How to analyze your own stool samples.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


I had the exact same reaction when I read that, WTF

Boncho must be a scientist or physician, gross!

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD


And if you are really a daring individual, you can taste your feces too to ensure that whatever you ate for breakfast or lunch has the same consistency on the other end....*barf*

reply to post by boncho


Bonch? There is an easier way. Just get a poop sample and have it analyzed. Some of the tests are a little pricey but they can tell you ANYTHING you want to know.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


Nah..... my feces will not have the "high" amount of carbs and Cals I want. HooooOOORRRKKKK!

reply to post by bitsforbytes


I have been sitting on this for a while.
I have now found the right fit ...



Boncho have you "flagged" that laptop !?

reply to post by Timely


I think his toilet is a beaker?!

Your comment reminds me of George from Seinfeld, when he tries to return the "book"

reply to post by boncho




HOLY SH!#, I can't believe that I got this pic to (download) pun intended.

This is my first posted pic on ATS in two years! yaaa

Now the avatar!

LMAO, literally! You like?

Bedlam
reply to post by boncho

 

Bonch? There is an easier way. Just get a poop sample and have it analyzed. Some of the tests are a little pricey but they can tell you ANYTHING you want to know.

You raise a good point. I believe though my stool is quite healthy and doesn't warrant further investigation at the moment. So I will pass on lab testing. I almost want to just to see what the results are. I love getting bloodwork done just to take home the results and do comparisons on pubmed data.

Most of the indicators for me are always at the bottom range, pinnacle of health they say… So when something changes I probably make too much of it. In any case, this time I realize the change in diet really makes a difference. As my change was a positive one. And I hadn't given much thought to my diet before because my lipids, cholesterol and everything else was in great shape my whole life, even when on the university-mcdonalds-tacobell-kfc diet.

There is no way 3 times a day is normal. That's Diarrhea. Not happening sorry. Once a day is normal. You should look into Diverticulitis. Which the majority of people who sit on a toilet vs squatting can or will get in their lifetime. I have noticed since changing to squatting several years ago that everything that needs to come out in a day comes out.

Sitting on a toilet bowel is absolutely horrible for you. Man evolved to squat. You can google squatting toilets. Countries that have them as the norm have almost no Diverticulitis cases. There's just not way man. I'm gonna be thinking about this all day. My rear end would hurt if I had to go that much in one day. The only time that has ever happened is when I over ate to the point of severe gluttony.

I have never in my life met anyone who goes three times a day either and me and my friends are not exactly shy about things like this. I have also tried fiber years ago when I thought it hardened stool I had a bad diet. Turns out I was missing dairy. Threw the soy milk in the trash and went back to real milk, problem solved.

reply to post by Pimpintology

Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) within the bowel wall. This process is known as diverticulosis, and typically occurs within the large intestine, or colon, although it can occasionally occur in the small intestine as well. Diverticulitis results when one of these diverticula becomes inflamed.

Patients often present with the classic triad of left lower quadrant pain, fever, and leukocytosis (an elevation of the white cell count in blood tests). Patients may also complain of nausea or diarrhea; others may be constipated.

Less commonly, an individual with diverticulitis may present with right-sided abdominal pain. This may be due to the less prevalent right-sided diverticula or a very redundant sigmoid colon. Some patients report bleeding from the rectum.

en.wikipedia.org...

I know I don't have this. WBC was normal, RBC was high but due to my athletic ability. My less often movements were likely a results of lack of veggies, fruits and fibre which I increased in my diet 10 fold. Literally ate garbage for years because of a fast paced lifestyle, working too long hours, etc.

No fever or any other symptoms related to it.

Although I agree with you the squatting thing might have some meat to it. I've been to those countries but not sure if I paid attention to my movements at the time. But I know a few people that still do that. Toilets however date back to Roman times. Not completely unnatural since so many throughout history wanted to just have a seat and read the stone tablets newspaper while going potty.

I think I herniated a disc at the start of this year. Have been to the doctors for test for my constipation first thing I thought was the worse. but turns out it was my back nervs playing up with my bowel movements now exercising makes good bowl movements. need to go back to the doctor thought to get a MIR scan on my back I have mild scoliosis, I avoid codeine as that makes you constipated and I hate taking pain killers I like to avoid them why block pain when it you could have something serious going on.

meant to add start of last year.

amraks
I think I herniated a disc at the start of this year. Have been to the doctors for test for my constipation first thing I thought was the worse. but turns out it was my back nervs playing up with my bowel movements now exercising makes good bowl movements. need to go back to the doctor thought to get a MIR scan on my back I have mild scoliosis, I avoid codeine as that makes you constipated and I hate taking pain killers I like to avoid them why block pain when it you could have something serious going on.

I think you are making a good choice. Not only opiate painkillers but even NSAIDs cause constipation because they relax the muscle contractions in the bowels. (If I remember correctly.)

Also, there is a ton of conflicting information. I remember reading that painkiller treatment caused improved digestive function for some people with bowel diseases like IBS and Chrons. But that is very patchwork since when you stop taking them you will experience increased movement in your bowels as the muscles begin to function normally again.

The study, published in the August issue of The AmericanJournal of Gastroenterology, suggests that patients with inflammatory bowel disease should avoid medications belonging to the class known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), because they both aggravate symptoms of the existing disease and may actually cause disease onset in people who are predisposed to the condition.

In this study, 60 patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups requiring hospitalization were questioned regarding their use of NSAIDs. The authors found a correlation between NSAID use and flare-up of bowel disease symptoms in just under one-third of the patients.

www.webmd.com...

What I am curious about though, is how many people have experienced bowel disfunction because of opiates prescribed by doctors, but were then misdiagnosed for some other bowel condition later on:

Narcotic bowel syndrome (NBS) is a subset of opioid bowel dysfunction that is characterized by chronic or frequently recurring abdominal pain that worsens with continued or escalating dosages of narcotics. This syndrome is under recognized and may be becoming more prevalent. This may be due in the United States to increases in using narcotics for chronic non-malignant painful disorders, and the development of maladaptive therapeutic interactions around its use. NBS can occur in patients with no prior gastrointestinal disorder who receive high dosages of narcotics after surgery or acute painful problems, among patients with functional GI disorders or other chronic gastrointestinal diseases who are managed by physicians unaware of the hyperalgesic effects of chronic opioids.

he syndrome is characterized by chronic or intermittent colicky abdominal pain that worsens when the narcotic effect wears down. While narcotics may seem helpful at first, over time the pain-free periods become shorter and tachyphylaxis occurs, leading to increasing narcotic doses. Ultimately, increasing dosages enhance the adverse effects on pain sensation and delayed motility, thereby initiating the development of NBS.

Although pain is the dominant feature, nausea, bloating, intermittent vomiting, abdominal distension and constipation are common. Eating can aggravate the symptoms, so when the condition lasts for weeks, mild weight loss may occur due to anorexia or a willful restriction of eating out of fear of aggravating the pain (sitophobia). The symptoms may correlate with delayed gastric emptying and intestinal transit.

A common and misleading consequence of NBS is that abdominal X-rays may show signs suggestive of a partial intestinal obstruction, which in fact is due to an adynamic ileus or pseudo-obstruction. There may also be large amounts of fecal retention seen. Laboratory tests including blood count, amylase, lipase, liver chemistries and urinalysis are usually normal.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

boncho
Most people think it's normal to have a bowel movement 3-4 times a week, but that is actually considered constipation. Since changing my diet recently my movements have gone from once a day to three times a day

Given a choice between that definition of "constipation" and this:

Timely

I almost think I prefer "constipation" as you define it, though I don't agree with your definition of "constipation", nor does the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) which seems to contradict your claim that bowel movements 3-4 times per week are not normal:

www.ddc.musc.edu...

Constipation is difficult, painful, or infrequent bowel movements. The normal frequency of bowel movements is from three times per day to three times per week. Usually, if more than three days pass between bowel movements, the intestinal contents harden. Hard stools are difficult and painful to pass.

It is not necessary to move your bowels every day. Even if the waste products stay in the intestines for longer than three days, they will not harm the body or cause cancer.

So, their definition of constipation is quite a bit different than the definition of constipation that you gave us. If more than three days pass between bowel movements I would agree with MUSC, that's constipation, but that's much less frequently than 3-4 times per week. They do agree with you that three times per day is still within the "normal" range.

In any case I found your thread helpful in drawing some attention to something which some people are embarassed to talk about, but can be a vital health indicator so we should pay some attention to it.

boncho
3. You can fry your feces

Right, and what kind of air freshener do you use to
get rid of the smell once it permeates though the house.
As if you'd ever get rid of the smell.

______________________

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Thanks Arb. I should have checked more sources on that to present a more realistic categorization of constipation. Nice contribution as always.

reply to post by Pimpintology

Sitting on a toilet bowel is absolutely horrible for you. Man evolved to squat.

Another good trick to do instead of squatting is to keep a small footstool in the bathroom.

Just place your feet up on the stool in front of the toilet so that your knees are up to your chest and away you go... it works like a charm, especially if your constipated.

Basically what it does is it straightens our your large intestine so that your poop has an easier path to work its way out.

Got to check this out tomorrow, commented so I could find it. Too tired to think right now, I always have something to learn.

But it will be a cold day in hell before I fry it in the house.

I remember taking a dump once and found the poop to be a bright flourescent blue. I momentarily freaked out thinking there was something horribly horribly wrong with me and that I was going to die a painful and sudden death.

But then I remembered eating one or two slices of cake with heavy black icing on it for someone's 40th birthday or something.

Freaky!

I would wager that pooping more than once a day is probably a good thing, since we eat more than once per day. I think it's common to retain too much "material" in our bowels than necessary, probably due to the fact that basically no-one eats enough fiber.

J.D.: Hey, Ms. Miller -- we just need a stool sample
Patti: Why do you need a stool sample if you think I'm just a nut?
Turk & JD: 'Cause the answer's not in your head, my dear -- it's in your
butt!

J.D.: You see....
Everything comes down to poo!
From the top of your head, to the sole of your shoe
We can figure out what's wrong with you by lookin' at your poo!
Turk?

Turk: Do you have a hemorrhoid or is it rectal cancer?
When you flush your dookie down, you flush away the answer!

J.D.: It doesn't really matter if it's hard or if it's loose
We'll figure out what's ailing you, as long as it's a deuce!
Yes!
Everything comes down to poo!

Nurses: Everything comes down to poo!

J.D.: Cardiovascular and lymphatic, yes, the nervous system, too!
All across the nation, we trust in defecation!
Everything comes down to poo!

Turk: If you want to know what's wrong, don't sit and act so cool
Just be a man and eat some bran, and drop the kids off at the pool!

Robed Woman: My stomach hurts
J.D: Check the poo

Limping Woman: I sprained my ankle
Turk: Check the poo!

Bloody Shoulder Guy: I was shot!
J.D: Check the poo!

Delivery Guy: A homeless guy threw poo in my eye!
Turk: Check the poo!
Delivery Guy: Mine or his?
J.D: First him, then you!
It may sound gross, you may say "shush!"

J.D. & Turk: But we need to see what comes out of your tush!
Because!

All: Everything comes down to poo!
Whether it's a tumor or a touch of the flu!

J.D. & Turk: Please, won't you pinch us off a big, fat clue!

Turk: Our number one test is your Number Two!

All: If there's no breeze, light a match please!
Everything comes down to --

J.D.: Doo-doo!
Turk: Doo-doo!
J.D.: Doo-doo!
Turk: Doo-doo!

All: Everything comes down to ... poo!
Scrubs poo song

reply to post by boncho


This is interesting. It said in your information that an enzyme in milk can break down the stool. I have found that if I drink a glass of milk, it usually makes me go to the bathroom. I thought it would have been my allergy to it but maybe it is the enzymes in the milk that do it. I know Lactase breaks down below the temperatures used to pasteurize milk. I wonder what enzyme this is and where else it is found in nature? I couldn't find what enzymes are in milk by googling it other than lactase. Of course, something that is commonly a problem, lactose intolerance dominates any search I go on. Maybe if I started on page three hundred I would find it. I may have to go to a European search engine to find what I want. I do that a lot because searches here usually send you to diseases and treatments used by the medical trade or information that people selling products let out. I desire to find the reasons and not just possible treatments so I can totally understand what is happening in the body. That way the information can be applied properly.

Sugar water will loosen you up sometimes, Salt water also works. That info is easy to find. A piece of cake often loosens you up also as does greasy food. Eating a handful of sunflower seeds works good too. It almost seems that the reason the intestines shut down should be known to choose a way to loosen them. As for diarrhea, It is hard for me to test on myself because I hardly ever have that problem. My problem with milk is an antigen problem, not a lactose intollerance.