Aa
Scared
I was wondering what blood in the stool lokked like? The other day I seen Red marks in it. I was just wondering if it is something I ate or blood. I am always looking for something, so I am not sure what it is. Thanks
COLOR & TEXTURE
Stools come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. These vary from person to person as well as varying from stool to stool from the same person. Though many different stool appearances are considered normal, any change from you "usual" bowel habits should be considered abnormal. If the change persists for more than a few days, and you can't attribute it to a significant change in your diet, you should contact your physician for advice. That said, lets look at some of the common abnormalites of stool properties.
RED STOOL & bright red BLOOD in the stool
Be worried. Though bright red blood in the stool or on the toilet paper is usually due to hemorrhoids, it is abnormal and should be considered a serious problem unless your doctor evaluates you and tells you otherwise. Blood in the stool is not normal. It means that something in your gut is bleeding. If you see bright red blood in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement and feel weak (not just from the shock of seeing blood), seek medical attention promptly. If you see a little bright red blood on the toilet paper after you wipe, you should mention this to your doctor. Even though it will likely turn out to be hemorrhoids, blood in the stool can come from something that can be an emergency, like a bleeding ulcer or a dead section of bowel, or from something equally bad but not immediately life-threatening, like cancer. The point is, you can't diagnose yourself, and more serious causes must be ruled out. Call your doctor.
BLACK TARRY STOOL
Be worried. Iron supplements can cause black stool, but the other, more alarming cause is digested BLOOD. Blood can turn the stool black, called "MELENA". The stool may also be tarry and sticky, and may smell especially bad. This is SERIOUS. Call your doctor promptly; you may need to go to the emergency room if you feel weak. Be sure to tell the medical staff if you have conditions like heartburn, ulcers, cancer, any GI disease, as these may be the source of the bleeding.
STRINGY STOOL
If your stool comes out in a long thin string despite a normal appetite and normal eating patterns, this may be a cause for concern. You could have a parasitic infection (worms). Contact your healthcare provider; they will probably ask you to obtain stool studies to better identify the cause of the problem.
SMELLY or GREASY STOOL
You are what you eat, and so is your stool! Changes in your diet will cause changes in the smell (and texture) of your stool.. Some say a vegetarian diet causes less odor in the stool, since fat seem to cause smellier stools. If you have particularly greasy, smelly, floating stools, you may have a problem absorbing fat from your gut. The problem may be in your pancreas or small bowel. You should alert your physician about this problem.
FLOATING STOOLS
Generally means your stool has a high fat content. See above for smelly greasy stools.
SILVERY WHITE, GRAY or PALE YELLOW STOOLS
If your stool lacks the normal brown color for more than a day or two, you need to alert your physician as disorders involving your liver, gall bladder or pancreas may be the cause, and may represent a serious
Stools come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. These vary from person to person as well as varying from stool to stool from the same person. Though many different stool appearances are considered normal, any change from you "usual" bowel habits should be considered abnormal. If the change persists for more than a few days, and you can't attribute it to a significant change in your diet, you should contact your physician for advice. That said, lets look at some of the common abnormalites of stool properties.
RED STOOL & bright red BLOOD in the stool
Be worried. Though bright red blood in the stool or on the toilet paper is usually due to hemorrhoids, it is abnormal and should be considered a serious problem unless your doctor evaluates you and tells you otherwise. Blood in the stool is not normal. It means that something in your gut is bleeding. If you see bright red blood in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement and feel weak (not just from the shock of seeing blood), seek medical attention promptly. If you see a little bright red blood on the toilet paper after you wipe, you should mention this to your doctor. Even though it will likely turn out to be hemorrhoids, blood in the stool can come from something that can be an emergency, like a bleeding ulcer or a dead section of bowel, or from something equally bad but not immediately life-threatening, like cancer. The point is, you can't diagnose yourself, and more serious causes must be ruled out. Call your doctor.
BLACK TARRY STOOL
Be worried. Iron supplements can cause black stool, but the other, more alarming cause is digested BLOOD. Blood can turn the stool black, called "MELENA". The stool may also be tarry and sticky, and may smell especially bad. This is SERIOUS. Call your doctor promptly; you may need to go to the emergency room if you feel weak. Be sure to tell the medical staff if you have conditions like heartburn, ulcers, cancer, any GI disease, as these may be the source of the bleeding.
STRINGY STOOL
If your stool comes out in a long thin string despite a normal appetite and normal eating patterns, this may be a cause for concern. You could have a parasitic infection (worms). Contact your healthcare provider; they will probably ask you to obtain stool studies to better identify the cause of the problem.
SMELLY or GREASY STOOL
You are what you eat, and so is your stool! Changes in your diet will cause changes in the smell (and texture) of your stool.. Some say a vegetarian diet causes less odor in the stool, since fat seem to cause smellier stools. If you have particularly greasy, smelly, floating stools, you may have a problem absorbing fat from your gut. The problem may be in your pancreas or small bowel. You should alert your physician about this problem.
FLOATING STOOLS
Generally means your stool has a high fat content. See above for smelly greasy stools.
SILVERY WHITE, GRAY or PALE YELLOW STOOLS
If your stool lacks the normal brown color for more than a day or two, you need to alert your physician as disorders involving your liver, gall bladder or pancreas may be the cause, and may represent a serious
A related discussion, Searching for an answer. was started.
Did you eat tomatoes or tomatoe sauce the night before as that
can show up in your stool. You could also have internal hemmoroids. Do you have any pain? If you have hemmoriods when you take a bowel movement, as your stool is coming out it can scrape against it and make it bleed and that's the red that you see in your stool.
You should bring this to your doctor's attention if it continues..keep an eye on it.
Good luck and be well!
can show up in your stool. You could also have internal hemmoroids. Do you have any pain? If you have hemmoriods when you take a bowel movement, as your stool is coming out it can scrape against it and make it bleed and that's the red that you see in your stool.
You should bring this to your doctor's attention if it continues..keep an eye on it.
Good luck and be well!
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