Hi, looking for someone to talk to, I have been diagnosed with low iron and am on iron sulphate, I have suffered with heavy periods for many years but over the last couple of years they have started to ease and have become less of a problem, as my iron is low my gp asked about my bowel habits, I told her I sometimes get constipated and have piles occasionally, when my stools are hard I do get fresh red blood on toilet paper, for this reason she wanted to do a stool sample so I sent that off and it has come back positive, I am now beside myself with worry, imagining every symptom going, I do have tummy pains sometimes but always put that down to periods, I also have low back ache but I work in a nursery so am always lifting kids, I have had changes in my stools with sometimes having mucous but only ever really seen blood when wiping after a large/hard poo. When I did the stool sample my stool was black and hard with no visible blood but I am on iron tablets which had turned it black recently. My gp has now referred my for a 2 week referral to see a specialist, I am terrified, I suffer with health anxiety anyway and am just so scared of leaving my kids behind.