Uhhh...?

[Sinenox]

Literally. I've had traces of blood in my stool (I'm sure you all really wanted to know - sorry) for years now but it's rarely noticable. Sometimes though it is noticable and it feels as though my colon is bleeding also. So'm...why? Does anyone know if that is an indicator of being "glutened", a symptom of Celiac or another problem altogether? I wouldn't ask if I weren't worried about it. I appreciate the help.

Also, I travel through rural Africa a lot and I get the fecal tests done but I always worry that they aren't catching something. Does anyone know of a resource by which I might be able to compare symptoms and check it out? Again, much obliged for the help.

[Rachel--24]

I think Crohn's Disease can cause bloody stools and also alot of other symptoms similar to Celiac. Have you ever had a colonoscopy?

[Sinenox]

I haven't had a colonoscopy but none of the symptoms associated with Chrone's fit any of mine save this one. IBS barely fits if even it does. I just don't know what to think.

[super-sally888]

Hi -

Hemorrhoids are a likely explanation.

But please go see your doctor and ask him/her to check it out.

Bleeding is not normal, even with celiac and means that something has changed, that shouldn't have.

Any bleeding and / or any change from whatever is normal for you should always be checked.

Travelling to Africa must be interesting! What's your job?

Sally

[Lisa]

If you have blood in your stools, without a hemorrhoid issue, you need to see a doctor. If your travel overseas, that is another go to plan... testing for bacteria or other.

I would recommend some blood work done.

.

[Sinenox]

I don't know what hemorrhoids are but the cultural references I've heard always involve itching and I don't have anything like that, or anything, really, that would explain it. I have had the bleeding on/off thing for years, it's nothing that I'd worry about bloodloss from or anything, but they've taken blood work within that time and it all came back normal. It just happens now and then and I just assumed that when I went off gluten it would go away but it just started happening again recently. So it's not necessarily abnormal but I guess I'm wondering if I should pursue it anyway? I had the complete workup last time I got back from Ethiopia with chest Xrays and bloodwork and etc - not that I expect my travel has anything to do with this particular problem, I just know schisto is hard to spot and get rid of sometimes so I was curious about that. I'm a student by the way and I've just been lucky enough in my life to be given opportunities to go all over the place and do research for people and such. In any case thank you all for your help and any additional thoughts will of course be appreciated, particularly if this rings a bell in any way.

[Guhlia]

My hemmorhoids never itched, but I had bloody stools, sometimes quite a bit of blood. Definitely go to your doctor and have them check you out.

[zansu]

hemorrhoids are veins near the surface that can burst and bleed when placed under pressure (straining to make a bowel movement). In people that have trouble with them they can evn become protrusions near the anus and swell and itch when they're acting up. However, there are also internal hemorrhoids that are just inside the anus that can cause bleeding, but not necessarily the itching, etc of the external ones.

Now, get to a doctor.

Bright red blood is probably from a source low in the colon/anus; darker red/brown or black from higher in the track. Might be hemorrhoids, might be irritation from D or something you ate, might be parasites.

BUT, God forbid, bleeding is also a sign of colon cancer or severe colon damage. you need to rule this out.

You know you have persistent bleeding in an area you can't see. You don't know why. It's probably innocuous, but you should be sure.

[tarnalberry]

Yep, even at the age of 23, I was dx'ed with hemmhroids. No itching here, though they're non-trivial at times, and there's not really a lot you can always do with them, other than "be nice to your stool".

But zansu is right. I had no other symptoms, just a little bit of bright red blood either on the stool (at the very end) or on the toilet paper, and a bit of pain. My doc (who's not an alarmist, and not a drug pusher, and was willing to go with "the diet makes you feel better? then stick with the diet!") noted that blood in the stool is something you just don't mess with. Our intestines usually don't give us too many signs to work with, and blood is a big, giant, flashing one that shouldn't be ignored.

No, it's no fun getting checked out. But it is important, to rule out serious things. Please, please get it checked out. It might be nothing; there are non-trivial odds it's nothing. But in the risk calculation, the also non-trival odds of it being something very serious that you need to know about immediately make it important to check on.

[jerseyangel]

My advice would be to get thoroughly checked out by your doctor. A colonoscopy isn't all that bad, and can reveal problems while they're still very treatable. One saved my dad's life years ago.

Hemmorhiods don't always have obvious symptoms--I have internal ones, that were found during my colo. last year.

Really, for your own peace of mind, have this checked out

[sunshinen]

sounds like hemmhroids to me. but you might also consider parasites. they can cause bleeding.

[grannynanny]

Sinenox,

It does sound like you need a good workup for rectal bleeding. BUT, if nothing of note is found, I'd just like to relate my sense that it might POSSIBLY be related to intestinal/stomach damage due to celiac disease. My father had severe internal and intestinal bleeding for years and nothing could be found during his many hospital stays. We nearly lost him at one point due to "severe" anemia, but the doctors couldn't find the source of the bleeding. They certainly didn't consider that he might have had Celiac-induced anemia (or perhaps even a permeable gut?). He died a couple of years ago (from numerous other complications, not celiac disease), just about the time I was discovering that I had Celiac. The more I have learned from reading, and from others on this board, the more convinced I am that my father was a lifelong Celiac sufferer (I can remember his terrible stomach problems even when I was a young child) whose symptoms nearly cost him his life in his seventies.

Sue

[Ann1231]

I have that problem when I have gluten. When I"m gluten free, it goes away. Part of that is that when I have gluten, I get constipated and then, as others have noted, hemorrhoids appear. I seldom have itching but sometimes have a swollen, tender feeling in that region.

[loraleena]

Ulcers can cause blood in stools as well.