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Real members of myHIVteam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.

Dark and Light Red Stool

A myHIVteam Member asked a question 💭
Barrie, ON

I noticed that when I had to rush to the bathroom and struggle to poop and afterwards I noticed red on the toilet paper and my stool had both bright and dark red stool in the toilet. I've never had this happen to me before. This is brand new to me. What should I do?

August 6
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Reactions
A myHIVteam Member

I hate when I have bloody poop, I always think I'm dying and then just hope it goes away on its own.

August 21
A myHIVteam Member

Sometimes straining causes blood in stool light red means fresh blood from lower intestine to anus while dark blood is typically old and comes from upper digestive tract

August 6
A myHIVteam Member

Please keep an eye on it. I had that problem before, but mines I believe was because I was so constipated, and sometimes the stools can cause you to bleed when you trying to go to the bathroom, but please keep an eye on it and if it continues, go to the doctor right away I did that for a while and I was worried, but it stopped once I stopped being constipated from all these damn peels good luck on that though stay safe God bless😘❤️🌹👑🙏

August 7 (edited)
myHIVteam

Seeing blood in your stool for the first time — whether bright red or dark red — is something that should be taken seriously and checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. This is especially important when living with HIV, as a weakened immune system can make certain conditions more serious.

Here's what to do right away:

Show Full Answer

Seeing blood in your stool for the first time — whether bright red or dark red — is something that should be taken seriously and checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. This is especially important when living with HIV, as a weakened immune system can make certain conditions more serious.

Here's what to do right away:

- Don't wait — contact your healthcare provider or go to an urgent care clinic today
- Note the details — how much blood, what color, and whether there was any pain, so you can describe it clearly to your doctor
- Watch for other symptoms — dizziness, weakness, stomach pain, or feeling faint alongside bleeding means you should go to an emergency room immediately Living with HIV means staying in close communication with your care team about any new or unusual symptoms — especially ones like this that appear for the first time. Your doctor may want to run some tests to find the cause.

Please don't ignore this one. 💙

August 6

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