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Stools, Blood in

TEMPORARY CARE - Pending Talking with Your Doctor

Definition: An anal fissure is the #1 cause of blood in stools.
- The blood is bright red, but only a few streaks or flecks are present.
- All the blood is on the surface of the stool or on the toilet tissue after wiping.
- Usually follows passage of a large or hard bowel movement (BM).
- You may see a shallow tear at 6 or 12 o'clock on the anus.
Warm Saline Baths: Give warm saline baths for 20 minutes 3 times per day to cleanse the area and to promote healing. Add 2 oz. of table salt or baking soda to a tub of warm water.
Ointments: If the anus seems irritated, apply 1% hydrocortisone ointment 3 times per day to help healing.
High-Fiber Diet: For children more than 1 year old - offer a non-constipating diet. Increase fruits, vegetables and grains (fiber). Reduce milk products to 3 servings a day. If CONSTIPATION is definitely the cause, see that topic.
Expected Course: Anal fissures usually heal up quickly with home treatment.
IF your child becomes worse: Review Should I Call? recommendations.