Results

Cause of your symptoms

Your rectal bleeding is probably from piles and your change in bowel habit and abdominal pain may have been caused by something you have eaten.

Advice

Try the treatments outlined below for four weeks.

Treatments

Eat more roughage to make your stools softer and easier to pass and if necessary take antispasmodic tablets for your abdominal pain. It is normal to strain a little when passing a motion but too much can cause bleeding. Try careful cleaning around your bottom for your pile symptoms and if necessary use creams and suppositories. A pharmacist can advise on suitable treatments.

What now?

If you get better nothing further needs to be done. However, if your symptoms persist for four more weeks or recur after stopping treatment see your GP.

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You are over 50 years old and have rectal bleeding with pile symptoms, a non-specific change in bowel habit and abdominal pain with a normal appetite and no weight loss

Additional information if you see your GP

Your GP will probably examine your tummy and back passage and do a blood test and if these are normal you are at low risk of having a serious bowel disease and it would be reasonable to advise a further period of treat, watch and wait.
However, if your symptoms did not settle completely or recur after stopping treatment it is likely you will be referred you to a routine hospital clinic for investigations and local treatments to stop the bleeding.
In healthy patients aged 50-70 years old not having previous colonic investigations, a single flexible sigmoidoscopy has the added benefit of detecting incidental but significant polyps which if removed may prevent a bowel cancer developing in the future - ‘opportunistic screening'.