How do you tell the difference between specks of blood IN the stool and tomatos? Ate tomatos last night and don't know which is in the stool? Anyone have an idea?

Hi, I know what you mean......eating beets kind of got me worried (I have ulcerative colitis), and didn't expect blood since I was not in a flare.

If there was no "blood" on your toilet paper after wiping, it was probably tomatoes. BUT, in saying that, was it "marbled" throughout? If so, it could be something like UC.

Check to see if you still have the same thing the next time you have a bm when you haven't eaten tomatoes the day before .....then after a few days, eat tomatoes again.

If it is there tomorrow, you best get checked out with a doctor. He/she would probably require a stool sample (after you are seen), and it would be checked out as to if there is blood throughout the stool.

I hope it's only tomatoes!

Best to you,
quincy

Unfortunately, I can't get in to the GI Doc until the end of May! That's what gets me, you can call in with a problem and yet they don't seem to get you in, in a timely manner. To me that would seem like THEY are taking a chance....or....maybe they know what they're doing. who knows!

You can buy the test kits to check for blood in the stool at the pharmacy. Or you can call your regular doc in the AM and ask to have your stool tested for blood. They will give you the little test cards along with a little wooden stick or spoon and you follow the directions of putting a small sample of the stool in the circle and then close the flap and take it back to the docs office. We do these all the time in the nursing home I work at. Once at the docs office the open it in the back and apply 3 drops of developer over the spot of the sample and time it and if the test spot turns blue at all it is positive for blood and if no change then it is negative. If you are concerned about the possibility of blood then either pick up a kit at the pharmacy or ask for one from your regular doc.