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What Causes Intermittent Blood In Stool?
Question: I had passes a bloody stool a couple of days ago and a bit concerned, the stool itself had some blood in it and when I wiped there was a mucussy blood on the toilet paper. I had some episodes in the past when I lost my appetite and was only passing mucus, I went to the Dr. last year and had some test done and got second opinions. I had two occult tests done by two different Dr's and all came back normal, I had a full abdominal X-ray and a lung X-ray and blood tests done and all was normal. 2 days ago I had the episode with blood in the stool and since then my stools have been back to normal with no trace of blood. My question is can this be cancer? wouldn't the abdominal X-rays have shown some kind of mass? and I heard colon cancer was slow growing.
Brief Answer:
I do not think that you need to grow anxious.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
Although colon cancer is one amongst the causes of blood in stool, it is not something that we need to consider first. The commonest cause of bloody stool is dysentery which is most often caused due to certain bacteria. It needs treatment with antibiotics. The suspicion comes down further since your investigation reports are normal.
X ray does not identify soft tissue shadows and hence might not be able to identify a tumor definitively. A ultrasound can give a better idea in this regard. An X ray can identify whether there are signs of intestinal obstruction or similar ailments which could result if a tumor mass is there.
Cancers are rapidly dividing cells and hence the progression should be rapid. However, in many cases there are pre-cancerous lesions which might be slow growing. Once cancer develops, the increase is rapid.
All I would suggest you is to relax and to take plenty of green leafy vegetables and food containing plenty of dietary fibers. It reduces the possibility of getting colon cancer.
Let me know if I could be of further help.
Regards
I do not think that you need to grow anxious.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
Although colon cancer is one amongst the causes of blood in stool, it is not something that we need to consider first. The commonest cause of bloody stool is dysentery which is most often caused due to certain bacteria. It needs treatment with antibiotics. The suspicion comes down further since your investigation reports are normal.
X ray does not identify soft tissue shadows and hence might not be able to identify a tumor definitively. A ultrasound can give a better idea in this regard. An X ray can identify whether there are signs of intestinal obstruction or similar ailments which could result if a tumor mass is there.
Cancers are rapidly dividing cells and hence the progression should be rapid. However, in many cases there are pre-cancerous lesions which might be slow growing. Once cancer develops, the increase is rapid.
All I would suggest you is to relax and to take plenty of green leafy vegetables and food containing plenty of dietary fibers. It reduces the possibility of getting colon cancer.
Let me know if I could be of further help.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
So basically my Doctor, wasn't very concerned, why order an X-ray, blood tests, occult blood tests, etc? Would colon cancer possibly show presence with one of these tests? He did however diagnose me with IBS, when I look up mu symptoms on the internet cancer always seems to be one of the causes. I dont have medical insurance at the time so going to the Dr, isnt very cheap, this is why I am trying to rule out possible causes, maybe I need to relax. I added a picture of the stool, it was redder like a blood bit lools different on picture, tell me what you think?
Brief Answer:
You need not go to expensive doctors looking for uncommon probabilities
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back. Sorry for not being able to respond earlier. The entire array of problems gets explained by IBS and you need to look no further. Although occult blood may be positive in colon cancer, there are a host of commoner ailments which can manifest with occult blood in stool. The internet is not the right place if you do not know what to look for. There are many other cancers that are even more common and there are things worse than cancer that might happen to somebody. But that does not mean that you need to get concerned. So, try and relax.
Regards
You need not go to expensive doctors looking for uncommon probabilities
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for writing back. Sorry for not being able to respond earlier. The entire array of problems gets explained by IBS and you need to look no further. Although occult blood may be positive in colon cancer, there are a host of commoner ailments which can manifest with occult blood in stool. The internet is not the right place if you do not know what to look for. There are many other cancers that are even more common and there are things worse than cancer that might happen to somebody. But that does not mean that you need to get concerned. So, try and relax.
Regards
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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