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Does An Old E Coli Infection Cause Slight Bleeding
Question: Hi I am worried about my stool. After an e Coli infection a few months ago I have had bleeding on the toilet paper and now when I wipe there seem to be black bits on the paper. I am unsure if this is blood. I am worried about cancer but I am only 20 I had a sigmoidoscopy which seemed to be okay
Hi May,
Thanks for the query.
Slight bleeding in stools in E Coli infection may be present.It should not last longer than the infection.If you are having normal consistency stools,then nothing to worry about.Sometimes,there may be anal bleeding from the rectum that is when you strain at stools, due to hard stools,piles,fissures etc.The black bits are also blood but it is old blood.It could probably be remnants from the infection.
If your sigmoidoscopy is normal,then I do not think that you need to worry about cancer yet.Yes,its uncommon to develop cancer of the rectum/large bowel at such a young age.
If you are not having any bleeding now,then rest easy.If your stools are hard,and you need to strain,use a stool softener.High fibre diet is beneficial.Drink plenty of water to flush out your system.Daily physical activity is helpful in regularizing your bowel habits.
After a few days,if black blood in your stools persists,you need a stool examination to rule out parasite infection. You need to see the doctor again to rule out upper GI bleeding.An upper GI Endoscopy may be suggested by your doctor.
Hope this answers your query, I am available for follow ups as well
Regards
Thanks for the query.
Slight bleeding in stools in E Coli infection may be present.It should not last longer than the infection.If you are having normal consistency stools,then nothing to worry about.Sometimes,there may be anal bleeding from the rectum that is when you strain at stools, due to hard stools,piles,fissures etc.The black bits are also blood but it is old blood.It could probably be remnants from the infection.
If your sigmoidoscopy is normal,then I do not think that you need to worry about cancer yet.Yes,its uncommon to develop cancer of the rectum/large bowel at such a young age.
If you are not having any bleeding now,then rest easy.If your stools are hard,and you need to strain,use a stool softener.High fibre diet is beneficial.Drink plenty of water to flush out your system.Daily physical activity is helpful in regularizing your bowel habits.
After a few days,if black blood in your stools persists,you need a stool examination to rule out parasite infection. You need to see the doctor again to rule out upper GI bleeding.An upper GI Endoscopy may be suggested by your doctor.
Hope this answers your query, I am available for follow ups as well
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you, it is mainly fresh blood that I have had which I think has been due to irritation. The black bits are not always there but only sometimes. As far as I am aware my latest stool sample was clear. I have not had the follow up appointment at the hospital for endoscopy but my gp had the repor and said everything appeared fine. is there any thing else that i should be concerned about or look out for?
Hi,
Good to hear from you again.
As your doctor has reported it as fine, then I don't think that there is any major cause for the bleeding per rectum. But when you do go for the follow up appointment your doctor might do a per rectal examination to rule out piles, fissure, etc.. that may be the cause for the fresh bleeding.
If you dont have any bleeding now, then I believe that you don't have cause to worry.
Hope this answers your query.
Regards,
Good to hear from you again.
As your doctor has reported it as fine, then I don't think that there is any major cause for the bleeding per rectum. But when you do go for the follow up appointment your doctor might do a per rectal examination to rule out piles, fissure, etc.. that may be the cause for the fresh bleeding.
If you dont have any bleeding now, then I believe that you don't have cause to worry.
Hope this answers your query.
Regards,
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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