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Suffering From Hemorrhoids. Is There Anything Unusual About The Small Stool Pieces?
Question: I am a student of natural cures and always have been. Sometimes I find medical information to be helpful. The only problem I've had for many years are hemorrhoids. Last month I bled rectally large amounts of blood. I'm sure it was hemorrhoids. During that time I suffered from constipation. I went on a fast for 2 weeks. The bleeding stopped entirely. The constipation is gone. I am now curious about my stool. The stool pieces for the week following the fast are well shaped, no odor and would be perfectly satisfactory except that they are very small. They could be called "miniature". I have given up the fast but kept my intake of food to a bare minimum since I feel better with the small food intake. Is there anything unusual about the small stool pieces? Thank you.
Hi
Hemorrhoids are a common cause of rectal bleeding, they are associated with bright red blood that is seen on wiping not in the bowl, pain in the anal region due to the enlarged hemorrhoids.
There are other causes of rectal bleeding such as (1) diverticular disease - outpouching of the mucosa/lining of the intestine due to weakness in the bowel muscle which occur frequently as persons age.They can cause bleeding either perfuse or mild and longterm, constipation is a risk factor for the development of this condition.It is only treated if complications like bleeding or infection occur, otherwise the treatment is the consumption of fiber to avoid constipation
(2)infection or inflammation of the bowel can also cause bleeding but most of these conditions are also associated with diarrhoea
(3)intestinal polyps- these are growths that can be found in the intestines, they are usually non cancerous but can turn in the colonic cancer so if found they are removed.
(4) colonic cancer-this is my worry, it is a common reason for rectal bleeding and is more likely as persons age. Other symptoms may be unintentional weight loss, abdominal pain, constipation. There are alot of risk factors for colorectal cancer and age over 60 yrs is one of them.The medical rule is that in any case of rectal bleeding that occurs in a person who is in an older age group, colorectal cancer must be ruled out before assuming that it is anything else.
It may be that the bleeding was due to hemorrhoids but it is important that you rule out any more serious conditions by visiting your doctor.
In terms of the consistency of the stool- it is actually thought that a healthy stool has no odour and that excess odour is associated with fat in the diet.The small stools that you describe are called pellet stools and are usually seen in persons with a previous or present history of constipation.
Normally stool is to be brown, toothpaste consistancy and banana or log shaped.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Hemorrhoids are a common cause of rectal bleeding, they are associated with bright red blood that is seen on wiping not in the bowl, pain in the anal region due to the enlarged hemorrhoids.
There are other causes of rectal bleeding such as (1) diverticular disease - outpouching of the mucosa/lining of the intestine due to weakness in the bowel muscle which occur frequently as persons age.They can cause bleeding either perfuse or mild and longterm, constipation is a risk factor for the development of this condition.It is only treated if complications like bleeding or infection occur, otherwise the treatment is the consumption of fiber to avoid constipation
(2)infection or inflammation of the bowel can also cause bleeding but most of these conditions are also associated with diarrhoea
(3)intestinal polyps- these are growths that can be found in the intestines, they are usually non cancerous but can turn in the colonic cancer so if found they are removed.
(4) colonic cancer-this is my worry, it is a common reason for rectal bleeding and is more likely as persons age. Other symptoms may be unintentional weight loss, abdominal pain, constipation. There are alot of risk factors for colorectal cancer and age over 60 yrs is one of them.The medical rule is that in any case of rectal bleeding that occurs in a person who is in an older age group, colorectal cancer must be ruled out before assuming that it is anything else.
It may be that the bleeding was due to hemorrhoids but it is important that you rule out any more serious conditions by visiting your doctor.
In terms of the consistency of the stool- it is actually thought that a healthy stool has no odour and that excess odour is associated with fat in the diet.The small stools that you describe are called pellet stools and are usually seen in persons with a previous or present history of constipation.
Normally stool is to be brown, toothpaste consistancy and banana or log shaped.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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