ClareSmith

I've been googling (I know I shouldnt be) and everywhere I look it says that bright red blood on stool is a sign of a hemorrhoids or anal fissure. The blood I saw was not bright. It was red but darker than a bright red. I'm also now worried how long the bleeding has been going on because I really had to look hard to see it

*no blood on toilet paper, is what I meant to say

thank you all so much for your responses. It means a lot to me. My mind always goes to the worst possible scenario and nothing seems to calm me down. I saw the blood in the stool for the first time last night (before the test, I'd never seen it because it is not very obvious - no blood on toilet paper or anything like that) and that spent me through a whole new spiral of anxiety. I have had severe health anxiety for 10+ years but this is the first time that I've actually had a symptom that requires something like a colonoscopy so my anxiety is 1000x worse than usual. Health anxiety also runs in my family so I've found a little relief talking to my sister. I can't tell you how much it helps to hear from you all though. thank you.

Hello! I have been dealing with on-and-off (but mostly on) constipation for the past 9 months. Other than that, I have not had any other intestinal issues. I went to see a GI specialist and they did a fecal occult test, which turned out to be positive. I am 30 years old and do not have a history of colon cancer in my family. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for May 17 but I'm beside myself with fear and anxiety. I can't stop crying thinking about it. I know there are other reasons that you can get a positive fecal occult test but I'm so scared of colon cancer nonetheless. Any advice would be appreciated.