Hello everyone. First, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this. I've read through many threads before joining here and I have so much respect for all of you and for the battles you are fighting. I can only imagine the struggle, and I have imagined it many times unfortunately.
I'm a 33 y/o male. I've seen a family doctor twice and I have a followup appointment in January, so I'm just seeking other's opinions on what I have been experiencing for the past 7 months and how much worry my situation should warrant. I can only assume that posts like mine may be annoying because others are going through so much more, but the anxiety of the unknown is too real for me and I would love to hear other people's opinions, and I am well aware that they're only opinions.
On April 6th of this year, I experienced blood on my stool and some blood dripping into the toilet. Zero pain. Worrisome, sure, but not a huge worry since the most likely cause is obviously internal hemorrhoids. However, almost every single day after that, there has been a little bit of blood on the surface of the stool. The color ranges from bright red to a darker, "nose bleed" red. Lately, it tends to be the "nose bleed" red. The anxiety has grown a lot since this has been happening almost every day for 7 months.
And here is what I feel to be the most important part - The doctor and I decided that we should treat this as internal hemorrhoids and see if treatment works. Therefore, he prescribed hydrocortisone suppositories. I was very happy to get almost instant successful results. The blood stopped. However, it returned immediately after I stopped using the suppositories about 8 days later. So, my main question is - Does this successful result of the suppositories rule out the possibility of cancer? Would suppositories have any chance at all in stopping the bleeding from a rectal tumor, or would a low/rectal tumor bleed with or without hydrocoritsone suppositories? I know that your answers will be opinions and should not be confused with medical advice.
The last bit of info I have to give is that I can keep the blood streaks to a minimum by adhering to a strict diet. I drink 2 smoothies per day with berries, kiwi, prune juice and hemp powder (fiber), and eat quite a bit of fiber with meals. If I keep my stool soft and non-formed (type 5 on the bristol stool scale), the bleeding is minimized but not eliminated.
My followup is in January and I know I'll have the decision to make whether I want to get a scope. I wouldn't mind, but my fear is that if it is just internal hemorrhoids, why risk damaging my gut even more with the scope?
Thanks again!