How often you have bowel movements per day and per week?
Do you spend long time sitting on the toilet?
Do you usually strain when defecating?
Have you noticed a hard, painful lump at your anal opening?

I'd say i experience bowel movements 4-5 times per week. The first time I noticed this was on saturday and it felt like constipation. I usually am on the toilet for no more then 10 minutes, and I don't really feel a sharp pain. I am just a little sore. The fesces was very large, so I think it may just be hemroids. Thanks

Let me first congratulate you for being so articulate and investigative at such an early age. There are rewards in life for asking intelligent questions.

I am not a medical professional, but as a scientist and as a healthy middle aged man with kids roughly your age, I can chip in here. Young people have an affinity towards high-energy, low fiber foods like cheeseburgers and fries. No matter how much I counsel my adolescent sons on this, they tend to gravitate towards this junk. I used to be even worse...but I was uninformed.

You should read health-oriented publications like "Nutrition Action." Good habits begun at an early age pay big dividends over a lifetime.

That your stools are "large" tips me to think you're constipated. This is symptomatic of improper diet. Yeah, that's right, it's dietary... and a common issue that is not a topic of conversation among young people. So people can grow up and live in ignorance for decades...like I did.

Believe it or not, I figured this out for the first time 20 years ago when I was re-habbing my house, which forced me to eat in restaurants a lot. There was nothing uncommon in THAT for me, but by coincidence I frequented Burger King on this occasion. I noticed incredible constipation resulting directly from my diet.

There are other mitigating circumstances which can obstruct such direct deduction. But after connecting the dots, I realized my diet as a young person had been improper in its lack of fiber.

With my suspicions up, ever after since the "Constipation King" episode, I began experimenting with fiber breakfasts, even over doing it with resultant gas. Interestingly, constipation arises when we take extended trips away from home...and our familiar toilets, indicating a signficant psychological factor. This is particularly evident in one of my children, but not the others. One significant point I deduced in my own physiological case was that on a business trip where I carried high fiber breakfast food with me, I became constipated nevertheless. The conclusion: I was not drinking enough water. Yes, water is the other half of the "equation" in maintaining bowel regularity.

I am speaking to you as if you're my son at this point. So perhaps you might speak with your own parents, too. Meanwhile, don't become upset. You have most likely stumbled onto a mundane problem that is tolerated by countless uninformed people...especially young people like yourself.

Learn about diet. You can avert obesity and constipation, not to mention serious degenerative conditions, etc. Stay away from junk food, which is caked with fat and sodium. Learn about fiber ... and water.

What do you eat for breakfast? You need a good breakfast, and I suggest bran-based cereals. That's the place to start. Drink plenty of water and get some exercise.

I'd stay away from extreme measures like harsh chemicals to purge your bowel. Consider a suppository at times of stress.

If you push too hard while on the toilet, you can foment hemorrhoids...though not necessarily permanent change. It's also a bad habit that can kill you when you're very old and frail. If your waste doesn't pass easily, you should first suspect diet. It's habitually overlooked in young people...though I have only immediate family members for statistical samples. Nevertheless, I induce this problem must be widespread, given the ubiquitous consumption of burgers and fries.

thanks for the long informative post! Well, with school and all, sometimes I don't eat breakfast, but when I do, it's usually just a bowl of cereal. I am also under a lot of stress due to school. I do exercise because I play basketball. I think I'm just going to start having better eating habits because I think that is probably the cause.

thanks again!

I'm pretty sure it's hemorrhoids that you have experienced.
Where they sell Q-tips in the store, they have Witch Hazel. It's in a clear bottle, like hydrogen peroxide.
Swab some on periodically through the day. It will help a LOT with the soreness and will help clear it up.
Hemorrhoids are varicose veins of the anus.

I was hoping "xdaytime" might revisit this forum, and tell us if he's feeling better. Hopefully he has experimented with a high-fiber diet, to notice how this might change his bathroom chores for the better.

Avocados, my man! Have some avocado.

All-bran cereal...but start out slowly. Half-bowl. Then more every day.

Hey, I'm back! Well It hasn't happened any at all except once about a month ago (not sure if it was even blood) I;ve been getting alot more fiber in my diet and drinking about 10 cups of water a day. I notice I'm a lot quicker when using the bathroom and taking less time. Although after increasing the fiber in my diet, is it normal for my bowel movements to change? I think this might just be my body adapting. I think i've been taking in around 30g of fiber a day. I've also noticed some pain while using the bathroom (not very much, thinking its the fiber). Another thing, my mom works at the hospital and says that using certain kind of toilet paper an using a lot can rub your anus raw, and that could've caused the bleeding. I've also noticed some symptoms of hemroids such as itching and irritation.

thanks again for your help guys!

Pain, burning, and itching feeling are symptoms of external hemorrhoids.
When you are seating to study, always stand or walk during your breaks (at least 5 minutes every hour) and try to shift frequently in your chair to avoid direct rectal pressure.
Sitz baths (soaking the rectal area in hot water, in a shallow bath) for 15-20 minutes, 3-4 times/day will help you with taking away the symptoms (burning, pain, itching) and with shrinkage of the hemorrhoids.
Apply some creams (the ingredients will ease the itching feeling, relief the pain and the amount of antibiotic will prevent infections) or use suppositories.
Cleanse the entire rectal area with warm water after each bowel movement.
Continue to control hard stools and constipation with fiber supplements.

All best to you!
Marija

It could still be cancer though. Blood in stools always warrants a through examination by a medical professional.

hey guys, just wanted to give you an update. Now when I poop, I don't find any blood anymore, but I've been noticing some cramps in my lower right abdomen. I also forgot to mention that I held my feces in for extended periods of time, up until I was about 13. could this do anything? thanks

EDIT: I have also been having some issues with my urethra burning as well. When that happens I can kind of feel my rectum burning as well, so I don't know if that could mean anything.

anyone?

Do the abdominal cramps subside after bowel movement?
Do you get the burning sensation of the urethra when you are urinating?
Are you sexually active?
Girl or boy?
Did you have constipation when you were avoiding bowel movements and soon after that?
Constipations doesn't only mean having bowel movements less than 3 times a week, but also, straining during bowel movements or the feeling of incomplete evacuation.
Have you experienced some of this at that time?

they don't really subside after bowel movements.
I'm not sexually active and I'm a boy.
And I usually feel pretty good after I poop, as in relieved.

I think you need to go to the doctor and get checked out. I'm sure it isn't anything but it will give you peace of mind to find out.

Water..............drink more water.....you need to be drinking at least 2 quarts a day. It keeps the pipes flushed out. It helps with constipation.

A fiber rich food and good balance of good and bad bacteria will keep your stomach healthy after all stomach is like a engine to the body keeping it good is very important though i did not followed it when i was young now i am facing it in the form of gastric and stomach upsets.

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