Have you looked at your poop lately? It could save your life, according to gastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha.
As colorectal cancers have become the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50, Pasricha has noticed a disturbing pattern in her patients. Some of them take a “flush it and forget it” approach to their bowel movements, missing key information about their health.
“There’s a lot of embarrassment about even saying that you look and then using the right words to describe what it is that you saw,” she told Business Insider.
Subtle changes to bathroom habits — like unexplained diarrhea, constipation, or an urgent need to go — may be an early sign of colon cancer, which often doesn’t cause symptoms until advanced stages that are harder to treat.
“The big problem is that we’re catching them late,” Pasricha said of colon cancer diagnoses. “The stage at which you catch these early onset cases is everything.”
Her new book, “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong,” details how your digestion can be an important indicator of your overall health, including your risk of colon cancer.
She offers tips on understanding what changes to your bowel movements might mean for your health, and when to talk to your doctor.
“When we’re talking about pooping, it’s really not just about the poop itself. It’s about this whole system,” she said.
How to tell if your poop is normal
Pasricha said the first step toward “poophoria,” or bathroom bliss, is getting a baseline of what your poop typically looks like.
While there are some general guidelines about different types of stool, from watery to “fluffy” to sausage-shaped, the standard for a healthy poop can vary widely between people.
“The only way you even know what is your normal is to look,” she said. “You’ve got to look every day.”
From there, you can start noting how your digestive system reacts to changes in your routine, such as when you’re traveling, when you’re stressed, or when you eat certain foods.
Pasricha said there’s no telltale poop that always signifies colon cancer, and even the healthiest poop doesn’t guarantee you’re cancer-free.
“The disturbing thing about it is that it might look a little different for different people,” she said.
That’s why it’s important to keep track of changes and talk to your doctor about any shift in your habits that persists for more than a few weeks.
“It can be as simple as new diarrhea or going more frequently that just wasn’t my pattern before. It may not be completely disrupting my life,” she said.
Warning signs of colon cancer
While a visual check of your poop can’t definitively diagnose colon cancer — you’ll need a colonoscopy or other test for that — there are two warning signs that warrant a prompt medical visit.
Colon cancer can sometimes cause narrow or thin stools that are ribbon- or pencil-like. It’s not a sure-fire sign of cancer, but worth discussing with your doctor, especially if it’s consistent over time.
“If there is a particularly large tumor, that might compress the stool and make it thinner on the way out,” Pasricha said.
The second, and most crucial, sign of a problem is bleeding after a bowel movement: in the toilet bowl, on the toilet paper, or mixed into the stool. It can be bright red or black and tarry.
Rectal bleeding is among the most common symptoms of early-onset colon cancer. While patients might feel ashamed to mention it, seeing a doctor right away is crucial to rule out more innocuous potential causes like hemorrhoids or IBD.
“Bleeding in any form is one big literal red flag,” Pasricha said. “I want to hear when you have blood the day or two after you saw it, maybe even same day.”
Other potential symptoms of colon cancer include abdominal pain, even if it’s minor and not severe enough to go to the ER.
“It’s often new, vague, lower abdominal pain that’s not stopping you from doing your work, but it’s also uncomfortable, and it’s bothersome, and it wasn’t there before,” Pasricha said.
Another indicator can be anemia or iron deficiency. It’s diagnosed with a blood test, and the most common symptom is fatigue.
“Maybe you’re just not having the energy that you used to have, maybe you’re a little paler than usual,” Pasricha said. She added that young women can be particularly at risk because low iron levels are often blamed on heavy periods.
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t be afraid or ashamed to talk to your doctors about subtle symptoms affecting your digestive system or health; waiting until you’re seriously ill can mean missing the opportunity for early diagnosis when treatment is most effective.
This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your qualified physician or healthcare provider.
