Should I Go For Gastroscopy Again For Stomach Pain With Black Stool?

Posted on Tue, 3 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 3 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Had stomach pain last December, blood test was ok then. 6 months ago blood test showed Hpylori, took HPAC(1week). The pain is on and off but has been increasing lately, have constipation and bowel movement every two days, and i always thought that I have more gas than average person since I remember. Did gastroscopy 2 months ago and all ok. Had strong stomach pain on weekend and then black stool on Saturday. Visited doctor again, and he wants to do gastrocopy again. I have been struggling with the stomach pain for almost a year now and getting worse, please help.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (57 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Please follow the suggestions below.. Detailed Answer: Hi, I read your medical data and understood your concerns. You have been diagnosed with H.pylori and took adequate treatment. Please bare in mind that eradication of H.pylori is difficult and need time and determination. You must repeat the treatment as directed by your GI specialist. It is good that you are appointed for gastroscopy, as it will determine lesions (if any) in your stomach and if H.pylori persists. Next, you are reporting black stool (we call it melena). I would suggest to do fecal blood occult to see if there is blood in your feces. If yes, then, further evaluations should be carried out including blood work, upper endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound and if is nessesary capsule endoscopy . With regards to constipation, I would suggest : - do culture of feces for candida infection (the treatment you had for H.pylori includes antibiotics that can alter normal flora, leading to candida flourish) - eat more fiber rich foods - drink more water - eat slowly, often and small portions - take probiotics to optimize intestinal flora Hope it answered to your question! Feel free to ask me again if you have further concerns! If you are satisfied with my answer, please close this thread and kindly rate my answer. All the best! Dr.Klerida

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (23 hours later)

This has been going for over 8 months, I have done several blood test, ultra sound test(negative). As per GP Advise, I have been drinking lots of water, high fiber foods, probiotic foodds, eat small but more often- for the last 4 months. but still no bowel movement for 2 to 3 days at a time. Took HPAC 4 months ago, did 1st gastroscopy 2 months ago & result was ok. But the sharp pain still persists. The black stool last weekend had blood in it. The specialist now want to do another gastroscopy again on Friday & blood test. I feel we are doing many tests but not getting a result that address the root cause. It is frustrating that this has been for 8 months & pain gets worse. Regards B.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Please follow the suggestions below.. Detailed Answer: Hi again, Thank you for writing back. I understood your worries, but, at the same time I should ask to have patience. You should continue investigating until the cause to your problems is found. So, I suggest to : - repeat fibrogastroscopy as directed by your doctor - do colonoscopy - run Barium bowel examination - perform capsule endoscopy If they are all normal, it means that the bleeding (black stool) is not in the stomach but in the intestines. These are difficult cases to resolve and arteriography of the blood vessels of the intestines is recommended to find out the right culprit. It will take time for the symptoms to get relieved once the cause is found. All the best! Dr.Klerida If you are satisfied with my answer, please close this thread and kindly rate my answer.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T