On Tuesday (17 February) I go for a flexible sigmoidoscopy to see the causes of the mild bleeding after bowel movements and sentinel pile. I am terrified that this is cancer or something that requires invasive surgery or will lead to complications such as an abscess or fistula, which sound very unpleasant. I haven't had surgery since my adenoids were taken out when I was six and I am now 39. My GP is very unhelpful - he just doesn't communicate much about the possible causes and likelihood, but complains when people research on the internet.

I have had this problem on and off since 1998. The bleeding has been a lot worse in the past and a lot more painful - at the moment, the symptoms are mild (virtually no pain) but won't go away (the latest bout has been going on since about last April).

I tried proctosydol and it didn't work for me. Nitroglycerin gave me such bad headaches that I couldn't deal with it for more than a few days. I've been taking bulking fibre every day, more than five a day fruit and veg and anusol suppositories with cream once or twice a day and this has reduced the amount of bleeding. Under this regime, sometimes I've gone for many days without symptoms, only for them to return with a slightly harder stool or a little straining.

All that's on my mind is cancer. A friend died of cancer recently and I know two friends' parents who have been diagnosed as having anal cancer (a friend told me it is extremely rare, but this hasn't helped me). How will my family deal without my income?
I don't feel unwell, which is good. I do martial arts and haven't found myself becoming breathless or feeling weak - I did three rounds of kick boxing this morning, for instance.
If I don't have cancer, is it essential to have surgery for an otherwise non-problematic fissure (assuming it is one) or could complications develop?

It might just be hemorrhoid or fissure. Also, if it's the hard stool that causes the bleeding, take miralax. It works wonder! Very soft stool. I do hope nothing serious turns up on your flex sig, good luck!

I had the sigmoidoscopy today. There was no evidence of a fissure, but there was a small pile. However, in spite of the enema, I still had lots of stool in my colon and he wasn't able to complete it - the enema certainly worked after the procedure, though. This means I'll have to go in again for a colonoscopy, which I'm really not looking forward to. I am dreading the laxatives, particularly as the most common side effect is vomiting and I have a complete phobia of vomiting. The enema today, along with the air blown inside, has been awful as it was like having cramping diarrhoea.

I'd really appreciate people's advice and support on this. I've been worried for months and nothing has worked so far. I'm dreading a cancer result or something that requires surgery.

Hi, I'm booked in for 11 March. I've been prescribed Moviprep. It's reassuring that you've not had an adverse reaction to the prep. Was the diarrhoea really unpleasant? The enema wasn't pleasant at all.
It's odd what happened today. I had passed stools twice before the enema, which also made me pass some more stools. Yet there was still some in there when the sigmoidoscopy was done.

For my colonoscopy I drank a different prep than the one I was told to use. Actually, I ignored my GI's instructions. I used Pico-Salax which was two small doses of an okay tasting liquid. After that I just had to drink a lot of clear liquids once the BMs started. I had no problems drinking 1.5 L in three hours because the medication pulled a lot of water out of my body. It made me thirsty so I felt no ill affects. I drank an electrolyte solution which probably made the experience a lot more pleasant. I've had dehydration before so I made sure to prevent it from happening again.

I'm also scared of vomiting and was really worried about it. There was no vomiting and/or nausea. I just had to go a lot especially after the second dose. My bum hole was raw towards the end.

Enemas are a lot more uncomfortable than a bowel prep. The diarrhea didn't burn and there was no cramping. My bottom became very irritated because of all the visits. On the second dose I had 15. The medication worked really well on me because I'm small and sensitive.

He did see a small haemorrhoid but nothing else. I think he got around halfway. He said that fissures normally hurt a lot with bowel movements and I don't get much, if any, pain and he didn't see a fissure. My bleeding is just a little on the toilet paper after a bowel movement and sometimes I don't get anything, provided I have a soft stool.

Moviprep is different from Pico-Salex, though. I had the soreness from going to the toilet a lot after the sigmoidoscopy. I'm unsure whether this was the result of all the air pumped in, which was really uncomfortable and made me pass wind and a little watery diarrhoea. I am very concerned that I will need to go to the toilet while travelling to the hospital. How long does it take after taking the prep before the diarrhoea stops?

I am dreading the prep. My mother had prep for a colonoscopy and felt bad and vomited a little. She told me today that the vomiting was caused by nerves (she vomits easily), but she may well be saying this to reassure me.