My Mom (92) has constant problems with very soft black or tarry stools. Any advice?

Hi porchpickles, I think most of us are responding to questions asked based on our own experiences, we are caregivers and most of us are not in the medical field. That said, the more information we get in the question the better we are at responding. IBS is kind of important information when asking questions about BM's. I think also, the answers you have been given are things we do see based on diet, like spinach will also give black stools. It's great that your mom is still able to get enough fiber in her diet...my mom can no longer eat...sigh...we do get some liquids in her....sometimes....now we are just waiting and it is very sad.

Has the doctor ruled out bleeding? That is the hallmark sign of intestinal bleeding and is caused by the iron in the blood. iron supplements also cause same symptoms.

Has your mom ever been evaluated for divuticulitis?

I'm curious what her doctor has actually said . You state that he is not recommending that you go to the hospital but is that because she has other conditions that are more serious? Has she been evaluated by hospice ? Something here doesn't add up.

Yeah. I would not just blow that off to being due to constipation. More treatment for constipation will not help if that is not the problem, and I thinks that is not the problem. Pain may not be a reliable indicator in a 92 year old. Truly painless bleeding can be from other bowel problems and I woudl get her to a GI doc if yrou regular doc is not trying to figure it out, unless she is just otherwise not well enough to tolerate and other investigations or treatments.

Exactly the same thing I was going to say - we are NOT doctors here. Why are you asking us? Mom needs to see a doctor. My first thought was blood in the stool coming from the stomach - I wouldn't have thought IBS as a first thing.

No offense, but my first instinct would be to get Mom to a doctor - or if her own doesn't know what to do, take her to another internal specialist who handles geriatric patients. I wouldn't be asking a group of strangers how to treat what appears to be a medical problem.

Porch, your mom has IBS? You might have mentioned that. Those of us who respond here think horses not zebras when presented with symptoms...we're only amateurs, you know. Please don't take Pam to task, I was about to respond with the same advice, i,e., black tarry stools can be a bleed, worthy of an ER visit.

FYI Stedman... black tarry stools are a sign of impacted bowel... read the symptoms for i.b.s.

Black? Internal bleeding. See the MD asap

fyi..mom had huge impacted b.m. after 2 colase with peril,10 hours later... a..no complaints or pain a..a.incredible for that quantity of b.m. coming out of 92 yr. woman!

Black tarry coloured stools could be caused by some medications, something she is eating (like licorice or blueberries) or it could possibly be from internal bleeding in the stomach or small intestine. You say she has no discomfort and the stool is soft, so it seems the problem is not constipation but the strange colour and the fact that she is now incontinent. Were you helping her in the bathroom before she became incontinent? The colour could be something that is normal for her given her diet/medications. As for the incontinence, I would be asking the doctor for suggestions dealing with that, often it is a deal breaker when caring for our loved ones at home.

If your Mom has a blocked or twisted bowel, she would be doubled over with horrible pain... that happened to me 30 years ago.

Some medicines like iron tablets and some over the counter relief can cause soft black stools. I wonder if dairy products are the cause. Some times as we age we can no longer tolerate milk, ice cream, cottage cheese, regular cheese, yogurt, real butter, etc.