Blood out of nowhere

Try not to panic. These things can happen. The main thing is how you FEEL. Are you dizzy or weak? If you were bleeding a lot, then you would not just have one bloody stool. If you have these symptoms, then you have to go to the ER, kids or no kids. 

A one time thing is likely a small burst blood vessel. In your case, perhaps your hemorrhoid. Pretty common. 

Remember, a little blood (less than an ounce) will look like a bowlful in toilet water. Focus on how you feel overall.

Jan

So sorry Poucho - I agree with Jan - but easier said than done.  Have been there and so far, I've always gotten past it.  I also have blood in stool recently - scares me to death - my scope is May 6.  Post op - my sister and I both had several times where we had what seemed a lot of blood - it was always something easily fixed -and I hope that what happens for you too.  This stuff is hard - but we are out here - and you are not alone in your experiences.  It's normal to panic - I always do at first - then, I go to a sort of methodical, cognitive approach to work through it - and usually by about day 2 or 3 I am in a better place.  I used "Full Catastrophe Living"  - I think by Kabot-Zinn (?) and the good old  Dr. Ken Burns "Feeling Better - Mood therapy workbook" - I am a counselor and I know this stuff and preached it to others for years - but I had forgotten to use these things myself.  So, for an entire year, my sister and I did these books once a week by phone - did all the required "work" in them - because as we see it- we are getting older - there is always going to be something "wrong" with us or with our loved ones, friends, and others as we age - so how to cope?  How can one go on with any sense of inner peace - even if you have a religious or spiritual bent - it's still hard to do on a daily basis.  The "Full Catastrophe Living" is specifically aimed at pain management/chronic illness.  I really liked it.  Hang in there and let us know how you are doing.

I feel fine other than the bleeding. I just woke up and on toilet and some stool coming out and I don't notice any blood now.  I'm just sitting and letting it come out with no pushing or straining at all. Thinking maybe the hemorrhoid or fissure???? I always get a slight pinching like sensation in anal canal when going so maybe it is that? Either way I need to try and get scoped earlier than July. I scheduled my scope with Shen a few days ago and that was his first available past June 1st. Maybe Remzi can pull strings with him and get me in next week

Ppouchitis, 

i bleed on and off with my pouch. Usually from fissures. I know you have been through a lot. Try not to panic . My GI always said not to be overly concerned with occasional blood unless it becomes chronic and of course if you are feeling ill along with it.  I know your situation may be different and perhaps it is a hemorrhoid. 

I feel fine other than the bleeding. I just woke up and on toilet and some stool coming out and I don't notice any blood now.  I'm just sitting and letting it come out with no pushing or straining at all. Thinking maybe the hemorrhoid or fissure???? I always get a slight pinching like sensation in anal canal when going so maybe it is that? Either way I need to try and get scoped earlier than July. I scheduled my scope with Shen a few days ago and that was his first available past June 1st. Maybe Remzi can pull strings with him and get me in next week

If hemorrhoid or fissures, what can they do for them? I don't want to bleed like that all the time. It was a lot of blood. In bowl and on toilet paper. I know I have an external hemorrhoid that was very sore and swollen after my takedown for a few weeks but that has since gotten a lot better. So I don't think that is the issue. Thinking maybe an internal one or fissure. But I heard fissures are very painful? Like I said I have slight pinching in anal canal with bowel movements but not a lot of pain. 

update.. just had a very small bowel movement and no blood till the very end. I am almost sure its an internal hemorrhoid. I was able to get a scope with Dr Shen next Thursday just to find out for sure. what can I do in the meantime?

Have a glass of wine and relax?  But, really, based on what you describe, you are probably right that this is an internal hemorrhoid. Fissure, maybe, but I would think you'd be in a lot more pain.

You could avoid irritating foods. Other than that, nothing special.

Jan

now this.... almost have to laugh. I made rice for me and my daughter last night. instead of water I use chicken broth. well last night before bed I started feeling nauseaus and threw up the rice. today I feel ok but stomach a little sore. My daughters school calls a few hours ago and says my daughter is in the clinic with a stomach ache and feels like shes going to throw up. I am guessing it was the chicken broth??? I just opened it new too, but a coincidence? do us jpouchers have to do anything to recover from something like this? antibiotics or just flush it out?

I doubt it was the chicken broth. More likely some norovirus she brought home from school. They can be fast moving.

Jan

Poucho -I know you know this - but mainly - stay as hydrated as you can when dealing with a stomach virus -since everything "goes right through" us - I have to drink a lot more water and I also use propel....which some say is good - some not - whatever.  If I am really sick, gaterade seems to work better than the propel to get me hydrated.  Fun to have stomach bug with the pouch - good grief.  Glad you are getting in to get scoped early.  Mine is this Friday - I too have some blook in stool and generally not feeling well - frightening, but what can ya do?  Go, see what it is, and cope from there....I like Jan's advice to drink wine - I can't do that all that often as I tend to dehydrate from it easily with the pouch - so my magic "wine" is clonopin.  I take it as needed and often to sleep - very low dose - .5 mg - and I've been careful through the years not to let the dose go up.  It seems to be the magic bullet for me in terms of the anxiety - it just takes the edge off like some wine  Hoping you get good news at scope - and that you and your daughter get through your virus quickly - my hubby and I just went thru that here -fun times

Over the last eleven years I've had maybe six bouts of heavy bleeding, ust like you described, bright red and a lot of it.  I collapsed a few times and my friends found me and took me to the hospital were I got a bunch of fluids via IV.  That probably lasted three days and just stopped.

I've had blood appear many times, but it soon clears up, it's usually when I'm stressed for whatever reason - when I had scope to check I had ulcers in my pouch which bleed now and then. I was given iron tablets and this helps. Maybe in your case it just takes time to settle down, your pouch is very new. I've had mine for 17 years and it still gets upset with itself sometimes !!!!!! Just got to give things time to calm down.

My daughter was back to normal last night eating everything in site. My nausea has gone too but the pain below my closure site is what worries me a bit. A few weeks ago I spent weekend in hospital with inflammation just above my closure site. They said it wasn't typical and not sure what caused it. It has been minimal since then but tends to hurt a little more after eating food. I think I still have inflammation there.  I asked my surgeons nurse if the scope can get that night up to see that area and she said sometimes it can. My scope with Shen is on Thursday and I'm hoping he can get there to see something. If still inflammation there I'm wondering if something like Entocort would help? With my old pouch he had me on it for inflammation in pouch and it worked great. The ct scan didn't show stricture, just inflammation. How can they tell difference on a scan??? I haven't had any blood from butt in past few days so that's a plus. 

Hmmm. If your inflammation is at the ileostomy closure site, using steroids is an "iffy" proposition. Although steroids are useful for chronic inflammatory or seriously acute inflammation (like shock states), using it for post op swelling could be counter-productive. That is because it can delay the actual healing of the tissues and promote infection.

So, it will all depend on what the story is. 

In regard to how they can tell a stricture from tissue inflammation on CT, a stricture will look like a narrowing/shrinkage of the bowel wall itself, all the way around (like having a rubber band on it). Inflammation will cause swelling and occur inside the bowel or outside. A stricture can cause swelling and inflammation  by the obstruction it can cause.

Jan

So if they were adamant on saying it was inflammation from the CT scan I would be safe to say it was not stricture? Like I said it was 20cm above connection site. So how would they get the inflammation down if it's still inflamed? 

Antibiotics, bowel rest, "wait-and-see," any number of things. It just all depends on the current condition and findings.

Jan

Thanks Jan. Just exhausted from it all

the times I have thought I had blood Im pretty sure it was food that looked like blood. Theres a yogurt that has beet juice that comes right out like that. Did you eat anything red, pink or purple?

allswell posted:

the times I have thought I had blood Im pretty sure it was food that looked like blood. Theres a yogurt that has beet juice that comes right out like that. Did you eat anything red, pink or purple?

 

with no disrespect, I have been through the ringer these past 10 years and I am pretty sure it was blood.

I had bleeding for ten years also - the last 3 being a toilet full 12 times a day- so if it looks like that Im sure you know it, I just have panicked a few times when I saw what looked like blood in the bowl, but not as much as  I used to see before surgery- and then  a couple of movements later and it was gone. Then I sort of pieced together some food that probably was it.  strawberries do it too. Anyway I was also mentally stressed the for a good five months after takedown when the pouch was adjusting. I thought the worse all the time. Even now if I have a runny movement I catch myself thinking something is wrong. Luckily It has always smoothed out and gone back to what seems to be my normal at two years post op. Also my doctor made statements that made me think at 7 weeks that I should have been feeling and doing better than I was....it just took time. Hope that makes sense and sorry your not feeling good, hoping for the best for you.

Poucho - you have been thru the wringer -I know people are just trying to help. Hope your scope goes well on Thursday - mine is Friday.  I've had blood too - very frightening - first times it's happened in many years- have had pouch 30 years.  I've had a lot more pain than usual in GI, etc - and it's just plain upsetting and on really bad days, I just want it to end.  Then,  "good day" (which is not a "normal" day - but not so bad) - I enjoy myself so much.  Just to read a book or do household chores without pain is like a miracle.  I truly hope your scope gives you good info. and they can then FIX the problem asap.  Fingers crossed.