Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bowels

Too many meds? Or something worse?

lil' ears — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:15:13 -0800

Traveling health filter: I'm asking this for a friend who is working way...way...wayyyyyy out in the mountain regions of Pakistan with no access to proper health care at the moment. Definitely not for the squeamish... A friend doing earthquake relief work wrote an email that I can't really answer but maybe those who are medically inclined can help out. She writes:

"OK…dear girlfriends who are not squeamish…need a worrisome (maybe) question answered. Today as I pooped I looked down and red blood just really coming out post poop. Enough volume so I thought I was having some diarrhea or something…but realized it was blood. Not a couple drips…a flow. I know black blood is the dangerous kind…but this was pretty substantial. Maybe just a broken capillary or hemorrhoid? No pain or indication that anything is wrong. My best second guess is that I have been taking cold meds (alka seltzer plus for colds)…had aspirin, plus my celebrex for arthritis, plus some ibuprophin for some extra joint pain coming from the rain and hiking. In other words, my blood is probably as thin as strawberry koolaid. Either that or it a delayed reaction from the de-worming tablets I took last week?? What do you think? You are the only ones I can ask."

In a later email she mentions it's not a straining-too-hard issue. Any ideas besides "get thee to a doctor" (which by the looks of the roads is more difficult than it seems!)?

#2 and the Pothead

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 08:51:57 -0800

4:20 Filter: Heavy doper; been one for decades. Every few months, I give my lungs a rest for a few weeks. Why is it so hard to take a dump while I'm clean? While smoking, I'm quite "regular" and moving my bowels is no trouble at all. But from a day or two after I quit, squeezing 'em out becomes a struggle. Only idea I have relates to the additional munchie food I'm packing away during (chocolate, nuts, cookies and ice cream).

The power of bowels is failing me.

grapefruitmoon — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 21:15:10 -0800

Please help my bowels move at a faster than glacial pace. So, I've started a full-time job at rather odd hours and have very little time for these "meals" which are all the rage with the kids these days. Much of what I eat is cheese or meat based as protein is what keeps me going. (Actually, since I don't eat much in the first place, I would say *most* of what I eat is protein based.)

Unfortunately, this is not keeping my intestines going. Life has not yet become problematic, but the bathroom situation is becoming a bit... uncomfortable. What are some easy snacks I can add to my diet? Dried fruit? (Please don't say prune juice. Or any other beverage really, I work in a café and milk it for all the free tea that it's worth. Though if there's like some "Super Pooper" tea out there, I'm all for it.)

Please note, I already work in a bookstore.

What is my heart up to?

talitha — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 04:37:14 -0800

Can anyone explain what happens to my heart rate when I visit the facilities? Having been given a heart rate monitor for my birthday, I've started wearing it for most of the day out of interest. But I've noticed a strange pattern when using the facilities. When engaged in producing a 'number 2', particularly if it is unusually large or solid, my normal heart rate of 70-80bpm drops by 10-20 bpm until the splash, at which point it shoots up to >100bpm for a few seconds, and then back to the normal resting rate. This was noticed during a highly unscientific process of glancing at the watch part every few seconds or so with no recording at all. But it seems to be a reproducible pattern. What's going on?

Do men enjoy crapping because it stimulates their prostate gland?

Malachi Constant — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:29:00 -0800

My friend and I were just talking about how much more men seem to enjoy taking a crap compared to women and were wondering... Do men enjoying voiding their bowels because it massages the prostate slightly? I mean, I know I sure love going number 2.

What bad effects can holding in urine or bowel movements have?

D Wiz — Tue, 23 May 2006 17:11:57 -0800

What bad effects can holding in urine or bowel movements have? Can holding it in when you gotta go damage a person's body? If so, how (what does it do) and after how much abuse is this likely this happen? (This is a twofold question. A) for urine and B) for bowel movements. I am asking as far as male anatomy goes for those who are wondering.)

Why do I have such huge bowel movements after exercising?

anonpeon — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:11:59 -0800

Why do I have such huge bowel movements after exercising? Started exercising recently, doing cardio (treadmill, stairmaster, little jogging) with weightlifting. Work out for about an hour, half cardio, half lifting, with the cardio being the last thing. When done I drink lots of water, but not during.

Roughly 20 minutes to half an hour after finishing, usually have to go to the bathroom. It's a very urgent feeling, with a quick onset, usually a huge and loose bowel movement (though often urination also), that leaves me feeling tired afterwards. Not it's not painful, just weird to me.

I'm overweight, mid thirties and diabetic. Is this common for most people? Any particular reason it occurs?