black diarrhea and diverticulitis

by glenda
(georgia)

My mother is getting over a severe case of diverticulitis. Now she has chronic diarrhea consistenting of black diarrhea. So what should we do?

Answer

Diverticulitis can cause bleeding, but this is usually fresh and clotty. As it stops, the older blood does go dark to black in colour. However, if this is persisting it could indicate a problem with bleeding from the upper GI tract. How definite was the diagnosis? In the elderly, ischaemic colitis is not uncommon and can cause bleeding due to poor blood supply to the gut resulting in a breakdown in the intestinal lining. I think she should see a doctor and get this checked.