If you feel uncomfortable sharing the reason for your appointment with the staff at your healthcare provider’s office when you book your appointment, you can say: “It’s personal.” When you see your healthcare provider, share the reason for your visit with them.

To get ready for your appointment with your healthcare provider:

• Write down how you feel, your symptoms, how long symptoms last, what makes your symptoms better or worse, and any concerns you have. Use a symptom tracker (PDF) to help you remember information about your symptoms.
• Make a list of all the medicines you take, including creams or ointments you have used to manage your perianal problem. Instead of making a list, you can also take photos of your medicines on your phone or plan to bring a bag with your medicines. Include herbal, over-the-counter, and prescription medicines in your medicine list.
• Be ready to answer questions about your bowel movements, like how many you have in 1 day, whether they are soft or hard, and how long you spend on the toilet having a bowel movement. You can use a bowel journal and the Bristol Stool Chart to help you describe your bowel movements.
• Learn about any bowel problems and perianal problems your birth mother, birth father, and siblings may have had. This is called your family history.
• Ask someone you trust to go with you to your appointment. They can help you ask questions, write down instructions, and remember explanations.
• Bring a pen and paper and plan to write notes during the visit or record the conversation using your phone or an app like the Alberta Health Services My Care Conversations app.

Common symptoms to have with perianal disease include:

• itching in the perianal region
• pain in the perianal region
• feeling a lump in the perianal region
• bleeding from the perianal region (you may notice blood in the toilet after a bowel movement or blood on toilet paper after wiping)

Always seek medical attention for blood in your bowel movements (stool).