Black, Tarry stool

I have a question regarding Black, Tarry stool.  I have seen many people that describe black, tarry stool in regards to ingested blood, or bleeding in the upper colon region.  Are the words black and tarry mutually exclusive to that type of condition?  Can one have tarry stool that is brown?  What is it that makes it tarry?  What would tarry stool look like?
Thanks

[kimbacat]

tarry usually refers to the consistency.  think thick, sticky sludge.  the black can be descriptive of old blood or food coloring or iron.  changes in bowel patterns should be discussed with your doc.

[Kurta75]

Okay, but can you have tarry stool that is not black????  If you have brown stool, is it still considered tarry????

[kimbacat]

I'm guessing you could have tarry stools that were brown.  the tarry usually refers to consistency, not color.  I'm guessing that certain foods could make your stool sticky and sludgey.  if in doubt, go to your doc.  have a simple occult blood stool test or stool cultures done if you think something is wrong.

[nadia]

There is a colon screening test sold in drugstores that screens for any sign of blood in the stool. You might want to purchase it just for your own peace of mind.

[Kurta75]

IS the test you are referring to call EZDetect?  If so I tried it and I got a negative result.  

[nadia]

The one I purchased had a different name.  I really don't remember the brand, but any test that checks for occult blood should give you some answers. If you are concerned that you are having stomach or intestinal bleeding, you might want the doctor to run a barium swallow with a small bowel follow through.

[pat860]

A related discussion, laxitives was started.