Ongoing Fissure, Blood Spotting With Stools

[johnnyky]

Hi, I'm a 31 yo male, I have a question about some ongoing issues. First a little background info. In March, I had a some moderate bleeding with stool, & saw a colorectal surgeon, & had a colonoscopy, & I had an internal rectal inflammatory polyp removed which was causing it. I had outpatient surgery to have it removed, I went home same day, & did fine. I saw my colorectal surgeon in July for a follow-up anoscope, & he said things looked good.

But, since October,  when I was severely constipated & strained hard to pass a stool, I have had a lateral (right side) anal fissure, at first it was a sharp glass-like pain when passing stools, & I've had spotting of blood on toilet paper periodically. I've been to my doctor, & my colorectal surgeon, & they said I had the fissure, which is external. I have been using Nifedipine & Lidocaine gels for 3 months, applying to external anus & slightly inside at times. I've also upped my fiber, fruits, veggies, water, & stool softeners daily. The sharp stinging pain with bowel movements has improved quite a bit, but I'm still having spotting of blood on toilet paper. I also had a brief period of small internal pain & pressure on the left side, which was the side the polyp was on which I had had removed. The colorectal surgeon thought it was simply an infected anal gland which led to the polyp, & from when I was anally sexually active, that it had probably taken years to develop. By the way, the biopsy on the polyp which was removed under anesthesia was benign, just inflammatory.

I saw my colorectal doc again in December, & he scoped me again, he said I had the fissure, which I knew about, & said for now surgery wouldn't be a good option because it is lateral & it would cause more problems potentially.

I also had an anal pap test 2 years ago, because I am a gay male, & used to be anally sexually active (haven't been for years though), & it came back showing I had low-grade LSIL lesions. But all the docs don't seem concerned nor do they think I should have another pap anytime soon.

My questions are these..Is this spotting most likely due to the fissure? Is there a chance I could have gotten a tumor in my anus since my December scope or my March 2013 colonoscopy, or do those take years and years to form..My big fear is anal cancer. He said I wouldn't need to repeat my colonoscopy for another 5 years.

When I asked my colorectal surgeon in December if I have cancer he said no, which reassured me somewhat, but I still get scared when I see the spotting. Thanks so much for any advice. I'm going back to see my CRS next month, he told me that he thinks the fissure is probably my only issue now, but that he may biopsy the area in future, & that also scares me. I am terrified of having cancer.

[concerned3933]

I'm concerned as i am having a surgery for hemorroids and yet the Dr. says that one of the areas that was bleeding was possibly a tumor.....i did a biopsy less than a year ago because of an anal wart and it was negative and ive been dealing with this bleeding and discomfort for about 2 months now....i have the bright red blood on the toilet paper and off and on that blood is attached to the stool....i don't see the difference between what the hem would look like vs the tumor

[superhyped]

I'm not a health professional but I have often heard from friends of mine who had developed hemorrhoids after child bearing are the cause of rectal bleeding.  Again, I'm not a medical doctor, but I do have some medical knowings. {I'm a psychiatrist} Usually, if the spotting is bright red and upon your toliet paper, it most often is not a sign of cancer.  Should your stools be tainted with blood I would be more concerned.  However, getting advice from a good protologist can't hurt..
☮

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, as you have had colonoscopies, which were normal studies, it’s unlikely that you may have cancer, so please don’t worry. It’s more likely that the bleeding is from the fissure, ensure to tackle this. Fissure in ano, is a condition in which there is severe pain while passing stools and there is bleeding. This is caused due to the passage of hard stools during defecation. Looks like you are suffering from constipation and the consequent effects. Lack of adequate oral fluids and irregular diet (decreased bulk), can further aggravate the problem. As a result of constipation you might have developed fissure in ano. I would advise you to develop a life style to fight constipation. Drink plenty of water. Regular meals with high fiber content like green leafy vegetables, plenty of fruits, lots of oral fluids and exercise will help relieve constipation. Hope this helps. Regards.