Maroon coloured poop?

[puzzledlass]

I have posted about this before and I'm not sure if I'm going crazy or not so here goes...

I have had the flu and my poop has been very rushed, if you know what I mean. I went to the loo just before and I had the green runny stuff and a bit of maroon coloured poop on the toilet paper. I was very worried as I thought it could be blood in my poo. What would the consistency of blood in stools be?

Now panicking and panicking and I don't know what to do. I had a stool test done a couple months ago and it came back no blood but I am scared that's now changed and I have the big c... :(

---------- Post added at 15:17 ---------- Previous post was at 14:39 ----------

I'm so afraid... I have doc appt tomorrow but
Scared that I won't describe it properly or something and she just assumes it's my
Mind.

Help
Please

[Fishmanpa]

I suggested keeping a food diary several months ago as well as speaking to your doctor about therapy. Have you done that? Have you found certain foods trigger stomach/bowel issues?

Why not go and print out some of your posts? Allow her to read them. You've had bowel issues and fears for months. Showing her some of your post history will give her a good idea of what you're going through.

Positive thoughts

[puzzledlass]

I've spoken to her about these fears before, she did a poop test last time which came back showing no blood.

I'm just so afraid.

[puzzledlass]

I need some help. Why is this happening? I went again and thought I saw some light red/pink in there. I don't think it was something I had eaten.

Please

[nomorepanic]

You need to keep a food diary and then look back not just one day but a couple of days to see what you have eaten prior to the bowel movement.

[puzzledlass]

I bet that's what she will ask me to do... Which will mean I worry for ages more!

[puzzledlass]

I went to doc today and spoke of my concerns. She was going to get me to do a fobt but then decided against it since I have diahhreha and they wouldn't be able to properly determine results.

Her words "we will send a test for blood off, not that I think you have cancer!" She is awww of my HA. But then because of diahhreha didn't give me that pot. I asked if I should come back and have it done at a later stage but she said no. She thinks I am fine but wants to check stool for bug/bacteria etc.

Am confused at turnaround... She did want to test and now doesn't? What does that mean.

I know she's a doc and knows more about medical
Stuff than I but so confused.

[puzzledlass]

:S

[hanshan]

This is the crux of health anxiety. If you keep hitting your doctor with symptoms, they have to keep ordering tests, basically to protect themselves.

The doctor may be 99.999% sure that you are physically okay, but doing a test is their insurance.

[puzzledlass]

This is why I was so confused. She was going to order a stool test for blood but then decided against it cause of the diahhreha. But didn't mention having it done again. Thinks it's because of the constant diahhrrhea that I might have seen blood.

I am fearful that she doesn't take me seriously...
I know she can't afford to just dismiss me but I worry it's always a thought that "oh it's just her anxiety again, she doesn't have xyz".

[ItchyOne]

I was recently hit with a maroon colored poop too. Of course, I assume it was blood and immediately rushed myself to the nearest GP. The doc took a look at the picture I took, and immediately dismissed it as just part of the poop color.
He said that if it is blood, it would spread or diffuse across the toilet paper, but mine just stayed as it is.
I later recalled that I had ribena, rose syrup water and red bull the day before and that could have caused it.
My subsequent poops became normal. :)

[Fishmanpa]

The doc took a look at the picture I took

I can't imagine doing that! :D

"Hey... wanna see a pic of my poop? Isn't it adorable?"

Positive thoughts and poo threads

[ItchyOne]

Lol! The things we do to reassure ourselves... :P
Not the grossest stuff I've done though... heh.

[puzzledlass]

Sigh oh the gross things we do for sure!

Trying to talk myself down.. Except you know what I did last night? I ACTIVELY searched for bowel cancer stories... What.a.dumbass

Now of course I am hyper panicked because I saw sufferers as young as 21...:(

[hanshan]

I'm no expert here, but if you do have blood in a motion, the closer it is to coming out, the more likely it is to be bright red. Bleeding further up turns black.

I'm on shakier ground here, but my understanding is that it is the black stuff that is usually a sign of something dangerous, not red blood.

Also, conditions like cancer develop slowly and are constant, so a fecal blood test is good for five years or so.

[nomorepanic]

So is it still maroon coloured then?

[puzzledlass]

Well I've not had a proper bowel motion yet...still getting over this bug whatever it is!

[nomorepanic]

Ok so it could be all back to normal now anyway

[puzzledlass]

I'm hoping so!

Of two minds... Do I see if it happens again and then see doc? Or do I go anyway?

[Fishmanpa]

Do I see if it happens again and then see doc? Or do I go anyway?

You just wrote a wonderful post about our caveman brain, our modern brain and how we physiologically react to situations. Anxiety sufferers have a problem distinguishing between real threats and perceived threats. Therein is the problem. It's your modern brain telling you something is wrong. There's really nothing to panic about or else you'd be hiding under the table ;)

Positive thoughts

[Panickypea]

I have severe IBS (defs stress related) and have had maroon, red, pink and black poos and lots of little black flecks too- I was so so convinced it was blood as my sis has ulcerative colitis which sometimes runs in families. As well as this I would have to rush to the loo and had diarrhoea too. I pretty much begged my doc to send me for a colonoscopy and as soon as I had the all clear I just stopped looking at my poop. Just the other day I had a dark red poop but didn't think twice about it as I know it's normal for poops to change colour. Also beet root, red wine and kidney beans make my poo red/black.

Hope this helps xx

[puzzledlass]

I often get the black specks and often wonder what they are! Did you happen to find out per chance?

I had a fobt test (blood stool test) done a couple months ago which came back clear. Would I need another one done?

Honestly I am so confused and the more
I think about it the more I wonder if I saw what I thougt I saw. Then it brings more doubt and anxiety into it. :(

[Cags48]

Hey that's a good idea taking a picture I'm going to do it .