What should you know about black stool, abdominal pain and bloating?

Black colour can come from iron, bismuth, or dark foods, while abdominal pain and bloating may follow gas, indigestion, or a temporary gut infection. A black, sticky, tar-like stool is different: it can indicate bleeding higher in the digestive tract. Gastritis and other digestive conditions can cause pain, nausea, or bloating; coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, and diverticular disease can also produce abdominal symptoms, but the pattern varies. These symptoms do not identify one diagnosis by themselves.

Write down the stool's colour and texture, pain location, bloating pattern, bowel changes, vomiting, fever, and recent foods or medicines. Sip fluids if you are able and avoid alcohol and medicines such as ibuprofen unless a clinician has told you to use them. Contact a healthcare professional promptly for unexplained black stool, especially when abdominal discomfort continues or the change repeats. Bring your medicine and supplement list to the appointment.

Seek emergency care for fainting, marked weakness, confusion, severe or rapidly worsening pain, a swollen rigid abdomen, repeated vomiting, vomiting blood, or inability to keep fluids down. Black tarry stool with dizziness, breathlessness, or a racing heartbeat may signal significant bleeding. Do not wait for bloating to settle if these warning signs are present.

Ask whether your medicines or diet could explain the stool; whether you need testing for bleeding or inflammation; and which features would point toward gastritis, gastroenteritis, coeliac disease, or another digestive condition.