Metallic smelling poop

January 27, 2009 9:34 AM

Metallic-smelling poop question inside.

Whenever my husband...er, poops, there's always a heavy lingering metallic smell, kind of like a bunch of rusty pipes. I don't know how long it's been this way, since we just moved into a new house where we share the bathroom, (we used different bathrooms before), but now that I think of it, even when I went in to his bathroom to change the towels, the "rusty pipes" smell was there too.

So, any idea of what would give my husband's poop such a strong metallic smell?

posted by CrazyLemonade to health & fitness (11 comments total)

Does he drink coffee? Coffee leaves a distinctly un-coffee like smell that could be described as "rusty pipes".
posted by abirae at 9:41 AM on January 27

Coffee, sure. Smoker crap also smells weird.

Or you know, figure out what he DOES eat or drink that you don't and you have the likely answer.
posted by rokusan at 9:45 AM on January 27

He doesn't drink coffee or smoke. We BOTH drink a lot of diet coke, but I don't "produce" that smell.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:50 AM on January 27

Anything after .... And Justice For All has that effect on people. Seriously though, not getting enough fiber and moderate drinking can do that too.
posted by electroboy at 9:51 AM on January 27

Could it be mucus, either due to bowel irritation or post-nasal drip?
posted by abirae at 10:00 AM on January 27

Maybe bile?
posted by abirae at 10:05 AM on January 27

Ask him how long it's been this way. Long shot, but my first thought was that he might have microscopic blood in his stool, which can definitely result in metallic-smelling poop. If this is something that's started within the last year or two, he will want to be screened by a doctor.
posted by jeeves at 10:17 AM on January 27

Metallic smells/tastes (and fishy smells, and the taste of blood) are all derived from some fat derivative. What's his diet like?
posted by Good Brain at 11:51 AM on January 27

I had to come in here to see if CrazyLemonade was my wife. She's apparently not, but my wife has the same complaint for me. I don't notice anything odd smell-wise, but my wife has a super sensitive nose compared to mine.
posted by jrishel at 12:28 PM on January 27

I dunno, but now I have a mental image of Robert Patrick on the toilet.

It is a simple test to see if there is small quantities of blood in the stool - his regular doctor can give him the little test card gizmo (it's like a pregnancy test for your butt!) Blood in the poop is a thing you'd definitely want to be aware of, and it would be an opportunity to ask the doc about the odd smell, too. Who knows, it might indicate some metabolic weirdness, and it's likely to not be the weirdest question he gets any given week.
posted by Lou Stuells at 3:16 PM on January 27

Bloody stool does not have a metallic smell. If he is a healthy, active adult it is simply his metabolism/digestive system clashing with your olfaction.
posted by rotifer at 12:59 AM on January 28