What Your Pee And Poop Are Trying To Tell You About Your Body

The human body is like an extraordinary machine. Each time something goes a little off the radar, it doesn’t shut down immediately. Instead, it sends little warning messages like biological taps on the shoulder to bring it to our attention.

One of these warning signs is the waste excreted by your body. If you peek before you flush, there’s a chance that there might be a few things going on inside your body that you may be unaware of.

What Your Pee Is Trying To Tell You About Your Body

Pee or urine is your body’s liquid waste, mainly containing salt, water, and chemicals called uric acid and urea. It’s manufactured by your kidneys while they filter toxins from your blood. A whole lot of things like foods, drinks, medications, and illnesses can affect how your pee turns out.

What Color Is Your Pee?

1. Pale Yellow Or Gold – This indicates that everything is fine and normal in your body. This hue comes from a pigment called urochrome produced by your body.

2. No Color Or Transparent – This may be because you’ve been taking in too many fluids, or drinking too much water. It could also be because you’re taking a diuretic that stimulates your body to get rid of stored fluids.

3. Dark Honey Or Brown Colored Urine – This could be a sign of dehydration and that you need to drink more fluids immediately. It may also signify liver problems, so make sure to see your doctor if the color doesn’t go back to normal in a day or two.

4. Pink Or Red – If you’ve been taking in a lot of foods like beets, blackberries, carrots, and rhubarb, your pee could turn into a pinkish-red color. It could also be a side effect of taking antibiotics like rifampin or phenazopyridine, a drug for urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Note: Always make sure to confirm with your doctor if your pee is pink or red. There’s a possibility that you may have blood in your urine. This doesn’t always mean that it’s a problem, but many times, it could be the sign of a UTI, kidney disease, prostate problems, or a tumor.

5. Orange – Sometimes, if you take medicines like phenazopyridine, a mega dose of vitamin B2, or the antibiotic isoniazid, it’s possible that your pee may turn orange. Depending on the shade of orange, it could also be a sign of dehydration, or a liver or bile duct problem. Consult your doctor just to be sure.

6. Blue Or Green – This will probably occur due to ingesting foods with blue or green dyes, or medicines like anesthetic propofol or promethazine, the allergy/asthma medicine. Some medical conditions may also turn your pee green or blue, so consult your doctor if the color doesn’t go away soon.

7. Foamy – Irrespective of what the color is, always check with your doctor if your pee consistently looks foamy and frothy. It may be a sign that your kidneys have too much protein in them, which is definitely not a good sign.

How Does Your Pee Smell?

• Pee doesn’t usually smell too strong. But some foods such as asparagus, which contains a smelly sulfur compound, can cause your pee to have a stronger odor.
• Taking vitamin B-6 supplements can also make your pee smell strongly.
• If you’re dehydrated, your pee will most likely be very concentrated, causing it to smell strongly of ammonia.
• If you catch a whiff of something terribly strong before hitting the flush, it might be an indication of a UTI, a bladder infection, or metabolic diseases.

How Often Should You Go To Pee?

Everyone is different, but people mostly need to pee about eight or nine times a day. The frequency can change depending on how much one eats or drinks, especially if it’s caffeine and alcohol. It could also be a side effect of taking medications. Older people and pregnant women usually have to go relieve themselves more often than the rest.

If you suddenly find yourself needing to pee very often, it could probably mean you have some health problem, usually like a UTI, diabetes, interstitial cystitis, vaginitis (in the case of women) or an enlarged prostate (in the case of men).

You may have an overactive bladder if you suddenly have the urgency to rush to the loo but can’t get there on time. This is common in older men and women, though it isn’t a normal part of aging. Consult your doctor to have him advise you on how to treat this condition with lifestyle changes and medications.

When to Call Your Doctor

Anytime you see a change in your pee that doesn’t seem linked to a recent medication or a meal, especially if it lasts longer than a day or two, consult your doctor right away.

Make sure to tell him if you’re facing symptoms like back or side pain, fever, vomiting, feeling very thirsty, or unusual discharge. Your doctor may run a urine test to see what’s going on.

What Your Poop Is Trying To Tell You About Your Body

Taking a moment to observe your poop could give you a great opportunity to diagnose some potential problems, so you can take advantage of early treatment to fend off more serious complications.

What Is The Color Of Your Poop?

Poop color can be quite symptomatic and can be an indicator of various conditions.

1. Medium Brown Or Light Brown – This is a healthy stool color and is indicative of no health problems.

2. Black, Tar, Or Bright Red – These colors are usually an indication that there may be some bleeding in the gastrointestinal or anal tract, and it’s necessary to consult your doctor right away.
Sometimes, however, black stools can occur if you’re on medication, taking certain health supplements, and sometimes after you’ve eaten black colored licorice.

3. Very Pale Brown, Gray, Or White – Sometimes, this odd coloration could be an indication of lack of bile in the digestive system. They may even indicate problems such as pancreatic illness, hepatitis, and cirrhosis, which is why you must get yourself medically examined right away. Sometimes, taking antacids may also cause white stools.

4. Yellow – This could indicate some issue with your gallbladder, Gilbert’s syndrome, or a giardia infection. A doctor’s visit is recommended if this doesn’t get better in a day or two.

Poop Shape And Consistency

1. Small, Hard, Lumpy – This type of stool is common in anyone who has recently undergone a treatment of antibiotics, or anyone who eats a diet that’s low in fiber. This indicates chronic dysbacteriosis – an inflammation of the small intestine. Because of the absence of certain bacteria, the stool is unable to retain water. The abrasive nature of this kind of stool can make it very painful to pass and may even cause anal bleeding.

2. Lumpy And Sausage-Like – This is usually the aftermath of a recent bout of constipation, wherein the stool has not passed through the intestinal tract for many weeks. These are typical of people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Being difficult and painful to pass, given their solid consistency and that their size is greater than that of the anal aperture, they may cause bleeding.

3. Sausage-Like Stools With A Cracked Surface – This type of stool is also an indication of constipation and IBS, but is processed relatively faster, usually between 1-2 weeks.

4. Sausage-Like Stools, Soft And Smooth – This type of stool is common in people who pass stools once a day, and is almost perfect. Since it is only 1- 2 cms in diameter, this indicates that it has short transmit-time and decently healthy fiber content.

5. Soft Blobs With Well Defined Edges – This is as close as one can get to perfect stools. This is usually passed by someone who visits the bathroom two or three times a day after major meals.

6. Fluffy Stools With Ragged, Torn, Edges – This kind of stool formation happens quite unexpectedly and may be a problem if there is no bathroom nearby. This is usually indicative of stress and high blood pressure.

7. Loose Stools – This is usually experienced by children or old people, and is indicative of paradoxical diarrhea since it coexists with constipation.

Poop Smell

Poop, in general, is not known to smell good. However, stools that are just nasty smelling are a completely different thing. Horrible smelling stools can indicate:

• Celiac Disease
• Crohn’s Disease
• Pancreatitis
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Your body’s difficulty in absorption

Of course, this is just a basic overview on pee and stool color, shape, and smell. This may be used as a rough guide to staying on the alert when it comes to what’s happening inside your body, but it goes without saying that everyone responds to medication, stress, food, etc. differently. It may be possible that your pee or poop may not indicate anything at all, even though you may have a serious health issue on the inside.It is therefore advisable that you go for medical checkups every 6 to 12 months, to be sure that your body is as healthy as it ought to be.