Blood on toilet paper

[Generallyok]

Sorry for tmi but went for BM yesterday and when I wiped there was a slight smear of red blood. Wiped again and no more and couldn't examine toilet as disappeared around u bend. Do I wait and see if it happens again or should I make appoinment to see GP? Don't feel any soreness which would make me more reassured.

Was it bright red or dark/black?

If dark, definitely make GP appointment.

If bright red, it's fresh blood and most likely nothing sinister and probably just caused my a small tear or haemorrhoid.

I had this once a little while ago and it didn't happen again.

Small amount of red blood sounds like a tiny tear or a haemorrhoid. Are you constipated? Did it hurt at all on the way out?

I personally wouldn't be worried as I have many experiences of both the above and also black blood or old blood in stools is typically more worrying but you can't take advice from the Internet! All I can say is I'd check for a haemorrhoid and check carefully next time I went.

Thanks jolly. It was fresh looking blood so do you think I should just watch and wait? I have health anxiety so not great for me.

Bright red? Happens to me all the time- not an issue. Old blood -GP.

I have this quite frequently from a small hemorrhoid. Absolutely nothing to worry about but preparation H or similar from pharmacy or supermarket will treat it if you are concerned. If lots of blood every time or dark old blood go to the doctor but a small amount of red blood is likely a hemorrhoid or fissure.

Same here, happens to me occasionally. Fresh blood - no worry, will just mention to GP when I'm there for something else.

I had this. Went to the doctors after 5 years of occasional red blood after a poo. Colomstemy was administered. Clean bill of health. Best get it checked but probably no need to worry.

If your poo was a little hard it’s likely you just tore a tiny bit of skin or caused a small pile. I wouldn’t worry unless it happens every single time or you have black poo (which would denote bleeding higher up in the bowel / old blood - unless you take iron tablets like me in which case your poo will be black all the time so it’s harder to tell!)

What is BM?

Happened to me last week, petrified me, then dh reminded me i'd cooked a meal using chopped tomatoes. That's what it was. Once happened before after eating beetroot. Had you eaten anything like that?

Please, please go and see your doctor as soon as possible. A single smear of bright red blood was my only symptom before a diagnosis of stage 3 bowel cancer. And yes, I am too young for it to have been picked up by a bowel screen test....no age is too young for bowel cancer.

I don't understand this belief that fresh blood is nothing to worry about, but please don't trust a mumsnet diagnosis, however often it is repeated.

Hopefully your GP will be able to reassure you, but do make sure you mention any other unusual issues including just feeling tired.

oh my gosh Zad I'm really sorry. i am having major panic attacks now. I will try and make an appointment asap. Did you really not have any other symptoms? I hope you are going on ok. I really struggle with health anxiety so find it hard to make rational decisions.

Generallyok, I know you have health anxiety so it's hard not to focus on Zak's post but her situation was very very rare. There are hundreds of us with just tiny tears and small haemorrhoids causing the odd bit of red blood. It is far far more likely it's that but to put your mind at rest go see the doc.

Thanks so much zig zag. I have been really good recently with my worries but this has thrown me. I read all the messages on Saturday and decided I would watch and wait as everyone seemed so reassuring. I had even stopped thinking about it but now I'm shaking all over. I have to go work in a while and not sure how I'm going to be.

It is far far more likely to be just haemorrhoids or a small tear than to be something more sinister but obviously health anxiety is going to make you focus on the more sinister option. Next time you poo have a look at it, is it normal looking or is it very dark? If worrying about it is going to make your anxiety much worse then I think the best course of action is going to your GP and explaining your worries.

Thanks Natsku all looks very normal since and not dark.Always very regular.

OP I'd never tell you not to go to the GP but can only tell you what I'd do. And that's nothing, unless there was something else further or more worrying. You may need to see the doc for your anxietys sake though. I'm glad you're not panicking so much.

In my teens I briefly flirted with health anxiety and imagine mine was very low level but it used to help me to think of all the sicknesses I though I might have at any given time and then say to myself statistically, I just couldn't have a tumour, a blood clot, irregular heart, and glaucoma all at the same time. So therefore which ones would I likely not have? None of them more likely to have than any others so therefore I'm as likely to have none.

I also when I started to panic would look around me on the train or wherever and focus on all the people who may have been hiding some illness BUT were living and going about their business as normal. Then tried to imagine them seeing me the same way and accept that I was simply living and well and going about my business.

Don't know if either of those two though processes help.

Thought!!!

thanks so much your kind words zigzag they have given me great comfort and make a lot of sense. I have ruined so many times in my life because I cant let go of illness made much worse now I am mum. I look at photos of me with the kids and think that's the time I though I had a melanoma, that's the time I was convinced I had breast cancer. its so hard because I always think this is the time I will be proved right. I will try and pull myself together as worrying is just so exhausting.

Just want to say I know how you feel,In Jan this Year I started having lots of symptoms which COULD have been BC.
Googling convinced me this was fact and I got HA badly.
I really struggled and ended up back and forth to the Doctors, all this culmilated in me having every test possible and everything came back clear.
I have IBS and always did have but HA convinced me it was something so much more serious.
For me going to the Doctors and getting it all looked into helped in the end but did in some ways make my HA worse as it was constantly on my mind waiting to have tests and then waiting for results....
However I think a quick trip to the GP will help you and I doubt they will need to do anything further once you have been(maybe a quick stool sample and check)
I agree that it is much more likely to be from a tear inside.