not sure where to post, question about stools and blood (UG)

[The Noob]

dh has been coughing like nuts for weeks. off almost all meds and not on the ones that cause that dry cough. but still hacking away. yesterday he had alot of pain in abdomen. we got home, he took some laxative. been up all night using bathroom. last 5 trips there is alot of blood, i don't see the "coffee grounds" that indicate internal bleeding, but its starting to look sort of grainy (could be laxative?) and he doesn't have pain anymore, no tenderness or swelling. i am thinking it may be due to all the coughing? he did this once before on one of the meds and broke a rib. there is no fever and he is "pink/warm/dry". i'm concerned just the same as things get interesting when one is on dialysis. he has no PD cath anymore and his colonoscopy was a month ago or so, which was all normal.
will be calling clinic this morn, probably a trip to hospital.
anyone had this happened?

[okarol]

Wow, that's scary.
My sister had a ruptured vein in her espophogus once from coughing and it bled a lot. I would get him checked right away.
I found this, but I imagine you have already been searching the internet.
http://www.bettermedicine.com/article/bleeding-symptoms/causes

[The Noob]

okarol do you know us well or what? yes searching internet. best case its small rupture from coughing. worst case its reaction to heparin or something else. i will call his endo doc this morning. pretty sure we will be heading to hospital to have him looked at. he has other symptoms, nausea, of and off cramps in abdomen and dizziness.
hopefully its nothing serious. was reading that even when patient is CMV positive, they can start developing more antibodies and this may cause bleeding. but i'd rather him be checked by doc than do the guessing on my own.
at any rate the HBG is needing to be checked. they were re-using dialyzor but went back to disposable few months ago.

could someone get me a large cappuccino? i have a feeling its going to be a long day..

[aharris2]

dh has been coughing like nuts for weeks. off almost all meds and not on the ones that cause that dry cough. but still hacking away. yesterday he had alot of pain in abdomen. we got home, he took some laxative. been up all night using bathroom. last 5 trips there is alot of blood, i don't see the "coffee grounds" that indicate internal bleeding, but its starting to look sort of grainy (could be laxative?) and he doesn't have pain anymore, no tenderness or swelling. i am thinking it may be due to all the coughing? he did this once before on one of the meds and broke a rib. there is no fever and he is "pink/warm/dry". i'm concerned just the same as things get interesting when one is on dialysis. he has no PD cath anymore and his colonoscopy was a month ago or so, which was all normal.
will be calling clinic this morn, probably a trip to hospital.
anyone had this happened?

Seeing blood during trips to the bathroom?
Red blood on the toilet paper - usually bleeding hemorrhoids, internal or external, especially with multiple laxative induced trips to the bathroom.
Orange color mixed in with the BM - a bleeding colitis of whatever type (lower GI bleed).
Black colored BM - old blood, digested blood (probably passing from an upper GI bleed).

Either GI bleed merits a trip to the ER because of the risk of plummeting hemoglobin levels.

Regarding "coffee grounds", we have only seen it present in vomit, ranging in color from red to black and in quantity from minuscule to voluminous.
It has always been caused by the vomiting itself causing an upper GI bleed ranging from minor to major (a tearing of the esophagus itself.)

How is your husband?

[The Noob]

hey yall, all is well. dh would not go to ER. been fine all day and night, feels better, eating, no more blood. i can't force him so i went to bed early. will talk to nurse at clinic monday.

transplant team was supposed to make decision on his case last monday, but cancelled their meeting at last minute. so its back to this monday, and we will get word tuesday. trying to head off any issues ahead of time. one thing i agreed on was that we both usually get sick when he is in hospital and i have to watch his care like a hawk.