Not sure if colon Polyps, cancer, hemorrhoids, or something else. Any suggestions?

[rolltide18]

Not sure if Colon polyps, hemorrhoids or something else.

I am a 23 year old Caucasian male who lives in the US. I am 5' 9" and around 210 pounds. I have had no prior major health issues. I am not taking medications, and I drink socially, do not smoke nor use recreational drugs.

Sometime last October, there was about a week stretch where I was noticing drops of red blood in the toilet when I would go to the bathroom. It happened for about a week, and then it went away. I wasn't sure where it came from, as I think there may have been a slight tear within my anus, but I did not have any issues after that week stretch.

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Fast forward to last month, and I started noticing blood coming out with my stool again. Same color (bright red) as before. This happened for like a two week stretch. It started to become a bit more difficult to go to the bathroom, as it was a tad bit painful whenever I would try to go. However, the size of my stool remained the same.

However, last week is when my stool really began to change. I noticed that while the blood has disappeared for the most part, my stool was coming out a bit thinner than it had previously. This was followed by a weekend of having very runny stool (not diarrhea, but I did spend the previous night drinking, so that could be a cause).

This week, however, from Sunday to Thursday, I was very constipated and could not use the bathroom.  If I tried to go, maybe a few pebble shaped feces would come out and nothing else. On Wednesday night, I decided to take a glycerine suppository along with an overnight laxative pill. On Thursday, I was able to use the bathroom multiple times, but it was very runny (a little less than diarrhea) and came out fairly thin. This continued on until Saturday. Today, I was able to use the bathroom, but once again it was thinner than usual stool, but it was still solid stool. In addition, there are times where it becomes a bit difficult to pass gas, and when I am able to, the odor is generally fouler than average.

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I am planning on going to see a healthcare specialist this week, but I am also unsure on what type of specialist I should go see, as I do not have a current medical provider. I am deciding between different express clinics near me that take my insurance.

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Any input would be greatly appreciated, whether it be logistics on what the next steps should be, or what are the possibilities of this condition that I may have.  

I am also down about 15 or so pounds in last 3 months. But at the beginning of January I did begin a new diet where I cut out 50% of my calories and began doing moderate cardio every day.

[AnnieBrooke]

Tell the general practitioner doctor your symptoms and they will have you take a fecal occult test. It could merely be hemorrhoids, but you do want to rule out colon polyps or colon cancer.