Newbie! Black bits in stool! Opinions, pls!

Sugarloaf · January 2, 2006, 8:16pm

Hi, new here and was looking for some opinions. The post will be a bit long, so don't nod off

I'm 28 and have had IBS since I was 15. On the whole, it has never really been a debilitating problem; just one-off bouts of "spastic colon" every so often. In the last couple of years I would say the bouts had been increasing slightly but nothing that required treatment. Anyway, last August I had a terrible time with 5 nasty bouts within the month (which is a lot for me). I was recommended Aloe Vera juice and Acidophilus and they have worked brilliantly in settling things down. I had one mild episode within 4 weeks of taking it but since then (over 2 months later) my bowels have been moving beautifully and regularly

Now to my problem - in Oct after having a BM I noticed some blood on the stool. Initially I wasn't too worried. I'd had similar 6yrs previous; after passing a hard stool I felt a tear and for the subsequent 3/4 months experienced intermittent blood on the stool. A fissure, I assumed, and thanks to the aid of a mirror and a sacrifice of dignity I also diagnosed myself with a small internal hemmie. Since then, after having a BM my anus can often tend to feel a bit sore and irritated. So when this latest bit of blood happened it didn't really bother me but I still kept a watchful eye on my stool. I seemed to notice blood would show up on the outside of the stool when they were particularly hard but not on the soft ones. I did my internal hemmie check and at least *one* was definitely present (a little bigger than the last time) and just to be extra vigilant, I stuck on the rubber gloves to do more of an in-depth examination after every BM to just make sure that no blood was mixed in with the stool - it wasn't.

I went for a quick check up with my doc and she said it def sounded like an internal hemmie and that it was possibly aggravated by my bouts of IBS, and to carry on with the Acidophilus and Aloe Vera. I continued to keep thoroughly checking my stools, though, just to stay on the safe side. The smearings of blood eventually reduced and after a few more BM's there was no more blood at all. So on Dec 15th, after having a BM, I decided this would be the last time I donned the gloves and dug deep. There was no blood, but what I suddenly noticed was tons and tons of tiny black bits. Like little black flecks My instant thought was "OMG! Is this blood?" You think of the words "stool" and "black" and you obviously think blood. The stool itself wasn't black but contained loads of these little black bits. The following night I had another BM and part of the stool contained black bits while the rest was fresher waste that didn't contain any.

Well, I was suddenly worried by this. All the previous times I'd done a poop check I hadn't noticed these black bits! Where they new or had they been there before but b/c I was so intent on searching for blood I didn't notice them? Where they associated with the initial blood I had seen? After a bit of panic, it suddenly occurred to me that the day before the black specky poop I'd had a big plate of broccoli - and in fact the little specks of black did look a bit like munched up broccoli. Then a couple of days later, I had a bolognese sauce which I noticed contained many little specks of parsley and basil which resembled the specks in my poop only they were dark green as opposed to black. A couple of days later when I had my BM, I noticed there were some specks again (not as many as last time) and I noticed that they did appear to be some kind of substance - not black stained bits of poop but something in the stool. I wondered if it could be the associated with parsley and basil (similar to the broccoli). Thanks to a little experiment I discovered that dark green foodstuff does seem to turn black when mixed with poop and that the little sprigs of parsley broke up exactly the same way when prodded w/ a toothpick as the unidentified poopy black bits.

So, since then, some BM's have had some flecks, some have been totally clear. But my last three BM's have contained some bigger black bits... but they ARE actually a substance. They feel like little bits of corn and brake up as if they are some kind of skin. They look a bit like a quarter of a small blueberry. I've eaten sprouts earlier this week but I don't think I would still be pooping them out today. My actual stool color is normal.

So... has anyone at all ever noticed similar? Am I the only one to do in-depth dump checks? Am I obsessing about this? Obviously, with never previously rummaging through my crap I don't know what the heck is in there or how some foods look when they've been through the system so this may be nothing new but I'm obsessing about it b/c I've just noticed it. Or, do these black bits sound odd? Feedback totally appreciated.

Thanks.

bunnybabe · January 2, 2006, 11:12pm

hey, do the specks look like coffee grounds? (that is often associated with Celiac, wheat/gluten allergy)
i obsess over the toilet too--
the larger bits, i am not farmiliar with--i have pooped black a lot, no one seems to know why, but mine is usually all black or large portion black. have you had any upper scopes done?
take care of yourself, and let your doctor know what is going on with you.
--bunny

what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

dbab · January 3, 2006, 12:27am

I occasionally get the coffee ground specks as well. I mentioned it to my doctor but he told me that it could just be undigested food. Now I am curious about the celiac. I have UC but the blood associated with that is a redder color since the blood is lower in the GI tract. I think I will mention it to him again and do some research. I don't get it often but every once in a while will notice it.

_{Hugs, Des}

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7Lil · January 3, 2006, 2:28am

Hi Sugarloaf, welcome to HealingWell!

I think the little black bits aren't anything to worry about. Probably just food that hasn't been digested properly. HOWEVER, if it is bothering you that much you should tell your doctor. Maybe they could do some sort of stool test.
But for the most part (and using good judgement) I think the only time to worry is if your entire BM is black or there is a lot of blood in the toilet.
Good luck and please keep posting with updates and/or questions.

Co-Moderator for the IBS Forum

blondie15 · January 3, 2006, 11:45pm

Hey! Im 15 and have had irritable bowel all my life, so I def know how you feel haha!! I agree, its probably just undigested food. Like I know if I drink red Koolade or red peppers, etc., they can sometimes dye my poop a reddish tinge.

Sarita · January 4, 2006, 12:10am

I think the time when you need to start worrying about the coffee-ground effect is when it shows up in your vomit. Then it could point to internal bleeding. But if you only notice the grounds after you eat certain foods, try eating a bland diet for a few days to see if it still occurs. Add a bunch of broccoli on the last day and voila, you should have your answer!