Some facts about me first:
I'm 12
A bit overweight but I did manage to lose a few pounds with eating less fatty food and exercise more
Pretty sure no family history of any cancer, GI disorders/problem, yes
Pretty bad anxiety, been kinda stressed too
Ok, so for the past few months, I've been experiencing classic IBS symptoms and in almost all of my symptoms searching done on google, IBS shows up the most. So for like ever, I had these chunks in my stool (red and tomato skin like or food like) but however today, I was wiping and noticed a few super small red specks in my stool (I occasionally scoop up a piece of stool to investigate it, gross I know) there weren't a lot only a few that I could fine. I've been constipated for the past few days and have been straining (I just had diarrhea like a week or 2 right before, is it norms for IBS?). I also have a small cut right in the tissues around the butthole and it's STINGS when I poop or pee. I wiped and noticed a tiny trail of bright red blood, it's bright red but it's also faint because it's not bleeding a lot. Vaseline helps a lot but forgot to apply some last night. I'm not very concerned about this (I also wipe too hard most of the time too) but I'm more concerned about the red specks in my stool. So I be this worried? There's not a lot, a few specks here and there. My stool is light brown and there isn't any trace of red in the toilet water. I also have occasionally thin stool/flat. Would this be a part of IBS too? I've been feeling stressed and it kinda made my symptoms worse, Dr.Google really mess with your had sometimes. I'm having colon/rectal cancer scares because narrow stool is a symptoms. I don't also have narrow or pencil thin stool, it kinda always changes in shapes, size, color (no red or black tho, had dark brown a few times but not alot, usually light or medium). Consistency is a big one too! I don't have any weight loss, I gained one pound actually, whoops. Haven't had a fever in a long time. Loss of apetite yes, usually when I'm bloated but I usually really enjoy eating 😂. I get frequently abdominal pain and cramps too. Lower left, lower abdomen, upper abdomen (usually with bloating). It would go away by itself but would decrease faster if i can poop. So yeah, please help, I have pretty bad health anxiety and there's state tests coming up in school. Could this be cancer?
Your symptoms do sound like IBS. I have IBS and have had narrow, light coloured stools, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and constipation with nausea. I have never had a fissure but this is common with IBS. Do not worry and don’t google your symptoms. Worry intensifies IBS. Simply ask your parents to take you to the doctor to verify your symptoms. At the age of 12, cancer would be extremely rare. Exams will cause you stress and stress causes IBS; health anxiety is also common with IBS.
So the super small specks and cut near butthole is ok?
Its always good to get yourself check if you feel that something is not right with the body. This is the first thing you should do. Nut whatever symptoms you are talking about is more related to Hemorrhoids. Improper food habit like fast food, low-level intake of water, excessive smoking and drinking, long hours of sitting, etc. All these are the major reason for Hemorrhoids. When you suffer from this, your poop becomes hard. It does not let you pass gas. Due to this, you feel abdominal pain. And when hard poop passes it cuts the soft lining of the intestine. This can be the reason you might have found blood while passing stool. Again I m advising you to get yourself checked.
Hi Kay I was your age when I first started with health anxiety, I should have gone to the DRs and that could probably alleviated the years and years of constant worry that no diagnosis caused, please go to your Mum and tell her or even show how this thread so she can see how worried you are, it's not that I think you have cancer at all, absolutely not.
But I would like to think you can get control of this before it takes over your life, my son at the age of 13/14 showed classic symptoms of anxiety/panic disorder but because we were able to talk about it and I was able to talk to him whenever it occurred he was able to deal with it and never felt bad about it, he also knew I had enough medical background to take him doctor's office felt it was necessary, only happened once, he had concussion.
I also think your bowel symptoms are more to do with anxiety than IBS and I'm sure that once your levels are lowered and possibly a change of diet those will also improve.
If for some reason you can't talk to your mum or dad then can you think of someone else to confide in
A cut near your anus sounds like a fissure; fissures can bleed. However, you should still see your doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Anxiety and IBS are lnked. When you have intense anxiety, this can lead to IBS; this is what happened to me. IBS is very common in youngsters.
Hi Pippa I agree IBS and anxiety disorders are definitely linked, I have never come across someone who has zero anxiety and has IBS I'm not saying it's unheard of just I have never seen it, what I am saying is that if Kay gets her anxiety under control she will probably be able to have better bowel habits and with some medication for her piles/feisures and reassurance she can leads a much happier adult life.
I was diagnosed with IBS in my early 20s so I do have some idea of the symptoms and causes as it's 40 years of it, I also have diagnosed UC to add to it ☹️
Kaykay,
My heart truly goes out to you to be that young with these kind of issues.
My first recommendation is to talk to your parents and then go see a doctor, I know that these are embarrassing issues but as an adult I have to say that and strongly recommend it.
Again I think your first step is to seek medical attention, however, though I am not a doctor, it sounds like your IBS may just be caused by your diet, which is a good thing because that can be fixed easily. How is your water intake? I was told to drink at least three bottles of water before I left the house in the morning, I am a teacher, so I assume we have a similar schedule since you're probably go to school. I was also told to drink hot water with lemon in the morning, like 4 ounces of water with a half of a lemon squeezed into it in warm water, this helps digestion.
As far as the blood, again I am not a doctor and recommend you see one to make sure everything is OK, but from what you are saying it sounds like it is it just a surface cut from wiping or pushing too hard when you are going to the bathroom. The rectum and the skin around it is very sensitive and this does happen to people. Have you tried using baby wipes? They make special ones for sensitive skin that might help since that area is irritated already. Also, I would put Neosporin in the area instead of just Vaseline that will help heal it better.
Please, I urge you to speak to an adult that you trust and go see a doctor. You had mentioned you had anxiety again all of this is something a doctor could help you with. I know this is probably all very scary for you, but the good news is It sounds like your problems are not uncommon. Again just from what you are saying, in my opinion, though I am not a doctor, it does not sound like these issues are anything too serious.
You are absolutely right with all you say. With all the talk of the additives in food I am wondering if this is what is causing the younger generation to have IBS.
Thomas, I am so glad you mention these things because you just reiterated everything I said. The good news is it sounds like this is a problem that can be cured or helped significantly with little changes. Katie definitely needs to talk to an adult and see a doctor.
Cake, please I urge you to go to a doctor, I know you are probably embarrassed and stressed out, and although you probably do not have anything serious, I can almost bet you, cake, please I urge you to go to a doctor, I know you are probably embarrassed and stressed out, and although you probably do not have anything serious, I can almost bet you, I know at your age this is extremely embarrassing, but trust me a lot of people have what you are going through and it is not uncommon. Dr. see this kind of stuff all the time and it is nothing to them. If you are too shy to talk to your parents, maybe you can speak with your school nurse? Or a teacher, relative, or someone that is an adult you trust. It sounds like we all agree on here that your symptoms are not anything life-threatening, but again we all urge you to talk to a doctor.
I tried the lemon with water before, guess it does kinda help. I haven't been good at drinking water lately so I think maybe I should more. More fatty foods than I should eat this week. So this could be the cause of my constipation?
Ok so update, I think my fissure is healing (my mom gave me some cream, she gets those cuts too sometimes) because it’s less painful and there isn’t blood, it’s still a bit tender though. The red specks is most likely what I ate because today, I don’t see them anymore. I also have a food diary but forgot to look at it before panicking. I had lots of red bell peppers, tomato, and carrots. Told my mom about my worries and luckily, my aunt is a gasterinologist (can’t spell it) or a doctor who specializes in these things. I think she became a doctor because she also suffer from IBS or maybe it’s some other GI disorder. So yea, we talked last night and she said my symptoms sound very much like IBS, I think almost same symptoms as her. But she said we would still have to check out other stuff to see if it’s something more serious. But most likely it’s would be IBS because past medical history shows some sensitivity in the bowel/colon. THANKS FOR ALL OF THE REPLIES!!!!!!
Ok so update, I think my fissure is healing (my mom gave me some cream, she gets those cuts too sometimes) because it’s less painful and there isn’t blood, it’s still a bit tender though. The red specks is most likely what I ate because today, I don’t see them anymore. I also have a food diary but forgot to look at it before panicking. I had lots of red bell peppers, tomato, and carrots. Told my mom about my worries and luckily, my aunt is a gasterinologist (can’t spell it) or a doctor who specializes in these things. I think she became a doctor because she also suffer from IBS or maybe it’s some other GI disorder. So yea, we talked last night and she said my symptoms sound very much like IBS, I think almost same symptoms as her. But she said we would still have to check out other stuff to see if it’s something more serious. But most likely it’s would be IBS because past medical history shows some sensitivity in the bowel/colon. THANKS FOR ALL OF THE REPLIES!!!!!!
That’s good you’re getting some answers.
One would think fatty foods would cause diarrhea but it's possible. My acupuncturist really thinks hydration is key. Glad the lemon water helped a little. I'll be honest nothing has really been a "miracle fix" these little things have just been making things a bit more tolerable. What do you drink? I use to drink soda but being constipated, the carbonation made me feel like I was going to explode.
Another thing I've been doing to help make the water easier to drink is I added cucumber slices ginger and mint leaves, there are a bunch of posts on Facebook for recipes, it's suppose to be super healthy and even help you lose weight- it just makes the water taste better.
I have also been making homemade ice pops with crystal lite and pieces of fruit in them, I bought the molds to make them on Amazon but you could even use ice trays. Are you in the USA?
IBS can be caused by lifestyle factors like modern diets, stress, stomach infections and abdominal surgery. A lot of youngsters rely on processed food which is bad for the gut. I also think youngsters have a lot more pressure on them, education and employment wise.
I am so happy to hear this, glad you guys talked and I'm so glad you're on the road to recovery. Take advantage of the fact your aunt is a gastroenterologist, GI Dr. For short. Please keep us posted.
oh and one more question, I pooped about 2 times today. It's quite "a lot" for being constipated but each time, I could only get a few small pieces and then suddenly it got a bit mushy and now I'm back with the small, kinda thin, stools. The stool was orange-brown, is this bad? I did have some orange foods like carrots. I had orange stool before and it usually last a few days but now I'm getting curious about the orange color.