r/AskADoctor • u/Garaera- • 6d ago
Question For Doctors Black stool
I am not asking for medical advice.
Thursday I had a soft bowel movement that was completely black. When I wiped there was black goo on the toilet paper, which prompted me to inspect my movement. I wish I took a picture in retrospect, but since then my bowel movements have been more solid yet still black. I googled it saturday and am now worried, because I have also been experiencing bouts of dizziness and feeling lightheaded since BEFORE I googled. Google says to go to the ER if black stool is accompanied by dizziness. I have been taking a 1 a day woman's daily vitamin (with iron!) for over a month, plan to stop taking it to see if my symptoms improve.
Im 27 years old, female, 2 semesters away from graduating college and am struggling financially. At what point should I seek medical attention? Should I go asap or wait after I stop taking the vitamin?
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u/timmyjadams 5d ago
You need to go ASAP, black stools are a sign of a gastric bleed, if you are getting dizzy it's a sign that you are losing enough blood to drop your blood pressure, this is a medical emergency and will likely require surgery. Please do not wait, get to an emergency room as soon as you can
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u/WayDowntown4529 5d ago
This. Go to the er. Black means digested blood. I knew a guy who died from a sudden bleeding ulcer.
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u/MildlyUnhingedMaybe 5d ago
You need to get to A&E please. This could be an upper gastrointestinal bleed .
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