They better darn well do a DRE (digital rectal).
If one was done in my situation, it was cursory. And perhaps mine is smaller
and can only be seen, if stretched, but hard to feel?
I'm convinced that's also what I have because the bleeds continue on/off and
I'm no longer on aspirin containing medications.
To think if my primary care physician had done so, I'd have been spared 3 or
4 unnecessary tests.
(upper EGD,  barium swallow, colonoscopy, small bowel follow through, and 2
years later becasue of the continuing bleeding another barium swallow..all
for nothing.  Remember how you posted that website saying that doctors rely
too much on tests/scans these days?  The clues were all there in how I
described the initial incident..but doctors seem to stop listening after the
first 10 words or so. (and at the time, I had no pain during the bleeding
episodes but have in the past year or so)

I do also want to add that in this poster's situation, there are Lupus type
problems that can cause gastro bleeding.
Lupus can attack any part of the body.
For instance, a person can have lupus sores in the gastro tract.
For instance, vasculitis (can be problematic in various parts of the body) in
the colon.  So I think in that person's case, it's important to not assume
just one problem, but possibly also have a colonoscopy.  And get checked for
anemias.
I would think that vasculitis is similar looking as hemorrhoids, but can
occur higher up the gastro tract, whereas most hemorrhoids occur in the
rectal area, hence the colonoscopy instead of sigmoidoscopy.

J-not a doctor