Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with poo

Bum problems (gratuitous detail, NSFW).

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:01:19 -0800

Bum problems, possibly not (just) haemorrhoids (lots of detail, NSFW or in fact, lunch). Sometimes my arse leaks. Not olestra-style diarrhea squirts, but heinous-skidmark causing "paste"-consistency crap oozing out over the course of the day. This is often coupled with unbearable itching and in hot, sweaty weather chafing and stinging pain.

It may be somewhat diet-related as it happens more often when I'm traveling and my schedule is disrupted. What will happen is that I'll have a crap of a somewhat "pasty" consistency which never quite feels complete (unlike what I take to be normal, in that each turd is well-formed and has a definite start and end). I will wipe and wipe and wipe and keep wiping but the cleanest I get is a small brown smudge on the tp (despite there being no clingons—it's like as I wipe, poo-paste is continually emerging). Often, it also feels like more of my arsehole is "inside out" (and I can feel this when I wash in the shower too, there's a kind of smoother skin all around my bumhole rather than a neat pucker).

I went to my primary care provider who had a look and a poke and said, "Yep, there was obviously some external tissue tearing and chafing. Eat more fibre". It only kind-of helps (this is a problem which comes and goes). But I'm interested to know about the mechanism of having a crap—should some of the poo-chute emerge and then retract when a proper crap happens? What might be stopping this from happening? Is this merely a symptom of haemorrhoids? Is there anything else I can do to stop it or fix it when it happens (prep-H gives some relief but mostly leads to more grotesque skidmarks)? I'm an early-30s male.

Faint of butt

ignignokt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:14:09 -0800

While I was driving him home from the vet yesterday, the cat took a dump in his carrier, which was made of cloth. (He was in the front passenger seat.) After taking care of that, I noticed it still smelled like cat feces in the car. I didn't see any stains on the seat, and I had to go, so I just rolled down the windows and went to work.

Later that night, it still smelled like cat poo in the car, but I had a bad, tiring day, so I left it alone and hoped it would be better today.

Unsurprisingly, it's not. So, I guess some secret poo liquid got onto my car seat. What method for getting rid of it and the smell maximizes efficiency and minimizes effort?

What's with the little poops?

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:08:31 -0800

Little poops? A rather gross question. In the last year, I've noticed I no longer take a one-or-two clump dump, but that I'm pooping out many small, hard stools. They're a little smaller than the size of cherry tomatoes (but normal poop color). These little poops are often difficult to pass, and I usually have to 'help things along' (basically, I do what's described in this question: http://ask.metafilter.com/49893/Helping-things-along-Okay-or-No-Way) by inserting a clean finger into my vagina and pressing against the back wall of the vagina to 'push' the poops down and out.

So, are these tough little poos normal? Is it something in my diet (or not in my diet)? Might this 25 year old female have a colonoscopy in store? Anyone have any similar experience and find out what it was and how to correct it, if necessary?

Throwaway email: littlepoopsmith@gmail.com

I'm going to use the word "poo" a lot in this question

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:07:04 -0800

Why do I have to poo all the time when I drink? I'm not talking about the "morning after" poos. I'm 40 years old. In the last couple of years, often when I'm out drinking, I have to poo after about the second drink. It continues all night long. I think last night, I pooed three times. It wouldn't bother me so much, but a public restroom in a bar is not the best place to be pooing, plus the poos are not happy, easy ones. What could be causing this? I mostly drink beer - could it be a yeast intolerance? I poo immediately after lunch every day too, no matter how little I've eaten.

Why does Pepto Bismol not work on my anymore?

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:39:55 -0800

Help me get my gasto-intestinal tract back in order! (a question about Pepto Bismol) Somehow I discovered that by taking Pepto Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) I could regulate my bowels so that I always had a firm stool. Normally I would take a half of a Pepto Bismol chewable pill each day and my stool was always the same consistency. I discovered that I could make up for eating strange food (like Indian or really spicy curries) by taking an extra tablet either before or after the food. The same if I had several beers in an evening, I could avoid the worst of the "beer shits." I have been doing this for over ten years and I have become accustomed to the firm, dark poo made by the Pepto Bismol and now, suddenly, it doesn't work anymore!

Since about November my poo has been soft and unusual. I have upped the dosage of Pepto from the 1/2 to one tablet per day to about 3 per day and I am still not on track (so to speak).

My question is...does anyone know why this has happened and what I can do about it? My diet has not changed (although I may be drinking more coffee b/c we have an infant but I think this started before the coffee increase started).

Please tell me how I can get my firm stool back!

Need to Poop, Stat 911 (for a kid)

snsranch — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:24:49 -0800

Help me help my constipated Kid! Here's the quick and dirty; kid (10) broke his arm and has had a LOT of pain medication before during and after surgery.

Now he needs to poo and can't.

Any over the counter or hopefully Home remedies would be greatly appreciated! Fruit? Veggies? Water laced with soy sauce?

Many thanks in advance!

Digestion and the end result.

jason's_planet — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:43:56 -0800

This is a question about digestion and the end result. This is purely a matter of abstract curiosity. I promise not to provide too much information. OK . . . here goes:

At what point in the digestive tract does food start to resemble feces?

Is it in the large intestine? The colon? Does this vary for different types of food? Would yogurt, for example, convert to feces at a different point in the digestive tract than, say, a big piece of steak?

Does this vary for different people? Or is this point pretty universal?

Thanks for your time.

The runs when I run.

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:16:10 -0800

When I run, I start to poo. Whenever I run hard (not crazy, out of my league hard, but just pushing myself, you know?) I get the poo urge. I have to stop and walk a bit to keep the poo urge at bay, but eventually it just takes over. This is SO frustrating because I am working hard to get in shape, and at the gym I have to give up my treadmill to go poo, and then wait again and who needs that?
What could be causing this, and how can I prevent it? I tried not eating too much a few hours before, eating nothing a few hours before, eating a lot right before, same reaction. Poo. It's not nice poo either, but the runny kind. I've experienced this before when I was running hard to get in shape and it eventually passed, but I'd rather skip that phase this time. I tried googling and read about cramps, but never this. Help? Posted anon because this is mortifying.

How do I get my two and a half year old daughter to poo?

Tuatara — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:48:47 -0800

How do I get my two and a half year old daughter to poo? [more inside] She previously had no problems with bowel movements when using nappies but recently she started using the toilet.

Things were going beautifully for a couple of weeks until she decided she wasn't going to poo anymore.

Now the last couple of weeks have been an ongoing drama with her seemingly fighting the movements: "don't want it"

Currently, we are trying to encourage her to poo anywhere (warm baths etc) with some success but it is a constant battle and the whole process is very upsetting for her.

We have seen 3 different doctors and seem to get the standard medical answer (lots of fiber and vegetables etc) but think that there may be more to it then that. She is currently on laxatives to ensure she doesn't get too blocked up.

Any help or pointers from someone who has experienced something similar would be greatly appreciated.

What's going on with my digestive system?

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:57:27 -0800

Why am I pooping SO MUCH all of a sudden? Diet, exercise, and general lifestyle have remained constant. Grossness inside. Suddenly, I'm going several times a day rather than once a day or every other day (which is how it's been my entire adult life, with no ill effects). It seems healthy - solid, easy, flawless victory-friendly - but the sheer frequency/quantity is freaking me out. There has been no significant change in any area of my life - as always, my diet is mostly clean and whole-food focused with plenty of fiber, I get occasional to frequent exercise, I sleep a little less than I should, I'm moderately stressed out, I drink a lot of water and some booze, I take no medications. My weight has not changed. Clearly, though, something has changed pretty radically in the way I process food. I'd like to know:

1) What could cause this kind of shift?

and

2) What does it mean? Given that the input is the same, does it mean I'm processing less of what I'm taking in, or more? Less or more thoroughly? Should I be worried?

Very mysterious! Your body shouldn't just go changing things up on you like that. Anyone have some insight?

Why does #1 make me cold and awake, but #2 makes me hot and sleepy?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:51:43 -0800

This question has to do with number 1 and number 2. So if you're not interested in reading about bathroom things skip this question. Basically, I have noticed the following about myself:

When I have to pee, I feel colder than normal. I also have a hard time falling asleep, and will often wake up if I was sleeping.

When I have to poo, I feel hotter than normal. I also often feel a bit sleepy or lethargic.

I do know that lots of people wake up when they have to pee. Other than that I have no idea whether these are common symptoms or not.

My questions are:

Are these common symptoms?
Why would my (or any) body react in opposite fashion to these two somewhat related activities?

Why is kitty trailing her poo?

weatherworn — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:09:40 -0800

Why is kitty trailing poo from the litter box--and how do we get her to stop? We've had kitty for about six months now, and she's always used her litter box very well--even in the six weeks she spent recovering from eye surgery. Recently, however she's begun trailing a nugget or two of poo after she uses the box. She seems to actually flee the box, taking some crap with her. The running is not new behavior, but the flinging of feces? Yep, that's new.

The specifics:
--Kitty is six, spayed, has chronic problems with feline herpes that we treat with lysine.
--Litter box is about 24" x 18" x 6", filled about halfway with World's Best Cat Litter (corn-based). It's kept in our only bathroom and scooped whenever we see hard detritus (once a day, usually). Litter is completely replaced every two or three weeks.
--She has two water dishes--a stainless steel bowl (changed twice daily), as well as a Drinkwell fountain (cleaned and refilled every week or two).
--She eats half a cup of kibble a day.

We'd been trying to switch her slowly from Science Diet to Felidae before we left for a week over the holidays (she's gained a chunk of weight since we got her, and we wanted to try something with less filler). Unfortunately, she refused to eat the new stuff. We had the cat sitters feed her just Science Diet while we were gone. When we returned, I tried reintroducing the Felidae. I suspected it might play a part in the poo problems, though, so I've been feeding her just Science Diet for the past four days. Thought the problem was fixed, but this morning led to two new nuggets on the floor. (Joy.)

She will be seeing her ophthalmogic surgeon next weekend; is a visit to her regular vet in order, too? Is this a food issue? A litter issue? A behavior issue? How do we get her to stop?

Wanna be a once-a-day man

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:51:35 -0800

Help me go to the toilet less often! We're talking #2s here.

As an adult I've often had, owing to a diet consisting of alcohol and pizza, periods where I mostly produced watery, splattery stuff, several times a day. (Trying to keep the description to a minimum here.)

Recently I've tried to modify my diet. Not obsessively or anything, but a lot of brown bread, rice, nuts, bananas, beans etc. Still a lot of alcohol though, I have to admit.

It's been reasonably successful in terms of, er, thickening things, but I'm having to go several times a day still.

Am I eating the right foods? I'm pretty ignorant about this: I just try to eat anything that seems to have high fibre on the packet. What would help me to get everything out in one go (or two)?

Part of this might be in my head. On days I spend alone, I can often go one or two times, and in the evening though I COULD manage to produce something I can leave it till morning if I like.

Other days, especially when I'm meeting my girlfriend, I get stressed beforehand and make repeated visits to the bathroom throughout the day before I meet her, trying to get rid of absolutely everything. If I have that feeling that I COULD go when I'm with her it's quite distracting, and even puts me off sex.

Maybe everyone feels they could go most of the time but it doesn't bother them. Does it just take practice?

poo, poo everywhere.. nor any drop to... oh never mind

taff — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:37:12 -0800

we have two recalcitrant boys. dodgie, the seven year old border terrier, and wedgie the six year old toy poodle. we also have a newly crawling baby. and a back yard. and a clothes line. basically.... my boys keep pooing where they always have. in the back yard, wherever they like..... but mostly under the clothes line. and inevitably, i walk in it. it's not special. (my google-fu failed... you have no idea how hard it was to find the right terms to plug in!)

so.... i want to keep dodgie and wedgie from pooing under the clothes line.... in fact, i'd love to keep the boys pooing in a specific place to the side/back of the yard... but doing it with physical barriers like a fence is not possible...

and sadly... it's not possible to sit and watch and wait and do some kind of behavioural conditioning. is there something i could spread on the grass to make them not go there, or something to make them go where i want them to go?

between grass mowings.... dodgie does get a bit precious and walks like a geisha on the morning, dewy grass when he goes out for his morning wee. wedgie is much more pragmatic and trots out like a gay, young foal.

i think that covers it... oh... they're not locked in at night... or in fact ever. and they're walked many days of the week... but mostly save their poos for home.

oooh...and i'll give an elephant stamp to anyone that knows what i can put over my lawn to facilitate disintegration of the existing poos.... some are not easily visible. i've been a bad dog owner and since the baby.... we'll.... we're the complete neglect cliche...

Poo

Mach3avelli — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:12:57 -0800

A girl I'm dating recently revealed her secret fetish: she wants me to take a dump on her, but I have an aversion to poo. It started out innocently enough...she's into golden showers and we'd do our thing in the shower, but now she's asked me to step it up to a level with which I'm not entirely comfortable.

I'm not normal when it comes to poo. In fact, the only reason I don't own a dog is because I'd have to clean up after it on walks, and that makes me gag thinking about it. I could delve into the details, but the important point to note is that childhood incidents have scarred me. That shit monster from Dogma and Hanky the Xmas Poo scare me.

I'm a supportive kind of guy, so I looked up what was being discussed in a scat fetish message board, but there was no help to be found.

Points of note:

-yes, she's serious
-if we stopped dating, it wouldn't be the end of the world for me
-we've talked about it in-depth, and she knows where I stand
-I feel pressure to do it because she does sooo much for me in the relationship
-I'd love to follow through with it in theory because it would make a great story
-I'm worried that the consistency, colour, texture, or whatever may not meet her standards, in which case I'd have to know what sort of diet to follow to prepare

So, for anyone out there with first-hand experience or a wise word or anecdote to share, your thoughts are welcome.

Helping things along: Okay or No Way?

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:36:47 -0800

Super-embarrassing, super-gross question about poo and the female anatomy. All right. I'm a girl. So is my sister. The other day she was like, "I have something really gross to tell y....no, actually, I'm not going to say it." And I was like, "Oh come on, just tell me." And she was like, "No." And I was like, "Yes." And she was like, "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

She said that the last time she had a gynecologist appointment, during the workup, the gyno told her that she wasn't going to do an anal exam because she felt a stool through the back wall of her vagina. Apparently, you can feel stools queuing by the exit through the back wall of the vagina. Color me shocked. I'd never really thought about it before.

What's more: my sister, who, periodically, has trouble with constipation, informed me that by inserting one's fingers into the vagina you can actually PUSH THE RELUCTANT POO FRAGMENT OUT. I was like "Whaaa...?" And so later, when I was doing my thang in the bathroom and sensed a stubborn remainder, I decided to try it. It totally worked!

But my question is, and although I doubt this will end up being common bathroom behavior for me: is there anything particularly dangerous about doing this? I'm thinking probably no, since cooler people than me engage in shit that's a whole lot kinkier than vaginal-wall manipulation, but I don't want to look down one day and realize I've worked out my entire large intestine.

I swear to god this is a serious question. Try it (if you are so equipped). I realize that perhaps I have lowered the sophistication level of Ask Metafilter to Preteen Standard and I apologize. But also, if it were my website, I would enthusiastically welcome all related one-liners, but since it's not, responses that directly address the question of whether this practice will result in some hideous rectal deformity would be, of course, very much appreciated.

Liquid dog poo, meet new clear fitted carpet.

XiBe — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 05:00:47 -0800

Liquid dog poo, meet new clear fitted carpet. Don't read any further if you're have a snack. Thank you for clicking anyway.

My parent's dog is end-of-life sick - she has bone cancer in one leg, and maybe elsewhere. Parents left for a few days, let us (brothers and I) watch the dog.

Sunday morning, my brother woke up in my parent's house, to find brown puddles in front of the TV, and vomit too. He could get rid of the vomit, but the brown (and red in small amounts) is staying, dryly incrusted as it is in the clear-grey fitted carpet, that my parents had had installed six months ago - well, they redid the whole floor, even.

The dog is being taken to the vet today - poor thing doesn't even seem to hurt, even if she drinks a hell of a lot water, she's as happy and jumpy as ever, which is a relief.

My parent's plane is landing tomorrow, and I'd like to gather some tips for getting rid of both the stains and the stench, and help them make their living-room habitable again.

Any idea, please go ahead. Thanks.

(please note we are in France, so your miracle brands might not be available in the cornershop - but say it anyway, we might be able to find a clone around here)

Psyllium plugged butt

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 22:17:56 -0800

Psyllium made me constipated! So I bought some psyllium husks from a health story after reading about them (on AskMefi, actually). I'm not generally constipated, but I'm not quite regular, either. So, I took a teaspoon a day stirred into a big glass of water for three days. Now I'm all gummed up. Did I do something wrong, or is Psyllium just not for me?

[I'm young, with a pretty decent diet including veggies/grains/fluids and all that stuff]