When I first entered the conversation a few months ago, I wasn't finding any information more than what you guys offered, which was very encouraging for me. Granted, it was saddening hearing from Meredith and Stephie that they had to put the running on hold.
For some strange reason, this past week I easily encountered explanations for the anal or rectal bleeding in on-line runners magazines: http://www.runnersworld.com/ru...ches-rectal-bleeding
Supposedly 17% of marathoners experience significant rectal bleeding after the marathon that dissipates gradually over the next few days. If I'm correct, not all of the experts mention marathons but long distance running. The general explanation for why almost 1 in 5 runners experience rectal bleeding is during the run, blood is greatly directed towards the muscles and away from the intestines (called ischemia) causing the rectum or the colon to shed some of its exterior lining. Sounds a bit gross. But, at least it is not considered a serious issue... Other causes for bleeding are hemorrhoids, which I imagine are very prevalent with J-Pouchers, especially if they experience thick stools... but your doctor would have seen this if it were your issue.
The even more important reason I'm writing today is because I stumbled across Nopal (*****ly Pear) cactus paddles as a preventative and/or cure for ulcers (the gooey-mucousy sap called "mucilage"; similar to that of okra). http://www.organicfacts.net/he...getable/nopales.html The mucilage creates a protective lining of the digestive tract, preventing ulcers or helping cure them (protecting the wound). Granted, we aren't really talking about ulcers with the J-Pouchers who had their pouches scoped after the incidents. But something is being "opened" releasing the blood. As the Runners World magazine mentions, one way of helping the issue is preventing dehydration, which is an issue for J-pouchers. As you may understand, mucous also helps with maintaining moist the mucous membrane of the digestive and respiratory tracts. Mucilage is plant mucous.
Along with Turmeric, Cactus paddles are considered the #1 natural anti-inflamatory on the planet. I started cooking with nopal cactus paddles in April and May and took a break from cooking them for at least a month. What I noticed during that time is that when I had upped my run to above 30 minutes in June, I started bleeding again for a few bathroom stints that day and all the runs afterwards. I increased my run to 40 minutes last week and found myself bleeding horribly almost the whole night after the run. And then I remembered the cactus paddles and began cooking with them again on Tuesday (my day off from running). Yesterday and today I ran 45 minutes each day and found no blood.
I hope you are still running or that you find this information helpful.
Ross