HA back? "Issue" with stool this morning... :(

[SurferJoe 11]

I thought I had gotten past years and years of HA. Therapy and medication and then the distraction of going through a divorce. I'm a "healthy" 40-year-old male.

Went to the bathroom this morning and like a lot of us do - I "looked" as I was wiping (TMI, I know) and noticed what looked like dark-red/red clay colored chunks. I know this is gross...but bear with me. I had already flushed...so no chance to really examine what had been in the bowl. I don't think it looked like blood - it really looked like something "stuck together" with the rest of my stool.

The kids and I ate terrible last night. I was too tired to really make anything so we had pepperoni pizza rolls, soft pretzels...and I also have two tamales (beef - did not really see any spices in them) though I doused them with red hot sauce...and then I had a "gyro" pizza puff. I know total garbage.

I'm freaking out a bit. I know where this goes. I actually just read something earlier this morning about someone with colon cancer. The thought was in my head - I see something that looks abnormal - and I put two and two together and the obsessive thoughts creep back and the urge to get on Google hits and ugh...

I really thought I was done with this. It has been about two years since I had a real HA episode and I don't want this to turn into one.

My "gut" (no pun intended) says that it is somehow related to what I ate last night (pizza rolls)...but my irrational mind tells me it is something sinister...and then (of course) I get vague "pain" and soreness in my lower back and intestinal area.

I'm trying to use the tools I have (self talk, medication, and so on)...but I'm really struggling to shake this fear this morning.

Anyway - sorry my issue had to be a little bit icky - the human body is icky, I guess. 

Best case is that I have to go to the bathroom again and everything comes out normal - but I obviously can't force that to happen - have to wait for nature to call...and in the meantime try and not freak out.

[SurferJoe 11]

I also had one of those "awful" microwave ramen noodle cups for lunch.

[AbeLinkedIn 41]

Typically our stool color matches what we eat. You eating pizza rolls and red sauce, it makes sense for there to be some red in your stool from what you ate. Sometimes food dyes color our stool, like remember when the Halloween Whopper came out at Burger King and people who ate it got green stools? Same thing, the dye colored their poop. 

I wouldn't think twice about it man, I'd be more concerned if it lasted a while instead of the day after eating lots of red. 

[SurferJoe 11]

Thank you! That makes sense. I've had a lot of tomato in my diet over past couple of days: burger on Wednesday, two sandwiches (both with lots of tomato on Thursday), pepperoni pizza for dinner on Thursday (with some red wine)...and then the garbage I ate last night.

I will take a deep breath (try and eat better the next couple of days - hah) and keep an eye on things.

[Pinky92 44]

Hi Surfer. I think your anxiety is talkin real loud this morning. I too, am a "stool" worrier. I know how it feels. It almost feels good to hear that others do it too, certainly not that it makes me happy others are suffering, lol.

I have every fear under the sun concerning bowel movements; I took it to my doctor who told me the ones to worry about are either black or very very pale, like white pale. Unless we're experiencing other serious symptoms, reddish stools are really no concern whatsoever, and it sounds like what you ate is the reason for the color. You are way young for something serious to be wrong, anyway. 

If it makes you feel any better, just reading your post gave me about five different types of intestinal twinges, burps, little burning sensations. How's that for the power of suggestion? Truly, surfer, it's what you ate. Eat better for a little bit and I bet you're back to normal before you know it. Take care.

[MARC 431]

My GI physician told me that blood on the tissue, in the bowl, or in stools should be brought to the attention of your physician. I will tell you what happened to me a long time ago when I was 25. I went to the bathroom and when I wiped, the tissue was covered with blood and the bowl was red. I had a meltdown. I ended up going to the ER which was a waste of time and eventually I saw a colon rectal surgeon who said I had piles. 

[philb 92]

One thing I would recommend is to get on probiotics and digestive enzymes. It will help restore your gut health. Perhaps try eating "clean" for a week as well. When I had stool anxiety, I added more fiber to my diet and ate clean for a few months. The healthy looking stools made my anxiety reduce.

[Pinky92 44]

45 minutes ago, philb said:

One thing I would recommend is to get on probiotics and digestive enzymes. It will help restore your gut health. Perhaps try eating "clean" for a week as well. When I had stool anxiety, I added more fiber to my diet and ate clean for a few months. The healthy looking stools made my anxiety reduce.

Hi, Phil, I've heard of probiotics, but not too much about digestive enzymes. Are they the same thing? Thanks.

[philb 92]

16 minutes ago, Pinky92 said:

Hi, Phil, I've heard of probiotics, but not too much about digestive enzymes. Are they the same thing? Thanks.

They are not, the digestive enzymes assist in digesting the food. The probiotic are healthy gut bacteria that help aid in a healthy digestive system.

[Ihadcancer 321]

HI Joe,

I'm sure you're back to normal by now, but if you had bleeding in the upper colon or intestines, more than a few chunks would be super dark maroon.  Blood would infiltrate all the stool because it's still very loose in that area and firms up as it moves through and out the colon and into the rectum.  The colon 

Generally foods take 24 to 48 hours to leave your body.  Something like lettuces can take longer. 

A few years ago, right after Christmas, I had fully maroon stool.  I had colon cancer in Jan. 2009 and a liver met in Apr. 2012.  First I had a burst of panic and then I stopped to think. What had I eaten?  Well, it had been my birthday and our middle son loves to bake. He and his wife and girls brought over a homemade Red Velvet Cake and I'd eaten several pieces in the last 3 days.  Problem solved.

Just to let you know, I was Stage IIIB colon cancer and never, ever did my FOBT show blood. Usually the tumors that bleed are closer to the rectum/ so rectal cancer and that's a true red, not maroon.  Cancer of the small intestine is extremely rare and cannot be viewed with a colonoscopy.  Blood from the stomach is black like road tar. 

Re tomatoes:  The skins cannot digest so if you don't chew them really, really well, you'll find pieces in your stool.  There's a whole list of foods online that do not digest.  Ever see a piece of corn?  

Hope today you're all back to normal and calmed down. 

Diane

[SurferJoe 11]

I am. Thank you all for helping to talk me down. I've learned just talking with fellow HA sufferers can help so much. Everything appears back to normal...though the first time I had to go after this episode was a little anxious!