red blood & mucous in stool. What could be causing this?

Cmforner,

You should consult with your doctor again. Mucus and blood can be caused by many different things. People with IBS can have mucus in their stool when their GI tract gets aggravated. If you are seeing bright red blood, mainly on your toilet paper, or in the bowl, this is most likely from a hemorrhoid. Darker colored blood can be from bleeding in the colon, usually higher up in the colon and should be checked-out.

You'll have to ask your doctor about the polyps that they found. I would assume that by 'good' he or she was saying that they were not found to be cancerous.

Good luck to you,

Elizabeth 

Hello, again!

Some of your post is cut off again, but I have more to work with this time, so I'll give it another go 'round...

I think your doctor meant that your polyps did not appear to be cancerous, because polyps are not graded as "good," or "bad." And, no, those won't turn cancerous, because they are gone now; the doctor removed them during the colonoscopy. However, that is not to say that you will not have new polyps in the future--people who have had polyps in the past, are at increased risk for having polyps again.

Pencil thin stools (often referred to as "ribbon like") usually indicate inflammation; when the inside (the lumun) of the intestines are narrowed from swelling, the stool has difficulty passing, and thin stools and mucous typically result.

Bright red blood when you pass stool could be the result of severe inflammation in a localized area of your lower GI tract. Please let your doctor know that this is going on, and if you can't get an appointment soon, or your "complaints" are not taken seriously when you call, I suggest that you consider changing doctors.

Good luck!

Hope