The first time I saw blood in my stool, I was scared. It was about two months after I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and the doctor somehow ignored the fact that this could happen to me. I was sure that something had broken off somewhere and I was going to die. I called my sister and she pushed me to the emergency room. I had seen a red, blood-like color in my stool (which I had not infrequently had a discharge), and I told this to the doctor at the time. I needed the bathroom again in the middle of the interview, and the nurse had to check on my digestive system.
Then I was given a colonoscopy, which is an unpleasant test to undergo too often. When it was over, the doctor sat down with me and told me for the first time that I was not going to die. He explained it was probably from Crohn’s diverticulitis, or small pouches in the wall of the colon (there are other possible causes, but this was mine). Plaques, or diverticula, can contain blood and cause blood to flow into the bowel. He told me it didn’t look serious, and that it would probably heal on its own, but if I had blood in my stool for more than two days, I should see my doctor, as I still needed treatment. He felt that I did not need treatment then, and I went home anxious anyway.
Because I always want to know what is going on inside my body, I saw “blood in the stool” a long time ago, so I was looking for it in medical books, not on the Internet. I learned that there are basically three types of blood in the intestine. Red blood or blood seen in the stool is called hematochezia. This color of blood in the stool it is red because its source is lower in the intestinal tract, usually in the colon, and sometimes in the area of the anus, so the blood does not stay long in the intestinal tract. Usually for Crohn’s patients, from diverticula in the colon, although it can be from Crohn’s fissures. Although it is rarely serious, it can always be seen by a doctor, who can rule out more serious causes, including colon cancer.
My father died of intestinal cancer, which is called carcinoid cancer. It was difficult to detect it in time, and by the time the disease had lost her and she had a great deal of weight and a lot of blood through the blood in the explosive cathartic. This is the most important part, because whenever I see blood in the stool, I get scared; I was always afraid that I needed it, at least. But a history of cancer in your family increases your chance of getting cancer, so that’s something I’m always aware of.
About six months after passing my first bloody stool, I experienced what is described in medical texts as “black, tarry, and foul-smelling” stool. It was my first, and it had been very annoying bowel movements, so I went to the ER in a panic again (why do these things always happen on weekends? ). I was able to provide a sample again, and the doctor had me do an upper barium enema as well as an upper gastrointestinal x-ray series, for which the barium “milk-milk” should be drunk. (I prefer chocolate, thanks, but given the option.) After the tests, I was admitted to the hospital, and two hours later the gastro-enterologist came to see me that weekend. He said that there is a kind of blood in the bowels, which at that time is called melena, and generally proceeds from the upper part of the digestive tract; it may come from an ulcer of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum, and a few other causes. Because Crohn’s is an affected tract the entire digestive tract, from the stomach to the anus, often has black blood in it. A chair; it takes on a black color because it has been in the intestinal tract for a long time. He told me that the accident was caused by an inflammation of the stomach and duodenum, which had sent blood. This inflammation and bleeding from the black hole in the bowel is not uncommonly seen in the early stages of Crohn’s disease. Because my blood had indicated that I was very anemic, I was given a blood transfusion along with the medicine. The two drugs that were given were an H2 blocker, which works by blocking the histamines that otherwise produce acid in the stomach. > and in my case descending into the duodenum, (the name of the segment of the digestive tract which joins the stomach to the intestines). Ulcers can also be caused by bacteria, usually a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori or H.pylori, I was too. anti-biotic data. This, too, is not uncommon in Crohn’s disease; because it is to some extent an auto-immune disease, polyps or colon cancer. Because of this, whenever I see red blood on my stool, or even on a toilet tissue, I panic. I know how my father died; I am ready to die in the same way. I know it’s commonly associated with Crohn’s, and usually from diverticulitis or fissures, but it doesn’t stop my fear.
Causes of melena, or black, tarry, disgusting bowels in which the blood is usually heavier, if the melena is not false. False melena can occur if iron supplements a> by eating black licorice or drugs such as Pepto-Bismol. TM True melena can be caused by a bleeding ulcer; gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach); esophageal varices (dilated veins under the esophagus only; if they can bleed, life is threatened); or a tear in the throat from vomiting. I had the least terrible cause, and the most common of Crohn’s diseases: ulcer bleeding. Ulcers can also be hereditary, and his father suffered from ulcers when he was alive. When it first happened, I only had false hair, and because I knew both sides of it, it wasn’t scary for me.
If you have red or black blood in your stool, it is enough that the blood is visible, and it can be serious. You should see a doctor as soon as possible. It is not, as I hope, to frighten the experience of most people as it is with me; if I ever see red blood in my stool, it is certain that I will join my father soon.
