The short explanation
Please take her to an emergency department now. Black, sticky, tarry stools in someone who is not taking iron can be a sign of bleeding in the stomach or upper gut. Looking pale suggests she may already have lost a significant amount of blood. Common causes in older adults include stomach ulcers, which can be linked to painkillers used for joint pain, and less commonly other conditions that a doctor will want to find quickly. In hospital they can check her haemoglobin and blood pressure, and arrange an endoscopy to look for the bleeding source if needed.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Make a list of all her medicines, including painkillers, blood thinners and aspirin, and take it with you.
- Certain foods, such as large amounts of dark leafy greens or some herbal medicines, may darken stool, but sticky black stool with paleness should be treated as bleeding until a doctor says otherwise.
- Government hospital casualty departments can see her immediately if a private hospital is not affordable.
- Try to note when the black stools started, how many times they have happened, and whether she has had stomach pain, vomiting or dizziness; this helps the emergency team.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you where she is bleeding or how much. She needs an urgent examination, blood tests and possibly an endoscopy.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is she bleeding, and from where?
- Could her painkillers or other medicines have caused this?
- Does she need a blood transfusion or an endoscopy?
- Which medicines should she stop or avoid afterwards?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or take her to the nearest emergency department now, especially if she is dizzy, confused, faints, vomits blood or vomit like coffee grounds.
Get help the same day
- Even if the stools have stopped and she seems better, she should still be seen by a doctor the same day, because bleeding can restart.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Anemia MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
- Iron deficiency anaemia NHS
- Hemoglobin test MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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