[quote author=today link=topic=30099.msg282937#msg282937 date=1268980136]
i don't understand what is meant by "do you look in your stools?"
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[quote author=lightningelemental link=topic=30099.msg282941#msg282941 date=1268990060]
I take it to mean do you look at your feces for obvious traces of visible blood.
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Yes - today, It's never a bad thing to check your faeces for traces of blood or indeed consistency, which may indicate dietary issues. Such traces of blood can indicate possible problems with the digestive system or internal/external Haemorrhoids, fistulas etc.
However, the absence of visible blood traces does not indicate of itself a clean bill of health since blood can be present in an occluded form, often manifest by unusually dark stools. In that instance the source of the bleeding is likely higher up the digestive tract, even in the stomach.
I'm reminded of a company I used to work for. It was a large company and they had a doctor and nurse always present in the first-aid room. The doctor used to undertake training of 'first aiders' who worked on the manufacturing plant and were first response to an accident.
One of his favourite questions when it came to first aiders qualifying for an extra to their wages was 'what is a symptom of internal bleeding?' The answer he preferred was 'dark and tarry stools'. One chap was told what to say before he went for his qualifying interview. He got flustered and apparently answered 'dark and starry tools'