Rectal pain pressure

Hi all I would really appreciate your thoughts/experience. Since mid December I have been feeling a pressure like feeling in back passage area along with straining when I pass stools. There is intermittent mild pain almost like a pulsating pain. I have had streaks of bright red blood on toilet paper a couple of times but no bleeding from rectum or mixed in with poo. I Constantly feel as though I haven’t full evacuated and like something is stuck there. I have had bouts of diarrhoea in between but they usually only last for a few hours or at most a day. What is concerning me is that my stools are thinner not pencil thin or ribbon like but definitely narrower. I have suffered from bowel issues for Years especially constipation but GP always put it down to IBS and advised to drink more water and increase fiber intake. My GP doesn’t take me at seriously and puts my symptoms down to stress/anxiety So earlier this month I self referred to a colorectal surgeon whom I saw a couple of weeks ago. He said that although my symptoms are “vague” he is concerned about the pressure I’m experiencing. so I will be having MRI and scope but on NHS as I cannot afford private investigations. When I asked him if I should be worried he said at present time it’s impossible for him to say. I am stressing myself out as I work in cancer services and so am convincing myself it’s either anal or rectal cancer! I suffer from anxiety and in particular health anxiety I know google doesn’t help but only thing To explain my symptoms is the big C word...I’m due to start a new job in 2 weeks timing couldn’t be worse. All thoughts and advice welcome.

  • I suffer from anxiety and always worry about my health. But iv had this for ten or so years and it goes away for many months at a time. Goes away when I sleep and goes away when I'm drunk lol. It can't be anything nasty can it? I had a pelvic mri scan, loads of digital rectal exams and 3 proctoscope checks. All OK apart from some internal hemorrhoids. And the ache and pressure seems to move around in locations. Sometimes it's tailbone area and others it's more to the front. I can feel the muscles flutter sometimes. And it's quite hard to poo when it's bad. It's like I cannot relax my internal anal sphincter 

  • Do you find you are tensing your stomach muscles

  • Went to see doctor she said it's an odd one, did an internal examination but couldn't feel anything odd so suggested I have a colonoscopy but appt is mid January. She said she wanted to check for a prolapse using a speculum but too painful (I have given up on my last 2 smear tests because of this I was traumatised with the pain ) so just did a normal internal which did not hurt but said she couldn't comment any further on my cervix!  I have started to use Dulcoease to try and help to make it easier going to the loo but it seems that whenever I go to the loo first thing in the morning I then have a pain in my back passage all afternoon which is so uncomfortable but it eases down in the evening . After doing exercise 2 days ago it seems to have made it worse.  I am so worried about what's causing this as I have now had it over 2 weeks and after being off for a week from work on holiday I  am dreading going back tomorrow and being sat down all day in case this aggravates it even more as it did before. Any thoughts would be welcome just to have another female to chat to.

  • This has helped my anxiety loads!

    ive been struggling with pressure in my rectum for the last 11 days. All started after having stomach flu.

    My anxiety is all over the place because I'm so scared to get constipated so I darent eat. Even though I am passing bowel movement. (Not massive amounts but they are soft but I'm eating more fruit and veg/ not eating a lot / drinking more water) 
     

    I have no blood in my stool nor do I have any sharp pains. It's just a dull ache and a feeling that I either need to pass wind or have a bowel movement - and I get fraustrated when I can't. 
    I ended up in DHU 5 days ago because my anxiety sky rocketed. they did a rectal examination and couldn't find anything onwards. Put it down to inflammation (acute procitis)

    I was then advised to use Anusol plus suppositories - but they can take up to 2 weeks to work. My patients is shocking and I want a quick fix. 
    Gonna book to see my GP tomorrow due to my anxiety and panic attacks.

  • I have been suffering with this for 3 months now. Feels as if something is stuck in my anus, a dull pressure.. It can feel towards the perineam also. I can gassy cramp type feeling in my lower abdomen, and also in my lower back. I have the odd week where it isnt as bad and i feel im improving only for it to suddenly return. I Recently went to the doctors, have had urine sample and blood tests which came back fine, she checked my belly etc and said fine so unsure what to do next.

    I am an anxious person anyway which doesnt help atall.

    This discussion is the closest thing i have found of people desrbining similar symptoms!

  • Oh no! 3 months... I've had enough with 3 weeks.

    I ended up seeing on call doctor Friday as i had a burning sensation. They changed my treatment but think it's aggravated it even more. Now it's sore especially after passing bowel movement (no blood). My bowel movement are getting a bit more 'normal'.

    ive seen 3 doctors about it now and they've all put it down to inflammation. I don't get any pains as such apart from the dull ache and now soreness (which I think is down to the suppositories and ointment via a tube I've been prescribed).

    did yours start all of a sudden? Mine seems to have stemmed from a stomach bug that I had nearly 4 weeks ago.

    absolutely horrendous. I just want it to go away now.

    also I don't think my anxiety is helping the situation as I get myself into a emotional mess. 

  • It's all anxiety guys. Muscle tension in the anus and pelvis. Iv had mine on and off for ten years or so. I can go many months without it. Always flares up during an anxious time in my life 

  • I really hope this is the case as I can't live with this pressure forever. 
    I've now got external thrombosed hemhorroids which doesn't help.

    been started on amitripyline for my anxiety and got counselling in the new year.

    got to go for an urgent colonoscopy though within 2 weeks though as my bowel movements haven't been 'normal' for me... but again could be due to my anxiety and being obsessed with bowel movements and panic if I haven't.. I could have gone 2 days without worrying before all this happened. My mums got Crohn's disease so they want to rule it out but I don't appear as a typical Crohn's patient as no blood in stool or severe stomach cramps. But they just want to be sure.

  • Does it go away when u sleep? Do you wake up with it? Does it ever fade away a bit while you have had it?