I ran 17 miles in 2:45 in the mid day heat yesterday. Hart rate was higher then normal and I was wiped out but nothing out of the ordinary. Today I rode an easy 2hrs in the morning and felt OK, just tired legs as I would expect. So I was quite surprised when I went to the bathroom and noticed a good amount of red blood in my stool. I went on webMD and couldn’t find anything related to exercise and this issue. A search of this site had one post by Francois about racing in the heat causing it but that was all. This happen to anybody before or should I be on the way to the Doctors office right now?
Are you sure that it is in your stool and not from urine at the same time? It is bright red too right? That is usually an acute lower GI bleed and does need to be addressed very soon. Dehydration may have made this more “noticeable”, but this could have been going on for a while.
Best of luck for the very unpleasant tests about to come your way my friend.
I concur. If you haven’t awoken at a rest stop recently with an empty bottle of ether next to you, you should go to the doctor. He’s gonna make you his bitch for a day, but he’ll get to the bottom of it (no pun intended). Good luck.
Side story: My buddy goes to the doctor for his yearly check up. First time he’s at this doctor and the Dr. tells him to drop his shorts and assume the position. Right before he does the deed, the Dr. leans over and wispers to him, “I sure hope we can be friends after this.” Classic. My buddy about died.
Bright Red Blood with a BM should be checked out. It can be from a number of sources. The most common would be a h’rhoid. Everyone has h’rhoid tissue but if it gets inflammed or thrombosed and then gets rubbed raw it may bleed. This is usually painless bleeding and can be impressive at times in healthy people not a true emergency (except you dont know what it is)
If its painful bleeding or burning it could be a fissure. Really a paper cut on your arse.
Both of these can usually be treated with fiber and hydration. basicallly keeping the trauma down on the exit…
The most immediate danger would be if this is an upper track bleed (ulcer) that you are seeing from the bottom as the blood passes through your system. However if you feel good no abd pain and arent feeling weak this is unlikely…
The other worry is also Cancer. I dont know how old you are but I have seen a couple cases in the 20s. But this is usually a rapid bleed.
There are a few other things but usually in older or youger people.
Basically you should get it checked out but it will probably be ok.
I am a Surgeon for what its worth. Good luck you will probably not miss to many workouts.
Just go back from the Dr’s office. He seemed to think it must be an internal roid or inflamed blood vessels from straining on the run or bike. He also mentioned something he called “runner’s trots”. He said it happens in some runners where there is some bleeding after running. There was no exam, just questions and a prescription for 24 Hydrocortisone Acetate suppositories.
If it does not go away I will get an appointment for the roto-rooter camera.
Thanks for the advice. Looks like I will take Tuesday as a rest day.
Intense physical activity may decrease splanchnic blood flow to 20-50% of baseline as blood is shunted to skin and exercising muscle(2). This response, which may be attenuated by training, is potentiated by high ambient temperature, dehydration and hypovolemia. Multiple endoscopic studies demonstrating ischemic colitis or gastritis support this mechanism as a source of blood loss in athletes with bleeding after prolonged endurance exercise (3). investigated seven runners with occult fecal blood loss after a marathon. In studies performed within 48 hours of the event, three had ischemic colitis, and two had gastric erosions typical of ischemia. In this series, pre-event endoscopies were normal and repeat studies done after a period of detraining revealed return to normal mucosa in these cases in which abnormal endoscopies had been observed after intense exercise. Isolated cases of mesenteric infarction have been reported after endurance exercise. Aerobic exercise also decreases lower esophageal sphincter press ure, potentiating reflux esophagitis as another possible source of bleeding. Physical activity may also produce rectal chafing, resulting in bleeding from hemorrhoids or rectal fissures. Other mechanisms observed include direct trauma to viscera from running on hard or uneven surfaces or mucosal damage from non- steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Runners commonly complain of cramps or diarrhea with exercise. Athletes with bleeding may experience more frequent GI symptoms such as abdominal cramps or bloating than those who do not report bleeding(4). These complaints may reflect relative gut ischemia due to shunting of blood away from viscera during exercise.