Is my poop normal?

Everything the stools tell about your health

The shape, the color, the texture, the frequency and also the smell.

Everything you can learn about what happens in your body from the products you leave in the toilet.

And yes, there is also a reference here to the subject you most like to ask us about - blood in the stool

Voila system!

health

06/10/2022

Thursday, 06 October 2022, 10:12

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The funny faces babies make when they poop (screenshot)

Our bowel movements are one of the first indications of how our body is working.

When everything is in order, it is a positive sign that the body is functioning well in general and all the processes that are supposed to happen are happening as they should.

When there is some problem with our ports, it usually signals something beyond.

Here is a list of all kinds of features you can encounter in a toilet, and what they are trying to signal to you.

But even before that, it's important that you know that you shouldn't press too hard when you're on the toilet, according to the experts of the National Institute on Aging (in the US). And it shouldn't hurt you either. Your bowel movements can tell you all kinds of things about your health, so It's worth taking a look at the toilet and examining the products every now and then. Look at the size, color and general shape of your stools. Yes, it might not be pleasant to think about it, but it's also worth giving a sniff every now and then because that too can tell you something.

If there is a significant change in your routine, this is a sign that needs to be checked.

A woman sitting on a toilet (Photo: ShutterStock)

Brown, that's the color you're looking for,

poop should be shades of brown, but green poop is usually fine too.

"Usually, the food we consume takes about three days to turn into waste," explains Dr. Gabriel Neal, a family physician and lecturer at the Texas A&M College School of Medicine, "Green poop is usually one that has been digested for a shorter time, but this is usually not a cause for concern." If your stool is very dark, with the color and texture of tar, it could be a sign of bleeding (more on that later).

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Frequency - How much is too much?

And how little is too little?

Each and every one of us has a slightly different schedule and "normal" is not necessarily the same for everyone. In general, bowel movements with a frequency of three times a week or less are considered constipation. On the other hand, it is a little more difficult to define what is too frequent, 3 times A day is still considered normal for that matter. As long as your routine is maintained consistently, everything is probably fine.

What should turn on a warning light is when there is a significant change in the exit schedule you have become accustomed to.

Slight changes in the frequency or texture of bowel movements don't usually indicate a problem, but if you've suddenly jumped from three times a week to three times a day, it's not something to ignore.

It could also be something temporary and not dangerous, like for example you ate something that made you feel bad, or you got a little dehydrated.

Okay, no one has poop smelling of perfume.

we know.

But there are stinkers, and there are stinkers.

The most influencing factor on the smell of the stool is what you eat.

"Food that fails to digest properly reaches the large intestine and begins a process of fermentation in which sugars turn into gas, and this can cause extremely smelly stools," explains Dr. Neal. An efficient and healthy function of the digestive system ends the breakdown of food in the small intestine, and thus there is much less Food that reaches the large intestine in its original form and ferments there. If you suspect that your stench is beyond the average and familiar stench, contact your family doctor. A variety of medical conditions cause particularly smelly feces, including celiac disease, or intestinal infections.

Although celiac is a disease that affects only about 1 percent of the population, it is estimated that many of the patients are undiagnosed and do not know they have it.

When celiac patients consume gluten, it damages the finger-like bodies that line the inside of the intestines and thus impairs the ability to absorb nutrients from food.

As a result, symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas and nausea are also caused.

Before you drain the water, take a look.

A woman flushes the toilet (Photo: ShutterStock)

I didn't expect that

basically your poop is supposed to float in the toilet water.

When stool floats it may indicate excess gas in the digestive tract.

If it happens once in... it's nothing to worry about.

But if it recurs frequently, or your stools are oily, your body may not be able to absorb fats from the food you consume properly, warns Dr. Neal. This could be a symptom of pancreatitis or celiac disease (again), and you should consult with your family doctor You

Some people believe that if they have a bowel movement every day, they cannot be constipated.

But constipation is not only a matter of frequency, but also of texture.

If your bowel movements are hard, lumpy and require effort - you are constipated.

The immediate culprit in cases of constipation falls on nutrition, and specifically the lack of a sufficient amount of dietary fiber.

The first thing you should do in cases of constipation is to pay attention to your diet and strengthen it with extra fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and various seeds.

Girls visiting the toilet museum (Photo: Reuters)

Pay attention to the shape of

feces in its healthiest form should resemble a chain of sausages.

Harder or softer stools can signal a problem (not sure which category your poop fits into? Feel free to check the Bristol stool definer).

Not every abnormality in texture and shape is necessarily an indication of a serious problem, but sometimes it is a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, intestinal obstruction and in some cases also cancer of the stomach or colon.

Thin stools in the form of thin films or the thickness of a pencil, for example, may be a sign of colon cancer.

According to Dr. Neal, there are quite a few medications that cause diarrhea or an increase in the frequency of bowel movements, including antacids, certain types of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and more. If you take medications regularly and experience changes in bowel movements, it is recommended that you raise the issue with your family doctor and discuss in possible changes in dosages that will improve the situation. In the same way, there are also drugs that have the opposite effect and cause constipation. But what is really interesting is what certain drugs can do to the color of your stools. Drugs that treat stomach symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea and whose active ingredient is bismuth subsalicylate can reverse the The stool becomes very dark and even black. This is a temporary change that is not harmful.

If you see blood, even a small amount, in your stool on a regular basis - contact your family doctor.

The problems that cause the appearance of blood in the stool can be anywhere along the digestive tract - from hemorrhoids and fissures in or near the outer part to cancer, polyps in the intestine and ulcers up the digestive tract inside.

In any case, these are situations that require treatment.

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