How do I know if I have colon cancer or hemorrhoids? This question is common among people with rectal bleeding and blood in the stool. There is great anxiety to make sure you get the right diagnosis for your symptoms and discover if colon cancer, hemorrhoids, or another colon problem has resulted in your colon symptoms.
When blood appears in our stool, it can be frightening and may bring up feelings of shame and disgust over toilet habits. The first step towards getting the correct diagnosis starts by talking about your symptoms to a doctor, such as a gastroenterologist, who will help determine what's going on. After deciding if colon cancer, hemorrhoid issues, or another colon-related issue is causing the symptoms, specific tests are recommended for each colon health condition to determine the best colon cancer treatment.
Benefits of colon cancer diagnosis compared to hemorrhoid diagnosis:
There are benefits to getting colon cancer tested vs. just testing for hemorrhoids. Knowing what is causing your colon symptoms can bring relief and help you make better decisions on treating or managing your colon health conditions, such as blood in the stool.
Having the correct information also enables you to understand if an issue is curable or not, which can affect your choices related to colon treatments. Knowing the exact nature of the problem will factor into any decisions about living with rectal bleeding or blood in stool that may come up later down the road.
Risks of colon cancer vs. hemorrhoids:
Colon cancer is a colon disease that may result in colon cancer treatments such as colon surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and colon cancer prevention. This is a serious health-related issue that needs to be addressed and should be treated immediately.
When left untreated, colon cancer can lead to colon bleeding, which means blood will start coming out of the rectum. It's essential to go to your doctor right away if you notice blood in the stool or rectal bleeding because colon cancer can shorten life expectancy if not treated quickly.
Hemorrhoids are also severe, but they typically do not cause colon bleeding, so there is less urgency because hemorrhoids can usually wait for treatment. However, both issues require an immediate visit to the doctor, depending on the circumstances. Colon cancer is often serious, but colon hemorrhoids should still be taken care of because they can lead to other colon-related issues if ignored.
What are colon cancer symptoms?
Rectal bleeding or blood in stool are colon cancer symptoms that may cause people with colon cancer to feel bloated, have cramping, gas, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. It is important to see your doctor if you notice these colon cancer symptoms because colon treatments are available for colon cancer depending on the stage of colon cancer.
Having rectum bleeding or noticing blood in your stool can happen once or be a chronic issue for some individuals. Your doctor will conduct colon cancer tests to determine what is causing the colon symptoms of rectum bleeding or blood in stool, whether it's colon cancer or something else. Going online might bring up information about 14 different types of intestinal bleeding disorders, so it's wise to talk to a gastroenterologist for exact details on your colon health condition.
What are hemorrhoid symptoms?
Hemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swollen veins of the anus and lower rectum typically caused by increased pressure during bowel movements or straining. When you have colon hemorrhoids, they bleed because of the extra pressure of constipation. If you have colon hemorrhoids, you may notice bright red blood with bowel movements due to inflamed hemorrhoidal tissue that can tear easily when passing a stool. This process is part of how colon hemorrhoids form, but many other issues can cause hemorrhoids like colon polyps and colon infections.
Suppose blood in the stool, or rectal bleeding persists. In that case, the doctor will do colon cancer testing to determine what colon health condition is causing, such as colon cancer, colon infection, colon polyp, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or hemorrhoids.
Diagnosis is made by visual inspection with a mirror. Treatment for each colon health issue varies depending on the severity of symptoms and whether you have early or late-stage colon cancer. Colon treatment options include:
Colon Cancer Diagnosis and Testing:
To diagnose your colon health condition, your doctor will conduct a physical examination and ask you questions about medical history to help get an idea of colon symptoms. Then they may conduct colon cancer tests such as colonoscopy, colon MRI, CT scan, or colon ultrasound.
A colonoscopy is a procedure that allows your doctor to see the lining of your colon by inserting a long tube equipped with a camera and light source through the rectum and anus up into the colon, which could reveal colon polyps, colon cancer, and other colon diseases symptoms like blood in the stool or rectal bleeding.
Colon Polyp Treatment:
Polyps can be removed using different options depending on size and number. Some polyps need to be released soon, while others can wait about three months for removal surgery because there is a low risk of recurrence. Smaller polyps usually just get snipped off during colonoscopy. If colon polyps are larger, colon resection surgery is necessary where the colon has to be cut out and stitched back together.
Colon Cancer Treatment:
Colon cancer treatment options depend on the stage of colon cancer or colon health condition, so it's important to talk with your doctor for exact information. Colon treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological response modifiers, targeted therapies, oral medications, and clinical trials.
Hemorrhoid Treatment:
Hemorrhoids can be treated by rubber band ligation, which involves cutting off circulation to hemorrhoidal tissue by placing a small rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoidal tissue; Sclerotherapy which consists in injecting a substance into hemorrhoidal veins, causing them to clog up entirely; ligation which involves cutting off blood flow to hemorrhoidal tissue; and colon surgery such as an internal sphincterotomy (cutting the anal sphincter muscles), hemorrhoidectomy (the excision of hemorrhoidal tissue) or stapled hemorrhoidopexy (stapling hemorrhoid to nearby tissue).
If you're unsure whether you have hemorrhoids or colon cancer, you must see a doctor discuss your symptoms and get an accurate diagnosis.