thick oily stool

hi,

5 or so weeks ago i went to a doctor as i was worried about a thick oily stool i passed. it wasn't black, but it seemed darker in colour and was very oily. he said a one-off change in bowel movement isn't an issue and to go back if it happened again the next day. it was fine and has been for the last 5 weeks until today when i had exactly the same thing.
i'm fairly certain it isn't something i've eaten and i'm not on any medication.
any ideas?
and should i go back to the doctor?

thanks for any advice.

[nanci]

Are you taking any herbs or vitamins?

[jamessmith]

no, i'm not taking anything.
is it unlikely to be bleeding as i had no problems for weeks?

[nanci]

I keep thinking food - can you remember what you ate the first
time and then again today?  When you say black, is it tarry?  Or
just dark brown in color?  Do you have any other symptoms, pain?

If it's only an off color stool without any other symptoms, I would just watch it.

[jamessmith]

i have no pain or any other symptoms.
i didn't eat the same food on both occasions and nothing i ate is out of the ordinary for me.

it's hard to tell if it was tarry, the stool was formed and appeared normal. is there a better way to explain than 'tarry'?

[nanci]

It just looks like black tar, sort of sticky.  I really don't think you have anything to be alarmed about.  I would just pay attention and if it happens again, call your doctor.  Perhaps he'll suggest a colonoscopy to rule out any hidden problems.  You can also do a test to see if you have hidden blood in your stools.  I believe you can pick it up at a local Walgreens or drug store, or I'm sure your doctor's office would have it.  The type I'm referring to is a kit with a few pieces of small thick paper.  You put a piece in the bowl prior to a movement.  You have to do this three different times.  You then mail it to a lab.  If you go thru your doctor, you would simply give him the samples and he would send to a lab.  If you do it independtly, I belive their is a self addressed stamped envelope included.

Hope this helps

[nanci]

It just looks like black tar, sort of sticky.  I really don't think you have anything to be alarmed about.  I would just pay attention and if it happens again, call your doctor.  Perhaps he'll suggest a colonoscopy to rule out any hidden problems.  You can also do a test to see if you have hidden blood in your stools.  I believe you can pick it up at a local Walgreens or drug store, or I'm sure your doctor's office would have it.  The type I'm referring to is a kit with a few pieces of small thick paper.  You put a piece in the bowl prior to a movement.  You have to do this three different times.  You then mail it to a lab.  If you go thru your doctor, you would simply give him the samples and he would send to a lab.  If you do it independtly, I belive their is a self addressed stamped envelope included.

Hope this helps

[virgo57]

Hi,
This is a cut and paste...
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.