Complaining Of Stomach Pain. Noticed Black Stool. What Can This Be?

Posted on Mon, 30 Sep 2013

Question: My 49 yr old son has been complaining of stomach pains for last two/three days; whenever he gets up to use restroom he becomes sweaty and turns ice cold. His stool is black. I dry him off with cool towel He doesnot have insurance and local hospital most likely will not see him. Any ideas?

Answered by Dr. Kerry Pottinger (35 minutes later)

Hi,
Thank you for using Healthcare Magic.
This is possibly gastritis which is inflammation of the stomach lining. This can cause the symptoms that you son is suffering from. The dark stool may indicate blood in the stool.
I would suggest avoiding spicy food and alcohol to see if this proves the symptoms. Avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. An antacid from your pharmacist may help with the pain. See your doctor to discuss further investigation This would involve gastroscopy which is an examination of the stomach lining with a telescope. A blood test to check for anemia. An examination of the dark stool test for blood and bacteria. Treatment depends on the cause.
I hope this is of help to you. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Dr K A Pottinger,
MBChB FRCA

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar