Hi, I am a 43 yr. old female who has had chronic bowel and rectum problems over the last 4 years. My bowel issues began with a sudden on-set of frequent, severe constipation , accompanied by occasional diarrhea , soft stool with a pencil-thin shape, and (becoming more frequent) stool that is hard but with a small ball-shape , The frequency of my initial problem, the constipation, has moderately diminished over the past 2 years, but during that time I also developed a regularly occurring (often daily) anal discharge of thick, clear, mucus , along with bright-red blood from my rectum that is separate from any stool. Because my paternal grandfather and a paternal uncle both have colon cancer, I contacted a colorectal surgeon in 2011 who scheduled and performed a colonoscopy that showed I do not have colon cancer. I called his office a week later to inquire as to what may be causing my various symptoms; I was told because the doctor didn t perform a physical exam, in addition to the colonoscopy, it s hard to say. I was then told someone would call me back with advice or suggestions, but no one ever did. Knowing my symptoms were not because I had cancer was a great relief; I have not re-visited this embarrassing issue until now. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!