Anal fissure?

[Moondreams]

So, a few days ago I had a BM after being constipated for a bit so it was a difficult stool to pass and took some straining. The next day I had a bout of diarrhoea (most likely due to all the stuff I'd been eating to try and loosen the earlier stool). Then a couple of days later another BM which took a little bit of straining and I felt a bit of stabbing pain so wasn't to surprised to see blood on the TP when I wiped. I WAS surprised to see the bowl looking cranberry juice red. Naturally with my HA, flew into a panic (and with such a high profile colon cancer death happening recently, it's been on my mind more than usual too).

That was yesterday. Today I had a much looser stool but still with the sharp pain and the bleeding. The blood is bright red so I assume it is quite near the entrance but I'm still very concerned. Is it likely to be a fissure? I could understand it being aggravated by hard stools but would even soft stools/diarrhoea still cause it to bleed?

Many thanks!

[WiseMonkey]

Sounds like an anal fissure or hemorrhoids (or both). I had an anal fissure years ago then had an operation for it, it's very painful and yes bright red blood is a symptom. Try a stool softener eg. Coloxyl and see how you go for a week, then see your Dr if it doesn't resolve, you may need some special ointment (on prescription), plus he/she will do an examination to find the cause.