Rectal bleeding and other symptoms for 2 years - Dr says fissure but unsure
Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some advice.
I’ve been having on-and-off rectal bleeding for the past 2 years. It’s usually bright red, sometimes mixed in with the stool or seen in the toilet water. When this started I saw a doctor who told me is was haemorrhoids and sent me away. This has been ongoing for 2 years, and I brushed it off as haemorrhoids and didn’t follow it up. My most recent episode was the heaviest yet, so I finally booked a GP appointment.
Alongside the bleeding, I’ve been feeling lethargic for 2 years, have been told I’m borderline anaemic, and occasionally get sudden urgency with a dull ache low in my abdomen. I also regularly feel bloated and uncomfortable. I also feel full after eating small amounts of food and never finish a meal. Over these 2 years I’ve started getting mouth ulcers, something which I had never experienced prior.
I have an extensive family history of bowel disease - My Dad and uncle have Crohns and Diverticular disease, my aunty has ulcerative colitis, my granddad has recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer and my cousin has a stoma due to bowel disease, so I was worried it could be something more than haemorrhoids or a fissure. My dad was going to the doctor for years with bowel concerns and was constantly told it was IBS and my friend who has IBD was told it was haemorrhoids before being diagnosed with IBD.
At today’s GP appointment, I explained everything. She did a physical exam but did not do a PR, and said she could see a small anal fissure. She’s prescribed laxatives for 2 weeks and booked me in for a follow-up appointment.
I’m now unsure whether this is enough. Part of me is relieved she found a fissure, but another part is worried it might be something deeper and this will just be chalked up to that again. A fissure could explain the bleeding, sure, but it doesn’t explain my other symptoms.
Has anyone been through something similar? Should I push for a referral if nothing changes in 2 weeks?
Hi
. Your concern and confusion are certainly understandable. I want to share with you this article from our editorial team on rectal bleeding: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/rectal-bleeding. It covers quite a list of things to go through for evaluation and diagnosis and it doesn't sound like you have had many of these items. Even if your bleeding is from a fissure, they don't occur in a vacuum - there is a cause. This article discusses fissures: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/complications/anal-fissure. I also want to share with you this article on IBD symptoms for your reference: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice, but considering your symptoms, duration, and family history it is completely understandable that you would want to see a specialist. You deserve to have your concerns listened to and taken seriously. Please feel free to keep us posted on how you are doing and to ask additional questions - this community is here for you. Best, Richard (Team Member) Hi this was like reading my symptoms from 7 years ago, absolutely exhausting diahorrea upto 8 times every single day for 6 months. After 10 weeks of no dairy I crawled back to the doctors and begged to be seen by a gastro specialist. In October after ct scans, colonoscopies and mri, Crohns was finally diagnosed. Infliximab drip administered - life altering!! Be persistent in pursuing a gastro specialist!!
Hey, earth2ally--your story sounds awfully familiar. My very painful rectal bleeding was repeatedly dismissed by student health doctors (I was in college at the time) as hemorrhoids. Even after my first two resections, they didn't believe that the bleeding rectal abscess had anything to do with Crohn's. But then new research came out saying that for some of us, the rectum can be the epicenter of Crohn's. All that was available to me back then was more surgery (removal of the rectum and permanent ostomy), but with the amazing array of biologics now available, I'd urge a thorough evaluation by a GI dr that would include a biopsy of the tissue that is bothersome.
