complicating things? I'm sure i can get away with 1 or 2 beers, right?
Posted 2/22/2007 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
I would check with your doctor about the alcohol. Some antidepressants can't be mixed with alcohol but others say alcohol can be consumed in moderation.
Posted 2/22/2007 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Don't forget that alcohol--most especially beers--usually makes everyone's bowels worse.
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