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What Causes Constipation And Black Stool?
i have been having gallbladder problems and really bad acid reflux in the past year. i have also been severely constipated....i am scheduled to have the gallbladder removed on the 17th and have a light run down my stomach to look for ulcers but the dr says these problems wouldnt cause the constipation. yesterday i had a very small bowl movement and it was black as coal...didnt think much about it untill later i took stool softners and ended up w diariaha but it was also black and kinda looked like tar....my father has had colon cancer twice, but the dr doesnt seem to be very concerned about it....was hoping he would do a colonosctphy while he had me under but isnt...should i be worried or can u tell me what could cause the constipation and black tar lookiingh stool? thanks
Tue, 10 Mar 2015
Hi,
Constipation and/or Black coloured stool is known as melena which could be due to bleeding in upper gastrointestinal tract like in peptic ulcer,gastritis,esophageal varices or mallory-weiss syndrome or hookworm,drug induced etc.
You should undergo routine blood count and stool examination with ultrasound abdomen and upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy will confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment is mainly depend on the underlying cause but you may require antibiotics, antihelminthic with supportive treatment like purgatives if constipation is there.
Consult gastroenterologist for further advise.
Constipation and/or Black coloured stool is known as melena which could be due to bleeding in upper gastrointestinal tract like in peptic ulcer,gastritis,esophageal varices or mallory-weiss syndrome or hookworm,drug induced etc.
You should undergo routine blood count and stool examination with ultrasound abdomen and upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy will confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment is mainly depend on the underlying cause but you may require antibiotics, antihelminthic with supportive treatment like purgatives if constipation is there.
Consult gastroenterologist for further advise.
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