My Bloody Poopentine

October 27, 2006 9:28 AM

I always have bloody poop after a night out drinking.

Does that mean there's something wrong with me?

posted by rbs to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

It means you need to drink more water and eat more fiber and fruits because all your waste is too dried up and it's ripping you up. Other than that, you're probably fine. Water!
posted by mikeh at 9:31 AM on October 27, 2006

I'm not a doctor. But I think it means you should go to a doctor. There really should never be any blood in poop. There are issues with infections, etc.

If it is somehow connected to drinking, there may be a bigger problem then hemmorhoids which are the most common cause of a tiny amount of blood in stool. Please go see a doctor.
posted by Pastabagel at 9:34 AM on October 27, 2006

How bloody are we talking about here? Because Pastabagel is right - the only blood in stool you should ever see should be so small as to not freak you out.
posted by agregoli at 9:36 AM on October 27, 2006

Let me clarify, the problem is not so much blood in your poop (though that is a problem), the real problem is bleeding caused by drinking.

You may only be seeing a symptom of something else, and you may be seeing a mid or late stage symptom of something else that could get a lot worse.

Rule of thumb: if blood is coming out an orifice, get thee to a doctor.
posted by Pastabagel at 9:41 AM on October 27, 2006

WebMD is pointing to maybe gastritis or maybe cirrhosis.

But google is not a medical degree. Go to a doctor. Now.
posted by Pastabagel at 9:48 AM on October 27, 2006

Are you the one who always passes out first?

Seriously though, have you checked for any surface fissures that may be the source of the blood, rather than your insides?

Regardless, I nth the advice to get to a doctor.
posted by utsutsu at 9:50 AM on October 27, 2006

To answer the question: yes.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:53 AM on October 27, 2006

Anal fissures are a likely cause if you are seeing bright red blood in small amounts (although a small amount of blood can look like a lot to the untrained eye); blood coming from much higher in the GI tract will be dark and tarry, to use the classic medical description. Of course, the best way to find out if it is something more serious is to see a doctor and of course you might want to examine your drinikg habits.
posted by TedW at 10:05 AM on October 27, 2006

You need to seek medical attention.
posted by gramcracker at 10:08 AM on October 27, 2006

I second TedW; if the blood is bright red, it's probably just an anal fissure that is worse when your stool is harder (i.e. when you're dehydrated after a night of drinking).
posted by mylittlehipster at 10:10 AM on October 27, 2006

But bright red blood can also be a sign of a serious problem. I am a doctor, and any rectal bleeding should prompt a visit to your doctor.
posted by cahlers at 10:22 AM on October 27, 2006

By now, you are probably at your doctor's office. That's good. Also know that if you've been taking analgesics to pre-empt hangovers... stop.
posted by Oddly at 10:47 AM on October 27, 2006

Yes.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:48 AM on October 27, 2006

Response by poster: Hmm, ok. I'll go talk to the doc when I get some time. To answer others' questions: it's pretty bright in color, which lends some credence to the dehydrated poop scraping my insides theory. I seriously doubt it's caused by drinking too much. I'd say I have maybe 5 drinks/week on average.
posted by rbs at 12:43 PM on October 27, 2006

If your question on Ask Metafilter is "should I see a doctor", the answer is always "yes".
posted by Caviar at 4:00 PM on October 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Do you take ibuprofin after heavy drinking to stave off headache? This can cause stomach bleeding.
posted by jimfl at 4:34 PM on October 27, 2006

Blood from the stomach doesn't come out red... it's usually black and tarry (one of the signs of an ulcer).
posted by jdfan at 6:51 PM on October 27, 2006

Yes. Go see a doctor.
posted by hot soup girl at 10:51 AM on October 29, 2006