Gastroenterologist in Los Angeles

Because all bleeding is considered abnormal, if you are experiencing rectal bleeding, you need to be evaluated by a medical professional. Whether it is regular or infrequent, seeking medical attention is extremely important to establish that it is not symptomatic of a much larger issue.

We are predisposed to thinking of the worst-case scenario whenever anything like this occurs, but there is no need to do that immediately. However, the worst-case scenario when you are experiencing rectal bleeding is colon cancer, so it is still important to get a doctor’s assessment even if you think it is nothing to be worried about.

The amount of blood is something to note. If you see a small amount of blood, do not panic, but do contact your doctor. But, if there are clots and a significant amount of blood, you almost certainly have a medical emergency on your hands. Similar to the frequency of rectal bleeding, the amount of blood does not reveal that much in a diagnosis. Rather, all types of bleeding, frequent or not, are treated as a condition that needs to be assessed by a medical professional. So, whether you see a lot or a little, frequently or infrequently, you need to seek the attention of a doctor.

Unlike other medical emergencies, sometimes there are very few accompanying symptoms to an issue causing rectal bleeding. Though anal fissures will cause pain during bowel movements, many of the other issues that cause rectal bleeding will not cause pain and your only symptom will be the blood in your toilet. Therefore, it is important to check in with your doctor.

Obviously, seeing blood in your toilet can be a very alarming situation, and it is important to remember that a lot of causes of rectal bleeding are not severe or life threatening, and can be simply treated by your physician or gastroenterologist. Hemorrhoids, anal fissures, constipation and hard stools are all common causes of rectal bleeding.

Generally, if you are seeing bright red blood in your toilet, it is likely from somewhere in the last part of your colon called the rectum. This type of bleeding is typically caused by an anal fissure or hemorrhoids. If you are seeing lots of blood with clots, then it could have come from anywhere in your colon and might be signaling a medical emergency. If you see black, tar-like stools, this could mean bleeding from the right side of the colon, your stomach or small bowel and is also considered an emergency. Since all bleeding is considered abnormal, it is in your best interest to get a doctor’s attention as quickly as possible.

You might be wondering what you should do if you see blood in your toilet aside from reaching out to your doctor. You can also take steps like documenting how frequently you are seeing blood and how much you see, changing in your bowel movements, changes in your diet, stressful events in your life, and investigating your family history with colon cancer, colon polyps, or other gastrointestinal issues.