Stool Fears

[zdavo]

For awhile now I’ve feared colon cancer even after visiting my Dr. Last night I was anxious about my health which led to loose almost diarrhea stools this morning. I noticed dark specs in the stool which I’m hoping is just undigested food particles. They are small spots that are darker brown/black. I had a lot of broccoli yesterday so my question is could that be what I’m seeing?

 

[Bobnnat]

Absolutely. Zdavo, never getting colon cancer is really simple and it's up to you. A very small % of people are born with an ailment where hundreds of polyps form starting as a child. You'd know if that was you, and it's very rare.

Otherwise, if you have a first degree family member who had rectal/colon cancer before age 50, then your first scope should be 10 years younger than the age that person was diagnosed. otherwise, typically your first scope is at 45-50. Then get scoped (colonoscopy is best) on your doctor's advice, typically every 7-10 years assuming no polyps were found. If polyps were found, usually you just get scoped sooner.

Don't smoke and keep to a reasonable weight. Get those regular colonoscopies when scheduled even though the prep is a bitch. This test is likely the best there is to prevent cancer from ever developing.

 

[zdavo]

Thanks. I have no family history and am only 28. This all started with bleeding that occurred rarely due to hemorrhoids. Obviously when you see black specs you think of blood or something like that. I don’t believe that it was blood but it’s still concerning when going through constant health anxiety.

 

[Bobnnat]

I know. I had the black stool fear several times. Get ready for gross....one time (OK more than once) I wadded up toilet paper and broke it apart to "better inspect" it. What looks like black is not the black that could mean upper GI bleeding. That stool is greasy, looks almost like sludge. I once a long time ago brought a stool sample to my GP which I saw as black. He looked quickly and said normal. Then rolled his eyes. I was too embarrassed to go back to that guy.

 

[zdavo]

Would black stool be completely black or just have small specs though? And could it be mucous instead of food particles or most likely the broccoli I ate?

 

[Bobnnat]

Certainly can. You're worrying over something that you needn't. Anyone on this HA board would tell you they've been there and it's nothing (despite the initial freak-out),

 

[zdavo]

Thanks! Sometimes just telling someone your thoughts helps a lot.

 

[Bearcat999]

A solid, tarry black stool would be worrisome. Specks are food. Broccoli is a relatively high fiber food, it wont completely digest.

 

[kristinelorraine]

i hope this could help. the ER doctor told me, the blood has to be mixed with stool if you have internal bleeding. so it means, your stool has to be black throughout not specks. if the stool has bright red blood, it means the bleeding is outside more like tear, constipation or hemorroids.

i noticed my stools tend to get very dark when i eat green leafy veggies like spinach, kale and also blueberries.

 

[SallyHart]

Yep! I had black specs and I noticed them even more when I was having a HA flare up. Try not to worry.

 

[zdavo]

Hours later I now realize it was silly to be worrying about but in the moment my brain seems to trick me.