Coffee ground stool?

[AnxietySufferer]

Okay so toes that know me will know that one of my biggies is bowel cancer..
Anyway I noticed when I went to the toilet that there was red all in my stool which really panicked me.. I have out it down to eating tomato pasta on Tuesday (although this is 3 days ago so it still worries me a little) I also noticed that there is like black dots all in. My stool, I get that quite regularly it looks almost seeded, I use to put it down to eating seeded bread but I have been sticking to white bread for the last 3 weeks so it's definately not that, I honestly can't think of anything else I have eaten and I'm really panicking :( I woke up I Theodore of the night last night and couldn't sleep aswell as having a sore stomach

[Leslie735]

I use to worry about bowel cancer a few years back. I would examine my stool after every BM. Any little color change would freak me out. I'm somehow got past the fear, don't ask me why I just did. Anyway, red in stood (especially bright red) is not always a cause for alarm. For example, I have hemorrhoids and they bleed after a BM often. I usually know it's them because it will hurt when having the BM and it'll be bright red. I also noticed whenever I eat tomatoes I will see the red looking stuff in my stool. In the past I have also noticed the black flecks your talking about. I use to panic me as well. I know it's hard but try not to examine every BM you have. Just try and relax.

[Button1]

That isn't the definition of a coffee ground stool, that is when you pass something that resembles what it looks like when you empty out a coffee machine/ caffitiere. Food breaks down in your system and will inevitably look very different when it passes through, that's what you're seeing, even if you don't recognise it. You're fine and if you look at old posts we've all had the red bits in stools... It's food. But if you're really worried get your gp to do a simple stool test x

[Fishmanpa]

Coffee ground stool?

I sure as hell ain't brewing that! ;)

Positive thoughts

[cut_out_stars]

I think this is totally normal :) For whatever reason some foods take a little more.. Um.. work to digest (tomatoes being one of them) .. I get what you're describing quite often and I've never thought anything was unusual :)

[puzzledlass]

Your fear is the same as mine...

I also get the little black specks/flakes in my poop. It does worry me, but after reading a fair bit on here it seems a few of us experience this - so surely it's not all doom and gloom.