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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Has Obstructive Jaundice. Had ERCP. Large Polyps Removed. Recovery Possible?

Hi - I am a 38yr old male who has Obstructive jaundice - I had an ERCP last Thursday and a large Polyps was removed (no gallstones found) - I am now recovering at home, but have noticed in past few days that my faeces are black - they are solid / a little treacley in consitency, but I am most concerened by the colour. Please can you advise if this is normal / to be expected after the removal of the obstruction? Many Thanks, Elliott
Fri, 21 Sep 2012
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi Elliot,
Do you have any idea where were the polyps removed from? if they were within the biliary tree (common bile duct), then you probably had a lot of manipulation during the procedure which can make you bleed after the procedures (even days after the procedure). Blood loss in the biliary tree goes into the intestine, and then the digested blood turns black; this is called "melena". However when you do have black stools from bleeding they are usually tarry stools and very fetid.
Avoid taking any ibuprofen, aspirin or pain medications which can make you bleed. If by any chance you took Pepto-Bismol, this is a well known cause of solid black stools.
Keep an eye on it, but I would advise you to follow up with your endoscopist ASAP and make sure everything is still stable, by checking your stools and laboratory tests.
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Has Obstructive Jaundice. Had ERCP. Large Polyps Removed. Recovery Possible?

Hi Elliot, Do you have any idea where were the polyps removed from? if they were within the biliary tree (common bile duct), then you probably had a lot of manipulation during the procedure which can make you bleed after the procedures (even days after the procedure). Blood loss in the biliary tree goes into the intestine, and then the digested blood turns black; this is called melena . However when you do have black stools from bleeding they are usually tarry stools and very fetid. Avoid taking any ibuprofen, aspirin or pain medications which can make you bleed. If by any chance you took Pepto-Bismol, this is a well known cause of solid black stools. Keep an eye on it, but I would advise you to follow up with your endoscopist ASAP and make sure everything is still stable, by checking your stools and laboratory tests.