Occult bleeding

To get straight to the point—one out of my three stool samples came back positive for occult blood.
Of course, as soon as they told me today, all the alarms started going off in my head and I began spiraling toward the worst-case scenario...

I got my results at the Sun clinic, where I also had my endoscopy, and now I'm waiting on a sigmoidoscopy.

Unfortunately, nobody at the clinic mentioned any of this to me...

PATIENT PREPARATION FOR OCCULT BLOOD STOOL TEST
(blood in stool)
Seven days prior to the test, avoid medications that can cause gastrointestinal bleeding (Aspirin, Indomethacin, corticosteroids, etc.).
The test should be postponed in cases of diarrhea, menstruation, hematuria, or bleeding from hemorrhoids.
It is recommended to analyze three consecutive stools over three days. The patient should follow a special diet for three days before testing. Avoid: undercooked red meat (lamb, beef), liver sausages, cabbage, horseradish, cantaloupe, watermelon, beets , iron supplements, and large amounts of vitamin C. Well-cooked meat, poultry, fish, cooked fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn, and salads are recommended.

Well, I ate a ton of fruit this morning (just took my third sample), and the day before yesterday I had beets!! Plus, I take a vitamin C tablet every single day!

Is it actually possible that no one prepared me for this?

On top of that, my primary care doctor was baffled yesterday because the gastroenterologist at Sun prescribed Lanzul (for gastritis) BEFORE my endoscopy during the H. pylori testing period—but that test isn't even valid if you take Lanzul beforehand—Lanzul...

Good grief... 🤦

I've been a nervous wreck all day thinking about the absolute worst... I've already accepted the idea of colon cancer, and now I'm just seeing that it's possible someone didn't do their job properly and just took my money...

Can anyone (but please, only those who actually know what they're talking about) try to calm me down a little... if you can...

Thanks.

I have no idea what you ended up paying, but honestly, you might want to run those tests all over again. Just try to stay calm—don't jump straight to the worst-case scenario. You’ll probably need some follow-up testing anyway to get a clearer picture, so you might as well just start fresh from the beginning. I’m not sure if this will help settle your nerves, but there have actually been quite a few complaints regarding superficial treatments and rushed diagnoses over at Sun. I personally had a pretty unpleasant experience with them regarding a different health issue (San Francisco), and someone very close to me was scheduled for surgery without any real guidance—much like your situation, where nobody bothered to explain the dos and don'ts. At that point, we were just done dealing with them.

Honestly, the funniest part is that I wouldn't have had a clue how to handle these preparations—I probably would've just gone to bed convinced there was at least a 70% chance I had a tumor, if my old man hadn't happened to mention he once translated some instructions for an occult blood test prep...

And apparently, it listed every single "do and don't" you could imagine

I don't know... my gastroenterologist over in San Francisco was incredibly kind, super approachable, and genuinely cared about my issues—left a great impression—but this situation with the doctor... when even my primary care physician was baffled, then I know she wasn't just being dramatic, because the woman knows her stuff...

On top of that, my wife went to a private gynecologist who prescribed Klavocin for an E. coli infection, which I've heard plenty of people ravingly criticize

Good grief, you pay them a fortune and it's still not right.

There's also the other possibility—that I'm just wrong, that they did their jobs perfectly, and I'm just trying to comfort myself before I go to sleep... 🤣

(PS, so far it's cost me $400, the rectoscopy will be around $2,000, and if that stool test comes back positive for blood, they'll likely recommend a full kolonoskopija too—wish me luck...)

Ashley Johnson6 said:Honestly, the funniest part is that I wouldn't have had a clue how to handle these preparations—I probably would've just gone to bed convinced there was at least a 70% chance I had a tumor, if my old man hadn't happened to mention he once translated some instructions for an occult blood test prep...

And apparently, it listed every single "do and don't" you could imagine

I don't know... my gastroenterologist over in San Francisco was incredibly kind, super approachable, and genuinely cared about my issues—left a great impression—but this situation with the doctor... when even my primary care physician was baffled, then I know she wasn't just being dramatic, because the woman knows her stuff...

On top of that, my wife went to a private gynecologist who prescribed Klavocin for an E. coli infection, which I've heard plenty of people ravingly criticize

Good grief, you pay them a fortune and it's still not right.

There's also the other possibility—that I'm just wrong, that they did their jobs perfectly, and I'm just trying to comfort myself before I go to sleep... 🤣

(PS, so far it's cost me $400, the rectoscopy will be around $2,000, and if that stool test comes back positive for blood, they'll likely recommend a full kolonoskopija too—wish me luck...)

That’s usually the selling point for private practices, I suppose, but even they aren't perfect—though one would certainly expect them to actually perform their jobs correctly. At the end of the day, we are paying (quite heavily) for these services.

(PS, so far this has cost me $400, a rectoscopy will run about $2,000, and if the fecal occult blood test comes back positive, they'll likely insist on a full kolonoskopija, so wish me luck)

Go see them and lay everything out on the table. Don't be afraid to stand your ground. You have the right to request a follow-up exam—essentially repeating the procedure—and they should probably cover that cost themselves, assuming it's true (which it clearly is) that they failed to provide proper instructions on how to prepare for certain tests.

Samuel Morgan40 said:That’s usually the selling point for private practices, I suppose, but even they aren't perfect—though one would certainly expect them to actually perform their jobs correctly. At the end of the day, we are paying (quite heavily) for these services.

(PS, so far this has cost me $400, a rectoscopy will run about $2,000, and if the fecal occult blood test comes back positive, they'll likely insist on a full kolonoskopija, so wish me luck)

Go see them and lay everything out on the table. Don't be afraid to stand your ground. You have the right to request a follow-up exam—essentially repeating the procedure—and they should probably cover that cost themselves, assuming it's true (which it clearly is) that they failed to provide proper instructions on how to prepare for certain tests.

I'm talking to a gastroenterologist tomorrow. I'll ask if the prep stuff is actually true, since so far everything I know is just hearsay and random internet research...
And whatever my doctor told me.

But the bottom line is that blood showed up in one of my three stool samples.
And I don't have an ulcer😢

(btw, I'm really not looking forward to having to repeat the endoscopy—the last one was incredibly uncomfortable)

PS Thanks for the attention and the help.

Look, just grit your teeth and get through what needs to be done—I really hope everything turns out fine. Try not to jump straight to the worst-case scenario immediately (I know, I know, we tend to do that ourselves).
Please keep me posted on how things are progressing and let me know what the doctors say, without fail. Good luck 🙂

First off, take a breath and try to stay calm. Fecal occult blood tests are notorious for false positives—even just eating a bunch of beets can trip them up. Even if the result is legitimate, it doesn't automatically mean you're looking at colorectal cancer. Bleeding can stem from all sorts of things, like diverticulosis, polyps, or even an issue further up in your upper GI tract. That said, any sign of bleeding is a signal that you need to get things checked out via a kolonoskopija to rule out anything serious. How old are you? And if you've had blood work done recently, what were your MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels?

fadedmarlin402 said:First off, take a breath and try to stay calm. Fecal occult blood tests are notorious for false positives—even just eating a bunch of beets can trip them up. Even if the result is legitimate, it doesn't automatically mean you're looking at colorectal cancer. Bleeding can stem from all sorts of things, like diverticulosis, polyps, or even an issue further up in your upper GI tract. That said, any sign of bleeding is a signal that you need to get things checked out via a kolonoskopija to rule out anything serious. How old are you? And if you've had blood work done recently, what were your MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels?

I'll be turning 30 in a few days
I had bloodwork done—iron, ferritin, and CEA—but I haven't seen the actual results yet (though looking at some older labs, I'm slightly anemic)

btw, for the "questionable" stool sample, this is what the report shows:

RESULT: positive
REFERENCE INTERVAL: negative

The statistics have been working in your favor for years now... 😉 but, obviously, we can't just rely on those numbers. What kind of symptoms actually drove you to get checked out in the first place? And how old are those lab results showing the anemia, roughly?

fadedmarlin402 said:The statistics have been working in your favor for years now... 😉 but, obviously, we can't just rely on those numbers. What kind of symptoms actually drove you to get checked out in the first place? And how old are those lab results showing the anemia, roughly?

That lab work is about two months old—maybe a few days more.
I went in because of some lower back pain (which I've been dealing with for quite a while now), and the doctor thought maybe it was a UTI or something... I don't know...

The main reason I went was for bloating issues—I've had diagnosed gastritis since 2004, and HP has come back negative all three times so far, though they noted the third one should have been positive since I was on medication before the test 🤦—plus irregular movements, constipation, and pretty bad gut issues (bloating, gas)... stuff like that.

Anyway, I've already spent way too much time overthinking this in my head, trying to link the back pain to today's results 🙏

(Does that mean the reference range is negative?)

A negative result means the value should essentially be zero—meaning no blood was detected. So, there’s no ulcer present; you've got two negative tests and one positive. Honestly, the best move is to follow the instructions provided and just repeat the test in a few days to see where things stand. Once you have those results, you can sit down and hash it out with your gastroenterologist. By the way, have you had any other testing done regarding that back pain? Like an ultrasound, standard blood work, or maybe a urinalysis and culture?

fadedmarlin402 said:A negative result means the value should essentially be zero—meaning no blood was detected. So, there’s no ulcer present; you've got two negative tests and one positive. Honestly, the best move is to follow the instructions provided and just repeat the test in a few days to see where things stand. Once you have those results, you can sit down and hash it out with your gastroenterologist. By the way, have you had any other testing done regarding that back pain? Like an ultrasound, standard blood work, or maybe a urinalysis and culture?

Right, my bad... I was being dense. The reference interval makes total sense now.

Yeah, I had a back X-ray done—they found some slight curvature in my lower spine, but nothing else—and I did a urinalysis, but nothing came back indicating anything specific.

Got it, we'll see what happens next. Logically, I know I should probably just repeat the test, but I still don't get why nobody gave me those instructions in the first place. This isn't something you play around with, damn it... 😕

I stumbled upon this by accident earlier:

link

Proper sample collection for testing: No dietary restrictions are required before taking our test. Collecting the sample is quite simple.

😕

I guess they must be using some pretty advanced tech over at Sun if you don't even have to follow a specific diet... or something like that 😕

Regarding ulcers, I was doing a little reading online, on one site I came across this regarding the occult blood test:

Ulcers tend to bleed intermittently, whereas bleeding from carcinoma is often persistent.

In my case, it’s clearly an intermittent bleed—assuming the test isn't a false positive.
And like we said, I don't have an ulcer.

😕

Well, look... It all really boils down to the technology being used during the screening. There are modern methods out there that aren't tripped up by the issues mentioned in those instructions above. We can't say for certain if they actually messed up, but it would certainly be better if they hadn't. During your exam, you should definitely mention to the gastroenterologist that there's a chance for a false positive due to improper prep. If blood shows up again, the smartest move is to get a kolonoskopija so you can pinpoint the actual source of bleeding in the colorectal area. That's my take. I hope everything turns out fine. Good luck! 😉

P.S.

That’s exactly what I’m getting at. An ulcer likely would have been caught during today's endoscopy, so if they find blood again, you'll need to dig deeper...

Thanks for all the advice and the kind words. I’m gonna try to get some sleep now 🙂

Not that anyone can't drop a little more wisdom if they're feeling inspired 😉

😕Ugh... honestly, I’m right there with you on the whole colon cancer fear. My gut has been acting up for a few years now—just constant issues. And look, I haven't gone in to get my stool checked yet, because let’s be real: if that test comes back positive, I think I might actually just drop dead right then and there. Between the back pain and some bladder stuff I've been dealing with lately, it's a lot. But anyway... if nothing else, I totally get why you're terrified. Even if it feels like a massive deal, I feel it too, maybe even more.

Steven Booth65 said:😕Ugh... honestly, I’m right there with you on the whole colon cancer fear. My gut has been acting up for a few years now—just constant issues. And look, I haven't gone in to get my stool checked yet, because let’s be real: if that test comes back positive, I think I might actually just drop dead right then and there. Between the back pain and some bladder stuff I've been dealing with lately, it's a lot. But anyway... if nothing else, I totally get why you're terrified. Even if it feels like a massive deal, I feel it too, maybe even more.

😢

I was just as scared myself—not just about the results, but the actual procedure... and now maybe it's too late
😂

So my doctor called me today after I told him one of my hemoglobin samples came back positive:

"Did you actually stick to the diet before the testing?"
🤣

I think I might just have to go back to Medicare... 🤷

Not trying to be a hater or anything, but sometimes you just have to stop looking for a shortcut when there isn't one...
Sure, they aren't exactly jumping to help you when you deal with Medicare—which isn't really the point anyway—but at least their methods and results are actually reliable...
I mean, if we aren't paying them for that, then what exactly are we even paying them for?

dustymarlin10 said:Not trying to be a hater or anything, but sometimes you just have to stop looking for a shortcut when there isn't one...
Sure, they aren't exactly jumping to help you when you deal with Medicare—which isn't really the point anyway—but at least their methods and results are actually reliable...
I mean, if we aren't paying them for that, then what exactly are we even paying them for?

Well...
Waiting six months just to figure out what actually works—that's more than enough reason to look for alternatives.

That "bread over cake" comparison doesn't quite work here...