Farting Blood Stained Mucus

Digestive health
1

Hi All

Got quite an embarressing problem going on at the moment, and wondering if anyone can give me some advice, info or help about it.

Today, I've been having long, non smelly farts, but when I do I have to wipe my bottom as I feel a discharge occur. When I wipe my anus there is clear mucus present with spots of bright red blood present. On top of that, I have been getting quite a bit of lower abdominal and back pain, and also feeling quite lightheaded and dizzy, had some stomach bloating and burping and have a slight headache, I generally feel a bit unwell.

This isn't the first time its happened, although its not a frequent occurrence, I was wondering if anyone knew what might be going on.

I am due to see Gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks following a referral from my doctor. I was diagnosed with IBS about a year ago, but in recent months my condition has been getting gradually worse, hence my doctor referring back to Gastroenterology. I have had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, ultrasound, loads of blood, urine and stool tests done and nothing out of the ordinary was ever found, I did have polyps removed which were completely benign.

Could this be a bad IBS flare up, or are there other possibilities why this blood stained mucus is happening. Any views or ideas would be greatly appreciated, and give me some ideas and thoughts to throw at the Gastroenterologist.

Many thanks in advance.

2

I don't think ibs can cause blood mucus. Ibs usually just causes cramps, bloating, constipation with some diarreah but nothing involving any blood or at least from what I know

3

You must mention this to the gastroentologist. It may be something begnign, like haemoroids, but you can`t take chances.

4

Thank you for your comments Toruokada and Catherine, I do appreciate them.

I do have a nice list ready for the Gastroenterologist, and will be giving this to him when i see him next week. I have always had doubts about my diagnosis of IBS for a number of reasons, and even the doctor who referred me is quite sceptical of the diagnosis which was done by a different doctor. We'll see what happens!

Thanks again.

5

Hi paul i was just wondering if you had an hpdate on your illness? As i have had the same thing happening to me for about 3 years now of an on.it started of worse with fevers every night and i couldnt keep done food galf the time aswelp as alot of blood in my stools and toilet bowl and having to go to toilet constantly all day it has settled now but i have still got heaps of bllod in stools at times like tonight and i just dont feel right in my self.doctors said ibs after colonoscopy and endoscopy and lalroscopy only came up with gastritis.i know there has to be something more tot hus

6

Hi Ashley

Sorry to hear about your problems, this type of issue can be very worrying, it has been for me, so I understand your concern.

One thing you must realise is that a little bit of blood can go a long way, especially when mixed with water in the toilet bowl. I still get this happening to me, and it can get so bad that it can drip from my backside into the toilet. The key to this problem is the colour, if its bright red then it is more than likely to be a anal fissure or hemorrhoids (internal or external). During my colonoscopy, internal hemorroids were discovered, which is what I put mine down to. After a physical examination by my doctor he said that I might have quite a bad anal fissure too. Due to the positioning of the fissure they can be quite difficult to heal, due to there not being any airflow around it, its always moist down there, and the action of passing stools will aggrevate it, not giving it time to heal. You mentioned that you were going to the toilet a lot at one point, this could well have caused irritation and weakened the surface of your anus, which could have led to a fissure. I've also had rectal polyps removed, which according to my GP, people with history of polyps do tend to bleed a lot more. You also mentioned blood in your stools, is the blood actually in your stool or on the surface of it? The fact that we have had colonoscopies should give us the peace of mind that there isn't anything more sinister going on down there.

Keep an eye on the colour of the blood, if its bright red it's ok, but anything else then contact your doctor as soon as you can. Mucus production is common for people with IBS, we all produce mucus down there to help passing of stools, its just people with IBS sometimes produce more. Also keep an eye on whether the blood is in your stool, or on it. Mine is always on my stool and is bright red, to me this indicated bleeding somewhere near the exit of my anus. IBS and gastritis will also give you an almost constant sense of feeling under the weather,

Take care and try not to worry too much about it, you have had lots of tests to check for any nasties happening inside you, but any new developments or symptoms, then go back to your doctor.

All the best!

7

Oh man this problem is the most irritating and inconvenient thing I've ever had to deal with. I'm on my second go around having to run to the toilet every time I have to pass gas. The first time happened to me 2 years ago for probably 5 months straight. Going to see a GP in Canada is very easy but seeing the specialist takes up to a year. I feel either the body will heal or it's too late to fix by the time anyone gets to see a gastro dr. So here I am again approximately 1.5 months into another bout of this curse and very frustrated. This time I've tried hemorrhoid medication with a nozzle I had to shove up and now on doxycycline. Neither of which have slowed anything. I have to laugh because when I tell the family dr he says "just relax". Anyone have any suggestions?  The first time I had it, it just went away one day for no reason at all. Perhaps it's an immune system thing?

8

Hi

This can be quite troublesome I know. I have to say my bouts of farting bloody mucus have pretty much stopped. I still get quite a bit of mucus when passing stools, but that is a common symptoms of IBS which I have been diagnosed with. How are you feeling in general? Any other symptoms? What are your bowel movements like? Answers to these questions can help determine if something else is going on. Is your doctor doing blood tests on you?

A few months ago I had a bad bout of bleeding from my anus which happened more when I had constipation, it was always bright red blood, which was on the stool or dripped into the toilet bowl. I saw my doctor and was referred for a colonoscopy (which I had to cancel due to other health problems), but was also given Anusol steroid suppositories to try. Ever since then the bleeding has almost gone, I just get a very small amount of blood, on average once every 2 to 3 weeks, on the second / third wipe of my backside after passing stools, I think I just have a very sensitive anus, that gets easily damaged with excessive wiping. As I couldn't attend my colonoscopy my doctor has sent a couple of my stool samples off for testing, one checking for blood and the other checking for signs of inflammatory bowel disorders, I should have the results of those in a week. As the bleeding has calmed down loads, he said a colonoscopy probably wasn't needed now, although I do have to have a follow up colonoscopy in a couple of years, following the one I had about 3 years ago.

The only advice to you would be firstly to have a colonoscopy if you haven't had one, I was glad to have the one I had a few years ago as it did give me peace of mind that nothing serious was going on down there. If your bleeding is due to a physical issue (hemorrhoids, polyps, etc) then the doxycycline you are taking probably won't do anything about the bleeding as its an antibiotic. Perhaps see if your doctor can give you steroid type suppositories in the meantime, I think ones doctors prescribe are significantly stronger than over the counter hemorrhoid meds.

Don't know if any of that helps, but just remember that although any type of bleeding from down there isn't ideal, red blood is always the better one to see.

9

Thanks so much for the response!  I feel like i have no support at the moment with how my GP is so quick to dismiss this issue.  I feel totally fine health wise.  When i do pass stool it feels like there is swelling and usually have 1 or 2 blood clots floating.  The cream was proctosol hc which was a prescribed med with cortisone.  I asked for the doxy to eliminate the chances it could be proctitis.  What is your diet like?  I don't feel like mine could be the cause as I'm very conscious on what I put in my mouth.  I don't eat anything refined or processed accept for protein supplements.

10

No worries, here to help if I can.

The Anusol hc suppositories I was prescribed had to used 3 times daily which gives a max dose of 30mg of cortisone, I know a dose of the proctosol hc contains 25mg of cortisone, I'm not sure how many doses you had a day of proctosol, but the levels of cortisone in each of the meds we were given are very similar.

I used to experience clots as you have mentioned, and when talking to the gastroenterologist after my colonoscopy he told me the clots were a combination of bleeding from hemorrhoids (which were seen during my colonoscopy) and/or polyps (of which I had 3 polyps removed), and mucus build up from IBS. I'm pretty sure that the bowel produces mucus naturally, even in a healthy bowel, to aid bowel movements.

The fact that you feel fine is a good thing, I presume you are not loosing weight? I was wondering where do you feel this swelling? I always have this feeling my anus is swollen, and feels like it protrudes slightly. Is this what you feel or is your swelling feeling something different?

My diet is poor and lacking variety due to the fact that my IBS and the other problems I have, Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME, mean I have quite a lot of food intolerances / sensitivities. However, I do only eat fresh foods, nothing refined or processed. I only drink water apart from a couple of decaf coffees during the day.

It seems strange you GP is dismissing your issues so quickly, doesn't seem very professional to me. Any rectal bleeding is a red flag marker and should be investigated quickly and thoroughly to eliminate anything serious. Can you get a second opinion? I did as the first GP I saw didn't seem too switched on to my issues and needs, the GP I see now is a lot more proactive, but is happy to listen to research I've done and follow up any ideas I suggest.

I reckon you might well have an inflamed internal hemorrhoid(s) which shouldn't cause you any problems, or even a troublesome polyp or two (these need investigating asap for reasons you can find online), but until you have a colonoscopy then we're just guessing really, but I would try and push your GP, or a different one, to get you referred for a colonoscopy as soon as possible, it'll be the only way to be sure of anything.

Hope that helps, get in touch if you need any help and keep in touch to let us all know how it all goes.

11

Forgot to say,  your bleeding could be from a reoccurring anal fissure, as well as the other things I mentioned.

12

Pretty much everything you're saying is the exact symptoms as mine. I have a follow up with the dr that gave me the doxy on oct 12 so I'll keep you posted 

13

Good luck with the doctors appointment, hope you get the treatment you obviously need.

All the best.

14

Hi Paul,

I had the exact same symptoms as you and ended up diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease). Bloody mucus is quite a common symptom. Maybe bring that up with your doctor? 

I notice some people saying if they blood is bright red it's likely to be piles and not something more serious but it's always worth checking with your doctor as mine was bright red and ended up being something worse. 

Really hope you get some answers, it's a horrible thing to experience! 

S

15

Hi Steph

Thank you for your comments.

Its funny you mention IBD!!

I couldn't go for my colonoscopy due to having a Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME flare up the week I was due to start my bowel prep, there's no way I could cope with going through that as well as suffering with the flare up, so I had to cancel. When I told my doctor he said as a precaution he wanted me to get two stool samples, and he would get them tested, one would be for checking if there is any blood present, and the other would be looking for inflammatory bowel markers, I should have results by tomorrow, I'll let you know what happens.

I have a couple of question about IBD if that's ok. How were you diagnosed? Does having ulcerative colitis give you any other symptoms other than bloody mucus? I only ask as I always thought my my IBS was more than just IBS. For the last few days I've felt quite ill, sick, faint, breathing feels odd, increased heart rate, in general I just feel really under the weather, like I have some sort of infection going on, but I don't, if that makes sense? I go through bouts like this that last for up to a week or two, then I feel ok for a bit, then it'll happen again. I know I've been diagnosed with Fibro and CFS, which can cause these symptoms, but mis-diagnosis's do happen.

I'd be ever so grateful for your thoughts on this Steph. Thank you. 

16

Update for you all!

Just spoke to my doctor and he gave me the results of my stool tests. The one tested for blood was clear, no blood present, which is good. The other, which was looking for inflammatory bowel markers wasn't so good. Not sure what the count they look for is, but my doctor did say a result between 0 and 49 was ok, a result of 50 to 100 usually means that regular stool samples should be taken to monitor results, and anything over 100 requires a referral to a gastroenterologist for further investigation.

My result for inflammatory bowel markers was just over 1400!!!! Blimey!

The doctor did say that negative (meaning incorrect) results can happen, but not that often, and as I have been feeling really unwell lately he's pretty sure some form of colitis going on. He has referred me for a colonoscopy, which he said I should have in a couple of weeks due to the nature of my results. He was very surprised that the gastroenterologist I was referred to 2 years ago, and when I had my last colonoscopy, didn't do these routine stool tests, especially when I was experiencing the same symptoms then as I do now.

So there we go, I'm sort of relieved that something has been found that could be the cause of these bouts of being really ill, but apprehensive and a bit worried about what the future holds for me now. Still, the first step is to find out for sure if I do indeed have IBD.

I'll keep you all posted.

17

Poor you! I'm so glad you're getting somewhere though... it's a shock but it can be a total relief.

I can't believe your inflammation levels! Mine was high but nowhere near that! If it's IBD, at least you know it's something that can be treated and it'll never be as bad as it is right now.

My symptoms were very similar to yours- feeling faint and sick, a lot of people said I looked pale and a bit 'ghost like'(!) I just generally didn't feel well. I lost my appetite and was trying to avoid dairy/gluten (advice from doctors before my diagnosis) so between both those, I lost a lot of weight within a few months. My other symptoms were urgency to go to the toilet (this was the WORST!), feeling like I never completely emptied my bowels, painful stomach cramps, mouth ulcers. I went into hospital right after my colonoscopy to get started on IV steroids and then switched to oral steroids and went home. I was on them for about 4-5 months with mesalamine. Only on mesalamine now and things are good so far, I'm technically in remission. 

Sorry to go on a bit- I struggled with my doctors too. I had symptoms for about 2 years which got worse over time and done tests which somehow came back normal at the time. They said something your inflammation levels can go up and down and perhaps they were down at the time so nothing showed! Let me know how you get on! 

18

Thank you for your kind and helpful words Steph, I really do appreciate them. I'm happy for you that you are able to manage your IBD and keep it under control to the point where you have achieved some quality of life. It's reassuring to know that IBD can be treatable to the point where I'll never feel as bad as I do right now. Woken again this morning feeling generally groggy.

like you I've been cutting out all sorts of foods from my diet in a hope to relieve my symptoms, thinking I had some kind of food allergy / intolerance, which definitely hasn't helped my overall health. I haven't lost any weight though, and I am very regular on the toilet, almost always only going once a day for a bowel movement. My main symptom seems to be bloating, which is really prominent, I look pregnant everyday, and I think the bloating is so severe it ends up pushing against other organs and parts of the body, causing other issues like finding it hard to breathe, or increased heart rate. I've been reading up on IBD and I'm particularly worried about the toxic megacolon complication, I'm feeling quite anxious about this right now, and am hoping I don't have to wait too long for my colonoscopy to get the treatment ball rolling.

The worrying thing with all this is the fact if I hadn't requested my doctor to organise some stool tests as a precaution, with not being able to go for a colonoscopy a couple of months ago, I would still be none the wiser and could have been suffering with this unnoticed, and believing it was IBS, for I don't know how long, probably until a serious, maybe even life threatening complication occurred.

Sorry for waffling on, it's just my way of trying to come to terms with the news and try to find out what to expect. I will keep you posted, and thank you again for your comments.

19

The treatment I got made a massive difference to my life. It's obviously a life long condition but it can be well controlled. I was a bit worried about surgery but I think it's not as common for ulcerative colitis as it is for crohn's. I'm not sure where you're based but Crohn's & Colitis UK is a great website with lots of information https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/. My doctor suggested this website, and advised me to avoid looking up forums (although it's difficult!!) because everyone is different and going through different treatment plans etc. 

That's exactly what bothered me. I went so many times to my doctors with symptoms and was always just sent away with stool softener, laxatives, even anti depressants(!?). It wasn't until I had one doctor who recognised that this was going on for too long and referred me to the hospital for a colonoscopy. I don't think people (including doctors) are aware just how common IBD is.. it's definitely more common than you think! 

Try not to worry in the meantime until you get your results and know exactly what you're dealing with! Let me know what happens!

20

Thank you for the useful info Steph. I'm based in the UK so I'm presuming the Crohn's & Colitis UK website would be suitable for me.

I do try to not worry too much, but with the result of the inflammatory bowel marker test result and when I feel like I'm going to pass out, or my heart starts racing for no apparent reason, or a start to feel short of breath and the constant extreme bloating the worry does take over. I have been diagnosed with anxiety which doesn't help I know, but the anxiety is being fueled more by me feeling so ill all the time.

I've already got an appointment to see a member of the gastroenterology team at my local hospital on the 11th of October, although I was expecting to go straight into having a colonoscopy. I presume they want some background info first to see what course of investigation they should be taking, however I can't tell them anymore than what is written on my medical records. Time will tell I guess!

I'm just looking forward to getting the ball rolling knowing this can be treated to get some quality of life back and hopefully seeing some of the old me again!

I will keep you informed and thank you again for your very helpful words and advice, they really do help and has given me a great sense of hope.