A rather personal question regarding colon health?

Okay, now before I ask this, please be warned that it’s pretty graphic, so skip over this question if you’re sensitive about that kind of thing.

I have had chronic constipation for the past 2 years. I’ve been to the doctor about it (about a year and 1/2 ago), and what she recommended was to up my fiber level. I’ve done that. I get between 35 and 50 grams of fiber per day. I also drink a lot of water (with that fiber level you really need to). I’m also very active, which they say aids in the relief of constipation.

Upping the fiber level has helped (If I lower it back down I cannot go at all). I used to go to the bathroom twice per week, and it wasn’t easy to do so. Now, I’m not 100% constipated. I go to the bathroom pretty much every day. However, they’re small, hard pieces that sometimes pass easily, and sometimes don’t. Occasionally I will have a normal bowel movement, but this doesn’t happen that often. According to the doctor, this still is in the constipation category.

Back in September I had two incidents of pretty significant rectal bleeding. When it first happened I was a few hundred miles from home and it was on a Sunday so I just ignored it in the hopes that it wouldn’t happen again. Well, it happened again the next day at work. I of course left and went to the doctor. She did some test where she had to… uh…explore that area. The tests came back that there was nothing wrong. She said it may have just been an internal hemorrhoid that burst. I was told to contact her if it happened again. It has not happened since.

In the months since this, I’ve had a handful of incidents where there was mucus with my stool. Sometimes it’s all white, but sometimes there’s a small amount of blood in it. Also, occasionally there’s a small amount of blood in the stool itself, but no mucus.

Today (now this is really gross, I apologize) I passed gas and a little mucus came out. It was accompanied by a bit of blood. It’s really concerning to me. Is this in any way normal?

I’m just so frustrated that the doctor can’t find anything wrong with me. According to her, I’m doing everything right in regards to relieving the constipation. So why on earth is this still an issue?? I’ve researched all sorts of other ways to relieve it, but none of them are effective. The use of laxatives can actually make my situation worse. So all I’m left with is frustration and concern that there’s something more serious going on.

I plan on contacting my doctor again, but since it’s Saturday, I can’t do that until Monday. I know it’s probably a long shot, but I was hoping maybe someone would have some idea of what could possibly be going on with me.

Oh, by the way…I’m 27 years old so it’s not as if my age is a factor in this. I know sometimes people who are getting older can run into problems with constipation.

Thank you for any advice, insight, or suggestions you might have.
It was just a rectal exam.

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