Bloody or Tarry Stools
Alternate Names : Hematochezia, Melena, Stools - Black or Tarry, Stools - Bloody
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What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office
Your doctor will take a medical history and perform a physical examination, focusing on your abdomen and rectum.
The following questions may be included in the history to better understand the possible causes of your bloody or dark stools:
- Is there blood on the toilet paper only?
- What color is the stool?
- When did it develop?
- Have you had more than one episode of blood in your stool? Is every stool this way?
- Are you taking blood thinners or NSAIDS (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin)?
- Have you ingested black licorice, lead, Pepto-Bismol, or blueberries?
- Have you had any abdominal trauma or swallowed a foreign object accidentally?
- What other symptoms are also present -- abdominal pain, vomiting blood, bloating, excessive gas (flatus), diarrhea, or fever?
- Have you lost any weight recently?
Treatment depends on the cause and severity of the bleeding. For serious bleeding, you may need to be admitted to a hospital for monitoring and workup. If there is massive bleeding, you will need to be monitored in an intensive care unit. Emergency treatment may include a blood transfusion.
The following diagnostic tests may be performed:
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