You should go to the ER for bright red blood in the stool if it's a large amount of blood or the bright red blood in the stool does not go away within a few days.
When your poop is bright red blood and mucus it's usually a sign of infection or Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
In rare cases the bright red blood and mucus in your poop can be cancer such as colerectal cancer.
Pooping blood but no pain can be a sign of an intestinal tear or start of a hemorrhoid although polyps and anal fissures can also cause blood in poop even without pain.
Small amounts of blood in your poop are okay as long as it clears up within a day or two.
However any amount of blood in your poop that does not go away within a few days is not okay and you should see a doctor.
You should go to the doctor if you poop blood and it's dark red or causes tar like colored poop.
Or if the bloody poop does not go away within a few days or gets worse then you should go to the doctor or urgent care about it.
It is not always serious when you poop blood unless the poop in the blood does not go away or gets worse.
If you notice a tiny amount of blood in your poop it's usually nothing to worry about unless it does not go away within a day or so or you notice a severe amount of blood.
When you poop blood it can mean several different things such as hemorrhoids, diverticular bleeding, colon cancer, rectum tears, intestine tears or problems with your stomach.
Most cases of blood in your poop are not serious unless it happens too often or does not clear up within a few days.
Cancerous blood in stool will look like dark red or black colors in your poop and can appear as streaks or even make your poop look like tar.
Non cancerous blood in your stool will appear as bright red but blood from cancer that is higher up in the bowel does not look bright red.
Blood in poop will look like streaks of bright red or dark red or even black streaks in the poop.
Spots of red blood on toilet paper or drops of red blood in the toilet bowl or even blood on the surface of the poop or in your underwear can indicate anus or rectal bleeding.
Dehydration can cause blood in stool as dehydration can lead to hard stools which can injure your anus or rectum while passing the stool which can lead to bleeding.
Hemorrhoids can also cause blood in the stool or even pushing too hard to poop and even diverticulitis can lead to blood in the stool.
Stress poop will usually look like mushy poop with fluffy pieces which have pudding shaped consistency.
The warning signs of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome are.
Excessive flatulence.
Bloating and swelling of the stomach.
Occasionally experiencing an urgent need to move your bowels or have a bowel movement.
A change in your bowel habits which include constipation or diarrhea or both.
Abdominal and stomach pain and cramping which can be most often relieved by moving your bowels.
Red flags for IBS or Irritable Bowel syndrome include blood in the stools (red blood or black, tarry stool) Fever, shaking chills, or night sweats, Nighttime symptoms that wake you up and unintentional weight loss.
The foods that can trigger IBS are cheese and other dairy products, high protein foods and diets, carbonated drinks, alcohol and coffee, cookies, chips and other processed foods and breads and cereals that are made with refined and not whole grains.
An IBS flare will usually cause symptoms such as belly pain and a change in bowel habits.
Bloating, Gas and Stomach Pain as well as abdominal cramping are common signs and symptoms of an IBS attack.
When you're experiencing an IBS attack you can feel bloated and gassy (flatulence).