What Causes Dark Stools And Loose Bowel Movements?

Posted on Fri, 30 May 2014

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

Fri, 30 May 2014 Answered on

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a colonoscopy this morning. Is it normal to have very dark - very loose bowel movements afterward. I do not have any abdominal pain and no fever - the doctor gave me a list of possible concerns - dark stools are one of the concerns - I had four smaller polyups removed.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Upper GI bleed

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for your query.

Dark stools indicate leakage of the blood from the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This may not be related to the colonoscopy you got done this morning. Bleeding at the site where polyps were removed can result in red colored or blood stained stools.

I recommend a visit to the Gastroentrologist who can examine and may perform an upper Gastrointestinal endoscopy to locate the site of upper GI bleed.

Hope, I answered your query.

Wish you good health.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar