What's Your Poo Telling You?

Today marked the end of my 3rd week in peds and the end of my GI rotation. I spent all week talking about none other than poop, or to put it lightly 'output'. Most of the patients I saw had Crohn's disease or short gut syndrome. 


Here's a little bit about each of those: 
Crohn's- A form of inflammatory bowl disease that usually affects the intestines. People with Crohn's disease have chronic inflammation anywhere along the GI tract. With chronic inflammation you can imagine that it wouldn't be too fun to eat. So, we work with them on 'safe' foods, what their eating patterns should be, or if they are on enteral feeds we adjust their feeds to best fit their needs 
Short Gut- This name has a literal meaning...these kids have a short gut. This is because their intestines are not working correctly, usually exhibiting significant malabsorption and they have had some type of bowel resection to correct this problem. To get nutrition, these kids are usually on enteral nutrition and sometimes TPN. We work with their feeds to make sure they get the proper nutrition they need. 


To know if the kids are tolerating their feeds and their intestines are working correctly we had to focus on their output. How much, what did it look like, etc. that way we can make adjustments if needed. Sounds like fun, right? It's amazing how much your poop can tell you. Here are a couple of fun facts:


1. Poop should sink- Floating stools can indicate a high fat content, which can be the sign of malabsorption (your not absorbing enough fat and other nutrients from the food your eating). 
2. Shape matters- The perfect stool is an S shape. This shows that your getting enough fiber in your diet (fiber helps bulk up your stools and keep them together).
3.75% of your poop is water
4. The average human poops 2 pounds a day. 


So, the next time you hit the john check out what your poo is telling you.