Hemorrhoids or rectal bleeding?

I am trying to figure out if the bright red blood in the toilet is from a bleeding internal hemorrhoid or from rectal bleeding.

After using two hydrocortisone enemas a day for about a week, I got really constipated, and even though I tried to avoid straining it still happened at times. After a few days of constipation and straining, I got a really sore rear end and drops of blood starting coming out during a BM. There are definitely external hemorrhoids visible, so I know they were aggravated by the constipation and straining.

The problem is I have also had really stubborn inflammation and swelling in my rectum due to my U.C., which added to the constipation problems. Now I am not so sure that the blood is not from rectal bleeding as opposed to hemorrhoids.

Is there any way to tell the difference? Do I need to get examined and/or scoped by a doc or is there a simpler way to differentiate?

The bleeding has been fairly constant for the last week to 10 days, and although it is only drops of blood it still makes me nervous to think it could be rectal bleeding as this would be a set back.

Yeah, streaked on the stool too. It seems too coincidental considering the circumstances that it is not hemorrhoids. I guess they just take some time to heal.

Unfortunately rowasa lost it's punch. The steroid enemas were working great until the constipation. The pressure seemed to wreck havoc in the rectum as well as causing the hemorrhoids.

In the last week, I also had a kidney stone which took a week to pass. They gave me some NSAIDS in the ER without telling me (I would have refused had I known), and the narcotics messed up my normal bathroom routines.

My son has been sick with an intestinal bug and couldn't eat anything for a whole day over the weekend and had diarrhea and stomach pain for days. I'm pretty sure that bug got into my guts too.

It's so frustrating to have all these complicating things happen when I was pretty much into remission and getting ready to taper off the second enema. It's one thing or another.

Hemmie or fissure blood can be bright red, and colitis blood can be darker. That's my understanding. I hope it's hemmies. I use Analpram cream about four times a day for hemmies. Works great. I know what you mean. It's hard not to strain even if you are not constipated. There's that heaviness.