Rectal Polyps? - Bleeding, Discharge, Problems Passing Stool

[brent007]

I'm a 23 year old gay male who has been experiencing some unusual symptoms first noticed when passing a stool about 3 months ago. I do participate in anal sex, but have not since these symptoms started. The problem started just as some spotting of bright red blood on toilet tissue after bowel movements. Later, it seemed I was having some sort of leakage too that had a horrible smell. Finally, I started passing very small, pellet like stools.

I went to a doctor about a month ago and let her know my problems. Because of the bright red blood, my doctor thought it might be a fissure or possibly hemorrhoids. She used a scope type thing to look into my rectum/colon and did a finger exam as well. She didn't find any tears and said she didn't see any hemorrhoids, but said the scope can sometimes push them up against the walls and make them hard to see. She decided to put me on a suppository with a steroid and an anti-inflammatory and to use Metamucil to see if that would solve my problems.

After all of this, I still have bleeding and have now noticed new symptoms. The most notable one is after passing stools, I feel as though I need to clench or "suck in" down there longer as it feels like parts of my inside are bunching up around my anus and trying to come out. I also noticed what looks like a few polyps - small, red, circular spheres right inside the opening of my anus. I'm not sure if rectal polyps are common in someone my age or if there may be something else going on? I read about partial rectal prolapse, but I don't think anything is actually protruding, it just feels like things are gathering around my anus and I have to clench things in after bowel movements.

I guess I'm wondering what else could possibly be going on? Is there maybe something with just irritation of the rectal lining? Possible early stages or something that could develop into a rectal prolapse? I feel that whatever is going on is happening in my rectum and not further up because of my experience in inserting the suppositories and no real results since that mainly is giving medicine further up, past the sphincter. I would also say that I often have a feeling of not being able to fully empty my bowels. I'm most worried about the bleeding, smelly discharge, and this feeling of "sucking in" after bowel movements.

Below is a link to a picture I took while trying to pull back around the anus to reveal what looks like polyps and then the beginning of whatever lining or tissue seems to be bunching up when I have a bowel movement.

http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0241db9.jpg

[John Kenyon, CNA]

Hello -

Based on the description and the photograph it would seem you have some internal hemorrhoids in combination with what appear to be at least one external one (although that could be a "falling" one from inside). There also appears to be at least one external polyp. Hemorrhoids and rectal polyps are both common enough (and annoying enough) and will cause most of the symptoms you've described. Anal sex can cause them or simply aggravate them, especially internal hemorrhoids, which can then be "pulled" into "falling" or prolapsing. Actual prolapsed rectum is a lot more rare than "falling piles", or prolapsed internal hemorrhoids. In any case, if they become enough of a problem there are several different minimally-invasive ways of removing them. Best, however, to try and let them resolve on their own, which they often will.

You've described, almost classically, the complaints of the average sufferer of internal hemorrhoids. They can be a real nuisance, as you've found out. They can, but rare do, become intermingled (usually by coincidence) with something more serious, and the only way to rule this out would be via colonoscopy, not a terrible prospect either, although at your age the problem is very likely confined to the interior of the anus.

I hope this is helpful to you. Best of luck. Follow up with us here as needed.