Do you check your poo?

[KeithD]

Dr Al will tell you why you should.....

[Englishman2010]

Dutch toilets have a pan for catching it so that you can check before you flush

[jimeve]

Since there's been some bowel cancer in my Family, I all ways check to see if there's any blood deposits.

[Sconnie]

Dutch toilets have a pan for catching it so that you can check before you flush

We call it the continental shelf

[Doc Alan]

Dr Al will tell you why you should.....

I must have the most unglamorous, unpaid, but respected(!) position on the forum! But as I've just taken part in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (thankfully with a normal result) here goes:-
You SHOULD note persistent changes in bowel habit (if for more than a few days), and colour of the stools. Fresh blood MAY not be sinister - it could just be from a local cause like piles.
The point of the screening programme is to look for bowel cancer at an early stage. It can also detect polyps which may develop into cancer but can be easily removed. It offers screening every 2 years for everyone aged 60-69.
The risk of developing bowel cancer increases with age. People with a family history, who take little exercise, who are overweight, with a diet high in red meat, low in vegetables, fruit and fibre, are thought to be at increased risk.
The screening test detects tiny amounts of blood (Faecal Occult (hidden) Blood = FOB). Polyps and bowel cancers may bleed, and that may be obvious in the stools (or occult). The FOB test does not diagnose cancer but if positive (or if there's obvious blood) investigation like colonoscopy will be offered. If bowel cancer is diagnosed early there is a 90% chance of survival.
If the stools are dark or black (melaena) that can indicate bleeding "further up" , like the stomach, where the blood is altered by acid. Again, it could be cancer, but there are other causes like ulcers.
Don't think what I've said applies only to old people! Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Coeliac disease, and even cancer can all affect young people. At the same time, please read this as sensible advice, not scaremongering!

[raynaputi]

well i check it and see if it's still there or not after the flush...hahahaha

[KeithD]

well i check it and see if it's still there or not after the flush...hahahaha

What an image!!!

[raynaputi]

What an image!!!

[keithAngel]

why is it all stringy in the Phils

[Doc Alan]

well i check it and see if it's still there or not after the flush...hahahaha

It shouldn't normally be there (if it is, and it's pale and bulky, could be due to lack of bile from gallbladder, liver or pancreatic disease, or "malabsorption" due to coeliac disease for example).
As for change in texture / appearance when we visit the tropics, that can be normal due to change in diet and "bugs" in the gut (OR a variety of tropical infections).

[adam&chryss]

I always check mine. As mentioned before its a very good sign of your health. Also many years ago I had a haemmoroid ( yeah I knows its spelt wrong ) and having suppositories was noooooooooooooooooo fun

[KeithD]

I always check for a change in flavour

[nigel]

And your stools?

[Arthur Little]

Okay, it might seem to some that we're talking [about] a load of SH 1 T ( no, NOT British car registration plates! ) here. But it's vital for EVERYONE to take heed of the medical advice kindly outlined for the long-term benefit of us all, by Doctor Al! Please ! For me, the annual "invitation" to check if I was (to put it in as gentile a manner as possible) "regular" in my bowel habits began to "drop" through the post when I reached the age of sixty. However, Bowel Screening needn't ... indeed SHOULDN'T ... be confined to the elderly.

[KeithD]

Bowel Screening needn't ... indeed SHOULDN'T ... be confined to the elderly.

.... Anyone is free to poke around in mine

[Arthur Little]

.... Anyone is free to poke around in mine

Really? ... thanks, but ... no thanks!

[Arthur Little]

Dutch toilets have a pan for catching it so that you can check before you flush

Wish WE had a system like that in the UK ... it's a kinda mucky process HERE - and perhaps it's best that I spare members the lurid, somewhat unsavoury details!

[Alan]

I must have the most unglamorous, unpaid, but respected(!) position on the forum! But as I've just taken part in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (thankfully with a normal result) here goes:-
You SHOULD note persistent changes in bowel habit (if for more than a few days), and colour of the stools. Fresh blood MAY not be sinister - it could just be from a local cause like piles.
The point of the screening programme is to look for bowel cancer at an early stage. It can also detect polyps which may develop into cancer but can be easily removed. It offers screening every 2 years for everyone aged 60-69.
The risk of developing bowel cancer increases with age. People with a family history, who take little exercise, who are overweight, with a diet high in red meat, low in vegetables, fruit and fibre, are thought to be at increased risk.
The screening test detects tiny amounts of blood (Faecal Occult (hidden) Blood = FOB). Polyps and bowel cancers may bleed, and that may be obvious in the stools (or occult). The FOB test does not diagnose cancer but if positive (or if there's obvious blood) investigation like colonoscopy will be offered. If bowel cancer is diagnosed early there is a 90% chance of survival.
If the stools are dark or black (melaena) that can indicate bleeding "further up" , like the stomach, where the blood is altered by acid. Again, it could be cancer, but there are other causes like ulcers.
Don't think what I've said applies only to old people! Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Coeliac disease, and even cancer can all affect young people. At the same time, please read this as sensible advice, not scaremongering!

I've suddenly gone off my dinner!

Al.

[Doc Alan]

I've suddenly gone off my dinner!

Al.

That's why my response was mostly in small print! Many other "bodily matters" been discussed on the forum, and this is a serious topic. But a simple examination is easy Even providing screening samples is not difficult. Don't forget, 98% of screening samples give a normal result (reassurance but not a guarantee). The idea is NOT to make us hypochondriacs, just to use common sense and a little knowledge to prevent ill health.

[Pete67]

I must have the most unglamorous, unpaid, but respected(!) position on the forum! But as I've just taken part in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (thankfully with a normal result) here goes:-
You SHOULD note persistent changes in bowel habit (if for more than a few days), and colour of the stools. Fresh blood MAY not be sinister - it could just be from a local cause like piles.
The point of the screening programme is to look for bowel cancer at an early stage. It can also detect polyps which may develop into cancer but can be easily removed. It offers screening every 2 years for everyone aged 60-69.
The risk of developing bowel cancer increases with age. People with a family history, who take little exercise, who are overweight, with a diet high in red meat, low in vegetables, fruit and fibre, are thought to be at increased risk.
The screening test detects tiny amounts of blood (Faecal Occult (hidden) Blood = FOB). Polyps and bowel cancers may bleed, and that may be obvious in the stools (or occult). The FOB test does not diagnose cancer but if positive (or if there's obvious blood) investigation like colonoscopy will be offered. If bowel cancer is diagnosed early there is a 90% chance of survival.
If the stools are dark or black (melaena) that can indicate bleeding "further up" , like the stomach, where the blood is altered by acid. Again, it could be cancer, but there are other causes like ulcers.
Don't think what I've said applies only to old people! Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Coeliac disease, and even cancer can all affect young people. At the same time, please read this as sensible advice, not scaremongering!

Bless you Dr Jackson, nice one x