English is a second language to me (I m French Canadian) but I ll do my best to explain my problem. I ve been having black and hard stool for the last 2-3 months. Not my typical brown stool. Furthermore, I now often have to strain to get them out and I don t feel relieved - it feels like there is more that should come out but it s not happening. Therefore I have to go 2-3 times per day, and sometimes more... with little result to show for my efforts! I m 56. I was always regular before this started. One nice big poop when I woke up and another one later on during the afternoon or evening. What does this mean? What should I do?