The Symptoms People Sit On for Years Before Finally Seeing a Colorectal Specialist.

Embarrassment costs people time. Almost everyone who comes in has been putting it off, often for a year or more, usually with something that turns out to be simple to treat.

A colorectal surgeon specialises in the colon, rectum and anus. Most of what we do is not surgery. Plenty of visits end with a diagnosis and a plan that involves no operation at all.

Bleeding is the one never to sit on

Rectal bleeding is common and most causes are benign. Hemorrhoids and fissures account for a lot of it.

The trouble is that people diagnose themselves. They decide it is hemorrhoids and stop thinking about it. Meanwhile the symptom that most needs ruling out shares exactly that presentation.

Get bleeding looked at when it is new for you. Get it looked at if it keeps returning. Being over 45 is another reason. So is a change in your bowel habits around the same time. An exam takes minutes and settles it.

Pain that follows a pattern

Where and when it hurts tells a specialist a great deal.

Sharp pain during a bowel movement that fades to a burn suggests a fissure. Constant throbbing that is worse sitting points toward an abscess. Swelling and fever push that further. We covered the difference in our piece on anal abscess symptoms.

Pain that has lasted more than a couple of weeks deserves an appointment regardless of pattern.

A lump, or something that comes out

Lumps get ignored for months. Some are clotted external hemorrhoids. Some are skin tags left over from a healed fissure. Some are tissue prolapsing from inside.

If something comes out during a bowel movement, note what happens next. Does it go back on its own? Do you have to push it back? Does it stay out? Those answers point to different problems and different treatments. Our piece on the early signs of rectal prolapse goes into that.

Leakage and urgency

Bowel leakage almost never gets mentioned voluntarily. People adapt around it for years. It has specific causes and a real ladder of treatments, which we set out in our piece on bowel incontinence.

Sudden urgency, or needing to know where the bathroom is before you go anywhere, counts as a symptom worth raising.

Drainage that keeps coming back

An opening near the anus that drains, settles, then drains again weeks later usually means a fistula. Tunnels do not close on their own. See our anal fistula page.

Changes in how your bowels work

A lasting change in the width of your stool. Diarrhea or constipation that is not your normal. A feeling of never fully emptying. Weight loss you cannot explain alongside any of it.

These are less dramatic than bleeding and often more important.

Go to urgent care instead if

Severe pain with fever. A belly that is swollen and tender. Vomiting with no bowel movement. Heavy bleeding that soaks through. Those need same-day attention rather than an appointment.

What the visit is like

Shorter and less awkward than people imagine. A conversation first, then an exam. Often a scope in the room. Many people leave with a clear answer that day.

If you are weighing who to see, our piece on choosing a colorectal surgeon in Los Angeles covers that side of it.

This article is general information, not medical advice about your situation. If you recognised something above and have been waiting it out, call 818-847-7067.