Small amount of blood in stool.

Hello again everyone. I made a post on these forums about two weeks ago regarding a nasty bout of bloody diarrhea i had and the constant gurgling sounds i hear in my stomach. I was really concerned about the possibility of UC, but many of you reassured me that it was only an infection.

The diarrhea has been long gone now. I really am feeling better. My doctor has not ordered colonoscopy's. The only symptom that concerns me is the stomach gurgling, which has stayed the same.

Today however, i noticed a miniscule amount of blood in my stool. It was very tiny, and nowhere close to the amount i had when i was with the bloody diarrhea. This is the first time in two weeks since my bloody diarrhea. I dont understand why there would be blood in my stool after i've been getting better.

Im guessing it could be from my stool being too hard and not passing easily like it normally does. I must admit, i havent been getting as much fiber as i usually do in my diet recently, and my stools are a little harder to pass than usual.

I really just want your thoughts on this again. Everything has been getting better for me, asside from the stomach gurgling. Now, i notice a very small amount of blood in my stool. My mom has been very busy, so getting a doctor's appointment would be a hassle. Why would there be blood in my stool all of a sudden? Why isnt my stomach gurgling going away? Like i said, everything else has been getting better, and my diarrhea has been long gone.

You guys told me that UC doesnt just suddenly go away. Do you still believe that i am just freaking out or is this something i need to get checked out?

I think you need to have a colonoscopy to be perfectly honest..I know its probably the last thing you want to hear but you need to be able to rule out Ulcerative colitis..I would insist on one in fact.

If you feel fine, and you aren't losing weight, and your appetite is normal, then don't worry. Your digestive process can still be disordered from whatever you had two weeks ago. Make sure to follow a healthy diet now; you might still want to limit raw veggies and milk until your stomach stops gurgling. I'd be focused on getting some good probiotics in live culture yogurt and honest-to-goodness fermented pickles, for example (not the ones brined in vinegar).

There is no emergency. Keep watching your stool for blood. If it persists, you can talk to your DR in January about next steps.

It's impossible to say, Chauffer. You are welcome to hang out here if it gives you comfort.

Here's my daughter's story for you to compare - she has been having occasional blood in her stool, and mucous, since age 5. She is now 15. She has been to the GI because she has GERD. Her GI wanted to scope her this past summer but we just don't feel it's necessary at this time. My daughter sees blood on her stool once per month or less and is otherwise completely healthy.

The GERD bothers her sometimes, and she manages that with diet and will take Maalox if it gets bad. She spent more than a year on a strong PPI to control this condition. There is a lot of family history of GERD, but since I had IBD it is likely that my daughter does too. But if her health is good and her appetite is normal then I am not going to put her through an invasive diagnostic procedure.

GERD, acid reflux, the same thing.

My daughter's stomach is hard to describe. I've heard rumbles. Mostly she complains of nausea when her GERD is bad. She often refluxes digestive products into her throat during bad times. When we started her on PPIs (at age 10) she had completely stopped eating because it was so painful.

Writing to you about this has reminded me of my own upper GI problems, which I believe are directly linked to rectal inflammation. When I have a flare of rectal inflammation I get indigestion, bad. It's weird to have two parts of your digestive system, so far apart, talking to each other like that. But when you think about the normal digestive process, many people often have the urge to defecate right after they eat, so it's clear that the nerves in the stomach talk to the nerves in the rectum.

We have kept my daughter off of ppis for about a year now. If you had to take them as a kid, it is probably something you should think about resuming now. Gastric infections can cause a flare of reflux problems. You can get ppis over the counter now, and it might be worthwhile to take something for two weeks (usually the amount they sell you) and then reevaluate.

And talk to your parents about scheduling a visit with the DR for January. Keep a journal (food, bowel habits, symptoms) between now and then so you can communicate clearly about what's going on. And don't be shy when you tell the DR your concerns.

I'm saying that rectal inflammation may increase acid reflux.

I'm an engineer and the way I look at this is - the rectum tells the stomach whether it's full or not. Rectal inflammation probably scrambles some of those messages and may tell the stomach to produce more acid to help digest the food that's making the body feel full....I don't know, I am seriously out of my area of expertise here. But it is true that rectal inflammation often comes with upper GI issues....or let me say it another way - people with rectal inflammation often complain of upper GI problems.

I understand your mom thinks all is well and doesn't want to mess with more doctor appointments. You should explain to her that you are having some anxiety issues related to this and you would like to get to the bottom of things. Make the appointment and then as time passes between now and then you can always reevaluate and perhaps cancel. But I think it is worthwhile to talk to a DR.

Since you had reflux as a kid, it is likely that reflux will be a problem for you forever (we never do outgrow that I understand). You should have a gastroenterologist in your life. I assume that the appointment your mom will make will be with your pediatrician. Talk to that DR and explain your concerns. And I'll repeat - Do Not Be Shy about discussing your bowel habits and your observations. Your pediatrician should be able to refer you to a skilled GI who works with kids. My daughter is a patient at the local Children's Hospital GI clinic and we really like her DR (we didn't like the first one, though, and changed after a few months to a younger, hipper GI, LOL).